Hyatt Regency Chicago Review

Booking & Stay Details

I was still staying at the Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Shiloh/O’Fallon IL, when I made this reservation. I had friends from abroad staying in Chicago and wanted to visit them and looked for hotels in the city. Secondly, I wanted to use one of my Suite Upgrade Awards before they expired and therefore I looked at numerous Hyatt hotels in the city. I stayed at a Hyatt Place in Chicago before but I wanted to try something new. I picked the Hyatt Regency Chicago and called the World of Hyatt Globalist line. The agent was super helpful in getting me the rate I wanted and also to apply for my Suite Upgrade Award. However, the suite you would normally get with this award was not habitable during the stays and the agent asked me if it would be a problem if they upgrade me to the next higher suite which is normally not included with the Suite Upgrade Awards. Of course, I didn’t decline. Who would? That’s how I got the Millennium Suite.  

The whole booking process was made over the phone, as I didn’t want to book via the app and then try to apply the upgrade. Maybe the hotel has no availability and I would be stuck in the standard room. Otherwise, I could have just selected another hotel in the city. The problem was that the reservation was for checking in the same night. That also meant the cancellation deadline has already been passed. Yeah, that’s my life. Always last minute.

Location

The Hyatt Regency is located at the north border of the Loop. The loop is the downtown area of Chicago and the Chicago River separates the Loop to the north and west from the rest of the city.

Depending on traffic it is about a 30-minute drive from Chicago O’Hare Airport as well as from Midway Airport.

As mentioned, the hotel is located in the downtown area called “The Loop” and it is built next to the Chicago River.
Many attractions are within walking distance or you can use public transportation which is pretty good here as well. Chicago is known for its elevated train system, known by locals just as “The L”. Getting to the world-famous Cloud Gate aka The Bean, takes you only 10-minutes on foot.  

Parking

Only valet parking is available at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. I booked a rate which included parking which saved me a few dollars compared with the cheapest rate and then paying extra for parking.  

As you pull up to the driveway, which is not easy to find as you have to enter the hotel from N Stetson Ave and can’t enter it from E Wacker Dr, which is the actual address of the hotel and that’s where the GPS told me to go. Being dark didn’t help much either. But once you make it to the hotel a valet will greet you and take care of your car and a bellman will assist with your luggage.  

Shuttle Service

No shuttle service.

Check-In

I arrived late at the hotel. The bellman loaded my bags on a cart and would take it up to my room. I walked inside to check in. The check-in counter is located on the mezzanine level of the hotel. The whole process was pretty quick. Just the usual ID and credit card check and I got my room keys from the agent. I also got directions on how to get to my room.

During check-in the agent also told me which room key and room number to use for the Regency Club access as well as charging breakfast to the room to get my breakfast benefit automatically applied.

Check-In: 3 p.m.
Check-Out: 12 p.m.

Millenium Suite (Room 2626 & 2627)

Bedroom

The bedroom of this suite is a regular King room that connects to the living room space. This room can also get booked just as a regular King room, if no suite is needed.

In itself, the bedroom is not very large. The main portion of the room holds the King Bed, an office desk with chair and a sofa with a little desk. Opposite the bed is a large wall-mounted TV with Chromecast integration.

In the corner next to the TV is a small refrigerator and on top is the in-room coffee maker.  

The bathroom has a walk-in shower and a vanity with a single sink in front of a large edge-lit mirror.

Next to the main door is a closet which holds the in-room safe as well as a iron and ironing board.

Working & Lounge Area

This is the best part of the suite. It’s a huge space with lots of amenities. It comes with its own door connecting to the hallway.

About half of the room can be considered the dining area. It comes with a large table which can seat up to 8 people.  

The other half you could consider sleeping or living area. The bookshelf with the sofa is actually a murphy bed. The middle part of the book shelf folds out and forms a large bed.  

This area also features another two chairs with a table. A TV is mounted on the wall between the windows. The TV can be tilted in the best viewing direction to either the dining area or sleeping area.

The windows in both parts of the suite give you stunning views of the river and part of the Chicago skyline.  

This part of the suite has, of course, its own bathroom as well. The bathroom is a little bit smaller than the one in the King room. Inside is also a walk-in shower but the vanity has two wash basins instead of one.

The whole suite has a great view of the Chicago River. It’s just great staring out of the window and watching the action.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby & Public Spaces

The lobby is huge. It basically covers the ground level you walk into to the hotel as well as part of the mezzanine where the front desk is located. There are plenty of seating options on the ground level. If you want more privacy to sit down and meet up, you can even go downstairs to one of their underground levels which holds the meeting spaces. You can find additional seating in the hallways.

Tunnels connect a lot of the downtown area together. From the Hyatt Regency Chicago, you can walk to other hotels in the area and even to an underground train station. Just follow the signs. It is a small maze if you are not used to it.  

Business Center

Next to the front desk you can find a computer to print your boarding pass. There is another workstation in the Club Lounge and lots of spaces in the public areas with desks where you can set up your laptop to work.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is located in the west tower of the property. There is some construction and remodeling going on and that’s why you have to take a little detour to get to the fitness center. The hotel put up signs everywhere and it is easy to find if you follow the signs.

Overall, the fitness center is well-equipped with lots of work out gear.

Pool

The hotel does not have a pool.

Guest Laundry

There is no guest laundry facility on site. However, they have dry-cleaning service and you can find the laundry bag and paper form in the closet in your room.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is offered daily.

Dining

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the main lobby of the hotel at the American Craft Kitchen & Bar. Breakfast is not complimentary but World of Hyatt Globalists will receive free breakfast at the hotel.  

Even though the Regency Club at the hotel is open, there is no breakfast served for Globalists here.  

During my stay, they only offered a-la-carte breakfast. The buffet was closed as there were not enough people staying at the hotel, according to the waiter. The menu has a lot of good choices. The service was okay during breakfast but could have been a bit better though.

Regency Club

The Regency Club is definitely a highlight of this property. I was so happy when I found out that the club is actually open. Many Hyatt locations never re-opened their clubs after the pandemic broke out.

There is lots of seating in the club, everything from comfy benches to dining tables.

There are snacks and drinks available throughout the day. The Club doesn’t serve breakfast, as Globalists will get that at the main restaurant in the lobby. However, the club serves evening hors d’oeuvre, which was great. It also gets changed up a bit every day.

More Dining

The Big Bar on the mezzanine level was closed during my stay, probably because of low occupancy as well. The Stetsons Modern Steak + Sushi restaurant was also closed and they even have a note on their website that it might be closed during low occupancy times.

I had dinner one night at the American Craft Kitchen & Bar. It is the same lobby restaurant but for dinner they only use the front portion of the restaurant while breakfast is served in the back. Me and a friend ordered the brisket and it was not very good. Cold and some other issues. Service was also very bad. The waiter almost never came by, getting a refill took forever and even getting the check was a nightmare and took forever. It might have been just an issue during my visit. I hope this is not the norm. The menu of this restaurant is also not very good. Better go to Stetsons Modern Steak + Sushi or visit one of the many restaurants in the downtown area. Worst case you can always have food delivered to the hotel and it is probably better what we got that night.

Conclusion

Overall, the stay at the Hyatt Regency Chicago was great, even with the little dinner hick-up. The location of the hotel is great for exploring the city. Lots of restaurants and interesting stuff in the area including the Cloud Gate (aka the bean), 360 Chicago Observation Deck and Magnificent Mile Shopping Street.

The suite was just the best and the views even better. I just wished i had more time to enjoy my stay here. I also want to explore Chicago during the summer time rather than during the winter. However, the Christmas decoration in the hotel and city is just fabelous.