The Hyatt Edge

When Hyatt Regency O’Hare opened in 1971, soaring atrium lobbies were revolutionizing hotel architecture. Designed by architect John Portman, it was one of several landmark properties that established Hyatt as an innovator in lodging.

The hotel was among the first to be designed around grand, wide-open spaces that draw guests to the core of the hotel.

Once again in 2007, Hyatt Regency O’Hare is at the forefront of a trend with a $60 million transformation that will serve as a case study for Hyatt’s atrium properties all over the world, says Larry Traxler, VP of architecture and design, Hyatt Hotels Corp. The opportunity is to breathe vitality back into Portman’s classic design and keep pace with the rising expectations of group and business travelers.

It is not an isolated effort. Hyatt has committed more than $500 million for capital improvements to rejuvenate dozens of hotels and resorts across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. The initiative kicked off in 2005 with a $60 million upgrade of Grand Hyatt New York, which also marked the introduction of the Hyatt Grand Bed luxury sleep system.

Since then, the entire chain has been upgrading with state-of-the-art product and service features, from Express Check-In Kiosks and Web Check-In to WhereEver WiFi, 24-hour Stay Fit gyms and more. The goal is to extend the comfort and convenience of group and business travel by introducing an entirely new standard in lodging.

“The bar has been raised in our industry. We’re looking at each individual property and how it is used and trying to respond in a unique and effective way that makes sense for today’s user,” Traxler says.

In the O’Hare rejuvenation, the hotel took the radical step of replacing its indoor pool area with a spectacular new conference facility catering to small meetings and breakouts. It marks a renewed focus on small meetings—the real bread and butter of the hotel industry, Traxler says.

“Hotel architecture can’t be independent of guest needs or traffic patterns. When we begin a major renovation, we ask our sales team who their core customers are, what they need and what their customers— both large and small—are asking for in this specific location.”

The O’Hare property also has created a “destination lobby,” transforming it with Red Bar, O'Hare American Grill, modular check-in, a lobby level Regency Club® and 24-hour FedEx Kinko’s. Brightening the lobby with natural light, stunning décor and a dramatic new entry also creates that critical first impression the hotel was lacking.

“What we tried to do was restore the ‘wow factor’ on arrival that will deliver a more competitive edge with meeting planners and frequent guests,” Traxler says.

In some instances, Hyatt is transforming properties by taking a closer look at the very things that have made them successful in the first place.

The $20 million transformation of Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino is a case in point. With a stunning location on Palm Beach, Hyatt took Aruba’s premier resort and made it even better by creating the ultimate Aruba experience inside and out.

New furnishings and casual Caribbean accents bring a contemporary new look to the open-air lobby, the latest technology and sleek amenities to 360 guestrooms, and a new level of authenticity and style to the resort’s bars and restaurants.

The total makeover extends even to exterior landscaping, accentuated by stone walkways and cascading waterfalls, creating a sense of arrival unlike anything seen before on the island, Traxler says.

“We wanted to position ourselves to continually offer the best product on Aruba for meetings and group incentives,” Traxler says. “What we’re also trying to establish is that we’re our own competition. And if we keep making that our goal, we’re going to continue pushing ourselves to new heights.”

Such improvements are part of a larger trend of raising the bar by transforming properties as diverse as Park Hyatt Washington, Hyatt Regency Monterey and Hyatt Regency Mission Bay (formerly Hyatt Regency Islandia) to better serve emerging needs in local markets. These projects encompass everything from meeting rooms and public spaces to restaurants, corridors and guestrooms.

To identify trends, Hyatt increasingly is asking focus groups to speak about their likes and dislikes before a renovation begins, says Laurie Miller, partner, Anderson/Miller, Ltd., a design firm that has completed numerous projects for Hyatt.

Such customer insights often lead to surprising revelations. An example is the discovery that most business travelers do not use bathtubs except for showering. This has led to replacing bathtubs at some locations with stand-up showers.

“Taking the shower curtain and tub away and installing an enclosed glass shower really opens up the bathroom and presents opportunities,” Miller says.

Likewise, replacing tube TVs with flat-panel TVs makes guestrooms feel much more spacious, she says.

The ability to make such decisions property by property highlights a key design advantage at Hyatt—that hotel architecture is not standardized. This permits Miller’s team to begin each transformation as though working from a blank slate.

“The design of every Hyatt hotel or resort is unique and responds to the market that it’s in,” Miller says. “This has given our designers extraordinary freedom in helping to transform hotels so they can operate on many different levels and serve many different customers simultaneously.”