Hyatt Adds Lifestyle Brand for ‘Modern Explorers’

By Gail Kalinoski, Contributing Editor

Kristine Rose, Hyatt

Hyatt Hotels Corp. is adding to its offerings as it becomes the latest hospitality giant to offer a full-service “lifestyle brand” with the April debut of two Hyatt Centric hotels in Chicago and Miami.

The launch marks the sixth brand Hyatt has introduced since 2006. More than 15 Hyatt Centric locations, comprised of open and previously announced hotels, will open by summer in cities around the world, including New York, Paris and Atlanta.

The Chicago and Miami hotels are both adaptive reuse projects and will feature core elements of the Hyatt Centric brand starting with unique designs that fit the hotel’s surroundings. They are aimed at business and leisure travelers that Hyatt executives are dubbing “modern explorers.”

“By working with owners to test and perfect the Hyatt Centric experience in real hotels in real time, we were able to strategically build the brand,” Kristine Rose, vice president of brands, Hyatt, said in a release. “Now, with two hotels opening soon, we are confident that we will be able to fulfill today’s savvy traveler’s needs for an uncomplicated, cosmopolitan experience in a way that has never been done before.”

Hyatt is joining other hospitality players like Hilton Worldwide, which introduced Canopy by Hilton, in October, in the same category.

R. Mark Woodworth, PKF

“The supply of Upper-Upscale hotels (the segment in which Hyatt Centric resides) has been increasing at a 20 to 30 percent premium relative to the industry as a whole in recent year,” R. Mark Woodworth, president of PKF Hospitality Research, a CBRE company, told Commercial Property Executive. “This trend, which is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, is in direct response to consumer preferences for a hotel experience that is built around customer-friendly design, ambiance and a menu of services that is ‘lifestyle’ based as opposed to oriented to the masses.”

Woodworth noted that Kimpton and Starwood have been at the forefront of the trend.

“The commitment to this space by Hyatt, Marriott, IHG and Hilton, among others, in recent years serves to endorse the belief that these trends are in fact real and will likely be sustained as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age and the Millenials begin to mature,” he added.

The hotel in Chicago, called Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago, will be located at Monroe and Clark streets. A former 22-story office building constructed in 1927, it will have 257 rooms and 2,513 square feet of meeting space. The lobby will feature art from local artists. Dining options will include Cochon Volant, a French bistro; a French bakery; and a 5,500-square-foot rooftop bar.

The Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami is on Collins Avenue across from the beach in a 10-story glass tower blending the city’s Art Deco architecture with modern design. It will have 105 guest rooms and 700 square feet of meeting space. The hotel will feature Deck 16, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant; full menu for beach service and “knock and grab” room service.

Artwork, furniture, food and beverages will be tailored to each location although each one will have some common elements like The Corner, an area with books and magazines where guests can work or socialize;  free wireless Internet; and Bluetooth-enabled television systems in all guest rooms.