I recently had a night to spare in Chicago before a flight out of O’Hare Airport, meaning I had to get myself a room at a Hyatt somewhere in the city. For convenience, I chose the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, which is located by the airport.
Hyatt has a lot of properties in Chicago, and this Hyatt Regency is one of three immediately around O’Hare. Visitors can also find a Hyatt Place and a recently renovated Hyatt Centric (previously the Hyatt Rosemont). In terms of proximity to the airport, I think this Hyatt Regency is the best option.
Booking
This is a category 2 property. A typical room will go for 6,500 points during off-peak, 8,000 during standard, and 9,500 during peak periods if booked with points. Standard suites cost as low as 11,500, and premium suites go for as low as 13,000 points. Additionally, this hotel is an opportunity to utilize a category 1-4 free night award.
However, cash rates at this hotel can be fairly cheap. I observed regular Member Rates for around $130 for the dates I had booked, so it may be a good idea to keep the points for a different stay, unless you’re looking to book a premium suite.
With that said, cash rates can still climb during busier seasons; I just lucked out traveling on a quiet December Sunday.
Related: Best ways to use your Hyatt category 1-4 free night award
Getting to the Hotel, Checking In
This Hyatt Regency offers a free shuttle service to and from the airport.
The bus runs every 10 minutes or so, and an online shuttle tracker helped me time my arrival at each bus stop, so I wasn’t waiting outside too long in the Chicago cold.
The shuttle picks up passengers at Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. I arrived in Terminal 3 on American Airlines, so I had to walk over. The pick up spot is outside of door 2A on the arrivals level.
I was impressed by the large, open lobby area once I arrived.
This was a rare instance where I could not get online check-in to work at all. Neither the app nor the website would work.
It wasn’t a problem though; I headed for the front desk and checked in at around 2 p.m., and a room was ready. I got a VIP Suite, which is located in the separate Premier Tower (also known as the Executive Wing).
Rooms in the Premier Tower have up-to-date furnishings with modern interiors, while the rooms in the main building are a bit dated. My understanding is that the hotel will try to place World of Hyatt elites in the Premier Tower whenever possible.
It’s a slight walk to the Premier Tower, but it’s not too far. Only an extra minute or two down the hall.
I made my way up to floor 25, which is really the 5th floor of this building. I assume the floor numbers are in the 20s to differentiate the room numbers from the main building.
I got keys for rooms 2540 and 2542. The suite is a connector with the living room as 2540 and the bedroom and dressing room as 2542.
Room Impressions
Living and entertainment room:
I entered the suite (through the door for 2540) and was greeted by the large living room (Hyatt calls this the living and entertainment room).
This suite spans 1,660 square feet. It’s obviously way more than I need for just one night to spare in O’Hare, but I’ll never say no to it.
To the right is a large couch facing a 65 inch TV:
(I did not check for myself, but this couch also might’ve been a sofa bed)
Adjacent to the couch was this corner with a chair and a table:
Further on the opposite side of this space is a conference table that seats eight, and it also doubles up as a dining table. Another TV is located at this end of the suite.
A counter is located by the dining table. It’s not a full-on kitchen, but I found a sink and a fridge for drinks located here.
This is also where I found complimentary water bottles for World of Hyatt elites and other coffee and tea amenities.
The first bathroom was located by the main suite entrance. It was a bit on the smaller side, but it probably felt this way because I was using the main suite bathroom in the bedroom (more on that in a moment).
It’s your typical Hyatt Regency bathroom, with modern lighting and Pharmacopia bath and body products.
I’m typically not huge into hotel bath and body products, but I’ve always been a big fan of Pharmacopia products at Hyatt Regency properties.
Bedroom and dressing room:
The bedroom was also spacious, and was more than enough for my stay.
The king bed was nice and comfortable, and the pillows were perfect for my liking.
Facing the bed was this small desk, with outlets and a lamp. Another large TV, the third in this suite, also faced the bed.
A cool touch I appreciated was USB-C outlets across the suite. It’s not every day I see them in hotel rooms yet, so it was nice to see the hotel keep in mind the technological trends during its renovations and include these outlets.
Two smaller couches were by the window:
Next to the bedroom was a relatively spacious dressing room.
This was actually one of my favorite parts of this suite. I loved having this space to organize my belongings, which I had a lot of on this trip (I was even flying with a checked bag, which is very unusual for me).
I hung my coat and a couple of shirts here:
This dressing room was where the in-room safe was located.
Additionally, below the in-room safe were more water bottles and coffee/tea amenities, along with a mini fridge.
This is the main bathroom located by the dressing room, which was much larger than the other bathroom by the living/entertainment room entrance.
The shower was nice and spacious, and not a tub, which I prefer.
The shower was easy to turn on and off. It was simple: pull to turn on, adjust the temperature, and push to turn off. The water pressure was also very good.
And of course, more of my favorites:
Other Hotel Amenities & Notes
Breakfast is at the O’H American Grill, located in the lobby area. It’s a buffet for $25, complimentary for Globalists.
The Red Bar & Lounge offers dinner and is open late, but I did not check it out during this stay.
Additionally, Perks offers a convenience store-style place on the ground level with grab-and-go food options.
I found the food options to be just okay, nothing stellar or impressive.
Other amenities I spotted were a FedEx Office locatio and an ATM.
Regarding noise, this suite was fantastic. My particular rooms were located in the corner of the building, and the bedroom itself was even further away from the hallway, tucked far behind the dressing room and the living/entertainment room.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago, and the large VIP Suite was a nice addition. The Premier Tower rooms are modern and sharp, and so I hope the hotel can eventually get renovations going for the rest of the hotel, especially as the Hyatt Centric nearby recently underwent rebranding and major renovations.
Though I’m not a big fan of hotel airport shuttles, this property did great. The live online shuttle tracker makes a big difference as a guest waiting to get to the airport, and it runs frequently for a hotel shuttle.
I’ll definitely consider this hotel again in the future for stays near O’Hare Airport, though I’d also like to check out the new Hyatt Centric.
All photos taken by the author.
