Hyatt’s makeover of its 54 extended stay properties is taking it into social territory, where hotel guests will stay in apartment-style suites and mix and mingle in a social environment under the new Hyatt House (TM) concept.

The name “Hyatt House” for the brand is special not just because it makes it feel like home, but also because it was the name of the first-ever Hyatt hotel – Hyatt House at Los Angeles International Airport, which opened way back in 1957.

Hyatt House guest suite with kitchen

Hyatt properties being rebranded by early 2012 under the new Hyatt House brand include the 38 Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotels, and the 16 Hotel Sierra hotels that Hyatt recently acquired from LodgeWorks, L.P.

Signature elements of Hyatt House include:

Apartment-Style Suites: The studio, 1 and 2 bedroom kitchen suites have the look and feel of an urban residence with facilities and design elements suitable for extended stay travelers.

Each suite comes with a Hyatt Grand Bed, peek-a-boo cabinets in the kitchen, and an entryway hall tree with cubbies for guests to hang keys, coats, umbrellas.

Each suite also offers a multi-tasking space where guests can prepare meals, watch TV, and work on their laptops. The suites will feature a dream shower, flat-panel HDTV and DVD players.

Great Lounge: Every Hyatt House will have a multi-purpose “Great Lounge” with signature chairs that feature built-in digital plugs and gadget resting spots. There will be an oversized social sectional, a glass-enclosed game room equipped with a home entertainment system, pool table and more.

Each Great Lounge will have an H Bar that will turn from a breakfast bar in the morning to a cocktail bar in the evening. Each property will also have a home-like backyard and conversation area set around a back patio, fire pit and outdoor kitchen with grills.

Amenities: Complimentary breakfast where guests can order eggs and toppings any way they like from the chef each morning. The open house seven days a week offers good food and cocktails at happy hour prices from 5 to 10 pm – an extended time-slot to match hectic travel schedules.

The fitness centers are being redesigned to make them bigger with more exercise equipment, and every Hyatt House will have an indoor or outdoor swimming pool.

The guest market will offer traditional and gourmet groceries, and personal shopping services enable all guests a chance to have their refrigerators stocked ready with food before they arrive.

More info: hyattdevelopment.com

Photo: Hyatt Hotels

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Moving to a New City? Consider Extended Stay Hotels

Hyatt 48 Lex is the newest full service hotel in New York. Eschewing the harsh edge that hotels desperately trying to be hip often end up with, this one is staking its claim on travelers seeking a familiar and personal connection in an impersonal city.

The 48 Lex name based on its Midtown East location (48th and Lexington) doesn’t say much. But the 116 guest rooms and suites speak volumes, and so do the range of facilities and amenities.

Hyatt 48 Lex NYC

The rooms are styled to be a pied-à-terre, which is like a second home in the city for people who need a place to work or relax away from home.

Only, in this case, the 48 Lex means it to be an elegant pied-à-terre for travelers seeking the familiar comforts of home, and the hotel is promising “extraordinary service and gracious guest experiences.”

This means a 370 square feet room with floor to ceiling windows and a Queen sized Hyatt Grand Bed. It comes complete with a well stocked butler’s pantry including microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, sink and dishwasher.

Throw in the flat screen tv, bath with marble mosaic tiles, large work desk and other gizmos, and it adds up to a cushy pied-à-terre pad a lot bigger than the matchbox sized Pods and Yotels that New York visitors have come to expect.

In terms of facilities, the hotel offers the Lexington Brass Bar & Grill, and a guest lounge on the second floor. There’s a 24-hour gym and business center, plus four boardrooms overlooking Lexington Ave. They have a hand curated art program and provide luxury books by Assouline Publishing. Wi-fi is complimentary in all the public areas.

Hyatt 48 Lex NYC is offering rates starting from $279, and is now taking reservations for stays starting from July 18th onwards. Considering that it’ll be a brand new hotel with spacey rooms located within walking distance of Grand Central Station and Rockefeller Center, that’s a pretty good deal.

Photo – Hyatt 48 Lex

More info: 517 Lexington Ave New York NY 10017;  (212) 838-1234; http://www.48lex.hyatt.com/

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Hyatt Regency in Downtown Tampa Bay

It was a complete accident that I found myself spending a night at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa Bay, Florida.

I was planning to spend a day at Busch Gardens and was hoping to find a hotel nearby.  Unfortunately, Busch Gardens isn’t surrounded on four sides by hotels eager to take advantage of amusement park business, unlike the amusement parks in Orlando.  I began to investigate my options on Priceline and figured “something cheap in the downtown area” would do.  I named my own price and ended up with a confirmation number for the Hyatt Regency.

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Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California

The dramatic architecture of the Hyatt Regency balconies, with the iconic Transamerica Pyramid in the background, makes them a part of the view on a rare fog-free day in San Francisco.

Photo credit: C. Lincoln