Customer service can make or break a hotel. Many things can be overlooked if the staff is helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. And when the customer service is bad, it makes everything else sour in comparison. My recent stay at the Hyatt Regency Chicago feels like a disaster. When we first arrived, we had paperwork stating that we had pre-paid. Our card had been run 9 days prior to our stay, when we booked it, and the hotel had conveniently forgotten this when we checked in. They assured us that we would not be double-billed and demanded we give them our card again. So we spent the whole trip worried that a rather large charge (we were staying many nights) would end up charging twice to our card. We were also given a discount on valet through AAA, the hotel at first knew about it, then had no idea, then knew again, then ended up charging us the full rate. The final straw on this camel's back was that our brand new car was damaged in excess of $1000 by the valet, who backed the car right into a pole and attempted to cover it up.

I wouldn't have stayed here if my employer wasn't paying, but it was a great place to stay. The location is ideal and there are restaurants in the Hyatt; but hundreds of nearby eateries at more affordable prices. The room was very comfortable, with lots of extra pillows, a desk and comfy chair. The staff is very friendly, but be prepared with a gratuity--the support staff seem to expect it.

I booked this hotel through Hotwire ($84, $103 with taxes and fees). We felt it was a great deal for the money. The lobby was large, attractive, and impressive. It was typically busy for a large popular big city hotel, but the lobby is so large that there is still room to move around. I didn't use any of the amenities like the restaurants or bars at the hotel as I usually don't when I'm staying in a place like downtown Chicago. The check in was pleasant. I asked them for a room with double beds and was given that. We had no problems with the room. It had a large HDtv. I declined a room upgrade offer. Our room was at the end of a hall and there was a building across our room (as one might expect) and we could also see the Chicago River. As for people complaining about high prices at hotel restaurants, concessions, and bars, I don't think I have ever seen a hotel with "cheap" restaurants, concessions, and bars. It is overpriced for convienence like anything else. That is one reason I typically don't use those services, besides the fact that it is pretty boring just sit in a hotel when you are in downtown Chicago.

We stayed here for our anniversary and had an amazing weekend. The room was a bit dated and it shared a wall with the elevator shaft, but overall it wasn't bad. We didn't really notice the elevators much and the view looking towards the Hancock Building and the Chicago River across the street made up for the minor inconvenience. The room was clean, but not that impressive. The location is fantastic as it's only a couple blocks from Michigan Ave. and close to Navy Pier. We were able to shop and enjoy walking around with little trouble. Parking is expensive, but it is a downtown hotel, so that shouldn't surprise anybody. Wireless internet was also $13 for 24hrs, which was a bit dissapointing. I would recommend this hotel for people looking to stay downtown, but I would only stay here if you are able to get a discounted rate. We used Priceline and that is the only way I would stay here again. We really can't complain about our stay and we had a great weekend, but I'm not sure this is a 4star hotel.