Hyatt House Chicago / Oak Brook — Hotel in Oak Brook

Thin walls, disappointing breakfast, and suites that are not really suites!

New hotels are always a bit nicer simply because they are new. This hotel opened around September of 2018, so the New Effect is still a plus. The hotel has nice amenities, slightly better than your typical value hotel: there is a limited restaurant, a few conference rooms, a basic gym and pool. I would compare this to a new Courtyard by Marriott or a new Hilton Garden Inn. Service was pleasant with attentive, friendly people at the front desk.

The location is convenient to all the offices and shops in and around Oak Brook and beyond. It’s right off 294 on 22nd/Cermak, so it’s also convenient to most everything else in the Chicago suburbs. It’s slightly further east from the main cluster of all the other hotels in the area, which can be a good thing if you have a car. But unlike many of those other hotels, you can’t walk to the shops and restaurants of Oak Brook Center or Yorktown (but who really walks in the suburbs anyway?)

Beware, however! Like many newer hotels in this category, construction quality is heavy on appearances but not built that solidly. The walls are very thin. If you’re like me and easily awoken by hallway noise or sounds from the adjacent rooms, you’ll be disappointed here. This is also a hotel concept that plays fast and loose with the word “suite.” A Studio Suite room is simply a larger-than-average hotel room with a very small kitchenette and a long narrow bar-height table. If you’re looking to book a real suite with a separate bedroom and a sofa bed (such as for a travelling family with kids), be very careful about what room type you are booking. Finally, don’t expect much from the restaurant. It’s very disappointing as it’s really nothing more than a warming kitchen. Marriott Courtyard and Hilton Garden Inn, both of which also feature limited restaurant/bar service, do a much better job with menus, selection, and quality of food. I don’t recommend staying in the hotel for any meal after breakfast, simply because they don’t offer much and you’ve got unlimited choices of restaurants all around the area. For breakfast, however, this hotel touts it’s complimentary hot breakfast with omelet station. If that sounds good to you, you will be very disappointed. The hot selections are spongy scrambled eggs (they’re either warmed up frozen eggs or microwaved egg product), reheated precooked link sausages, reheated breakfast potatoes, and reheated waffles or pancakes. Nothing is actually cooked from scratch in the kitchen. You’ll also have a selection of fruit, yogurt, cereal, and bread/pastry like everywhere else, and I doubt the fruit was prepared on site either. As for the omelet station, it’s food service pre-scrambled egg product with pre-made ingredients of your choice, so the only thing really being cooked is in that little pan in front of you. Sure, this might be better than your standard Comfort Inn “free breakfast,” but don’t go in with high expectations.

Overall, you’ll probably feel like you get good value for the money here. But shop around - there are a whole bunch of hotels nearby! While none will be as new as this Hyatt House, you may find others more to your liking. In fact, the Hyatt Lodge at the McDonalds Campus is basically right around the corner, and it’s a full-service hotel with significantly better amenities, which you can often book for much lower rates. There’s also a Hilton Suites closer to Oak Brook Center with real suites (rooms are separated by doors), a real restaurant, and walls so thick you’ll never hear the “happy...

A hotel said to have handicap and green features, like the lower peep hole in the door, and you put your card in the slot on the wall by the door to get the overhead lights in the entryway of your room to come on. They go off a couple minutes after removing the card, but the lamps stayed on; however, this was great knowing where the room card was — and so you didn't forget it on the way out!

Modern designed and clean rooms. In-room refrigerator and microwave is perfect for an extended stay. There is a 24-hour snack "closet" by the front desk that sold frozen Stouffer dinners, as well as candy and chips, billed to your room, so a great combo for dinner in your room. Room also had a coffeemaker, but there is a free breakfast by the lobby in the morning, so I got coffee down there.

Breakfast buffet had regular plates, silverware, and mugs, if you ate in the lounge, as well as to go cups with lids, containers, and plastic silverware. Delicious breakfast offerings with bacon, scrambled eggs, potatoes, pancakes, fruit, pastries, juices, etc. Don't skip breakfast!

There is a lobby bar open in the evenings in the same area that serves food, but I didn't visit that.

I did utilize the indoor pool though! The water was a perfect temperature. I was alone in the rectangular pool and swam laps. Very comfortable temperature in the pool room, even in February. Towels are available in a cabinet by the pool.

There is an exercise/fitness room, too, you see in from the pool area. Both require room card for entry.

I had a room with one king-sized bed. Room had a good view of Oakbrook from the 5th floor. I loved the chase lounge by the window for working with my back relaxed and legs extended out. There was also a desk work station with 4 plugs on the desktop. Bookcase shelves above the desk were great to set clothes on that I was wanting to keep off the floor or stuff to not forget. Instead of tables with drawers by the bed, each side had a table also with open shelves, perfect to set things in without worrying you would forget something in a drawer when just staying overnight.

Bathroom had walk-in shower stall with a glass door. Very easy to step in. Pump bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner were mounted inside the shower for easy use. Nice long mirror in room outside of bathroom to check your outfit.

I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend to anyone coming to visit family or on business, requiring an extended stay — since there is a microwave, fridge, big closet, and great desk for a laptop — but who would be out part of the day, because there is not much to do at the hotel and no stores or attractions are right next door to walk to. The mall would be a longer walk or short drive.

You enter the hotel lot from the side and drive around front to the lobby (follow Google directions). This design made the hotel and parking lot feel safe by itself.

There was parking along the sides of the hotel where you drive in and several rows out from the lobby. No problem finding a spot late at night returning.  However, not sure about that if hotel was full, like if lots across the street can be used for overflow then?

Be sure to join the Hyatt rewards when booking on their website to get the member rate (was cheaper than any travel sites on the...

Let me first start by saying that I stayed at the Hyatt house in warrenville and it was a very pleasant stay, actually one of my favorite hotels. So I was rather disappointed at the way I was treated at the Hyatt House Oakbrook.

FIRST: I booked the reservation over the phone and could have sworn that I told the agent the 21st of April, because my flight arrived at 12:20 am. But anyway that could have been my mistake or the agents, I wasn’t really making a big fuss about that.

SECOND: I arrive at 3:36 am, I believe. The gentleman at the front desk tells me that they were sold out and advised me to talk to a manager at 7:30 am and that they could possibly help me. He was also trying to see if it was anyway he could put me in a room just until my room became available, but he was unable to find a room. So I just had to wait to 7:30.

THIRD: I come in and a manager by the name of Cynthia was on duty. She was adamant that there was nothing available until 1:00. No if, ands, or but’s about it. No trying to find another solution or anything. So I was a little perturbed, because how does the front desk staff try to offer a solution and she doesn’t? Fourth: I wait out in my car and call about 9:30 just to see if possibly a room became available. She was straight to the point again no in between.

FOURTH: I come into the lobby at about 12:10 to wait around. I became enraged when I saw another employee go to housekeeping to check to see if a room was ready for a White gentleman. I am now enraged. I was saying to myself they actually went out of the way and not called to see if the room was ready for this gentleman. So I guess Cynthia noticed the look on my face and started to approach me saying that she was just about to tell me that my room was ready. Now if we really want to be technical, the cameras at the hotel can be viewed and you will clearly see that she tried to approach after the gentleman was checked in. What really pissed me off was that I was not asking for a handout I would have paid for the extra time. I booked the hotel for over 14 nights totaling around $2200. I hate to make things a black or white issue, but I really felt that if I wasn’t black with red hair I would have been accommodated. I am very upset that the Hyatt House doesn’t value guests of all races.

ONE LAST THING: I called the Hyatt’s customer service number and explained the situation to a supervisor there, and they informed me that since I was at the property that I had to speak to a manager there and connected me to Cynthia. Why would I ever want to speak to someone who I felt wronged me? #...