Park Hyatt Chicago is a 5-star hotel in the downtown area close to several popular attractions and luxury shopping. It is hard to get Globalist suite upgrades in this busy hotel and I was happy to receive the Lake View King bed upgrade from the standard room I booked using the free night (category 1-7) certificate.
Hotel booking with points vs cash
Park Hyatt Chicago is an Award Category 6 hotel and points requirements vary between 21-29K based on the season. The typical cash prices are $450-500 and the hotel has several rooms with different views (see the image below).
King Bed Lake View Room
The Lake View Room is beautifully designed with wood décor, spacious bathroom with a powerful rainfall shower and a separate toilet room. The lake view is very distant and should not be the reason to book this room.
Gym and Swimming Pool
Park Hyatt Chicago has a fully equipped gym and a heated indoor swimming pool (great size for doing laps).
Breakfast
The customer service at breakfast is the best I have ever experienced at any Park Hyatt and the food ordered from the menu was delicious.
Summary
They recently renovated the Park Hyatt Chicago into a stunningly beautiful hotel with great customer service and a fantastic breakfast experience. Globalists are not likely to get free suite upgrades even during the low season (we went in the 2nd week of January), but all standard rooms are very well designed (feel like a suite) with comfortable beds and spacious bathrooms with a rainfall shower. Standard rooms are missing space for a comfortable seating area, which will be available in suites and globalists must use the suite upgrade certificates in advance to avoid disappointment.