 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
New Hyatt Place Along M-6 has
Modern Touch
The Grand Rapids Press, Matt Vande Bunte, January 07, 2009 - The new Hyatt Place
opening today along M-6 in Metro Health Village is a one-of-a-kind for
West Michigan,
its operators say.
Featuring self-directed, touch-screen registration kiosks and on-demand food ordering,
the lobby -- or "gallery" -- of the five-story, 113-room hotel resembles a coffeehouse.
"It's kind of like a mixture of a Panera Bread, a Starbucks and an upscale airplane club,"
said R. Morgan
Burkett, president and chief executive officer of the hotel's management
company, Legacy Hospitality.
A ribbon-cutting was planned today at the $15 million hotel, which employs 26 full-time
staff and charges
nightly room rates from $129 to $169, including a continental breakfast
with Starbucks coffee.
Or, guests can use a touch-screen menu to order a $4 tomato bisque, $6.50 omelet and
other items
prepared 24 hours a day by cross-trained front-desk staff.
"The business traveler today wants to stay the way they live," said T. Bo Schmitz, general
manager. "They
want to be productive on their schedule. "It's very frustrating to arrive
at a hotel and hear, 'Sorry, our kitchen is closed.' You won't hear that here."
The smoke-free hotel at 2150 Metro Lane SW, adjacent to Metro Health Hospital, is the
first LEED-certified
Hyatt Place. All but a few of the 2-year-old brand's locations were
converted from former AmeriSuites.
The local version was built by Rockford Construction Co. and features the same amenities
as the chain's
126 other Hyatt Place hotels.
In all but 18 of the rooms, a translucent screen separates the sleeping area from an 8-foot,
L-shaped couch.
A 42-inch television swivels between the two areas and can connect to
laptops, DVD players and other
portable gadgets.
The main floor houses a swimming pool, fitness room and a variety of seating options in
the gallery, from
standard dining tables to comfy arrangements and bistro chairs.
"It's symptomatic of the investment in the hospital out there," said John Crawford,
president and CEO of the
Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, which will
hold its first monthly lunch meeting at the hotel
Jan. 16.
"In this market, that's an important signal that there is business capital being invested.
It just helps the
confidence index move up a notch. I think that investment is going to
spur on additional investment out
there."
Burkett said the hospital, highway and a lack of nearby hotels make the Wyoming
location "a golden
opportunity for this kind of four-star, no-compromises hotel" that
replicates every detail of other Hyatt Place
sites, from the bowl of green apples at the
front door to the desk chairs in each room.
"Hyatt is an iconic brand," he said. "Hyatt put an enormous amount of energy into
developing standards for
the brand.
"When a guest stays in one, it's like staying in the other 126."
