Hyatt Overhauling Regency Brand Hotels
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is in the midst of a $1.3 billion overhaul of its Regency brand, including 17 properties that have been either renovated or newly opened in the past three years as well as 31 properties scheduled to be renovated or opened by the end of 2010.
"Regency represents over a large portion of our North American hotels, so it's the most important brand to Global Hyatt's image in North America," said Ty Helms, Hyatt's senior vice president of revenue. "Our customers told us we needed to reclaim our reputation in this set: style, innovation and all those pieces to improve guest satisfaction."
Renovations include new dining facilities and public spaces, technology upgrades and new amenities. Major renovation projects already completed include a $60 million renovation to the atrium and restaurant in the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, a $32 million transformation of all 811 guest rooms, bathrooms and corridors in the Hyatt Regency by DFW International Airport and a $31 million upgrade to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
"It's more than renovations: We're reinvigorating and repositioning this brand," Helms said. "We've tried to fashion it more residential, giving guests something that's casual, comfortable, functional and productive."
Specific guest room improvements include new bedding, redesigned lighting, a more functional workspace and new shower and bath products, Helms said. Hyatt also is looking at various environmental touches for the rooms, such as carpeting and wall coverings that are made up of recycled material.
The renovations already are beginning to pay off. Helms said revenue per available room in the hotels that had incorporated the improvements increased by 15 percent, and among corporate customers, those properties doubled their preferred status among key global accounts.
Hyatt recently hosted an event with about 60 corporate travel managers for feedback on the renovations. "We had excellent feedback from that group, but we'd been listening to the customers to begin with," Helms said. "They determined a lot of what we're going to do here, and they're seeing that we didn't just pay lip service to their comments."
Other completed renovation projects include Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, Hyatt Regency Greenville, Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa, Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa, Hyatt Regency Tampa, Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport and Hyatt Regency Sarasota.
Hyatt also has a number of projects scheduled for completion in the next few years. A $100 million renovation will double the size of the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, including a second tower with 50,000 square feet of meeting space, 350 guest rooms and 1,000 square feet of rental space. Hyatt also is remodeling all 1,100 guest rooms at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare this year.
Additional renovation or new build projects that will be completed by the end of 2009 include: Hyatt Regency Washington, Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Hyatt Regency Curacao Resort and Spa at Santa Barbara Plantation, Hyatt Regency Houston, Hyatt Clearwater Beach and Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.