Review Hyatt Centric Mag Mile

This is post five of a ten part series of Chicago hotels reviews. Link to other hotel reviews are below. During lockdown from November 2020-February 2021 I took some staycations. At the time hotels were offering insanely low rates plus I had some accumulated free nights.

Pretty much everything in all hotels were closed at that time so I won’t be reviewing too many amenities. You can check the link to the hotel for more details. I also don’t discuss decor because I don’t care about that. When I travel I care about location, price and cleanliness. That is I want a clean room close to transit and all the things I want to do at a reasonable price.

Review Hyatt Centric Mag Mile Chicago

Hyatt Centric Mag Mile Chicago, 633 N. St. Clair (312) 787-1234. It’s located on the 1st floor to 17th floors of the building. The rest is offices. Hotel tax in Chicago is 17.4%. I stayed for three nights in mid-January 2021.

Summary

This is a good location to be based at when visiting Chicago. It’s located one block east of Michigan Avenue with easy access to transit, restaurants at all price points, shopping, museums, the lakefront and Navy Pier.

This hotel is very convenient if you’re conducting business at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. However at night this area is a dead zone. Most of the buildings in this area of Streeterville are office and medical buildings. So while there is some activity at all hours related to the hospital no one really lives in the immediate area. I used to work in the area and I wouldn’t wander around there at night.

Hotel rooms

The hotel originally opened in 2000 and was Wyndham. In 2008 it became a Hyatt Centric. Next door is an unrelated office building, with the same address, that has a Capital Grill. According to the front desk the rooms were last remodeled about five years ago. I booked a standard room and because of my mid-tier Hyatt status I was upgraded to a King Bed Corner Deluxe. The check in desk is on the 2nd floor.

This hotel is located across the street from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and a few hundred feet from the entrance to the Emergency Department so I expected to hear sirens all night. Maybe even a helicopter landing! Just kidding NMH doesn’t have a helipad. Anyway I definitely heard sirens from time-to-time but it wouldn’t deter me from staying there again.

King Bed Corner Deluxe

I believe Hyatt Centric’s always provide empty mini fridges.

Hotel amenities

Everything in the hotel was closed except the fitness center, business center (located in the lobby) and pool. There is a Starbucks in the lobby which you can order from in the app. Before check-in someone texted me and I was able to communicate with the front desk via text during my stay. The Hyatt app allows digital check in and digital keys at some properties. I’ve used it and it was hit or miss so I always get keys also. The hotel is pet friendly for a fee and has a part-time concierge. Concierge hours fluctuate due to Covid. On the 2nd floor past the lobby is a dining/seating area. This may be Level Two restaurant in regular times. When I was there they had microwaves to heat up food.

Dining and room service

The restaurant Level Two was closed. I’ve never been to it. It had microwaves in the back for public use. The hotel offer room service in regular times.

Room amenities

All rooms offer empty decently sized mini fridges and Keurig K-cup machines..

Review: Hyatt Centric Mag Mile Chicago

To get to all the major attractions walk a couple of blocks west to catch all the buses going down Michigan Avenue. Head south (CTA bus 151) to Grant and Millennium Parks, the Art Institute and (CTA bus 146) to the Museum Campus and Soldier Field. Walk north or take the bus (CTA bus 151) to Water Tower Place, 900 N Michigan and the Lincoln Park Zoo.

To get to Navy Pier walk up to Huron and Fairbanks and catch the Chicago Avenue bus (CTA bus 66) heading east and it stops at the pier. To get to Wrigley Field or Guaranteed Rate Field walk four blocks west to Grand and State to the Red Line Station. Be careful in the station. Do not go into the station at night. This station has problems with beatings, muggings etc.

To get to the Lakefront Trail walk east on Ohio to the underpass under Lake Shore Drive. To get to an actual beach walk to Oak Street and Michigan and there is an underpass to Oak Street Beach. Or take the bus to the Walton/Delaware stop CTA bus 151 (do not get on an express bus) then walk a block north to Oak to the underpass. Do not go along the Lakefront, Beach or Lakefront Trail at night.

Booking hotels

I always recommend signing up for hotel loyalty programs. They’re free and they usually offer a member discount plus you’ll get emails alerting you to sales. Always click on the Offers, Deals, Specials, etc. tab on every hotel website to find current deals. Log in to your account when you’re searching. Read all the terms and conditions before booking including the terms for changing and cancelling. Some hotels offer prepaid rates. I never book those. Regardless of how attractive the “no cancellations” rate is don’t do it! There are too many uncertainties, especially now, and you don’t want to lose your money.

Check your rates after booking

Whenever I plan a trip I continually check my room rates up until I can no longer cancel. You’d be surprised how many times the rates go down. In normal times you can just call the 800 number and get them to change the rate. If your reservation allows changes call. 99% of the time I make a new reservation online and then cancel the old one online.

Hyatt website and app

The Hyatt app and website do not have a “flexible stay” search option like Marriott and Hilton. For example online flexible stay options allow you to search for a two night stay on any days in a particular month so you can find the cheapest rate. With Hyatt you have to search day-by-day. Generally weekends are more expensive than weekdays.