Hyatt is the latest of several hotel companies to find success in launching a lifestyle brand that caters to millennial-minded delegates who want to meet in the cultural epicenter of a destination.
In just two years, the Hyatt Centric boutique hotel chain has become so popular that Hyatt plans to almost double its current 14-property portfolio by 2019. What makes Hyatt Centric standout for groups is its emersion into the local culture, with destination highlights sourced from in-the-know locals displayed in the lobby lounge and restaurants and bars that tout locally inspired cuisine.
The brand has debuted in key destinations such as Chicago, Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach and, most recently, New York’s Times Square. The 487-room New York property underwent a makeover from an existing Hyatt hotel into the Centric style, complete with unique amenities such as the Marilyn Monroe Spa and Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryers.
“Since its launch in 2015, the Hyatt Centric brand has proven to be one of our fastest-growing lifestyle brands,” says Steve Haggerty, global head of capital strategy and franchising. “Our aggressive expansion plans for the brand were born out of a need to increase our brand presence where our guests travel most, and the hotels in the Hyatt Centric brand pipeline will allow us to meet that need and further connect with millennial-minded guests in the upper-upscale lifestyle segment.”
Next on the docket is the 208-room Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami in the city’s new Panorama Tower mixed-use development. This will be the brand’s second Miami location and will offer business and conference spaces as well as a spa center. Other future Hyatt Centric properties will open in France, Japan, Australia, China and Turkey.
