An ocean breeze, dining by tiki torch... sounds romantic, doesn't it? We hope you think so, too, because this week's Friday photo sets the mood for next week's Valentine's Day focus. Make sure to check back next week for packages, recipes and more.

A new year reminds all of us at Hyatt to be thankful for our good fortune. This week, our associates at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa celebrated the Vietnamese New Year by giving back to 40 families in the Hoa Quy Ward of Da Nang City.

Through a partnership with Children of Vietnam, a charity dedicated to providing aid to disadvantaged children in Vietnam, hotel associates prepared a gift basket for each family. Baskets included traditional Têt (new year) treats such as cake, oranges and other fruit, the value of which equaled about a week’s earning for some of these Vietnamese families.

This is just one of many ways Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa participates in Hyatt Thrive, our global corporate responsibility program. Since opening in 2011, the hotel has also supported Children of Vietnam’s Hope System of Care to help children with disabilities, including those affected by Agent Orange.

It's official  – HYATT house has joined the neighborhood and is making a splash on the hotel scene. Late last year, we introduced the HYATT house brand and told you about our exciting plans for 2012. Now, we're excited to announce that all 38 Hyatt Summerfield Suites and 15 Hotel Sierra hotels have officially been rebranded as HYATT house, a new hotel concept that will redefine the extended-stay segment and help guests feel connected, welcome, and at home.

Throughout the past several weeks, our associates have worked fast and furious to ensure that each hotel completed its official name and signage changes, which brings the total to 53 HYATT house properties in 16 different states. Make sure to check out the pictures below of our hotels across the country getting a HYATT house facelift!

Throughout this year and beyond, all HYATT house properties will undergo exciting service upgrades and remodeling that we know guests will love. Make sure to stay tuned right here on Keyed Into Hyatt for a first look at these new offerings!

Hyatt President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian is featured on the cover of the December issue of Hotels’ Investment Outlook, one of the hospitality industry’s top publications. The article credits Mark and his executive team with fostering an “indie spirit that brings a definite edge to business as usual.”

The story features an interview with Mark Hoplamazian and Steve Haggerty, Hyatt’s global head of real estate and development. In the article, Steve highlights Hyatt’s robust branding and development progress in 2011:

• The launch of Hyatt House, our new extended-stay brand
  
• The creation of a new joint venture with Noble Investment Group
  
• The acquisition of LodgeWorks’ portfolio
  

Additionally, Mark and Steve discuss Hyatt’s continued focus on driving growth and development in key gateway markets where our guests are increasingly traveling. Today, we have more than 150 properties under development across our seven brands – 70% of the properties are located outside of North America in emerging markets like China, India and the Middle East. Today, we have hotels in 45 countries, and in the next few years, we will expand our portfolio to 54 countries!

The Hotels’ Investment Outlook piece also describes Hyatt’s unique position for growth as one of the only major hospitality brands that owns, manages and franchises its properties. “[The] center of gravity is shifting toward management contracts and franchising,” Steve said. But unlike other hospitality companies, Hyatt is committed to only signing deals that make complete sense. “No one says we have to add ‘X’ number of hotels each year. No one goes around the building asking what happened if we don’t get one hotel or another. There’s no deal regret here.”

Mark sums it up: “Ubiquitous-ness has never been our aim. We’re not calculating how we can get as big as Marriott or Hilton or IHG. Our goal of focusing on each brand to make it the preferred brand in its segment hasn’t changed. Our approach has been accelerating our progress towards that aim.”

Well, the first of the three-to-five inches of expected snow in Chicago has started falling and with some flights already cancelled, we wanted to let you know what we’re doing to help out. If you find yourself spending an unexpected night in Chicago several of our locations around the Windy City are offering special rates to keep you warm and cozy.  Make sure to contact the hotels for more information and don’t forget to bundle up!

Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• $55/night
• Complimentary self-parking

Hyatt Regency Chicago
• $79/night
• Complimentary self-parking
• Call 888-421-1442 and reference corporate code 16503

Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
• $75/night
• Toiletries including razor, toothbrush, tooth paste, deodorant and other supplies

With the start of the new year comes the start of several exciting renovations projects – all which are designed to help our guests have the best experience possible at our hotels around the world.

Today's Renovation Report is all about Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, which is right around the corner from our corporate office here in Chicago. Hyatt Regency McCormick Place just announced plans for a $110 million expansion and renovation project, which will begin this month and continue throughout 2012.

Phase One of the project will start with the construction of a new tower for the hotel, which will add 460 new guestrooms, 12 suites and two premium suites, all which are expected to be completed by mid-2013.

Phase Two, which will begin in spring, will focus on a redesign of the hotel's coffee shop, Daily Grind, including an expanded seating area complete with WiFi access.

The last phase of the renovation will start toward the end of 2012 and will give the hotel a major makeover with an expansion and renovation of the main lobby, a renovation of the existing 800 guestrooms, and a renovation of the 25,000 square foot Hyatt Conference Center. The hotel will also redevelop the 4,000 square foot Prairie Center and will add three new boardrooms and a new business center.

And last but certainly not least, Phase Three will include an expansion of Shor, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place's fine dining restaurant. This will include additional seating capacity and a larger private dining room for special occasions.

We can't wait to see the finished product and we're wishing our friends at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place all the best as they start this exciting project. Make sure to check back here on Keyed Into Hyatt later in the year as we share pictures of the renovated hotel!

We don’t know about you, but it’s Friday, and there’s nothing better than welcoming the weekend with a glass of delicious wine. Luckily, our friends at Grand Hyatt Berlin have just the trick with their monthly Winemakers’ Evenings at mesa restaurant. The program provides a unique opportunity for hotel guests and wine enthusiasts to enjoy some of the best wine that Germany has to offer with the experts who are involved in the entire winemaking process, from grape picking to wine bottling – all while enjoying delicious, authentic German cuisine served tapas style.
 
Winemakers’ Evenings kicks off today at the German Wine Institute’s first ever Riesling Lounge located at the hotel, where there is an exquisite selection of wines displayed in a glass-covered floor-to-ceiling wine shelf. Make sure you check out the schedule of Winemakers’ Evenings below in case you happen to be in Berlin and can check it out!
 
2012 Winemakers’ Evenings include:

March 24: Jakob Jung winery
April 20: Max Müller winery
May 11: Judith Beck winery
June 15: Bäder winery

In addition to tasting some of Germany’s best wines, guests can also enjoy Markus Schneider’s Riesling, a wine made from grapes grown exclusively for mesa restaurant.
 
Reservations for Winemakers' Evenings can be made by calling +49 (0)30 2553 1572 or by e-mail at mesa.berlin@hyatt.com. Please visit www.berlin.grand.hyatt.com for more information.

We have some big news to share – a Hyatt affiliate, along with affiliates of several of the world's leading hotel companies, has unveiled Roomkey.com, a new hotel search engine that launched today in the U.S.

The site, a collaboration among Hyatt, Choice, Hilton, IHG, Marriott and Wyndham, or their affiliates, offers guests an innovative way to search for, compare and book hotel stays, with special booking features. Roomkey.com includes comprehensive hotel information, price comparisons, and the ability to book directly with a hotel to get the chosen room and earn loyalty points.

Roomkey.com showcases a large number of hotels from around the world.  In the near future, plans call for guests to be able to post independent reviews, compare hotels, and share plans and recommendations with family and friends. 

Expansion of the site to consumers in the U.K., Canada and Australia is underway, and is expected to be available to consumers in additional countries across the globe in no time. We'd love to hear what you think of Roomkey.com so share your thoughts here once you've had a chance to explore. Happy travels!

Every day, we strive to be the most preferred brand for our guests, associates and owners. Today, we're getting one step closer by being named one of the top 50 employers in CAREERS & the disABLED magazine, which is the nation's first and only career-guidance and recruitment magazine for people with disabilities who are at undergraduate, graduate or professional levels.

Readers of the magazine selected the top companies in the country for which they would most prefer to work or believe are making significant process in hiring people with disabilities. This year, Hyatt placed #21 and joins several other companies who also made the Top 50 list, which you can view here.

In addition to this award, we've also been named one of the best places to work by the Human Rights Campaign in 2011, as well as being ranked #92 on the 2010 Top IDEAL™ Employers for Young Professionals. You may also remember that last year, Richard Saab (a prep cook at Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay) was recognized as Employee of the Year from CAREERS & the disABLED magazine.

We are very excited to be included in this impressive Top 50 list and want to thank CAREERS & the disABLED for this wonderful recognition.