Extended-stay Hyatt House, aimed at McDonald’s trainees, opens in West Loop

Last summer’s arrival of McDonald’s global headquarters in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood has played a significant role in the area’s transformation, sparking everything from new office buildings for vendors to food halls to feed the company’s workforce. Hyatt House hotel at 105 N. May Street opened on Thursday and is the latest example of the “McDonald’s Effect.”

Located one block west of the HQ, the 14-story building features 200 rooms including 67 suites specifically designed for attendees of the fast food giant’s highly selective Hamburger University training program for managers. Like McDonald’s nearby headquarters, the extended-stay development comes from prolific local developer Sterling Bay. It’ll welcome program trainees next month.

“McDonald’s had a hotel at their former suburban headquarters, so this was an opportunity to bring something like that to this community, where there is a demand from McDonald’s and other companies,” Anthony Hrusovsky, project manager with Sterling Bay, told Curbed Chicago. “We think the location will help bring growth a little further west and tap into the energy and foot traffic coming from the Morgan Green Line station.”

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While not as trendy as nearby hospitality projects like the Soho House, The Hoxton, or the upcoming Nobu Hotel, the business-friendly Hyatt House still features a contemporary design from Eckenhoff Saunders Architects that compliments many of the newer West Loop buildings. The building is one of the tallest in the immediate area and manages to squeeze a lot into a relatively small footprint, previously occupied by a parking lot.

All 200 guest rooms include a fridge and microwave, but the larger “McDonald’s suites” have double queen beds, 65-inch TVs, and full kitchens with dishes and cutlery. The building’s third floor is home to a lounge, bar, and outdoor balcony while the 14th floor contains an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a self-serve laundry, and an outdoor patio with fire pits, gas grills, and sweeping skyline views.

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Jay Koziarz

Jay Koziarz