Hyatt Regency Deerfield in Illinois [In-depth Review]

I recently spent 2 nights at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield hotel, located outside of Chicago. I was meeting a couple of fellow miles and points bloggers for a working weekend and this seemed like a perfect location.

We chose the Hyatt Regency Deerfield for a few reasons — we’re all chasing World of Hyatt status, it’s a Category 1 that we were able to book off-peak, and it was in one of the 10 cities offering extra bonus points through the Bonus Journeys promotion (more on this in below). In addition, since Hyatt Regency locations are considered an upscale brand, I was curious about what a Category 1 Hyatt Regency was like.

In this review, I’ll show you how I booked a room and why this hotel was a great choice for a Hyatt elite status mattress run. Plus, I’ll take you through the hotel’s amenities and guest rooms.

Location

The Hyatt Regency Deerfield is located about 45 minutes north of downtown Chicago. It’s 15 minutes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and about 50 minutes from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), so there are plenty of transportation options.

While the hotel isn’t in a wildly popular vacation spot, it does have some nearby attractions. Chicago Botanic Gardens and the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center are both less than 20 minutes from the hotel. Plus, it’s within 30 minutes of both Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Six Flags Great America. In addition, Ravinia, a popular non-profit music festival, is held only 15 minutes from the hotel.

Booking

Hot Tip: In March 2023, Hyatt Regency Deerfield moved up to a Category 2 and now requires 6,500 to 9,500 points per night.

As a Category 1 hotel, Hyatt Regency Deerfield is very inexpensive to book with points. Since Hyatt peak and off-peak pricing kicked in on March 1, we picked our travel dates based on the off-peak pricing for this hotel. That means I was able to book it for 3,500 points per night.

While the cash cost was also low, I still booked with points because the cents per point value was high — without any extra bonuses the cents per point value for this redemption was 3.16. We value World of Hyatt points at around 1.5 cents per point, so I was already getting double the typical value.

Even better, I booked during World of Hyatt’s Bonus Journeys promotion, so for my 2-night stay, I got an extra 2,022 points back plus an additional 1,000 points because this hotel was in one of the 10 locations for the extra points promotion for cardholders of The World of Hyatt Credit Card.

So that means I earned 3,022 points back for this stay that cost 7,000 points. In the end, I spent 3,978 for these 2 nights giving me a final cents per point value of 5.57. What a deal!

Bottom Line: Utilizing promotions like Bonus Journeys is a great way to earn elite night credits at a very low cost. While a location like the Hyatt Regency Deerfield might not be at the top of your hotel wishlist, it’s a great location for a mattress run, especially when you can combine it with a promotion like Bonus Journeys. 

Elite Benefits and Check-In

The lobby at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield was huge and practically empty. The hotel feels like it caters to business travelers and conferences more than leisure travelers, so I can understand why it was so sparsely populated.

Checking in was quick and uneventful. I wasn’t upgraded, but one of my friends traveling with me was able to get a 2-bedroom suite for the second night as a Globalist. We were all offered bottled water as Hyatt elite members.

As far as late checkout goes, I was able to get a 2 p.m. checkout as an Explorist while both of my friends got 4 p.m. checkouts as Globalists.

There were also snacks available for purchase at the front desk.

Amenities

The amenities were slim at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield, but I didn’t expect much since this is a Category 1 hotel.

Free internet access and free parking were available for all guests regardless of elite status. There was also an outside courtyard with some tables and chairs.

There was a large fitness center on the first floor stocked with treadmills, elliptical machines, a stationary bike, and weights.

1 King Bed Room

I had a 1 King Bed room on the fourth floor. While the view was less than spectacular, the room was spacious and comfortable. The room decor was updated and modern.

There was a small desk and chair right as you walked into the room. The desk lamp had a plug and 2 USB ports so you could easily plug your devices in to get some work done.

Next to the desk was a sitting area with a small couch. There was a coffee table by the couch that could be used for work or as a makeshift dining table if you were getting some takeout (which we absolutely did).

There was a large, 65-inch television hanging over a cabinet that housed a safe, minifridge, coffee maker, and a couple of drawers.

The coffee setup was decent with regular and decaf coffee, as well as tea.

The only odd thing was that instead of creamer, there was a packet of coffee whitener. I don’t know about you, but I don’t use milk in my coffee to change its color, so this seemed pretty gross to me. I ended up getting some milk from the restaurant to keep in the fridge for coffee.

The king-sized bed was in the back of the room, which gave a sense of separation. While this wasn’t a suite, the room had distinct areas that made it a comfortable spot for the 3 of us to get some work done.

The king-sized bed had 2 small reading lamps built into the headboard. They weren’t super bright, which was consistent with the lighting in the room in general. There weren’t any ceiling lights, so the room tended to be pretty dark in the evenings.

There were plenty of plugs and USB ports on the nightstand, so it was easy to charge many devices at one time.

Bathroom

The sink area and closet were open to the bedroom. The sink area was small but had plenty of space for just me. The toilet and shower were separated from the sink area by a modern barn door. The shower was the only part of the room that didn’t feel updated. It was a tub/shower combo with a shower curtain.

Next to the sink, there was a small, open closet that had some hangers, an iron and ironing board, and an extra pillow.

The travel-sized bath products were from Pharmacopia.

2-Bedroom Suite

As I said, one of the girls I was with got a suite upgrade due to her Globalist status, and it was a great upgrade to a 2-bedroom suite. There was a large sitting area with a couch and television and a separate dining are with a table that sat 4.

Next to the dining table was a small “kitchenette” set up with a mini refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker.

One of the bedrooms had a king-sized bed while the other came with 2 queen beds.

Bathroom

Unlike in my room, the bathrooms in the suite were updated. I really wished the regular rooms had this more modern shower instead of the shower/tub combo.

Bottom Line: The 2-bedroom suite at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield hotel is considered a standard suite and can be booked for as few as 6,500 points (off-peak) per night. Globalists are eligible for an upgrade to this suite if it’s available. 

Food and Beverage

Jaxx Bistro & Lounge

Jaxx Bistro & Lounge is the only restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield hotel. Located right off the lobby, it serves breakfast daily from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

While I thought the dinner menu was rather limited, I got a salad to go one evening and it was very good.

I also enjoyed breakfast. Since I was traveling with 2 Globalists I was able to use their free breakfast benefit since it’s good for up to 2 adults in a room. It just made me want Globalist status even more!

Our server for breakfast on both mornings was a man named Frank and he was fantastic. He was friendly, funny, and was hustling to make sure everyone had what they wanted.

Jaxx Java

This small kiosk serves snacks, a few pastries, and Starbucks coffee each morning from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Service

Overall, the service at Hyatt Regency Deerfield was top-notch. The front desk staff was friendly and helpful, and as I mentioned before, Frank at the restaurant was awesome. It was overall some of the best service I’ve received at a hotel in recent months.

Final Thoughts

While Hyatt Regency Deerfield isn’t a luxury property, it offers large, updated rooms and proximity to a big city at Category 1 prices, which is a great combination.

While this hotel caters to business travelers, it can definitely make sense for those looking for large, inexpensive (yet still updated) rooms near Chicago. It was perfect for what I was looking for on this trip — an off-peak Category 1 hotel that had large enough rooms for 3 of us to spread out and work.

Because I tend to favor luxury hotels that offer outsized value, it’s easy to forget that there is a lot of value in lower category hotels, too. This was a great reminder that there are many great ways to use World of Hyatt points and there are even some benefits to Hyatt’s new peak and off-peak pricing.