Rolling out the welcome mat and inviting guests to a new lifestyle hotel experience, the staff of the first Hyatt Place and company executives celebrated the property's grand opening in Lombard, Illinois in the United States.

The Lombard location is the first Hyatt Place-branded hotel to open following Global Hyatt Corporation's recent acquisition of the AmeriSuites hotel chain. More than 140 additional Hyatt Place hotels are scheduled to open in 2006 and 2007 as many AmeriSuites properties continue to undergo renovation and repositioning under Hyatt's newest brand.

Nick Pritzker, chairman of the board and CEO of Hyatt Development Corporation, James Abrahamson, senior vice president of acquisitions and development for Hyatt Corporation and Steve Cadaret, the hotel's general manager were on hand for today's ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house festivities.

"Before we began development on Hyatt Place, we took a look at the way people are living their lives today and found that while lifestyles were changing, the select service hotel experience had become stagnant," said Abrahamson. "Through innovation in design, services and experiences Hyatt Place guests will find that they can seamlessly continue to lead their everyday lives in an environment that lets them be more productive, relaxed and fulfilled."