By Morag McKenzie
Positioned at the top of the upscale select-service segment, Hyatt Place is a global brand with a growth focus on the locations that matter most to Canadian and international business and leisure travellers. Established in 2005, the brand currently operates nine pet-friendly hotels across Canada, including locations in Kelowna and Prince George in B.C., the Calgary Airport and Edmonton-West in Alberta, downtown Montreal, Ottawa-West, Mississauga and Brampton in Ontario and Moncton in New Brunswick. internationally, Hyatt Place boasts 417 properties.
The brand’s boutique-inspired design and scalability are key factors drawing developers to this upscale focused-service brand. Among the brand’s defining features are guestroom design that creates distinct zones for sleep, work and relaxation, as well as 24/7 food-and-beverage offerings. Rooms at Hyatt Place properties range in size from 297 to 628 sq. ft. and standard rooms (which account for about 96 per cent of units), feature a partition separating the sleeping area from the living-room-style “cozy corner,” with a sofa or sleeper sofa.
“The Hyatt Place guest is a self-reliant business or leisure traveller. They’re multi-tasking, ambitious professionals who travel out of necessity and are constantly balancing the priorities of work and life,” explains Scott Richer, VP, Real Estate & Development (Canada), adding the brand’s target market is the same whether operating in Canada or internationally.
The cost to build a Hyatt Place varies across Canada based on region, specific site, type of hotel, customization et cetera. Franchise fees include an application fee of US $75,000 in addition to $500/room for hotels with more than 150 rooms. Royalty fees are five per cent of Gross Room Revenue (GRR), while the marketing fee is 3.5 per cent GRR.
in 2022, Richer says Hyatt established a cross-functional corporate team dedicated to Canada, “enabling us to focus on growing Hyatt’s brand presence across the country with new and existing owners, to bring these — and more — exciting openings to life.”
Looking ahead, Hyatt Place has 16 properties in the pipeline, with Goals to expand its footprint at some of Canada’s busiest airports, including Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport (2025), Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto (2025) and Vancouver International Airport (2026). it will also open Hyatt Place Mississauga – Airport Corporate Centre in 2024.
One of Hyatt’s competitive advantages, says Richer, is that it has room to grow in Canadian markets, meaning ample territory for developers who don’t have to worry about inter-brand competition. He says Hyatt’s growth strategy in Canada reflects the company’s focus on “growing thoughtfully in the markets that matter most to our world of Hyatt members and guests,” adding “we recently announced that we are positioned to double Hyatt’s brand footprint in Canada by the end of 2026, with more than 20 executed managed and franchised agreements across our distinct brands, including Hyatt place. This includes several sought-after destinations that currently do not have a Hyatt hotel such as Port Elgin and Whitehorse.”
