Caption by Hyatt: A new hotel brand for sociable travelers

Hyatt has announced its 20th hotel brand, "Caption by Hyatt." This new brand intends to "bring people closer together, allowing them to work, eat or socialize in comfortable, flexible, communal spaces that encourage meaningful conversations and connections."

Hyatt says its purpose is to foster an environment that encourages guests to converse with each other. In other words, this is the hotel brand where all those chatty flight seatmates can congregate.

What we know about Caption by Hyatt

Caption by Hyatt has three main goals, according to the company:

• Alluring and approachable spaces - Besides cozy rooms, the hotel brand will have common areas "flexible enough [for guests] to move things around and make the space uniquely theirs ... giving guests and locals alike no choice but to stay awhile."
• Conversation-worthy food and beverage - Hyatt says the food and drink will be influenced by the the locale’s dynamic culture.
• Experiences that don’t begin or end at the hotel’s front door - The hotel will provide drinks and shareable snacks all day. The common areas will be work-friendly with plenty of outlets. Multi-purpose spaces will welcome small events, with a "rotating calendar of do-it-yourself and hosted events from trunk shows to local beer tastings."

Hyatt says that it has listened to customers and learned that they want an approachable environment to help connect them with strangers during their hotel stay. Some Hyatt customers might disagree with this assessment (including me), but fortunately, there are 19 other brands to choose from.

Hyatt's vice president of global brands, Heather Geisler, says the brand will "invite guests and locals alike to hang out, enjoy a cocktail and catch up with a friend, new or old, in a space that is intended for them.” It sounds like the hotel will welcome the company of folks who aren't even guests into their shared workspaces and communal facilities.

As for rooms, you can expect a snug experience with room sizes advertised at 220-270 square feet — certainly not a good option for larger families or those who prefer more space to spread out or work. You can check out all the property specs and photos on the Caption by Hyatt brand page.

What we don't know

There are a lot of unknowns about Caption by Hyatt.

We don't yet know the quality of these hotels, along with the anticipated hotel categories it will fall into. But given the limited-service aspect, it's reasonable to expect lower-category pricing similar to that of Hyatt House or Hyatt Place properties.

Related: The best Category 1 Hyatt properties in the U.S.

Hyatt has also not revealed possible locations, or how prevalent it expects the new hotel brand to be in the Hyatt portfolio. Jim Chu, the global head of development for Hyatt, did give a sliver of insight:

We intend for the Caption by Hyatt brand to be a global growth driver domestically and internationally in dense urban markets, emerging neighborhoods and high foot traffic areas ... We believe the brand is primed for strong growth as it can flex and adapt to suit the needs of different locations and markets and can offer a more sustainable approach to design and operations.

We'll see if Caption brings something unique to the table, as it's yet another new hotel brand seemingly geared toward millennials, like Hilton's Motto and Tru, Marriott's Moxy and IHG's Avid hotels.

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