Hotel living while feeling like a local
This post was sponsored by Hyatt House. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
“I’m hungry.” “I need a snack.” “What do you want for dinner?”
Of course, that’s no different than any other day, but when we are traveling or on the road, the answers are so much more fun.
As much as the girls like their “favorite” chain places that we can hit up in pretty much any main city’s eating area, I prefer to be more adventurous. I don’t want the same pizza place. I don’t want the standard chain restaurant burger fries and salad. I want it to be special.
“Where can we go that we can’t go at home?”
Thank you to Hyatt House for sponsoring this post. All thoughts are my own.
It’s typically harder to find these {possibly} lesser known gold mines unless you’ve planned ahead and asked friends, or you make a stop at the concierge (who always seems to be busy!). I’d prefer these local favorites that are often off the beaten path to be easy to learn about. Hyatt House, an upscale extended stay hotel brand is helping. They are bringing the neighborhood “to you” with their new program and offerings in the form of Neighborhood Guides.
The Neighborhood Guides are designed to help guests feel more like residents so their extended stay feels more like home from the moment they arrive. They are available at all 58 Hyatt House locations and offer experiences personally recommended as part of the Martha Stewart American Made program. These Guides celebrate local American makers and feature small businesses and the best places to Eat, Shop and Visit (think homemade ice cream and pastries as well as local bookstores and vintage shops).
Better still is the locations are minutes away from the Hyatt House hotels and easy to explore because of the complimentary shuttles available at some hotel locations.
The local Hyatt House Neighborhood Guide includes several places, like Canoe and Oli+Ve. We went to Canoe for our very first official “we had a kid and now it’s our anniversary and we are going on a date” date. Not looking too shabby for having a 2 month old, right?
To further inspire neighborhood camaraderie, Hyatt House is celebrating National Good Neighbor Day, starting on September 28, by introducing in-hotel events at select locations that offer a complimentary taste of the neighborhood. Each event will shine a spotlight on one of the makers featured in the Neighborhood Guide at the hotel’s H BAR, a place for residents to gather and enjoy the comforts of home.
Congrats to Tiffany W, who won the giveaway from Oli+Ve!
I love the Hyatt House – we stayed there in Charlotte. I would recommend the Varsity for downtowners, or my favorite restaurant, Twist!
I would want to eat at Canoe for my local spot
The Neighborhood Guide is a fantastic idea. I’m going to look for a Hyatt House in my area for our next romantic getaway. Its great that some of the locations have shuttles, that would take all the hassle out of a night on the town.
I love that the Hyatt is doing those Neighborhood Guides. This trend of seeking out independent business and not just being satisfied with chains that you can find back home is fabulous! I’m glad that larger hotels are recognizing that too.
This is fantastic- I never heard of this. As a foodie, exploring new, out of the way places is always high on our list when traveling. I’m going to check this out! Thanks!
The The Neighborhood Guides sound awesome! The hubby and I are planning to take a mini vacation close to home in November around our anniversary!
I had never heard of the HYATT house! I would love to try any of them! Excuse me while I just fly to San Fran:)
Is it sad that I have never been to either location? I would love to start trying local places like that — but also would love to do it kid free 😉 Maybe one day ….
I would totally say White Oak Kitchen (it was nice ) or The Varsity as a must have for something local 😉
Love the idea of neighborhood guides. SO smart. And considering how much I love the food scene, this is perfect!
We also try to eat somewhere new when traveling. It’s part of the fun!
We have a Hyatt House in a local town center and I have always thought how wonderful it was that it was located in a neighborhood. As someone who loves to explore local places while traveling (as opposed to touristy hot spots) – I love the idea of the neighborhood guide!
I love this neighborhood boasting idea! You DO look great in that photo! Date nights are SO fun!
I would love to visit Canoe! It looks like a great place to go for a date night.
I would love to go to the Canoe on the Chattahoochee Riverbank sounds beautiful!
I would want them to include thinks like wineries/vineyards where applicable, art museums, genealogy centers, parks, historical landsites/exhibits, breathtaking landscapes (hiking and minor hiking), places the area is famous for.
We’ve got this awesome place near us called Three Blind Mice that is a hidden gem. In Atlanta, one of my faves is Urban Cannibals. The owners are awesome and the food is delicious!
I would love to visit the one in Charlotte since it is close to my sister.
I haven’t heard of the Hyatt House Neighborhood Guide before. Sounds great and you do look great for having a 2 month old 🙂
I never heard of the Hyatt House. Very excited to check it out!
They should recommend free places to enjoy, like a local park.
I used to travel for seven years. While most of the time I had to hit chains I did try to find those out of the way amazing places on each trip. Sometimes they were great and sometimes they were not so good. Either way it was an adventure.
oli+ve
Awesome idea! Helps the local shops and helps the traveler!
That seems like an awesome little get away. I am glad you had fun and that there were so many nice things close by!
I love this!
What a lovely time! It’s always nice to plan ahead and see what’s close by.