Hyatt Hotels has announced the launch of a new brand, Hyatt Select, to add more properties to its expanding global portfolio.

Hyatt Select is a new upper midscale brand, initially launching into the Americas. But there are plans to ultimately build it out to other key global hotel markets.

Designed to suit conversions

Hyatt Select has been developed as a conversion-friendly brand, allowing hotel owners a faster route to joining the Hyatt distribution system. The group will be looking for sites with a scale of anywhere between 70 and 200 rooms to join the brand.

The new brand will help Hyatt add more hotels in secondary markets, where to date the group has had fewer options for travellers. “It’s about strengthening our network in a way that benefits both owners and guests,” said Jim Chu, chief growth officer at Hyatt.

Guests can expect a streamlined service focused on efficiency and meeting all the essentials of a stay. Equally suited to business or leisure trips, Hyatt Select will offer a complimentary hot breakfast, with a grab and go self-serve kiosk providing snacks throughout the day.

The brand will sit within Hyatt’s Essentials portfolio of brands, which also includes Caption by Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Studios and UrCove. Essentials is one of five groupings of brands within the Hyatt group structure.

The announcement of the Hyatt Select brand came as Hyatt celebrated the opening of the first for another of the Essentials brands. The launch site for Hyatt Studios is in Mobile, Alabama where the opening was celebrated on 18 February, 2025.

Hyatt Studios is an extended stay brand that Hyatt revealed in 2023, and since then the group has signed more than 50 projects, with close to half of those taking Hyatt into new markets. “Seeing Hyatt Studios come to life with the opening of the brand’s first property is an exciting milestone—not just for Hyatt, but for our owners and developers who have been integral in the creation of this brand,” said Dan Hansen, head of Americas development for Hyatt.

A brand to suit secondary locations

There are a number of sites already under construction, including Hyatt Studios Huntsville, where a hotel of 122 rooms is being built close to the US Space & Rocket Center. In Rockingham County, a 150 room Hyatt Studios is being built behind the Neighborhood Market Walmart, with an expected opening date in late 2025. Other sites in the pipeline for Hyatt Studios include Danville, Denver, Pooler and Portland.

Hyatt is also enlarging its resort portfolio, and in early 2025 launched a takeover bid to acquire Playa Hotels & Resorts. The move will see the group adding 23 resort properties, located across coastal destinations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Hyatt continues to build its offering for leisure travellers, especially in the all-inclusive segment, which has grown in popularity following the pandemic.