• USA Today, Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:45 AM

Once known mostly for its upscale downtown hotels and resorts, Hyatt Hotels is transforming itself into cutting-edge company that serves a broader array of those who seek lodging at a midrange price (about $130 a night) with amenities such as fast check-ins and free fruit in lobby baskets.

Hyatt is reinventing the industry and challenging cherished traditions, Barbara De Lollis reports. The Hyatt Place and Andaz chains, for example, have done away with conventional front desks. And the five-unit luxury Andaz chain gives away mini-bar snacks, usually a key moneymaker. The company is also experimenting with reduced housekeeping services, which it can tout as a way of going green but it also cuts labor costs.

For the budget-conscious traveler, Hyatt bought the 120-location AmeriSuites chain and transformed it into Hyatt Place, offering free Internet access, complimentary breakfast and rooms with a 42-inch, flat-screen TV that swivels. Then there's the soap, which has tiny bumps that prevent it from slipping out of the soap holder and exudes attention to detail.

"We don't know how ultimately some of these initiatives will be accepted," admits CEO Mark Hoplamazian, who says there are no sacred cows. "But one of the things we're not afraid to do is push the envelope."

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