Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Bishkek (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - September 2024)

   Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Bishkek
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When traveling to Bishkek, there were a couple of options for hotels in the city.  I was looking for a hotel that was centrally located and had access to transportation services since part of my flight left early in the morning.  While doing to research, I noticed Hyatt was having a deal on their properties within Central Asia and so I was getting a good deal on the room and it included Club Access, so I decided to book the Hyatt Regency Bishkek.  It was very easy to book the room via the Hyatt app and very easy to communicate with the hotel regarding airport transportation (airport transportation is not included but can be arranged from the hotel).  The hotel is located near the city center and thus is a 45-minute drive from the airport.  From the hotel, it is a 10-15 minute walk to many of the city's attractions and main restaurants and you can also easily access transportation from the hotel.  One of the key perks of the hotel is that the staff generally have a good command of English so it is easy to connect and communicate requests.  

From the outside the hotel does not look like much but it is grand, but dated, on the inside.  You enterinto a wide lobby that had the check-in desks towards the back, a sitting area in the front, as well as access to the restaurant and the elevators.  There was also a money changer and ATM located next to the check-in desks.  The lobby looked nice, had plenty of seating space, and look decently refurbished but you could tell it was an older property.  I quickly checked-in and received the key to my club room floor room. 

The hallway was laid out in a T with the elevators on the long side and rooms jutting out from either side.  The club room was in the middle across from the elevators.  The room itself was nice and spacious, a bit outdated, but comfortable and had all the amenities.  As you entered, there was a sitting area to the left and a desk right in front.  Next to the desk was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.   Next to the TV were windows that covered the entire length of the wall and it led to the bed which was across from the TV on the other side of the room.  It was a double size bed, big enough and comfortable enough but definitely not a newer bed.  There were bedside tables on either side.  The bathroom was located behind the bedroom and you could access it through a hallway which also contained the big closets.  The bathroom itself was a good size and contained a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower; very nice amenities and very comfortable but again not the newest appliances or furnishings.  The bathroom also came with complimentary soap, lotion, body wash, and many other toiletries, and the room came with a complimentary fruit basket and complimentary water.  Overall, the room was spacious and comfortable just not the newest furnishings.

My room came with Club Access and I was on the Club Floor which made access very convenient.  As you entered the Club Room, there was the dining area in front which offered complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cocktail reception in the evening.  All the time they offered complimentary tea, coffee, water, and soft drinks.  There was a small seating area and a computer and printer so you can get some work done.  The cocktail reception food was decent and filing enough and the complimentary drinks were very good.  The hotel is a full service hotel so other amenities included a restaurant, a fitness center, a pool, complimentary wifi, as well as concierge services.  The service was very good and really attentive to the guests.

Overall it was a comfortable stay at the Hyatt Regency Bishkek.  The staff was outstanding and the location was central to many of the cities attractions.  The room was comfortable if a bit older but was comfortable and offered a spacious and good nights sleep.  Complimentary wifi was strong enough to stream videos as well as do work; so overall a pleasant stay in Bishkek with Hyatt Regency.

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa And Casino (Noord, Aruba - September 2023)

  Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa & Casino
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We had a planned a trip to Aruba and were looking at a variety of hotels to stay at.  We were originally looking at all-inclusive but Aruba does not have many of those so then looked at what the reviews said.  There were many different opinions but we decided on the Hyatt Regency for a couple of reasons: 1) they had a club access rate which was the second-best option to all inclusive; 2) one of my family had high status with Hyatt so more likely to get better service; and 3) it seemed to be the newer of the all the properties that I looked into.  We booked the property through Hyatt.com, and even though we booked in advance we continued to look as the rate for the property did go down.  It was easy to manage the reservation through the website as well as the app, and through the app you could add additional services and requests.

We booked a car and picked that up at the airport and drove to the hotel - the hotel offers valet parking as well as complimentary self-parking located at a lot across the street.  There was plenty of parking the entire time we were there and it was an easy walk across the street to access the hotel.  We walked into the open-air lobby which had lots of seating in the front; the check-in desk to the left as well as the room and the club; to the right was the restaurant and additional rooms, and in front was the main pool and access to the beach.  Check-in was quick and we received a wrist band which provided access to the room, as well as access to the club room.  This band also showed that you were part of the Hyatt hotel so when you were on the beach you could access Hyatt beach chairs.  The wrist band was very comfortable, could get wet, dirty, or sandy and would still work!

The hotel was laid out like a U with rooms on each side and the main pool in the middle.  On the other side of the U was the adults-only pool as well as meeting rooms.  Our room was on the 8th floor and faced the adult-only pool section as well as looking out onto the beach.  For the room, when you open the door you enter into a hallway that leads into the bedroom.  In the hallway, on the left side was the closet as well as the entrance to the bathroom.  The closet contained a place to hang your clothes, some racks, a safe deposit box, an iron and ironing board, as well as luggage rack.  Next to the closet was the entrance to the bathroom which was very large.  The bathroom had a large counter space with a sink and refillable toiletries from Pharmacopia; a toilet, and a tub again with refillable toiletries from Pharmacopia.

In the main room, we had a room with 2 double beds and those were against the wall with a nightstand in the middle.  There were lamps on either side but no plugs next to the bed unless near the nightstand.  The beds were comfortable and provided a good nights sleep.  Next to the bed, against the wall, was a stand which had the fridge on the bottom, coffee on top, as well as shelves above.  This is also where there were additional plugs as well as complimentary bottles of water.  Across from the bed, against the other wall was a bench to either sit or place your luggage and next to that was a chest with a flat surface on top and drawers underneath.  Above the chest, mounted on the wall was the TV.  The chest provided another area of storage and the drawers provided more storage.  The flat surface on top continued when the chest ended as that is where the desk started - the desk chair was a little uncomfortable to do work but it did its job.  Between the desk and the balcony was a small table with 2 chairs that you could sit on and look out onto the view.   There was a sliding door and a mini-balcony and by mini I mean there was only enough room to stand on the balcony and see the view.  Overall it was a nice and spacious room with lots of amenities - we were 3 people total and never did it feel cramped or tight in terms of personal space nor storage space.  

The hotel had lots of amenities for guests to enjoy including two family pools, an adults-only pool, access to the beach, many restaurants and bars, a casino attached to the hotel, a fitness center, lots of seating around the hotel, as well as daily exercises and other activities.  We really enjoyed the adults-only pool as it allowed adults to relax and families to relax separately without having to worry about bothering anyone else.  You did have to reserve chairs next to the pool and your reservation was held all-day; which was both a good and bad thing.  There was plenty of beach access and plenty of chairs and access to the beach to enjoy and not have to worry about that.  

We also enjoyed the Hyatt Club which provided snacks and light meals throughout the day including a light breakfast, light lunch, light hors d'ouver in the evening and snacks, water, tea/coffee, and soft drinks throughout the day.  As I mentioned before, there is complimentary parking in a parking lot across the street with plenty of parking and easy access to the hotel.  The hotel does provide complimentary wifi as well as business center and meeting rooms.  The wifi reception was spotty throughout the hotel; it barely worked in our room and only seemed to work either near the club or near the meeting rooms.  The hotel is also located within walking distance to many shops and restaurants making it a convenient place to stay.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Hyatt Regency Aruba.  The staff was nice, the location was beautiful, there were plenty of amenities and space for the guests to enjoy without toppling over each other (which happens at other resorts/hotels).  If you do, I would recommend getting the Club Access as then its somewhat akin to an all inclusive 

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago - December 2015)

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Port Of Spain
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When looking for a hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad we wanted something that was nice but also that was central to many shops and restaurants so that we would be able to have easy access to the sights and sounds of the city.  The Hyatt Regency Trinidad fit all that criteria, as it’s a very nice hotel that is centrally located and provides easy access to the city sights and sounds.  The only negatives are the design of the bathroom and, more importantly, the lack of customer service by some agents.  

The hotel’s location is very convenient as it is located in the middle of downtown right next to Freedom Square.  Behind the hotel is a nice waterfront and along with the waterfront is a nice path that provides nice walking as well as nice views of the water.  The entrance to the hotel is really nice and grand.  You enter the hotel into a grand foyer.  Straight ahead are floor to wall windows which look directly out into the sea and provide nice light into the hotel.  The lobby is somewhat divided into two sections, with a pathway in the middle of the sections.  You enter the first section when you enter the hotel, and in this section on the right is the check-in desk while on the left are chairs to sit and relax.  Check-in took a while as there were many people and our check-in attendant was neither efficient nor very nice (we had booked a Club Room, and this information had to be repeated to the attendant at least 6 times throughout the check-in process).  As you cross the pathway you enter in the second section which houses the hotel bar and lounge, which has chairs both inside the hotel as well as outside next to the water.  The pathway in the middle provides access to the various amenities of the hotel.  On the left side of the hotel, the path leads to the Business Center and the Regency Club. 

The Club is located in an odd place, but it is really nice and expansive and provides a lot of amenities.  The Regency Club also opens up the water and they have some chairs where you can sit on the water, and this is a nice touch but this also means the Club has an open access from the outside.  Because of this they are very strict in terms of access to the Club, which is understandable, but this can be done in a customer-service friendly and respectful way.  Unfortunately this did not happen with us as we encountered a very un-friendly, non-customer service, and disrespectful way of enforcing the policy.

On the other side of the lobby, the pathway leads to the ATM machine, the elevators to the rooms, the 24-hour coffee shop and the main hotel restaurant where meals are available.  The elevators for the rooms are built with technology so you enter your key into the slot, enter your floor, and the device tells you what elevator will assist you.  It’s a bit of a learning curve but you never waited long for the elevator.   

The rooms either have a sea view or a city view; our room had a city view.  As you entered into the room, on the left was the open bathroom concept.  By open I mean there is only door that separates the toilet from the sink, and that too is a glass door which does not cover many sounds nor smells.  Every other aspect of the bathroom is open.   The oddest design is the shower, which has a shower curtain on one-end, but has glass walls which can see out and can be looked into from the bedroom – essentially offering no privacy or seclusion at all.  Across from the bathroom was the closet.  As you entered further into the room, on the right hand side was the TV with drawers underneath and next to that was the desk.  On the left-hand side were the two double beds.  The beds were big and comfortable and the room was spacious, however standing in room you could clearly see into the shower.

As a full-service hotel there were many amenities for the guests including free wifi, a pool, a fitness center, a business center, and airport transfer.  Since we were there for many days, we were able to use some of the amenities including the free wifi, the pool, and the airport transfer.  The wifi was decent speed and was strong enough to stream videos on youtube; the pool was a medium size and nice, although it seemed a bit small for the size of the hotel; and the paid airport transfer was very convenient and easy to book.

Overall, the Hyatt Regency is a nice full-service hotel in Trinidad.  The hotel is in a good location, has many amenities, and provides comfortable beds.  The negatives are the open bathroom concept and the lack of customer service.

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam, The Kiliminjaro (Tanzania - April 2018)

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam
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I was going to be meeting a friend and staying in Dar Es Salaam for one day.  My friend was staying at the Hyatt Regency for work so I just stayed with them instead of booking my own place.  The hotel is located near the city center and was originally the Kempinski hotel before Hyatt took it over.  From the outside, it looks like a really nice and grand hotel, and the grandeur continues inside into the hotel.

From the outside, you enter the hotel’s parking lot and drive up to the hotel’s main entrance.  After you pass through the security, you enter into grand lobby that has lots of open space and lots of sitting areas.  The left side of the lobby contained the elevators, the check-in desks, another sitting area, and the entrance to one of the restaurants (where breakfast is served).  In the middle of the lobby is a sitting area and a walkway with water underneath which leads to the coffee shop.  To the right of the lobby is another restaurant as well as shops.  Also in the middle of the lobby is the staircase which leads to the second floor which contains the meeting rooms as well as entrance to the spa, fitness center, and pool.  My friend had left a key to the room at the check-in desk, so I went there to collect the key.  Even though I arrived in the morning, there was only one attendant behind the large check-in desks so it took some time for me to retrieve the key.  Once I had the key, I went to the elevators and went to the room.

The hotel is shaped in a block with the hallway down the middle and rooms on either side; one side of the hotel faces the parking lot and the ocean while the other side faces the city and neighborhoods.  The room that I had faced the parking lot and the ocean and generally was a nice room.  As you opened the door, on right was the bathroom while on the left was a luggage storage area next to closets.  The closet was open which meant that if you did unpack into the closet, everyone could see all your clothes.  One side of the closets contained a safe, a mini-fridge as well as a coffee maker.  The hotel also provided two complimentary bottles of water, which were placed next to the coffee maker.  Below the open-closets were drawers for additional storage space.   

The bathroom itself was quite large and contained a shower (behind one door), a toilet (behind a second door) and in the main bathroom a sink and a tub.  There were also nice bathroom toiletries provided in the storage next to the sink.  Next to the tub was a window with blinds that, if opened, opened directly into the room.  I am not sure what about Hyatt bathrooms, but none of them provide complete privacy – why would you want a window into the bathroom from the room?

Further into the room, on the right side was the bed while on the left side was a long shelf that ran across half the room and connected to the desk.  The desk was parallel to the wall so that it stuck out into the room and connected near the bed, which made it difficult for people to move across the room if you are using the desk.  The desk did have plugs and USB ports, which was a nice and welcomed gesture.  Mounted on the wall in the middle of the room was the TV and across from the TV was the bed.

This room had one queen bed and generally the bed was comfortable.  There was a nice duvet and the bed was comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep.  The only downside was that the bed was not as spacious if you are sharing it.  On both sides of the bed was a small night stand with plugs and light switches next to them, and in between the bed and the window was a couch.   Overall, the room was nice and had all the amenities needed; it wasn’t a spacious room but neither was it a tight room.

The hotel is a full-service hotel so there are many facilities for guests to enjoy.  These include a sauna, a fitness center, a spa, meeting rooms, a coffee shop, two restaurants, complimentary wifi, and complimentary bottles of water in the room.  As I was only at the hotel for a short period, I was not able to experience all the facilities.  I tried the coffee shop, one of the restaurants for breakfast, the wifi, and enjoyed the complimentary water.  The coffee shop was nice and relaxing and the service was very good; the wifi was decent speed and did not seem to limit devices, which is a good thing; the room included breakfast so went down to the restaurant, and the selection was decent but not as good as I would have thought coming from a Hyatt; and finally the complimentary bottles of water were a nice gesture.  I did know of people who tried the spa and they enjoyed the massages they received there.

 

Overall, the stay at the Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro was nice.  The hotel is a full-service hotel and has nice facilities.  The rooms are nice and a good size, the bathroom is also spacious and nice, and the beds provide a comfortable night’s sleep.  The hotel is also conveniently located within the city center and is a 10-15 minute walk to the ferry terminal. The only negatives were the following: 1) I asked for additional toiletries from the housekeeping and never received an update nor the toiletries (apparently the housekeeping service is not good at all); and 2) the window between the bathroom and the bedroom.

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Montreal (May 2015)

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Montreal
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I was traveling to Montreal and was looking for a nice hotel that was centrally located with access to sights and restaurants.  The Hyatt Regency Montreal is located in downtown Montreal and is centrally located to everything and is connected to the Reso.  Overall, it was a nice stay at the hotel as the rooms are comfortable and they provide really good customer service.  There were only two negatives to this hotel - one is that the elevators are really slow (even though there are four, they are all really slow) and two is that the spacious room was at a cost of a small bathroom. Other than these two minor things, it was a really nice stay at the Hyatt Regency.

The ground floor of the hotel has the entrance for the taxi cab, connection to the mall, as well as street-level entrance. From this, you take one set of elevators to reach the lobby of the hotel; two sets of elevators can take you to the lobby, one that is connected to the mall while the other is connected to the street-level.  The lobby is spacious and has plenty of space to lounge around.  If you enter from the street-level, you walk through a hallway towards the check-in desks which are straight ahead.  To left of the check-in desks are the elevators plus a sitting area for guests.  Behind the check-in desks are the restaurant, bar, business center, as well as access to the mall.  Check-in was smooth and they were very accommodating to all changes and requests that were made.  Once we received our key, there are 4 elevators that take you up to the guest rooms and these are the slowest elevators.  While waiting for the elevators we were able to talk to a lot of guests and they all had the same issue; talking with the guests was the only positive thing about waiting for the elevators.

As I was traveling with a group I had booked two rooms, but the rooms were laid out in a similar fashion with the only difference between them was the view from the window.  The rooms themselves were very spacious and provided a lot of room.  As you entered the room, on the left-hand side was the closet which contained area for storage as well as an ironing board and iron.  The right-hand side contained the bathroom, and while the room was very spacious, the bathroom was not.  It was very tiny and compact and contained a sink, a toilet, and a tub along with the Hyatt toiletries.  In my opinion, some of the space in the room could have been better utilized in creating a bigger bathroom.

Further into the room, on the left-hand side was a chest with drawers on the bottom and the TV on top and next to that was a desk.  The beds were located across on the other side of the wall.  The beds were very comfortable and provide enough room and a good night’s sleep.  There was a night stand in between the beds, and around the room there were plenty of electrical and USB outlets so you can charge all your electronics.  There were very large windows in the room which provided nice views as well as sunlight into the room.  Between the windows and the beds were either couches or chairs to sit and enjoy the view.  On the other side of the beds, in the shared wall with the bathroom, was a nook which contained additional storage space, a nook for coffee, a safe, and a fridge.  This nook was a very nice addition and provided some good amenities, but I would forgo the nook for additional bathroom space.

The hotel is a full-service so there were many facilities available for the guests to enjoy.  These include a restaurant and bar (which are sometimes closed for private events); complimentary in-room wifi; a business center behind the lobby with extremely slow computers and a printer; as well as pool and fitness center.  The pool and fitness center were located below the lobby.  Both the pool and fitness center were medium in size, not too grand but not small either.  The pool was mostly used by families and children while the fitness center was pretty full (on the weekend).  The hotel also offers massages and has a massage room near the fitness center.

Overall it was a great stay at the Hyatt Regency.  The hotel provides a spacious room that is centrally located and easy access to many sights and restaurants along with good customer service.  The only negatives were the small bathroom and the slow elevators, but despite those I would definitely recommend this hotel.

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency, Savannah (July 2017)

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency, Savannah
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We were traveling to Savannah and wanted a nice hotel near the waterfront in downtown.  The night before we were going to be there, the Hyatt had award room available with two double beds so I booked that.  The hotel itself is located right on the waterfront, and right in the middle of downtown thus making it easily accessible and walkable to many of the downtown sites and attractions.  From the outside, the hotel looks a bit old and thus first impressions of the hotel are not good.

The entrance to the hotel is on one of the main streets, and the back of the hotel faces and has an entrance to the waterfront.  Parking is available at the hotel, but only valet parking.  From the street, you walk up a ramp and you enter into the huge lobby.  The lobby is an open atrium with large windows thus making the lobby look and feel very large, open, and grand. 

As you enter into the lobby, on the right is the restaurant and coffee bar, straight ahead is the sitting area, and to your left are the check in desks and elevators.  We arrived at the hotel at 4:30p, and even though checkin time is at 4pm our room was still not ready.  Overall checkin was not very efficient as no details regarding the hotel were given.  The lobby had complimentary water so we drank that and relaxed in the sitting area looking outside the windows which overlooked the river.  Half an hour later, I went back to a more experience checkin attendant who gave us a room instantly.  We received our key and took our room to the 6^th floor.

The elevators are glass elevators which allow you to look out into the open atrium as you go up to your room.  The rooms are located on either side of the atrium, and thus can either have an atrium view, the street view, or the riverfront view.  We were on the side with the street view.  The rooms themselves were nicely updated and spacious.

As you entered into the room, on the left was the closet area with a closet on one side and cabinet on the other which contained the mini fridge and safe. The closet contained an iron and ironing board.  As you passed through this area you entered into the bathroom, which was a decent size and contained a sink, shower, and toilet along with standard Hyatt toiletries.  As you entered into the room, on left had side along the wall was a chest of drawers with a TV on top and storage on the bottom. Next to the TV was a desk with chairs on both sides; however, there was not enough room between the TV and the desk to fit both chairs so it was a bit tight.  On the other side were the two beds which were a good size and very comfortable.  In between the beds was a nightstand with a lamp, and lamp contained power outlets.  In fact, there were power outlets available throughout the room which was very welcome.

Other amenities in the hotel included a sun deck, a garden deck, an indoor pool, a gym, and free WiFi. As we were only there for one day, I only got to try the free WiFi which was only fast enough for email but not for streaming videos.  The TV was technically a ‘smart’ TV Andy could choose to watch Netflix or YouTube; we tried to watch both but the speed was so slow that nothing would load.  The pool deck and the garden deck were both nice, and the indoor gym was very large.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Hyatt.  It was a nice, updated hotel that is conveniently located.  The only downside would be the slow WiFi but other than that, a nice hotel.