Hyatt Regency Austin DT/Town Lake REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Oct 13, 2014, 2:09 pm
Feb 23, 2015, 12:29 pm
Just a head's up for those booking in the next several months:
Mar 2, 2015, 7:05 am
Location: On Congress Street just south of the river. An easy drive to the airport (15-20 minutes with no traffic) and the bars on 6th Street are an easy walk. Walking to Rainey Street is also doable but it's a bit longer. Annoyingly, you have to walk all the way around the building to get to Congress Street which adds time to your walk.
Hotel: Definitely an older property and in need of some of the repairs mentioned upthread. Thankfully, it's still a good place to stay. The hotel is built with a large central atrium that's attractive to look at. The lobby is large and inviting and there are enough check-in desks. The restaurant where breakfast is served is on the second floor though that means going past the convention areas which can be noisy. Note, parking is $19 a day in an attached garage but street parking can be found not too far away.
Room: I was splitting a suite with two friends. It's nice that you can get a suite with two twin beds and a pull out couch. The room was pretty nice, I liked that there were outlets by the bed and the size of the living room. Plus, there were nice amenities like a Keurig with coffee. However, the Wifi was terrible, almost unusable at times.
Breakfast/Other: One of us was a Hyatt Diamond so we had breakfast. Options were anything off the menu or the buffet. I had the Eggs Benedict which were good, but breakfast was terrible understaffed so getting food took a half hour. The buffet is extensive, omelet bar, Southwest Options including beans and tortillas, pastries, breads, cereal, hot food, yogurt, fruit etc. I will also give credit to all the staff I dealt with, they were very friendly.
Overall, a decent property and a nice stay, I'd be back.
Mar 2, 2015, 7:50 am
Overall, a decent property and a nice stay, I'd be back.
Mar 2, 2015, 8:51 am
Mar 4, 2015, 4:57 am
Breakfast was great - nice buffett, omelette bar- but the service was almost a little too friendly and helpful. The first day i I asked the hostess whether everything - buffett, menu items - was included for the diamond breakfast. She didn't know and asked the head server and once he knew i was a diamond, the service was over the top. I'd order an omelette and the server would bring me mine to the table while everyone else in line waited there for theirs to finish cooking. i appreciate the good service, but I felt a little embarrassed since since it seemed a little obvious they were treating me better than everyone else.
Mar 4, 2015, 8:37 am
Mar 4, 2015, 8:11 pm
Mar 4, 2015, 8:30 pm
Last edited by FriendlySkies; Mar 4, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Jun 15, 2015, 12:47 am
Any feedback on how noisy it is during the renovations?
Also would appreciate suggestions on best room location - for view but also avoiding construction sounds.
thanks!
Jul 7, 2015, 4:56 pm
Halfway into my stay now, really liking the hotel. the gym is very nice while not extensive as some of the others I have used it is definitely very good. The staff here are excellent so far, from housekeeping to their breakfast buffet staff. If any of you stay here and they have French toast on the buffet make sure not to miss it. It is unlike any french toast I have ever had, amazing!
The hotel is showing its age but the staff makes up for it. They are working on renovations and thankfully the suite we are in is far enough away that we cannot hear it as they work (work begins at 8am). It is very loud though when we eat breakfast. Should be a great hotel after the much needed renovation.
For you family travellers. DSU books into a true suite and you can choose whether the connected room is a king or a two double room. Was able to fit a rollaway in the connecting parlor and it has a pull out couch. Comfortably fit my family of 7 in one suite (I do have some very little ones).
Last edited by ZBigFam; Jul 10, 2015 at 7:27 am
Jul 9, 2015, 8:25 am
Jan 2, 2016, 3:59 pm
Hyatt Regency Austin
208 Barton Springs Rd Austin, TX US 78704
New Year's Eve Stay- Two people with the same name at the same hotel? (0 Photo)
Hyatt Regency Austin
Check In
Check in went very well, with the room ready before noon. We were on the twelfth floor in a newly-renovated room partially facing the river. As a Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum member (from holding the credit card), I was recognized at check-in. I’m not sure that it really helped with the room selection, but hey, the room had a decent enough view and was newly renovated
Service
We left to explore Austin, walking all the way down Congress Avenue to the Capitol Building, then past that the LBJ Presidential Library. The Capitol Building is free to explore, and the LBJ Library is a reasonable $11, with students getting in for only $2. After this trip, I’ve visited 5 presidential libraries, which are always worth a visit.
We came back to the hotel to freshen up for New Year’s Eve, and that’s when the weirdness started. While I was in the shower, someone tried to access our room, startling my girlfriend. We called down to the desk to ask how this could have happened- and apparently, there were two Mark Jacksons staying in the hotel that night. I understood it was an honest mistake, but it was startling nonetheless. The hotel really shined in responding to the incident- new keys were delivered, breakfast and drinks were given, and 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points were also deposited in my account. So, this free night actually earned me miles!
Dining
Newly minted with free drinks, we journeyed down to the Marker 10 for drinks in the lobby. I was impressed that their “house” beers were all local ones, so we had the Live Oak Hefeweizen and then headed off to dinner.
A note to people checking in- this hotel is loud. The atrium really makes normal conversation echo, and that’s the reason you’ll find ear plugs provided for you in each room, as well as an invitation to download a white noise app.
The next morning, breakfast was served in the Southwest Bistro. A standard hotel buffet, it was quite nice. Lots of southwest accents, like biscuits and tostadas. Breakfast certificates include tax and tip, which is nice as well. It’s always a little annoying when “free” breakfast doesn’t include these things.
Location
The Hyatt Regency Austin is located across Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake to those who actually were raised here) from Downtown Austin, built in 1981. It took the place of the tallest hotel in Austin, passing the Stephen F. Austin (now anIntercontinental Hotel). The hotel was fully renovated in 2009, and in 2013, the hoteladded a ballroom and a parking garage.
Being right on the lake, the hotel has direct access to thehike-and-bike trail, which is over ten miles long and runs past landmarks like the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue. It’s also a few blocks away from the South Congress shopping district, full of hip shops and restaurants. All in all, it’s incredibly located, and an easy $5 Uber/Lyft or longer walk away from everything downtown offers.
Overall
All in all, I would consider staying at the Hyatt Regency Austin again. While the hotel made a mistake, they recovered nicely. And, the location really makes it easy to explore all that Austin has to offer. If you liked my review, check out my other reviews at my blog at http://www.thetravelplaybook.com