Hyatt Regency Delhi REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Nov 13, 2013, 1:30 pm
1. I was booked at a corporate rate of 7800INR+tax and upgraded, the final amount incl tax was 10800.
2. Cafe or club, either was OK, we used the cafe on both mornings.
All in all I would say the HR Delhi represents value for money: the suite booking includes to/fro airport transfers, the processes work very well and they have pretty good staff. The checkin staff knew we were approaching and took us right to the room. The checkin formalities were quick in the room, some of us may not be comfortable with parting with their passport and CC for a while. As mentioned above, there is no mention of the cafe breakfast option nor the diamond amenity (or the points option), I had to specifically ask for it.
The decor is rather weird, I guess it was state of the art back then. The residences are not done yet, I suppose a victim of the current deflation. The 'suite' is rather small, I would call it a larger room. The website lists it at 40 sq m, which sounds about right.
The cafe was very nice, we liked the breakfast and dinner buffet a lot. The indian options for dinner were very good, but the quality reflected in the price per head.
Nov 13, 2013, 2:16 pm
1. I was booked at a corporate rate of 7800INR+tax and upgraded, the final amount incl tax was 10800.
2. Cafe or club, either was OK, we used the cafe on both mornings.
All in all I would say the HR Delhi represents value for money: the suite booking includes to/fro airport transfers, the processes work very well and they have pretty good staff. The checkin staff knew we were approaching and took us right to the room. The checkin formalities were quick in the room, some of us may not be comfortable with parting with their passport and CC for a while. As mentioned above, there is no mention of the cafe breakfast option nor the diamond amenity (or the points option), I had to specifically ask for it.
The decor is rather weird, I guess it was state of the art back then. The residences are not done yet, I suppose a victim of the current deflation. The 'suite' is rather small, I would call it a larger room. The website lists it at 40 sq m, which sounds about right.
The cafe was very nice, we liked the breakfast and dinner buffet a lot. The indian options for dinner were very good, but the quality reflected in the price per head.
I liked the spread for breakfast downstairs, but the seating, noise and crowd was a bit much. The club offerings were smaller, but the ambiance much quieter.
Dec 17, 2014, 4:11 am
But my experience over a three night stay was very positive.
Although I arrived early in the evening the entrance to the hotel was still noticeably grand. It was clear that the grounds are immaculately kept. My taxi went through a routine security check at the gate before proceeding up to the porte cochere. I was welcomed and my bags tagged, then headed through a security checkpoint, like at airports, at the entrance to the lobby. Unlike the Grand Hyatt Istanbul, every time you come, you go through this checkpoint and it isn't there for show. It takes just a few seconds and is painless.
The lobby was rather grand for a Regency with a large Christmas tree in the centre. I headed to the Regency Club lounge on level six but required swiping by a staff member to get there; all guest floors require key card access. At the Regency Club reception I was again welcomed. The incompetence of my private line rep again showed with my reservation having been screwed up. That issue persisted for a couple of days but was well resolved by the staff. I was upgraded from the regular regency king to a club king on the 5th floor with views over the equally immaculate internal gardens and pool area. I wasn't offered the 1W or welcome amenity but there were two apples in the room and I suspect the 1W will post without issue. Several bottles of water were provided each day. I asked how much I would need to pay for a 7pm check-out and the answer was an additional 50%. I then asked how much for a 6pm check-out. The clerk tapped away briefly and then said "as a valued Diamond member" that would be complimentary. I would like to think this has something to with me spending significantly more nights in Hyatts this year then any previous year.
The room was great. Polished dark wood flooring with a rug below the king size bed, a large opaque screen separating the bathroom from the bedroom which had a semi-combined bath and shower. That is to say, there was a good sized square tub adjacent to a shower, with a glass shower door more or less at the entrance to the shower. (I don't think I've described that very well.) The shower had both a moveable handle and a rain head. The toiletries were not the usual Regency fare but what I think was some local brand. The bottled stuff seemed inferior but I really liked the larger, square soap bar. There was an LCD TV wall mounted of about 38-40 inches directly in front of the bed but unfortunately it wasn't moveable. The desk was small. There was a standalone refrigerator but enclosed behind a nice cabinet. Unfortunately, it wasn't very cold. As someone who likes their drinks on the verge of frozen, if I'd popped the top on a beer from here I would have had trouble paying for it. Impressively, the curtains overlapped preventing any tiny streak of light from shining through.
The Regency Club lounge was outstanding, definitely the best Regency lounge I've visited and up there with the best Grand lounges. As far as I could ascertain it was recently renovated. The part that really appealed to me was that it was less a cafeteria style and more a home style. There were several 'mini living rooms' with sofas and sofa chairs and even several TVs, in addition to restaurant style tables and a long bench (what we Down Under would call a breakfast bar). There was some reading material available. A large buffet was easily accessible and there were also large glass-fronted fridges where cold canapes were available. The food was superbly presented, much of it in true canape style (single serve) as well more substantial fare. Of particular note was a little menu on each table noting the three hot canapes of the day. A waiter would move continuously around the lounge offering these hot options, providing one of each of the three at a time. Other waiters would roam constantly offering drinks, although they were also self-serve. There was a decent selection of alcoholic beverages. To be quite frank, save for the inferior view, I would rate this lounge alongside the Grand KL and the Grand HK. It was really very good with a wonderful ambience, so much so that for the first time I can remember I ate breakfast in the lounge, rather than the restaurant, on two of three mornings.
And on breakfast, as a Diamond it was available in the lounge free of charge (although the standard welcome note did advise of an upcharge of ~INR550 (less than USD10)). However, this may have been targeted towards Club floor guests, rather than Diamond guests. I ate in the restaurant on the first day and it didn't blow me away. There was quite a reasonable selection of food although the chef preparing made to order eggs seemed a little under pressure. There was also a separate station with made to order waffles and pancakes. I was particularly put off by two young children treating the restaurant as a playground, running about like they were in the school yard, parents not caring less.
So for the second and third days I enjoyed breakfast in the lounge. It was, as is to be expected, much quieter. The buffet was smaller, of course, with only cold items like cereals and bakery items but made to order eggs were available on request. The fridges also had yoghurts, bircher mueslis and one or two other offerings. Both the restaurant and lounge breakfast finish at an early 10am.
There are several restaurants on site, including a little pastry-come-deli shop which came in handy as there isn't anything in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. The Polo Lounge provided a very nice atmosphere to enjoy a drink.
The recreational and fitness facilities were really very good. The downside was the outdoor pool - although surrounded by manicured lawns and gardens and large in size - not being heated. It was a low 19 degrees C when I was there. The gym was very good for a Regency with personal trainers roaming constantly. There are a number of machines (two hip abductor machines which I find interesting) and several cardio machines, as well as free weights up to 32kgs. There is also a body analyser that analyses weight, height, body fat etc., something I've only otherwise seen at the Park Seoul. The men's side (and presumably the ladies') had a great jacuzzi, a cold dip pool and a sauna. One or two attendants are on hand.
The wi-fi was a bit of a problem. When I first logged on in the lounge I could have flown back to Australia and bought a newspaper in the time it took to logon to a news website. That improved but not by much. The wi-fi in the lounge seemed to be fairly average at best but it was better in the room. When I mentioned this to a roving manager in the lounge he immediately summoned the IT guy who duly increased my bandwith.
On my second day there were no less than four power failures, two while I was using the business centre. Each time it took three or four minutes for the copier to reboot. And on one occasion I was in an elevator. None lasted for more than about two minutes but it appeared to be a somewhat non-event as staff didn't seem to batter an eyelid.
I used the laundry service one day and was particularly impressed. The prices were very good for a hotel but that wasn't what impressed me the most. As part of my laundry parcel I submitted a pair of boxer shirts with a hole in them. They were returned with the hole perfectly mended. I had not made a note of this on the laundry slip, nor had the valet made note of it on the return and there was certainly no additional charge. This sort of initiative and going the extra mile is something that really impressed me.
Overwhelmingly the staff were very eager to please. There were a couple of young staff in the lounge who, while clearly wanting to provide a top level of service, were lacking in confidence. They appeared timid and a little reserved. My guess is they are new recruits and their confidence will grow.
From Delhi International Airport I took a pre-paid taxi for INR300 (about AUD6) for a total journey time of about 40 minutes. On the return, the hotel advised the approximate cost would be about INR500 to INR600. I got in a taxi and the driver wanted INR750 so I threatened to get out. He argued 25% surcharge for night and my bags (I had three). After three days of scammers I wasn't in the mood (and told him so when he later started small talk) and we settled on INR700 (about AUD14) for a similar journey time.
Feb 24, 2015, 10:32 pm
Last edited by pdb; Feb 24, 2015 at 10:43 pm Reason: Spelling error
Feb 24, 2015, 10:45 pm
I am arriving tomorrow for a 2-night stay. I received an email from the hotel offering the following transportation options from DEL airport were available to me:
Toyota Innova: INR 3328, inclusive of all applicable taxes.
BMW5 / BMWX1: INR 3892, inclusive of all applicable taxes.
BMW7: INR 5021, inclusive of all applicable taxes.
The cheapest appears to be 6+ times the amount you paid. How did you arrange a pre-paid taxi? (I was surprised that the hotel did not offer courtesy transportation to its Diamond level GP members, as does the GH Mumbai.)
Thanks in advance.
I didn't check the approximate cost of a metered taxi and although it would have been more expensive it would be nothing like what the hotel has suggested. That said, it's Delhi. Prepaid is definitely my advice as at least you know you won't get stung.
Feb 25, 2015, 12:44 am
The pickup services the Hyatt offers are usually included in suite reservations. Just ask reservations if they can 'upgrade' your room and include airport pickup/drop off. The 3k INR extra for free breakfast and airport xfer is well worth it.
Aug 24, 2015, 2:07 am
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india...l#post25317668
Aug 28, 2015, 9:21 pm
- Overall, 4+ out of 5. The staff is superb. When people post on FT that the Hyatt experience they receive at Asian hotels is a step up from the US, I now understand. Very attentive, genuine, and willingness to help and assist at every step of your visit.
I am a Diamond member and the Regency Club was great. Similar to others in the US, but this one is pretty spacious. Again, the service staff was the difference. Constantly attentive to guests.
Room was fine, overhead shower and comfortable overall
Location was about 40 minutes from the airport. I arranged car transfer from the airport thru the hotel over email, very responsive and the transport fee was billed to my room, about 2900 INR ($45).
Afternoon Regency Club experience was great. They refilled my glass of Kingfisher, local beer, whenever it was low. Again service is the differentiator at this hotel.
This is a fine Hyatt hotel and definitely recommend for any trip to Delhi.
Aug 29, 2015, 1:48 am
- Overall, 4+ out of 5. The staff is superb. When people post on FT that the Hyatt experience they receive at Asian hotels is a step up from the US, I now understand. Very attentive, genuine, and willingness to help and assist at every step of your visit.
I am a Diamond member and the Regency Club was great. Similar to others in the US, but this one is pretty spacious. Again, the service staff was the difference. Constantly attentive to guests.
Room was fine, overhead shower and comfortable overall
Location was about 40 minutes from the airport. I arranged car transfer from the airport thru the hotel over email, very responsive and the transport fee was billed to my room, about 2900 INR ($45).
Afternoon Regency Club experience was great. They refilled my glass of Kingfisher, local beer, whenever it was low. Again service is the differentiator at this hotel.
This is a fine Hyatt hotel and definitely recommend for any trip to Delhi.
Aug 29, 2015, 7:42 am
Jan 8, 2016, 12:47 am
Spent one night here in late December 2015. Arrived into India on a late night flight so got to the hotel around 2:30am. Check in was quick and was given a room on the club floor. Paid for the night in cash. Was given a Diamond bonus of 1,000 points, although no mention of this until I saw the account update.
Ate breakfast at the lounge which had a nice buffet and several items cooked to order. Room itself was OK. Not very large but had several mirrors inside it which made the space feel bigger.
Jan 8, 2016, 8:50 am
On the second stay about 10 days later it was a completely different experience. We booked at 6:30am train station pickup and the driver met us at the door of our arriving train and had breakfast bags in the car for the kids. Upon arrival at the hotel, all the staff at the front door welcomed me back by name, knew the kids names, and the GM was in the lobby to greet us. My wife asked if I had complained about the previous stay but I had not done a thing or even expressed my feelings about the earlier stay.
The differences were so vast it was striking.
As the previous poster says, the lounge is large and nice. Breakfast was decent, cocktail hour was ok and in line with an Asia HR (similar to HR TST in Hong Kong for comparison). One oddity is that under 18 are not allowed in the lounge during cocktail times which was an obstacle for us.
Feb 14, 2016, 5:05 am
Room was small (they don't have a Deluxe category so there are no non-suite but larger rooms) and felt dated. But what was worse, the service during check-in and check-out was so business-like as to be borderline unfriendly, completely devoid of even the tiniest hint of small-talk, Diamond recognition or warmth. It's been a long time since I experienced such indifference at the front desk.
I will go for the Starwood options next time.
Feb 20, 2016, 1:44 am
Hyatt Regency Delhi
Bhikaiji Cama Place Ring Road New Delhi, IN 110066
Hyatt Regency Delhi review (Premier Suite) (16 Photos)
Hyatt Regency Delhi
A review of my recent stay at Hyatt Regency Delhi
I booked a standard room. After applying a DSU to the booking, I received an e-mail confirmation with the updated room type (Regency Suite King).
Suite guests enjoy a complimentary transfer to and from the airport and the hotel, so I e-mailed the hotel in advance to arrange for a car to pick us up from the airport to the hotel.
Arrival and Check-in
There was a representative for Hyatt Regency Delhi and Gurgaon in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall. After our names were checked against a list of guests, we were escorted to the car. The driver was polite and friendly.
Around 20 minutes later, we arrived at the hotel. Like many hotels with foreign guests in India, there was a visual inspection by security guards of our car before we were allowed to drive inside the hotel compound. At the entrance to the lobby, all of our bags had to go through an x-ray scan and we had to walk through a metal detector.
A friendly member of staff was waiting for us in the lobby. After we had gone through the security checks, she welcomed us and asked for our passports (which she left at the front desk to be scanned in accordance with government regulations, and which were returned to us later in our suite). She then escorted us up to our suite for an in-room check-in.
Hotel lobby
Once in the suite, we were asked to sign a registration form which was on the writing desk and then she wrote down the number of the credit card on which the front desk would put a hold.
The Diamond 1,000 points welcome bonus wasn’t mentioned at check-in; however, at check-out, the front desk associate proactively told us that the welcome bonus would be posted with our stay.
There was a bowl of apples on the coffee table in the living room when we arrived.
Suite
Although no-one informed us that we had been further upgraded from a Regency Suite King to a Premier Suite, I discovered this later when I looked at the photos for the different suite types on the Hyatt Regency Delhi website (a 360 degree virtual tour of the Premier Suite living room can be found at http://www.delhi.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html > View Photos > Rooms > Premier Suite (click the image with the loop in the centre)).
The Premier Suite (75 sq m) consisted of a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom (with doors to both the bedroom and the living room/entrance area) and a pantry.
Living room (with the door to the pantry in the far right)
Bedroom (we requested the two duvets)
Bathroom
Luggage storage area (on the left) and wardrobe (on the right)
More photos of the living room (taken during the day)
View from the room (main road – Bhikaiji Cama Place)
Pantry (with a Lavazza espresso machine, kettle and sink)
The suite was clean and comfortable. Wi-fi speed was good. A newspaper was delivered every morning. One slight complaint however was the noise from the main road. As you can see from the picture above, our suite was facing the main road, so there was quite a lot of honking from cars (even at 4am!). Fortunately, we were able to sleep, but if you are a light sleeper, I would strongly recommend requesting a quieter room facing the swimming pool/inner garden rather than the main road.
Regency Club
The Regency Club Lounge is situated on the 6th floor. A range of drinks and light nibbles were available during Happy Hour from 6 to 8pm.
There was a small breakfast buffet spread, with eggs made to order.
The staff in the lounge were generally very friendly. The ambience in the lounge was pleasant and it wasn’t overcrowded, even during Happy Hour.
Regency Club reception
Regency Club Lounge
View of the swimming pool from the Regency Club Lounge
Breakfast at 'Cafe'
A more comprehensive breakfast spread was available between 6:30am and 10:30am (11am during the weekend) in ‘Cafe', situated on the ground floor. There was a range of Western cooked/continental, Indian and Oriental food items to choose from the buffet. Eggs and pancakes were made to order. Fresh fruit juice was also available free of charge.
Facilities
The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, gym and spa, though I can't comment on these as we didn't use them.
There is a small shopping arcade inside the hotel to the left of the lobby mainly selling jewellery and clothes, although there weren't many customers when we walked through it.
Overall
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Hyatt Regency Delhi. The staff were mostly friendly (with the exception of the front desk manager when we enquired about key card access to the Regency Club floor – he reluctantly asked another member of staff to escort us without advising us that it was possible to request another key card at the Regency Club reception to access the floor in future, which we only found out about later when we asked the Regency Club receptionist).
As mentioned above, I would recommend requesting a quieter room (facing the swimming pool/inner gardens, rather than facing the main road) as there is a lot of noise from cars honking, even in the early hours of the morning.
Another thing to point out is the 'Luxury Tax' which has been mentioned in this thread. The Luxury Tax is 15% of the published rate of the room in which you stay (and not 15% of the rate that you actually booked). In our case, we booked a standard room at a nightly rate of less than 8,000 INR, but because the published nightly rate of the Premier Suite was 27,000 INR, the 'Luxury Tax' alone was around half of the nightly rate we had actually booked! The hotel only disclosed the published rate at check-out, so we didn't know the total cost of stay beforehand. This is something to bear in mind if you plan to stay here, particularly if you intend to use a DSU or if you are upgraded.