CloudCoder

Arrived at 8:30 pm after a long day of work. One irate guest at the Diamond line ... but the general line is empty. Check in at the general line. Go upstairs to the club. My card won't open the club.

Go back downstairs. There's a HUGE general line and the same irate guest at the Diamond line. I get into the general line. Finally reach the front of the line at 8:59 pm. Get a new card. Go back upstairs and the club is closed. (It closes at 9 pm)

Go back downstairs. The same irate guest is at the Diamond line. The front desk manager is almost in tears because the guy ischewing her out so t. I thoroughly. I gently inquire as to the nature of the problem. It seems that the irate guest traveled "26 hours" and paid for a vacation in a "luxury hotel" and they stuck him on the 3rd floor in a handicapped room that "reeks" with "dampness". He wants a room with a view.

Front desk manager calmly insists that the hotel is sold out. They can move him to a better room tomorrow night, but as for tonight, they have no other room to offer.

I explain that I actually have a room with a view ... and it's completely unused. I haven't even opened the door to the room yet. I'd be glad for irate guest to have my completely untouched great-view room, and I'll take the room he's unhappy with. After all, he's on vacation and I'm only here for one night and I need to leave at 7 am.

Front desk manager almost can't believe that I'd really make such a noble gesture. I explain that I know exactly what it's like to travel 26 hours and then have a disappointing experience at a hotel. I explain that I'll gladly do anything to help people out of a difficult situation. Still, the irate guest remains irate, stating that he does not take charity. He continues to berate the front desk manager. He ends up yelling and fussing all the way to his 3rd-floor room.

Yet I have just one tiny remaining issue for the front desk manager. I almost hate to bring it up, but I would hate it even more, to get up 20 minutes early to handle it in the morning. Here's the issue: I checked in at 8:30, was given a key which did not work for the club, tried to get a new key (but the front desk was too busy). By the time I get a new key, the club is closed. I was, in effect, denied access to the club.

I ask if she knows what the proper remedy is, for a Diamond member who is denied entrance to the club. No one at the front desk knows the answer. (The most senior FD agent had been with Hyatt for less than a year.) I explain that when a Diamond member is denied access to the club, they get the "DN" bonus code. The front desk manager looks it up and verifies that I speak the truth.

But she did not give me the DN bonus code.

She gave me 10,000 points instead.

Sometimes it pays to be a nice guy.

59Impala

Very cool, CloudCoder !
nice gesture

Rusikusa

Anyone...?

DrSifu

The height requirement is really up to the "lifeguard" manning the water slide.

skunker

I think I've been given that guy's room before. They had a dehumidifier running when we walked in. Luckily there were other rooms to be moved into.

River in Sight

I had a one night stay here in late December. Rate was around $116 plus $25 resort fee (less a $5 credit for Diamonds, so net $20).

I was upgraded to the tower and thought the room was in good shape. I was a little worried based on some comments but I had no complaints about the room. We were on the club floor -- the club lounge itself I thought was somewhat nasty, it didn't smell great, was too small, and the night we were there the hot dish was clam chowder which is one of the last things I would eat in a club lounge. The next day at breakfast there were not enough seats so we took a small snack and hit the road.

Due to an an unusual spell of rain we didn't get to check out the grounds too much but they did look nice. I would return in better weather to try again.

I hate paying for parking and street parked near mission beach. Probably a 12 minute (quick) walk and no issues.

Based on my personal tastes I'd rather stay downtown to be able to walk to restaurants and attractions. But aside from the club lounge the property was in fine shape and I would give it a shot for one night again in the future.

JackE

From Google Maps, I see that Ocean Beach and Mission Beach are closer to the property. Why park in Pacific Beach?

Thanks.

skunker

haha, you will not be walking from Ocean Beach unless you really like to walk. Mission Beach parking is iffy at best; very few street spots and lots of rules about overnight parking.

River in Sight

Whoops, I meant to say Mission Beach in my original post and just updated it. I just completed a four night stay this week and parked in Mission Beach each night with no trouble. Around a 12-14 minute walk back to the hotel tho I walk pretty quickly.

JackE

I've completed my stay. I ended up parking at the property. While I almost always park offsite, this would have been a loooonnngg walk, speaking for myself. Also, I cruised MB and there were a lot of parking restrictions. I'm glad I crossed the bridge, though. MB is a nice little bit of sightseeing!

My only recommendation to others is to not assume you'll end up parking offsite. If you do, though, more power to you.

JackE

Following a recent stay, here are my observations...

PROS

* Close to Seaworld, if you are going to that. (I didn't).
* Fantastic views, at least facing the bay and ocean.
* Nice, helpful staff.
* Great restaurant. (Didn't eat there this time, so speaking to prior experience).
* Low rates if you hit it right. On this trip, most other properties were much higher.
* Nice, clean room. Bathroom fixtures are a little on the cheap side. Bathroom needs one of those magnifying face mirrors. No bathrobe, even in a suite, although I admit to mixed feelings about those.
* Great location for not just the views, but getting around San Diego and taking walks.

CONS

* Suites have beds in a side section, separated by a curtain. Definitely not a separate room.
* RC had great views, but not a huge selection. What there was was good, but I mostly ended up just having a few apps in the RC and dining at the fish shack down the street. No cappuccino machine. I'd rate the RC acceptable, not exceptional.
* Resort fee, unless tier-exempt of course.
* Insane parking fee. The city prohibits overnight parking from 2-4 am. My guess is they had too many visitors camping out near the beach citywide.
* Too much noise, in part due to construction (IIRC, this was noted at reservation time.)
* No points for purchases at the store. I would have spent a hundred or so if there had been.

JIMCHI

We had a great stay here with our 13 yr old. The pools and waterslides are terrific. You are less than a 10 minute drive from SeaWorld. About a 20 minute drive to the San Diego Zoo. There is a water taxi from the hotel to SeaWorld but it has a peculiar schedule. There is no service back to the hotel between noon and 7 p.m. So unless you are planning to spend the whole day and evening there this is not a practical means of getting there and back.

We had a corner suite (#1720) which had a terrific view of the marina, Mission Bay, the ocean and the pool area. The suite is not a true suite in the sense that it doesn't have a door separating the bedroom from the living room. The bedroom is an alcove which is screened off by a semi-transparent curtain. It has a nice sized balcony with two very comfortable chairs. These rooms are in the tower section which is scheduled for a remodel next year. In the meantime, the room and the hallways were very clean but the room furnishings are something out of the 70's. They did not detract from our stay. We noticed no construction noise that someone else had noted.

As a Hyatt Globalist member we had access to the Regency Club which was just down the hall. It is on the small side with about 8 tables for 4 as well as 4 small tables out on two balcony; needless to say it can get crowded. The breakfast and evening food offerings were very good - scrambled eggs with vegetables, hot cereal, cheeses, muffins, croissants, etc. Evenings had a soup plus usual appetizers.

I highly recommend this hotel. The location is great, the service was wonderful, and it's a terrific place for families.

777 global mile hound

Hi All and Seasons Greetings,
After a busy travel year and a move into a new high rise near Downtown San Diego I am back and looking forward to a greater participation in this forum again
Its been a fascinating year seeing and understanding the transition over to The World of Hyatt the good and the bad

Some updates here on the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay San Diego property.
Over the past year a seasoned Hyatt General Manger has come on board and really improved the property IMHO by taking World of Hyatt recognition very seriously.
To his credit he has already overcome much negative that has plagued this property for years once once of my favorites in the region back in 2008
Upgrades to their best rooms with killer inspiring views (suites here are really a larger room with a curtain by the bed) are no longer a negotiation
but cheerfully delivered some pro actively in advance days prior to arrival.
The property is slowly going through a multi million dollar renovation of rooms and suites it sorely needed and the future is looking brighter here IMHO

Now the next more controversial topic is it looks as if the Regency Club will be permanently closing here.
Historically it had been closed occasionally during the slower times of the year as it is now
My understanding is that the club will not be reopening as they make way for more suites in the clubs place
For me the club never hit its potential and was to small/crowded and the offerings extremely weak.
The good news is the Globalists may now take their breakfast at the Red Marlin where the service and hospitality is solid and in my perception the food quality exceptional
by any standards in or out of Hyatt with generous portions and lovely views
My breakfast yesterday exceeded everything I experienced at the Park Hyatt New York more recently (My updated review to follow)
and though it was complimentary less than half the price of the Park Hyatt New York
I am far more likely to stay here more regularly as a result as the Regency Club breakfasts here never made the mark for my expectation
Spending 80 to 100 a day for breakfast at the Red Marlin never made much sense to me when you are a top tier elite
I know some will be disappointed that the club is closing but fore this guest I am truly delighted!^

ContinentalFan

If you’re a business traveler, this hotel is not for you.

I can can confirm that the lounge is closed. I was given two, somewhat inconsistent, explanations: there aren’t a lot of elite customers and that they had constant complaints that it was too crowded. The new World of Hyatt should have solved the latter.

It is a hotel better suited for the vacation market. I had a conversation with the manager who confirmed as much.

I won’t stay here again. A Hyatt Place or House gives the same experience at a better price.

JackE

You're saying breakfast at Hyatt Place is the same as breakfast at Red Marlin?

And which HP and HH have views as great as this property?