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This was on a hotel update website today:

Jacksonville, Florida's Largest Meeting and Convention Facility
Reflagged Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront
-- $10 Million Renovation Underway

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts announced today that it has assumed management of Adam's Mark Jacksonville, renaming it Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. The 966-room hotel was purchased by Jacksonville Waterfront Partners, LLC - a joint venture between Oxford Lodging Advisory & Investment Group, LLC and Longwing Real Estate Ventures, LLC, a member of the Dubai Investment Group - from HBE Corporation.
Located in the heart of the downtown business district and directly on the waterfront of St. Johns River, the hotel offers the largest ballroom and collection of meeting rooms in Northeast Florida. Within walking distance of the Jacksonville Landing, The Jacksonville Center for Performing Arts, Florida Theatre and just a mile from ALLTEL Stadium, the hotel is in an ideal location for both business and leisure travelers. Golf courses, shopping and beaches are just a water taxi ride away.
A $10 million guestroom renovation will begin immediately and is due for completion by early 2006. All newly refurbished guestrooms and public space will include such Hyatt amenities as the Grand Bed, featuring a Sealy Posturepedic 720 Series pillowtop mattress, 21 oz. down blankets, 250-thread-count triple sheeting, and lush down feather pillows; self-serve automated check-in kiosks; and high-speed internet access throughout the hotel.
"Hyatt's experience in the upper upscale lodging segment, as well as their vast collection of large convention and group hotels will ensure Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront will be the premier group meeting destination in Northeast Florida," said Robert D. Kline, President of Oxford Lodging Advisory & Investment Group, LLC.
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront will be Hyatt's 12th property in Florida, joining other properties in Bonita Springs, Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota and Tampa.
"We and our partners at Oxford Lodging are patient and disciplined investors," said Vincent Pica, CEO of Longwing. "Working together for over a year, we sought a quality hotel that was situated on the water, had a large convention capability and was a member of a community with strong, positive momentum. Jacksonville and this property met our goals and we were delighted to be able to move decisively together to acquire it."
Steve Goldman, executive vice president of development and acquisitions for Global Hyatt, added, "Jacksonville is a key Florida convention market and continues to grow at a rapid pace. This hotel is in a superb destination and a welcome addition to Hyatt's portfolio."
A primary second-tier city meeting location, Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront offers meeting planners an impressive 110,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 27,100 square foot grand ballroom and 30 individual meeting rooms, accommodating up to 4,300 attendees.
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront also offers a full-sized outdoor pool and sun deck, sauna, fitness center and business center. Guests can enjoy four dining venues including Bravo! Ristorante, offering authentic Italian cuisine and entertainment nightly; a lobby restaurant for casual dining and Sunday brunch; sports bar with big screen TVs and appetizers, and lobby bar.
Just 18 miles from Jacksonville International Airport, downtown Jacksonville is a leading Florida destination. In addition to world-class golf and 20 miles of white sand beaches, the city offers a plethora of cultural activities including museums, a performing arts center, several theatres and historic St. Augustine. Families will also enjoy the zoo, Greyhound racing and Adventure Landing Water Park.

Muerz

JACKSONVILLE!

Your opinions?

Threy

This is great news, it is a massive property down by the river in Jacksonville.

Competition is virtually non existent there, there is a Hilton on the other side of the river and a Radisson and the Plantation Manor Inn, which is the only property in town with a AAA 4 Diamond rating,however it is a B&B.
Beside that the competition on the beach in Amelia Island and the Marriott Ponte Vedra Beach is certainly strong, Sawgrass Marriott PVB is hosting quite a number of conferences...

The Hyatt will be by far the biggest hotel in the region, a great addition, also because rates are really cheap on the weekend, stayed at the Hilton for $ 69 a few years ago and I can imagine that the Hyatt will also be well below $ 100 on weekends...

JAX is indeed growing like crazy and is sometimes mentioned as an outsider candidate for transatlantic expansion from Europe...

jkc22

Great news, but this article pointed out a point I tried to make in 2 other posts: The Inconsistency In Hyatt Branding!

This hotel is to be renamed/rebranded as a Regency, obviously, but how can it feature a GRAND Bed?? You don't see Westins offering Sheraton Sweet Sleepers, or Sheratons offering Heavenly Beds/Baths....

So let's say a group of convention attendees stays at this Regency and LOVED the Grand Bed, and assumes this is a brand-wide amenity, I'm sure they will be disappointed to find them absent at properties like Miami or SF or LA......

OTOH, those used to the Grand NY are so used to the Grand Bed that a visit to JAX Regency find it confusing that a Regency also offers the Grand Bed....

Some may think this is minor issue, but when a brand cannot even distinguish itself it has a severe identity crisis, and it proves just that -- the branding is worthless, becuase it's not going to improve brand recognition!!!

I wonder who Hyatt uses as their Strategic Brand Consultants......

Threy

Once again I cannot agree more, obviously Hyatt intended to differentiate their ( relatively ) small portfolio of hotels and decide to stick with it, but then mixing it up completely will not help the cause at all.

And it is amazing what guests will appreciate and remember and judging from myself, I am already dissapointed when a Hyatt Regency does not offer a Regency Club at all, however a lot of Hyatts with one do not have any information about it on their website and without flyertalk I would not not even be aware of it and would maybe choose a Hilton with one, only because of a missing piece of info on their website...

The Weekly Flyer

In the Hyatt Jax tonight. The only renovations that have occured are the renovated show rooms (2, not bookable) and the club lounge on the 17th floor. I was upgraded to the suitte on the 17th.

Down side, linens are horrific, bad smell from UF/UGA game two weeks ago or the hotel just has a smell problem.

Upside, friendly staff, clean lobby, nice lounge room and good work out facilities.

Flyfarfar

The Weekly Flyer

Can't forget the Omni down the street.

Flyfarfar

smooth

Stayed at this hotel last week, for a conference. Will try to be objective describing pluses and minuses of my stay. Keep in mind that I normally do not stay at Hyatt properties and have no status in the Gold Passport Program. My impression was greatly influenced by comparing experiences at the Hilton chain hotels where I stay often and have Diamond status.

I booked Regency Club room on the 17th floor where the Regency Room is located. I expected for my stay to be similar to booking an Executive Floor room at Hiltons.

Positive impressions:

- wonderful bed with high quality linens
- great sound proofing
- impressive spread for breakfast and afternoon snacks at the Regency Room
- relaxing pool ( I did not have a chance to use it but had two meetings at the pool side. Too bad, the little food/drinks counter was not open )
- good fitness club with nice views
- easy web check-in and check-out in the lobby
- web check-in for all major airlines at the lobby of the hotel, including a printer for boarding passes

Disapointments:
- no safe and no minibar in the room
- no water bottles in the room ( Hilton always has them, free of charge ).
- no bath robes ( Hilton has them available in the Executive rooms)
- very skimpy amenities in the bathroom
- the desk of the Regency Club is not attended: no way to check-in or check-out here
- hotel location is not ideal, except for the river view. Need taxi to get anywhere. Cab drivers do not like taking you for short rides. They all are looking for airport passengers.

When inquired about differences between regular rooms and the Regency Club Rooms, I was told by the front desk that there are no differences, except for the access to the Regency Room itself. If true, one has to decide if a free breakfast/snacks are worth the price difference between room categories.

In summary, if I am to go back to Jacksonville, I would rather try a different hotel. Your experience may vary.

Just Passing Thru

I have to echo Smooth's review. We booked a short rewards stay there recently (please bear in mind that I no longer have any status with Hyatt) and we were rather disappointed. We would also not choose to stay at this property again.

Pros:
- bed, linens, furnishings were great
- great soundproofing
- spacious and well-appointed/well-supplied bathroom
- web check-in and check-out kiosks in the lobby
- web check-in for major airlines in the lobby
- wonderful view of river and bridge traffic
- convenient grab-n-go breakfast items available in lobby
- spacious hotel restaurant, was not crowded at all for breakfast
- fine steakhouse (Plaza III) located onsite, serving both hotel guests and non-guests
- Einstein Bros. bagel/coffee shop located onsite
- Guest services associate Bobby Ross

Cons:
- Super-heavy check-in traffic
- Trainees were checking guests in with no apparent help or oversight from more experienced employees
- no minibar in the room
- pre-arranged amenities were not in the room and were not delivered, despite calls to room service and management
- no valet parking
- no onsite parking, period -- forced to park offsite
- no Regency Club; renovations were under way
- poor location and signage; difficult to get to or leave
- check-in/out kiosks not working for either check-in or check-out
- had to return to front desk to ask for breakfast coupons (should have been provided at check-in, since Regency Club was closed)
- received HANDWRITTEN breakfast voucher on scrap paper from manager


The first hint should have been that the hotel's parking deck was full and that the alleged valet parkers weren't actually parking anyone. Their recommendation was that guests self-park across the street, in the unguarded and uncovered lot that apparently serves the Duval County courthouse. Naturally, this lot was unsecured on the weekend.

The second hint should have been that when we checked in, there appeared to be at least one convention's or conference's worth of guests checking in at the same time. Hint #3 was that the self-check-in kiosks weren't working. Hint #4 was the harried trainee checking us in.

Hint #5 would have been the closed-for-repairs Regency Club (we did book an RC room) and the fact that we didn't receive breakfast coupons in lieu of Club access.

Hints #6 and #7 were the non-present and non-delivered amenities that we pre-ordered via the web concierge service; these items never made it to our room despite multiple calls to room service. The offered excuse was that the hotel staff were overburdened due to the large amount of guests in and checking into the hotel.

I'm sympathetic to that, Hyatt, but if you don't have enough staff to deliver the services you offer, then the fault lies with you -- not the guests.

Guest Services staff (this is a separate desk in the lobby) were helpful in getting us directions to a Brazilian churrascaria in the area, but as we had missed our reservation and it was approaching 9 PM, we relied on the help and advice of Guest Services representative Bobby Ross to get a table in the Plaza III steakhouse, adjacent to the Hyatt lobby. The food was fine; roughly on the order of any high-end steakhouse, but the service was well-worth it. Our waiter, Nino, was quite knowledgeable about the different menu items and made good suggestions regarding appetizers, entrees and some of the whiskeys available at the bar (we were both stressed out and looking to imbibe during our meal).

When inquiring regarding breakfast the following morning, we were told that we "should have received" coupons for the hotel restaurant, and were offered a handwritten voucher on scrap paper by (apparently) one of the hotel managers. While we had no problems using the voucher, it seems to me that these coupons are the sort of thing that a hotel should keep plenty of on hand. Running out of them -- even during a high-traffic period -- strikes me as another example of poor management.

I'd like to emphasize that no one treated us rudely or poorly at this property -- the hotel simply fell short in a number of areas. I could overlook one or two deficiencies, but taken together, I think they paint a picture of a hotel that really needs tightening up.

I'll look for the downtown Marriott the next time I need to stay in JAX. Of course, YMMV.

RMC500

Just Passing Through:
Unless I am mistaken, there is no downtown Marriott in Jacksonville - IIRC, the closest and only full-service Marriott in Jax (excluding Ponte Vedre Bch) is 6 or 7 miles from city center on I-95. As far as I know, only two hotels are truly "downtown" - the 3-star Hyatt and the much smaller, 4-star Omni. That's why the Hyatt gets so many convention crowds and groups.

Just Passing Thru

RMC500, I think you're right; the closest full-service Marriott I can think of offhand is the Ponte Vedra Beach resort.

zdcatc12

Currently staying here using one of my diamond suite upgrades. The water in both bathrooms is taking at least 5 minutes to get warm, even with the tub running full blast. Also, the heat in only one room is working. They fixed the one in the other room yesterday, but when I shut it off and turned it back on, it has never worked again. The restaurant is FREEZING during breakfast. They even had numerous space heaters set up and one of the wait staff had gloves on!! I stayed here a few months ago and said that I wouldn't again, however, now I came back because of the free suite upgrade. I mean it this time when I say that I will not be staying here again, suite or no suite. Oh yeah, the lounge has been closed for the last 6 months or so. I got a breakfast and appetizer coupon for each night instead.

gwhite216

Not horrible, Not great! I just got back from a stay on my way back from The Masters Tuesday night. Check-in was easy and Edgar was great. He awarded me 2500 GP points as the club is closed, addressed me by name every time, gave me an appetizer and breakfast coupons, and offered to escort me to my room. He also thanked me for my loyalty and called 30 minutes later to make sure my room was to my satisfaction. As far as the room, it is updated and comfortable. In Jacksonville there really is no such high end hotel other than the Ponte Vedra Inn. I did not have any problems with the water other than the shower head is at 5'9". The next morning, the breakfast buffet was OK. Service was slow and half hearted. Check-out was a cluster you know what. I used a gift card and the agent (Aisha) felt inconvenienced by the transaction. She was fairly rude and uninterested. At check-in I was under the impression parking was comped. When I enquired with Aisha she looked at me if I had a 3rd head and asked who told me that. I responded and she reluctantly gave us a key to get out of the garage. No thank you, no have a nice day, no pleasantries at all. When I left the garage the key did not work and I sat for 5 minutes while the parking attendant called our friendly front desk host. After waiting, I left. Like I said, it is Jacksonville. Control your expectations and your stay will be fine.

Somewhere Over the Atlantic

I stay here every week, and have similar experiences to you. Yes, Edgar is a pleasure to deal with, and, by and large, the experience at the property is a nice one for Diamonds. As, for Aisha, well....

FriendlySkies

Stayed at this property last night, and here is a basic pro/con list..

Pro:

• Friendly staff in the Regency Club
• Comfortable beds + linens
• Good in-room internet
• Good spread of food in the RC
• Friendly staff at check-in
• Good food in the restaurant, Trellises
• Comfortable robe in the bathroom

Con:

• Cold lobby! Nothing to keep it warm
• CRT TVs in some rooms
• Expensive parking ($15 for self, $20 for valet)
• Broken heater in the room, requiring a room change at 9:30pm
• Some rooms have CRTs, while others have LCDs

When we got to the hotel, the FD staff were pretty friendly. As there was a convention in town (Physics Teachers of America...), I was not able to get an upgrade, but did get put on the regency floor (17).. The first thing I noticed with the room was the lack of warm air coming out of the vent. With the temps in JAX around 35, it was definitely time for the heat to be working. Two calls to maintenance resulted in a room switch, which was a little annoying, especially since it was late, but the new room had working heat, plus an LCD TV.

The lobby of the hotel was very cold, and with no double doors, dinner in the hotel restaurant was not very enjoyable. I wish they had been using some sort of heater in there.. The food was pretty good, although the fries were cold, which resulted in us getting a 15% discount on the room.

As far as the Regency Club, the staff in there were great! There were never more than five guest inside, so it was very comfortable. When we had a problem with our keys, they called down to the front desk and had some new ones sent right up..

Overall, I'd give the hotel a 7/10.. They really need to work on keeping the lobby warm!