I think I may be the first to report on the new Hyatt Atlanta Midtown, which opened several weeks ago. I stayed at the property for four nights last week, and thought I would give my impressions.

The property is located on 10th St between Piedmont and Juniper. Apparently it is a renovation of an older property, though you'd be hard pressed to tell; my understanding is that the facade of the tower was completely replaced along with a renovation of the inside. It's 11 stories tall, and has a moderately sized, very modern lobby that wouldn't be entirely out of place in an Andaz or similar property. The lower level houses a pool, fitness center, and business center; I did not have time to check out any of them. There is also a small pantry shop to the side of the front desk.

The rooms are more typical Hyatt in decor. As a Diamond, I was upgraded to a corner king on the 10th floor, with a stunning view of the parking lot. The room was generously sized (430 square feet), but the space isn't used to full effect. Upon entering the room you stand in a very large empty area facing the sliding glass door to the bathroom, which has a glass-door shower and perhaps the longest vanity counter I have ever seen. To the right is a generous closet. The "foyer" and bathroom take up approximately 40% of the space of the room. To the left of the entrance is a sitting area with a sofa. A long TV credenza and desk along the wall to the left of the sofa conceals a small refrigerator.

The bed faces the desk, which in turn faces a large window; an additional floor-to-ceiling window is to the right of the desk. This gives the room ample light, but almost no privacy unless the shades are drawn. The space between the desk and bed is tight; if the desk chair isn't pushed under the desk, it's a little clumsy to walk by. Furnishings are very nice, and reminded me of the ones used at the HR Dallas in their recent renovation -- but with some extra color.

There are apparently larger rooms (a Deluxe King at 470 square feet, and a slightly smaller Junior Suite at 465 square feet); these appeared to be available when I checked in, but I was comfortable enough not to request a move. Diamonds receive two paper coupons per day for a full breakfast in the restaurant (Fork and Juniper), which has a "modern Southern" theme like just about everywhere else in the city. Gratuity is explicitly included on the coupon.

Breakfast was inconsistent; the first day I had the "Southern Start-Up," which has eggs, country ham, a biscuit, grits, fruit, and red-eye gravy. I don't think I like red-eye gravy, so I won't judge it, but the biscuit was middling and the eggs were...missing. Just when I thought I'd misremembered the description the manager came over to apologize -- apparently the server had pulled the plate too soon. I'll chalk this one up to inexperience. The second day was corned beef hash, which was poorly made, using sliced corned beef; I think I have had this recipe at other Hyatts. The third day I had an omelette that was decent but forgettable, but much slower than the previous two days. The fourth morning was the only one where a buffet was offered; it was continental, but as I was running late I opted for it plus a side of bacon. The continental spread was nice, with the same local yogurt served at the Hyatt Regency, and nice pastries. Apparently the buffet is offered based on occupancy.

I had room service two nights thanks to a busy schedule. The first was actually quite good -- wings in a coca-cola glaze and a nice pork chop. The second was less memorable -- a "chicken and waffles" appetizer sounded good, but was bland and too sweet, and the attempt to get creative with broccoli slaw on the reuben fell kind of flat. Also, I requested ice water both times; the first night, I got what I requested, but on the second night I received two tiny bottles of Dasani and a glass of ice for $3. Baffling. Prices are refreshingly reasonable, though; you can get an appetizer and burger or sandwich for less than $30 all in if you avoid the stealth Dasani.

The web site for the property says only that "covered garage parking is available." This is, oddly, as incorrect as it is informative. Self-parking is available (I am unsure of the rate) as well as valet for $32. Both self parkers and valets are restricted to the uncovered 9th floor of the adjacent parking garage -- which takes quite a long time for either guest or valet to reach. Moreover, I was only successful in reaching the valet by phone once during my stay; most days the line went unanswered, presumably as they were driving cars down nine floors. The garage is likely outside their control, but the arrangement is unfortunate.

Staff was generally very friendly and enthusiastic during my stay, and most of my requests were attended to quickly, but many of them seemed a bit bewildered. It is clear that the team is green; I'd be hesitant to pass judgement on them too quickly, but there is definite room for improvement.

All in all, I would probably be delighted to stay at this hotel in a lot of cities, but I'm not sure I'm convinced by it in Atlanta. I'll probably give it another try when it's been open for a while, but on the whole the Regency is a much more efficiently run property despite its large size, with more consistent food and service. Unless I need to be in Midtown, I suspect I'll end up back there.