Originally Posted by AlexB
Well, I hate to burst everyone's bubble here, but I just returned from the Churchill and was quite disappointed. It was my first non-U.S. Hyatt stay.
- At check-in, they did not have me listed as a Diamond member, but rather as a mere Gold. This despite having booked on hyatt.com.
- No Diamond Amenity offered. At check-out, when I asked again if the hotel offered a Diamond Amenity, the clerk did not know what I was talking about. After consulting with a manager, he told me an amenity was only offered if you presented a voucher at check-in. (Was he thinking of the Platinum voucher?) He deducted the cost of Internet service as a goodwill gesture.
- No rooms on Regency Club floors available, therefore was assigned a plain-Jane room on the third floor. The drapes were riddled with holes in the shape of cat claws: some kitty must have been crawling up them. Of course, following non-U.S. policy, access to the Regency Club was denied.
- The sole Diamond benefit received was free breakfast in the restaurant.
For one-third the price, I could have stayed at the Marriott Maida Vale in a nicer, larger room.
Beware, YMMV at this property. It's not all roses.
I am sorry to hear about your disappointment with your stay at the Hyatt Regency in London.
Would certainly bring it to the attention of Hyatt Consumer Affairs. I too like poster Tfung did receive wine and fruit that was highly satisfactory and interpreted that as the Diamond welcome amenity as well.
If you didn’t receive any amenity during your stay a simple call to the good folks at Gold Passport will probably resolve the issue with a 1k welcome amenity bonus as a good will gesture. I have run into the confusion even in North America Hyatt Hotels and consider it the very small stuff in a mostly great program.
What I can say from thousands of nights on the road in recent years that this is an excellent hotel with caring management who took their valuable time to share with me their excitement and passion being under the Hyatt flag and management.
Like every 4 or 5 star property no hotel company is immune from failures.
When a hotel has a bad track record and the failures are numerous I am all for joining in and blowing the whistle.
It of my opinion you probably had one of the more isolated experiences.
Not that the hotel is absolved from the issues either.....
I would have been delighted to have experienced breakfast in the restaurant as you did. It is a beauty and had more choices then the Regency Club. My lunches and dinners there were excellent as London standards typically go. That said perhaps I speak with forked tongue as I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the Regency Club service experience either. It was clearly one of the best in recent years at any Hyatt.
In all fairness one of your concerns the ongoing Hyatt lounge exclusion for Diamond members troubles me.
And from sources that I trust it troubles Hyatt Gold Passport management too.
It is an area that hopefully will be re-addressed down the road now that very strict controls are in place for eligibility to earn in the program. I do know of a few members who packed up and left Hyatt over the issue. I think it really depends on how much international travel one does and what properties they select and the size of the lounge.
Oddly I cancelled a revenue stay with Hyatt as a Diamond and took an award stay in another competing program at a lower elite tier and had the guaranteed access! So I think I speak for many that it is a concern for a number of us.
Room renovations are coming……My room was certainly in better condition then what you describe.
My suggestions for less bumpy roads and bubbles that don’t go as easily bust would be
• One week or more before departure always email or call the hotel before arrival. A reservations manager or front office manager is usually an excellent way to facilitate the heads up on your arrival. A great opportunity to remind them of your status. This is especially important if it is a first time stay and there is no guest history on you. Especially with a hotel that is still learning and polishing their transition/procedures from the old Priority Club Program
• When a room is clearly to your dissatisfaction be sure to get a front office manager and or duty manager to see if they can resolve the situation. This is where Hyatt has been highly successful over its competitors in my experience. They usually will make a considerable effort. Usually in my experience it is rare that I have to call in the first place
Happier smoother upcoming stays
Cheers