doc

Just had a brief stint at the Hyatt Prineton, NJ that was quite good. Nothing special, but everything was actually very good. The excelent quality of the food was a pleasant surprise and the service was competent and pleasing too!

ranles

Thanks, have not stayed there.

PS: My favorite Hyatt food, domestically is the Hyatt's modestly upscale restaurant in Sacramento. There french onion soup is sooo good, as is there field salad. Prime rib is generous and well seasoned. The pepper steak is my favorite. The GM there, Gunter Stantius, is one of the better GM's and is very professional.

rahmanbar

Anyone stayed there since they completed the renovating of this hotel?

We were there about a year ago and the funiture in our room was definitely showing its age - scratches/chipped corners.

I also read somewhere about Hyatt inaugurating the replacement of its beds with its version of Westin's Heavenly Bed. - IMHO that would be a huge plus for Hyatt.

Thoughts/experiences with either HR Princeton (post-renovation), the new beds or both?

Thanks.

Tummy

I was there on Friday and have stayed there about 4 times in the last 8 weeks. Most of the hotel looks new. The room furniture appeared very new.

I have experienced both the old and new beds. While the newer beds are nice, they are not anywhere near the Westin Heavenly bed. One thing I noticed is that they use a similar white striped duvet, but the filling is a synthetic instead of down / feathers. The new sheets were much softer than the old though.

There was a letter from the manager explaining that are currently installing High Speed internet in every room, but that you can get to "Cyber Space" from the business center. I didn't save the letter, but it almost sounded like they were renaming the business center "Cyber Space". They had one PC running WinXP in the business center connected to a DSL modem (free).

The outdoor whirlpool / hot tub was roped off with yellow construction tape and was being refurbished while we were there.

At breakfast, we upgraded to the hot buffet. Where most Hyatts will simply let you pay the difference, they only gave us $5 credit per Business Plan coupon.

In comparison to other New Jersey Hyatts, I thought that it was much better than the Hyatt New Brunswick, though I think the JC Hyatt has a more interesting modern decor.

neuro0

I am thinking stay at the Princeton Hyatt after a rafting trip in July with couple of my teenage and early twenty friends. Is it true that there are tennis and basketball courts on site? Indoor or outdoor? Any comment on their Recreational Facilities?

Thanks in advance!

megtravels

Since this thread has not been updated in quite some time, I thought a Trip Report would be handy-and I posted it here after inquiring as to WHERE it should go (here, or on a new thread!) So….here goes!

I recently spent a couple nights at the Hyatt Regency Princeton, having won it on Hotwire on 2 consecutive nights. (I didn’t realize I would need to stay 2 nights at the outset! The first reservation was made about 20 minutes before arriving; the second a couple hours. I am also a Diamond member of their Gold Passport Program so I was wondering what, if any, benefits I would receive.

Check in was fairly quick on both occasions. The first night I was in room 414 which faces the office park, and the second night I was in room 431 which faces the atrium. The people in front of me had also gotten this property via hotwire. They asked about a suite upgrade but were told it was not possible. I just asked for a decent room, high floor, not far from the elevator and that is what I received.

The hotel’s halls are fairly dark, and overall the hotel needs a remodel. (I was told that the rooms were done about 4 years ago.) The public areas are fine, but the rooms and corridors show wear and tear. I would not call this hotel 4 stars as HW does, but it’s a solid 3 or 3.5.

My first room, 414 had a king sized bed, arm chair, desk and chair, dresser, closet and big flat screen TV. The room was clean (could be cleaner, but mostly needed extra vacuuming and edge-vacuuming as there was some dust and stuff on the floor.) Also, the vents need to be cleaned as they were pretty dusty.

The second room, 431 was shaped a bit differently and had the aforementioned furnishings, with the addition of an ottoman. This room looked cleaner than the first, and was very quiet even though it overlooked the atrium.

The beds were very comfortable and I fell asleep fast both evenings. The first room had a view of trees and the office buildings that surround the hotel, and the second overlooked the atrium.

The bathroom in the first room was large, with a shower that seems to be designated for people that may be mobility impaired as it had a conventional shower head as well as a lower, hand-held type, along with a bar. Not actually a handicapped room, more like a “seasoned citizen” type set up. However, there ventilation is bad and EVERYTHING steams up and gets slippery! Use caution. The second bathroom was a little smaller with a conventional shower set up and didn’t seem as slippery as the first-perhaps due to its smaller size, the ventilation is better.

As a diamond member in their program, I was entitled to get free internet, free full breakfast and a welcome amenity. I knew I was not eligible for points (only on incidentals) or night’s credit. I had no issue asking for and receiving these items. The internet (provided by T-mobile) was wireless, quick and basically reliable. I received a full bottle of merlot (which came home with me) as well as chocolate covered strawberries. There are a couple other choices including beer, dry snacks and hummus with pita chips. Breakfast buffet was good and plentiful, but the service could have been better on the first morning. (Had to ask for additional coffee.) Interestingly, the gratuity is included, but this is no excuse for bad service (and I tip extra as a rule.) Overall though, their other food is rather expensive and portions are smallish. (I stayed here previously and was not impressed with my dinner.)

Breakfast service the second morning was much better-my server was constantly around her tables refilling juice and coffee (hence an additional gratuity!)

I wound up eating in the lounge that night-an overpriced (but very good) hamburger with an equally overpriced iced tea [from tea leaves, not the alcoholic type!](Total with tax was just over $20! And that was before the tip!) I mentioned to poor breakfast service to the restaurant manager who apologized and sent up some dessert. (Chocolate cake! Alas, it was VERY dry! Sob!) Even appetizers are in the $12-15 range. A chicken quesadilla is $16! (and frankly it is JUST chicken, salsa and a tortilla!) Desserts are $8 and up!

The hotel has a nice looking pool area (although the windowsills in the hallway connecting the pool area to the hotel really need dusting and vacuuming as there were LOTS of cobwebs and dead bugs! Really! Also there are a couple tennis courts, and you are close to a couple places for golf. Plenty of shopping and dining are available within a short drive or shuttle ride.

A nice touch is that there is a free shuttle within a 5 mile radius. I took advantage of this to go into Princeton for a couple hours to shop and eat. I am from the area, but I decided to not have to fight the traffic and crowds for a parking spot. The driver was very nice and I enjoyed my time as a tourist in my own town! Parking is plentiful and free.

All in all, this is a good place to stay if you have business in the area, or are going to Princeton University. The hotel is close to the NJ Transit station (and the shuttle will take you there). My hotwire rate was less than a third of the going price on Hyatt’s website so I was happy.

I would not hesitate to use Hotwire again for this hotel if I need to be in the area (I wanted to be close to a local medical facility) and its location makes it good for touring the area, Sesame Place, the NJ Shore or even hopping the train into NYC.

The area has many places to shop and eat so I would suggest skipping dining in the hotel and heading elsewhere. All in all, this is a fine place to stay, as long as you get a good rate.

I posted pictures over on webshots if anyone wants to take a look. My username over there is megr1125 so feel free to peruse.

If anyone has any questions, please let me know! Seems that most people I encountered had won this on Hotwire or Priceline…OR are on expense accounts paying full rate! IMO it is NOT worth $200 bucks a night-maybe $129 during the week and $69-89 on weekends. It’s listed on HW as 4* with tennis nearby.

peteropny

Thank you for the update!!!

Dr. D

Thanks for the update- I have stayed here dozens of times during the FFN periods over the last 5 years and my experiences are very similar to yours- good hotel, nothing remarkable. I would just like to add that this place can get really, REALLY busy on weekends, as they seem to have a lot of weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other huge parties in their ballroom, especially on Sat nights. I have seen more than one charity ball/auction held here. One time they had a red carpet installed from the front door down to the lobby and the valet scene is a crazy scene with Bentleys, Mercedes, etc all over the place. I have also seen a lot of athletic teams from other colleges staying here, including an entire Ivy league football team.

megtravels

You're welcome!

Yes, the place can get overrun with sports teams and the like...which is par for the course at these places......

Yes...it's a decent place....but could be better......however for the price I paid, it was worth it!

(and, lucky me....i escaped noise this time....GENERALLY i am SURROUNDED by teams, kids or, as i call it "amateur travelers" who don't know how to behave!

cmjaffe

Thanks for the update. DH and son were planning on stopping by at this location at the end of October (hopefully during FFN) when DS finally gets a long weekend and to check out Princeton U and U of P. I've been checking out the website and there seems to be some decent rates over the weekend. May have to resort to Hotwire or PL for the Monday night if rates are a bit higher than we'd like.
Carolyn

rfrost

Your update is greatly appreciated, as I will be doing some serious MRing if FFN returns this fall.

megtravels

My pleasure!

Fall is a nice time in this area...................

sophiegirl

On a one night stay -

interesting mix of good, not so good, and bad:

Good: check in was quick and courteous. recognized as a diamond. room assigned as per profile. ordered dessert and coffee from room service, was delivered promptly, as ordered, and was good. (perhaps not the $28 paid good - but hey, the prices are posted....) Lobby area is very nice, loved the waterfalls and koi ponds. Attractive gift shop, well stocked with both "gifts" and necessities. Reasonably priced for hotel shopping....

Bad: lounge is no longer open. received breakfast coupon; but held to the continental b'fast. (yes, I know they can, but usually they don't!) Buffet was lackluster, a mess, (who places lox right next to the breakfast pastries???) and oatmeal was cold. Surly waiter w/ limited coffee pouring skills.

Not so Good: Lamp shades in room were cracked and split - made the room look Motel 6'ish. No plug and play panel, and desk light plug did not work. Used several COSTCO certs for payment, and points did not post correctly. Nor did G Bonus. Nor did Diamond Amenity.

Rate was in the $120 range - so OK value...but the hotel could be so much more than it is! A little T&C and attention could make a HUGE difference here.

LOTS of shopping (big, small, pricey, and discount) in the area. Many restaurant selections - all price ranges and food choices.

NDDomer86

Well hello there!

This property has actually been one of my absolute worst Hyatt stays in the past year. Stayed here for one night back in May. Check-in agent was VERY friendly taking the time to explain everything about the hotel to me and greatly apologizing for not being able to escort me personally to my room (no need for that at all). Unfortunately, that's about where the positives stop.

The rooms themselves, while maintained fairly well (although was very humid and sticky feeling inside the room itself, but no cracked lampshades for me at least), are very very dated feeling. Yes, they have a flat screen television, but that does not help the lackluster bedding, the bland carpeting, and just flat out old bathroom.

Needed to take exams at Princeton (through an arrangement with Harvard) on the afternoon of check-in. Literature stated that a shuttle was available all day long (shuttle is actually quite nice, a Cadillac Escalade). However, was told that it did not start back til mid-afternoon from the front desk and that I could wait and the shuttle driver would come in and announce when the shuttle was leaving. This never happened even well into an hour after it was supposed to so I approached to front desk only to be shrugged off as "the driver must not have come into work yet." After another 45 minute wait, I went to the front desk again and this time, the original clerk (whose name slips me) overheard my conversation and immediately got on the phone and hired a private S class to drive me to Princeton's campus ^. Ended up being too late for my final, but upon calling the hotel to request pick up for transportation back to the hotel, the agent who originally checked me in and arranged the car service to campus answered, and immediately recognized who I was and paged the driver (who was two blocks away at the time ).

Housekeeping seems subpar at this property as I found stagnant water in the ice bucket that had clearly been there for some time, and in the mornings, the housekeepers pull the door latch over the room they are cleaning so as not to have to open the door each time, allowing the door to slam quite loudly against the latch.

As far as breakfast, per the new rules of Hyatt Gold Passport, they actually CANNOT just give a continental breakfast anymore when the lounge is closed. I was not even aware that this property even had a lounge, but I was offered full breakfast when I stayed? I did not partake in it so I cannot comment on the quality or offerings.

In terms of location, there is nothing within walking distance of this hotel (particularly since Princeton is not a walking town, outside of Downtown). However, within shuttle range, there is Forrestal Village with a few shops, a small mall across the highway (though again not walkable), and downtown Princeton with a variety of shops and restaurants.

Overall, I had a much better experience at the Hyatt Place Princeton across the highway.

bmw303

are there any recent reviews of the property and breakfast?

thanks!