rfrost

I did not like the Newporter (other than its very convenient proximity to Fashion Island and Balboa Island). I hated the tacky room, the wait for my car from valet parking was very long, they were serving breakfast in what looked like a conference room (I think they were refurbishing the restaurant), AND THEY REFUSED TO GIVE ME BREAKFAST COUPONS (yes, I was on a PL stay, but so....). Huntington Beach, on the other hand, was quite lovely--nice, spacious room, RC open on weekends (maybe only on weekends), right across from a great beach, and good service all around.

brendamc

There's no comparision property-wise - the HB is new, beautiful & across the street from the beach. But it's still in Huntington Beach, which is not all that great of all the wonderful beaches in California.

The Newporter has had a lot of work done recently, but I haven't been there to see yet - again it's location location location - beautiful grounds & short hop to Fashion Island or Balboa Island.

Steph58

Wanted to update this post after my stay last week on a FFN. The refurbishing seems to be complete and I was very impressed. I was able to check in at 11:00 a.m. after arriving from the airport; room had been preassigned. My room was in the Balboa Building and was quite nice--new cherrywood furniture, comfy beds with the white duvet covers, attractive pictures and decor, new carpet, wet bar & coffee pot, modern bathroom, comfy chair & footstool, desk/chair; groundfloor room had a small patio with chairs and view of the golf course. BTW, you can get a round of golf (9 holes) as a Diamond amenity choice. People were even swimming in the pool in December (I'm guessing they must have been from Michigan or Minnesota). I appreciated the fact they put me in the Balboa building which is an easy walk from the lobby. In the spring of 2003 I'd stayed in the Lido building which, if you read old posts, was the only decent building in the place. Lido is a very long trek from the lobby--you need one of the valets with the golf carts to take you there if you have luggage. But the room this time was definitely nicer than the previous one in Lido. I noticed the room above me on the corner must have been a suite and had a bar-b-q on their balcony. There was an elevator in the Balboa Building and if I'd known that (no elevator in Lido), I would have asked for a 2nd floor room.

Received two breakfast certs for the continental buffet or $ off anything on the menu. Continental wasn't too exciting, typical Hyatt items. One other tip regarding the restaurant is they participate in the Entertainment program, so we ate there for dinner. Hint, the restaurant used to be called the Jamboree Grill and is now named Sol but they still accept the Entertainment card. Food was good but priced more on the high side (could be an indication of why there was only one other couple dining there on a Saturday night). Two entres (one was free with Ent card), shared dessert, 1 glass wine, 1 ice tea still came to $60 with tax & tip.

This property is quite nice, kind of a 70's resort feel to it (all 2 story buildings) with 3 swimming pools, attractive grounds (heavily shaded because of the mature trees), shuffle board, tennis courts, gazebo area, beautiful lobby, lots of conference facilities. Self parking was $12. Front desk was helpful and friendly. I've also stayed at the Huntington Beach Hyatt which has the advantage of being newer and practically on the beach. But the Newport Beach Hyatt has a better location, in my opinion, for numerous restaurants and things to do within a close drive. They even have a shuttle to Fashion Island shopping and Orange County Airport. Now that the rooms are nice at Newport Beach, I'd be happy with either location, it just depends whether you want to be able to walk to the beach or be closer to shopping, restaurants and tourist activities.

Jeeves

Just completed a stay at the Newporter and would have to agree with Steph58 that this is a nice property. I also stayed in the Balboa Building and had a refurbished room. The rooms have a recessed alcove area that houses the TV and armoir, giving it a more spacious feel. The bathrooms were decent sized and all of the rooms have either a deck or patio.

My only complaint about the room had to do with the noisy central air conditioning system. When you had the thing running with the fan on, it would sound like someone above you was taking a shower. Since I was on the top floor, the noise wasn't due to the plumbing. When I turned the unit down or off, the noise would go down quite a bit.

I really liked the grounds. It's got a real old-world resort feel. I can't remember the last time I saw a shuffleboard court! I saw some rabbits wondering the grounds one evening. Perhaps they were displaced due to all of the heavy rains. The pool was heated in January and you could see steam rising from it in the morning.

The self parking is a bit of a hike. Looks like they do a lot of meeting business.

I liked the location a lot. Close to Fashion Island, Newport Center, and not far from the freeways. I did hear some airplane noise from John Wayne but none during my sleeping hours.

This hotel regularly goes for $70 to $75 on Priceline.

The property is kind of going through a name change. They are trying to call it the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, but everywhere you look at the property, you still see lots of Hyatt Newporter stuff.

I'd stay there again.

best

Any current experiences? Do they upgrade Diamonds now to a renovated suite? Breakfast complimentary?

Trustguy

I am tempted to stay here since the rates have decreased significantly in the past few months. I also am interested in any current data points!

gregorygrady

Please read the T&Cs of your Diamond Membership. As was mentioned recently, you spend enough time on this Forum that you should already know the answer to this question. @:-)

best

Gregory: spoke to 3 different persons there and got three different responses.

laurajoyce

My husband and I were there last month. It was our first time at this property and I'm not familiar with what's been renovated, if anything. The first room they put us in was quite mediocre. Smelled awful. We requested a new room and they moved us to a suite (I suppose, it was 2 rooms anyway) It didn't seem to have been recently renovated though. No view. All in all I found the property quite unimpressive. Staff was friendly though, and gave us a couple of free drinks at the bar for our trouble (the switching rooms). Breakfast was included.

WeedOCSD

I stayed at the Newport Beach property about a month ago � What a dump! Enjoy trying to get out of the parking lot, which is a long hike away from the hotel. The rooms are a bit dated and the bathrooms are like a small time machine from the 70�s.

The staff was great and they moved me to what was called an ocean view room, which is actually a view of several roof tops and the back bay. The complementary Diamond breakfast in the restaurant was not bad.

I�ve booked an advanced purchase room that I�m not looking forward to staying in. The Irvine property is a better rate and a much nicer room.

best

Thank you Laura and Weed for very helpful posts.

gregorygrady

I'm shocked that you would feel the need to call 3 times and ask if you get breakfast as a Diamond. That seems to me like it should be common knowledge if you have ever read the GP T&Cs or have ever read the FT Hyatt Forum (and I know you've done the latter plenty by the amount of........um.........posts that I'm seen here from you lately).

anchor79

Can Anyone comment on parking situation at this hotel? any local street parking nearby the hotel property? How much is the self parking at this place?

Any recent diamond treatments?

tommy777

No street parking. You have to use either valet or self park. Valet was 25, the self parking lot is not that far away.

No upgrades, they give Diamonds breakfast.

Rooms are very dated. I'm not staying at this place again..

Maui4me1

Ditto