Hyatt Regency Mexico City REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Hyatt Regency Mexico City
Hyatt Regency Mexico City
Campos Eliseos 204 Col Polanco, Chapultepec Mexico City, MX 11560
Hyatt Regency Mexico City = Best Value of Hotels in Stayed in CDMX (22 Photos)
Hyatt Regency Mexico City
I stayed at Hyatt Regency Mexico City as part of a mattress run and while the hotel was not the most luxurious, it was the one which offered the best elite loyalty benefits and made for the best value for the money of the 7 hotels I tried in CDMX and I can recommend HR particularly to Globalist guests.
Check In
The room upgrade situation was a bit rocky to begin with but the final outcome could not have been better. I first asked by e-mail the morning of my arrival what room type I would have and I was told a club room which is essentially no upgrade since I would have lounge access anyway. I was surprised because there were suites available online so I asked if they upgrade Globalists to suites and they said they were not available yet – they need to clean. I responded that I did not mind waiting so I asked at approximately what time they expected a suite to be available and they said they did not know, it depends when guests check out. Then a few hours later I contacted them again, this time they said suites were fully booked and I would not have an upgrade and indeed online I could see the standard suites were gone. Once at the hotel I told the receptionist about the communication issue, he gave me my room keys for the club room and said he would investigate what happened. Later during happy hour he stopped by to tell me that after checking with his manager they would be able to give me to an Executive Suite (normally not for Globalist upgrades) so I packed up and changed rooms.
Room
The first room type was nothing to write home about but everything was in good condition and looked decent. If I had stayed in that room type, I would have had an acceptable stay.
Obviously the suite was significantly better not only because the size was approximately 3 standard rooms according to the floor plan, but also because the dining and living area both had hardwood floors rather than carpet whereas the standard room I had for just a few moments was entirely carpet other than the bathroom.
There was no view of Chapultepec Park because my suite was on the wrong side of the building. I am not sure if all suites are facing north but for standard rooms the ones with Chapultepec view are more expensive and I did not see that same price distinction for the suites. The inferior view would be one of the few ways where my suites at JWM and IC were better than at HR, but for most of everything else HR was the best of the three.
Dining
The Regency Lounge has recently reopened after renovations and it looks nice, but it’s not fully operational yet. Breakfast was not offered in the lounge but rather in the restaurant. The breakfast menu was quite extensive with lots of local options and large portions. I was not aware that the Globalist breakfast was supposed to be the buffet only (nobody told me at check-in), instead I ordered dishes from the a la carte menu and they were kind enough to waive the charge.
For happy hour, there was a hors d’oeuvres menu 5-9pm served near the lobby because they have not started serving food in the lounge yet. Similar to breakfast, the menu was quite interesting and better than the set tray offered at InterContinental (or JWM which simply closed the lounge and did not offer any alternative); we could order up to 5 appetizers per person plus 2 desserts. Drinks were also served near the lobby 6-9pm or alternatively for a more private venue, a limited drink selection like wine and beer was available in the lounge.
Service
Service was not always perfect but it was clear they aimed to please especially with the situation with the suite upgrade: they could not give me the standard upgrade but went out of their way to give even better without me even asking for anything. The one area for improvement is that sometimes service in the restaurant during breakfast of happy hour was uneven, I could see staff just chatting among each other and not servicing guests, sometimes not paying attention if I needed something, or simply walking by while I am still waiting to give my order.
Wifi
Premium wifi worked well with speeds of 40 Mbps and the charge removed at check-out as a Globalist benefit.
Overall
Overall room rates at HR are in the same range as JWM and IC plus they are in the same neighborhood so it’s easy to compare all three. My suite upgrade at HR was significantly superior than at JWM where it was just a corner room, happy hour at HR was the best of the three (especially since JWM did not have any), and breakfast was also my favorite although if I had been limited to the buffet probably my opinion would be different. It all came together for a stay which was excellent value for the money.
The JW sucks. I am so not surprised to hear they are not offering breakfast. The corner room they upgraded you to is what they gave me as a paid "Park View Suite." Flat-out fraud. (And a very loud room due to the shoddy construction.)
The breakfast buffet works as an assisted self service. In other words, you go to the various food counters and ask for what you want. Pretty much immediately somebody will bring your food, coffee, etc. to your table. The quality of the hot food could be a bit better, but the fruits, breads, etc. are all outstanding. Service is generally excellent - not hard to get refills of decent coffee, drinks, etc.
However, the service at the evening canapes is absolutely appalling. As mentioned, you get the choice of 5 appetizers and 2 desserts in the restaurant. But once the servers find out that you are a "regency club" member (i.e. a moocher not paying or presumably tipping much), you are basically ignored after your initial food and drink order. All 3 nights it was the same, so it wasn't just an off night for somebody, and I thought I left a reasonable enough tip on night 1. The food is tasty enough, but unless you enjoy spending 60-90 minutes watching waiters talk amongst themselves while you try to get a drink refill, I would give the evening canapes a pass and just go to the 40th floor lounge for a drink or just plan to head out to a local restaurant...
The breakfast buffet works as an assisted self service. In other words, you go to the various food counters and ask for what you want. Pretty much immediately somebody will bring your food, coffee, etc. to your table. The quality of the hot food could be a bit better, but the fruits, breads, etc. are all outstanding. Service is generally excellent - not hard to get refills of decent coffee, drinks, etc.
However, the service at the evening canapes is absolutely appalling. As mentioned, you get the choice of 5 appetizers and 2 desserts in the restaurant. But once the servers find out that you are a "regency club" member (i.e. a moocher not paying or presumably tipping much), you are basically ignored after your initial food and drink order. All 3 nights it was the same, so it wasn't just an off night for somebody, and I thought I left a reasonable enough tip on night 1. The food is tasty enough, but unless you enjoy spending 60-90 minutes watching waiters talk amongst themselves while you try to get a drink refill, I would give the evening canapes a pass and just go to the 40th floor lounge for a drink or just plan to head out to a local restaurant...
But if you want a really nice hotel in Polanco, $200 is the bottom end of the pricing range...
Room was upgraded and hardware was quite nice. Great view too. Interestingly, there was no rollaway. I must assume that they set it up in our original room prior to being upgraded. But this was fine...it turned out we didn't want it anyway. It had actually been a requirement of the hotel for letting us stay in the room (2 adults + 2 young kids). What we did want, however, was a tub which our room did not have. We were informed that the only tubs (available?) were on a low floor, which meant not only would we lose the view, but apparently those rooms are not renovated yet. So we decided to stick it out without the tub.
Glob breakfast was a buffet in the lobby restaurant. The restaurant is quite elegant, as are all of the public areas of the hotel. The ambiance was far better than the food and service, the former being ok meh and the latter being poor. Lounge has great views all around and an ok selection of drinks/nibbles during the day. The hot food in the evening was pretty good but served extremely sparingly. The overall lounge experience was ok. Spa, Pool, Gym are all very lovely. There are even three tennis courts (though that area looks a bit worn and rough. Location of the hotel is pretty good. Great jumping off point to get acclimated when first arriving in CDMX.
Cannot beat the location in Polanco. As much as I love Roma, Condesa and some other neighborhoods, we always prefer staying in Polanco.
The hotel itself... a business oriented hotel for sure, but its perfectly fine for the kids and they love that they "know" the hotel layout by now. Service is impeccable and never disappoints. Very well maintained, rooms are updated, clean, comfortable and upper floors (ie Regency floor) has some pretty incredible views. And we love the heated indoor pool.