Tummy

I'm planning on going back to Disneyland in early October will probably be staying here again for one night if we can get it on priceline. This time I'm going as a Diamond and it will be interesting to see if there are any differences.

The south wing's "old" rooms were not horrible, but if I were paying the regular rate and got one of those rooms, I would be disappointed. If I remember correctly, the new rooms were nicer, but rather plain with nothing special.

sggolf

Add me to the list of having a disappointing stay. I have stayed there quite a few times and have "always" previously had a positive stay. I even recommended this hotel to my relatives!

* Asked reservations to note a rollaway bed was needed. Did not receive. Called front desk to request again, mentioned no problem. Did not receive. After waiting three hours, I called back and received.

* Called front desk for MC game piece. Told me, never heard of it, but will check and call back. Never got call back.

* Didn't get a newspaper on Sat even though the room two doors down got one.

* Called and asked for 4 sets of towels in room and left note on mirror requesting the same. Each day, still only received 3 sets and only two face towels. Guess they figured we'd all share.

* Late on Sun night, could not sleep as my room was vibrating due to some source of loud music. Called front desk to inquire. Mentioned they would send security to check out. Heard nothing.

As I pressed my ear to the windows, I figured out it was the restaurant at the back of the hotel. They had a live band playing. I could hear the band over the TV and air conditioner! It honestly sounded like someone pulled their car stereo under my window.

Called again. I asked them to come up and listen how loud it was. The front desk person told me that they do not have the time to listen to each and every room nor did they have any other complaints and that they mentioned they could do nothing. I asked if there was a noise ordinance or something. She said she might say something after midnight. Asked for a manager, said none on duty. I finally went to bed after 1130pm on Sun nite as this was when the band stopped playing. (Now if the band playing was drowning out the wedding reception in the hotel that night, wouldn't they have to say/do something?)

* At gift shop, minimum room charge is $5. No mention is made of this anywhere, even copy of charge slip is shown on register.

* At check-in, asked for GP1500 bonus, said no problem, I'll make a note of it. At check-out, I inquired about the bonus again, and this time he mentioned, here let me add it.

* When asked at check out if everything during my stay went well? I mentioned, so-so and he said nothing as if he ignored my comment.

This was a very disappointing stay and I didn't even mention everything. I'm glad my next stay in the area is at the hotel up the street.

Threy

Had a good stay there a month or so ago, upgraded to a suite in the new tower, nice Diamond Amenity ( Cheese plate + lots of fresh fruit )
Breakfast coupons provided without a problem.

I parked across the street from the Hyatt at the Sports Authority lot, invested the $ 10 Hyatt parking charge into some stuff there, placed the bag on the seat and went over the street to the Hyatt ( 100 yards walk )

No problem at all...

MaxMiles

I stay there a lot on PL and regular rates. I have only been put in the dreaded South tower once. When on a non-PL rate, I usually get the one bedroom exec suite (a smallish bedroom and nice size "living room" with a fridge, microwave, 2 TVs. When on PL I usually get a standard room in the North Tower. I sometimes have to ask, but I always get the Diamond Amenity (pretty good choices) and breakfast coupons (no lounge here) that gives you free Cont'l brfst (or $3 charge to upgrade to hot buffet) at the restaurant.

I just checked out on Sunday and there is nothing going on in the South Tower. Seems like any improvements there have, unfortunately, been delayed. They were replacing the air filters on the 3rd floor which tells me that it will be some time before any renovations will begin (if they were starting soon, I would doubt they would bother putting in new filters!).

The disparity between the two towers has been well documented here, but I must add that the condition of the South Tower is a crying shame . The lobby and North Tower say 4 star hotel, but that South Tower is worse than a Days Inn. I am sure spending money in a tough lodging market is hard to justify ($25 PL rates lately!), but leaving things the way they are (with such a huge difference in guest experiences based on which tower they are put in) should not be an option. I really hope that renovations do indeed start soon!!!

AlexB

I stay at this hotel approximately once every three weeks as a Diamond on a PL rate. There is a disparity between how you are treated at check in vs. check out.

First, you absolutely must use 800-CHECKIN. Ask for the North Tower, give them your GP #, and ask for the bonus code of the day, usually GP1500.

When you arrive at night, you will be checked in by one of the "Robert Palmer girls," a team of stern, out-of-the-box young ladies who usually remove your GP # from the reservation and will occasionally deny you Diamond benefits. Be prepared to call Hyatt's 800 # from your cell phone to force them to give you what you deserve. Occasionally they will promise you a welcome amenity, but it will mysteriously never arrive.

Don't fret, the fix comes in the morning. There is usually only one person manning the desk, "Mark." A complete professional. He will re-add your GP #, re-add the bonus code, give you the welcome amenity, and in general make you feel special. If not for Mark, this hotel would be in clear violation of GP standards.

Finally, a kudo to Julia. The Robert Palmer girls used to deny me Diamond benefits 100% of the time until Julia intervened. Now, if you stand up for yourself, you'll receive them about 80% of the time.

Jamester

I had the pleasure of staying at this facility last Friday. Contrary to what people said in this thread, my overall experience was close to perfect. ^

- 1800-CHECK-IN gave me a mini suite (I'm a Diamond) in the North Tower. I did ask the nice operator to get me a room in the North Tower before she put me on hold to contact the hotel. No need to memorize which room is in which tower, just tell them what you want and confirm it. :-:
- Location is pretty good; close to the park (but I wasn't there to have fun)
- Parking is outdoor but adjacent/walking distance to the hotel. It's $12/day, take your ticket and get it validated for in & out privilege. (it won't earn you GP points btw)
- Lobby was immaculate, clean and quiet at around 8PM on a Friday evening
- Checkin was speedy (had to wait for maybe 5 minutes)
- Yes, I had to remind the young front desk person about my Diamond Amenity (which she apologized) and it was delivered within an hour. I got a full bottle (instead of the thin bottle) of the Salmon Creek Merlot.
- Breakfast coupon was given (but did not use since I had to leave early in the morning)
- Room in the North Tower was very clean, seems very new. Bed is your typical Hyatt bed.
- In-room dining was courteous and timely.
- Surprise surprise, upon checkout, I wasn't charged with parking; I drove up to the exit gate (this was at 5:30am though) and it opened automatically.

So I really don't know what's all the bad stuff about. Granted, most of the experience mentioned on this thread was from 2003 so things may have gotten better since then. I'm a relatively low maintenance traveler and if you are as well, you would be pleased.

Feel free to PM me for questions.
Thx!
Jamester

Calvin

from the hotel website today...

*Please Be Advised*

The South Tower will be under renovation August 29 - November 19, 2004.

As glad as I am the renovation will be taking place, I doubt it will stay a Category 1 hotel after that.

holtju2

I have stayed there several times before becoming Diamond and after. Sometimes I ask at the time of using 1-800 check in to deliver the Diamond amenity in advance because I might be arriving very late.

They have always put me in to the new tower and I once got the small "suite".

The Sydney Cove Suite at the park Hyatt in San Francisco, where I am writing this, is much nicer, however.

Calvin

Just found this post from biddingfortravel. A note from the sales manager at this property. This is great news. I'm afraid that Hyatt will now upgrade this hotel from being a Category 1 hotel.

------------------------------
My name is Brian Gehrisch, and I am a sales manager at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. I contacted Sheryl the Administrator to share some information about our South Tower renovation, and she suggested that I post it for everyone to read.

It is a great pleasure to announce that the renovation of our South Tower is nearing an end, and that as of Friday, October 29, 2004 non-renovated rooms are no longer available for any guest. All guests staying in our South Tower will once again experience the superior standards of quality that the Hyatt name represents.

The transformation of the South Tower is truly remarkable. Here is a summary of the drastic changes involved:
- Complete renovation of all guestrooms and hallways
- All wallpaper has been replaced
- All carpet has been replaced
- All furniture has been replaced
- All window treatments have been replaced
- New upgraded lighting has been installed
- All popcorn ceilings have been scraped and painted
- New granite countertops have been installed in the bathrooms
- New tile floors have been installed in the bathrooms
- All Double beds have been converted to Queens
- 67 King rooms have been converted to Queen/Queen to accommodate guest demand
- All beds have been replaced with Hyatt™s new Grand Bed

We are particularly excited about the introduction of the Grand Bed. It features an exceptional non-flip pillow-top mattress. A footprint-style bed base replaces the conventional bed frame, a form-fitted box spring cover replaces the traditional dust ruffle, and the bedspread is eliminated entirely in exchange for a 21-ounce down blanket. The Grand Bed is the new standard for comfort in all Hyatt Hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean; and we are thrilled to offer it to our guests.

I want to thank all of you who have shared your experiences with the Hyatt Regency Orange County. We value your opinions, and your suggestions help us to constantly improve. I strongly encourage anyone who was not satisfied with the South Tower in the past to come back and see what a difference we have made. I am confident that you will be very happy with the new rooms. I also encourage all of you to continue giving your feedback to our hotel management immediately should a situation arise during your stay. The sooner an issue is brought to our attention, the sooner we can make it right.

On behalf of our entire staff, thank you for your continued support.

Warm Regards,

Brian Gehrisch
Sales Manager
Hyatt Regency Orange County

EC Traveler

Hi -

Have learned some good info using search. I am in a bit of a different situation than most and any thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated.

Planning the April 2006 (yes, 1 year from now) family vacation to California (from Maryland). Going to spend about 6-7 nights in San Diego, then drive up to Disney for about 3 nights, mainly really to spend about 2 days at Disney. It will be me, Mrs. EC Traveler, and Little Man EC Traveler - 2 1/2 years old then.

Suffice to say there are a zillion choices here, and the Hyatt Anaheim has caught my eye. Reason? B/C with child we nearly always want either 2 rooms (connecting) or a suite where the little guy can sleep in his own area while we stay up and watch TV, etc. The Anaheim Hyatt has these various suites.

Anyone have information on the different suites? They have the Kids Suite - which is cheapest online - which should suffice since he will only really need any type of bed at that age. The other suites are more $ but curious why. All I need is a King Bed, a closing room divider, and any size other room where he can sleep...in other words, he can sleep even in the suite area, if the room closes off and is remotely sound-proof. So - anyone have any info on which type of suite to get?

Next - it really appears the best route is PL but I am seeing recently that getting a suite, or even connecting rooms (via 2 PL bids) is a bit rough and we are not willing to risk it. ANy thoughts on that?

Next - why is this hotel so much more during the week ($178 AAA rate vs $128) then the weekend? Is it b/c of conventions? Any way around this? We'd rather be there like a Weds, Thurs, Fri nites to avoid the weekend crowds at Disney, but Weds/Thurs are much higher than Fri/Sat.

Almost Lasty - anyone have experience with the stay certs? $99/night - bad deal, though, cuz no GP points, right? Plus, not a suite...

Lastly - I see online they have a Disney package deal but can't seem to find out how much it costs - every date I pick says sold out for 2005. Any info on this?

I have read the postings about the other hotels, but think Anaheim is where we want to be - priority 1 is close to Disney (along with a suite).

Then I guess the question is this - anyone have reward experience with this? I assume the base 5000 gets you a normal room, so does it take the 8000 to get a Kids suite? Or is that for one of the "bigger suites" and can the kids be had for less? Or maybe, can I pay the 5000 GP points and then pay $ for hte upgrade.

I know this is a ton of questions - any help is greatly appreciated. Why a year in advance? To get the reward flights of course :-) 331 days is quickly approach for the end of April 2006...

Thanks again and thanks a bunch!!!

forcemejure

Our family has stayed in King rooms (includes a sofa, desk, and chair), a 2 Queen room (desk... maybe a chair), several Kids Suites (depends on the size), and a 1 Bedroom Suite (desk, chair, sofa, coffee table). Kids Suites are the best, followed by 1 bedroom, then King. 2 Queens are only preferable if your child co-sleeps and one of you actually wants to get some rest.

Every suite I've stayed in (except one) has had connecting french doors. Not bad, but not great soundproofing either. Defintely better than an open floor plan.


Your taking a significant risk with Priceline in Anaheim. They have some great deals, but there is also the chance of landing a dive like the Radisson. Also, with PL you're only guaranteed a regular room. IF they have Kid's Suites available at check-in, the upgrade cost is $40/night.


This hotel does a lot of trade in conventions, both at the hotel and at the Anahiem Convention Center.



No experience here. You might call the hotel and find out what their Entertainment Rate is, if you're not concerned about points or stay credit. (iffy on the ENT rate).

This year is Disney's 50th Birthday. You may be picking dates that are unusually impacted. Try calling the hotel direct.

This is our second choice for DL. If you can afford it, staying onsite at the Grand California Hotel really can't be beat, especially with a 2 year old. April is Value Season here, and I would expect the prices next year to be better than this year. I, personally, would even give up the suite if it meant staying on-site. A trip to the Hyatt mid-day will take at least 45 from the time you start walking to the gate. A trip to your room at the GCH takes about 5-15 mins TOPS. Add the same amount of time if you want to go back the same day.

I DO, however, prefer the Hyatt to the Paradise Pier Hotel. Rooms are comparable and the service is MUCH better at the Hyatt. Haven't stayed at the DL Hotel.

When staying at the Hyatt with a toddler, expect to drive in, or spend a lot of time stuggling with a stroller while you try to find a spot on the Hotel shuttle.

As a Plat, you can expect a regular room on an award stay. 8000 points will guarantee you a 1 bedroom suite. At check-in, you might ask very nicely to be switched to a Kids Suite (should be an even money trade), but I've been told that a 1 bedroom suite is what you should expect.


I'd also recommend visiting www.laughingplace.com for great discussion boards on Disneyland Trip Planning.

Snoopyo

You might also want to check with the hotel if they would let you upgrade to a kids suite with a platinum certificate. I know it is upgrade to Regency club but they might say it is an even wash... Also you can upgrade to suite with 6K points sometimes but may require certain rates.

Otherwise, I would be inclined for the 8K reward redemption rather than paying the rates if rate is more than 125+

btw, Hyatt do get a lot of conventions. I am going to one in Anaheim and Hyatt was one of the convention hotels.

RobertTheTraveler

I redeemed 10,000 points for a two-night stay (WED+THU) before Easter 2005. As a Platinum, I was given a nonsmoking "Conference King" room, which was basically a double-sized room. I was pre-booked into the room, since they had all my paperwork waiting for me, so it was not based on an upgrade request made in person.

Half the room had a 10-foot conference table with ergonomic seating for 8, along with a fridge and wetbar/sink. The TV was extra large (27"?) and mounted on a credenza to flip between the King bed and the two-couch seating area. The couches were regular couches, not sleepers.

The room was one of the few with balconies that open up in to the lobby atrium. There was quite a bit of balcony space, but no chairs. It wouldn't exactly be a thrill to sit out there anyway since its an enclosed atrium.

It was particularly cumbersome to use the wired high-speed service, as there was no desk or designated work area. They had the wiring set up for the end table between the sofas. I was able to improvise and maneuver enough to get the cords to the coffee table, which certainly made for awkward net surfing.

Did not spend much time at the hotel, but I have stayed before (on PL) and its much much nicer since the renovation was complete. There is a lengthy thread on this hotel on the BFT site. Parking is $12 and the complimentary shuttles to Disneyland work very well.

During the same time, my brother successfully bid for 2 rooms @$34. They were booked for a 4-night stay and had no problem getting adjoining rooms. Their rooms were nice, newly remodeled. They had no fridge, though. The hotel has converted many rooms to two-bed combos, to accomodate more sleepers per room. I was unable to get the hotel to accept a $34 bid for only two nights. If you look at the winning posts on BFT, you will see that nearly all the winning $34 bids are for 3-4-5 day stays.

Overall, I think this property is a good redemption value, especially since it was remodeled.

Threy

Posting from a 2 bedroom suite at the Orange County Regency, I have to give them a lot of credit for transforming to a very decent property over the course of 30 months during which I had 5 stays at the property...

Diamond amenity was a huge plate of roasted veggies with parma ham and tomatoes and mozzarella served with warm garlic bread and half a bottle of Estancia as usual....Easily the best Diamond amenity I had this year.

Hotel added some staff for valet and bell service as well as two doormen opening the doors for arriving guests. For an US property a great touch.

Everything was set up, when I arrived including packaged breakfast certs within key package.

Wired lan @ 9.95 per 24 hours is US Hyatt average....

Still plenty of free parking across the street, if you do not valet your car the way from the parking lot would be actually longer, so no reason for the expensive parking lot.

Tummy

I actually stayed here again in June 05 for three nights. Upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite, which I understand they have a lot of.

A huge improvement from the first time.