RMC500

Perhaps someone else can confirm this, but I recently read that the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover (Birmingham, AL) will be rebranded as a full service Hyatt Regency hotel in the spring of 2013. The hotel is connected to the Riverchase Galleria Mall (southwest of BHM) and is long, long overdue for a refurbishment. According to the current hotel's GM, the hotel will undergo major renovations beginning this fall. I last stayed there in the late 1990s but due to numerous problems have never returned.

LetsGoToo

Yep, it's true!

http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingha...t-regency.html

There is also a new Westin being built adjacent to the Sheraton/BJCC that should open in early 2013.

etsmyers

I am speaking at a conference there next week. It is a beautiful hotel, but when I told the coordinator that I was staying off site to earn loyalty points, she quickly told me the property will be a Hyatt starting in May!

davidajeff

Accepting reservations June 14th and beyond ...

http://wynfrey.regency.hyatt.com/

CloudCoder

Has anyone had any luck booking into this property? I can't get it to accept a reservation for November. It keeps saying the hotel is either sold out or is not yet accepting reservations.

chicaloca453

This hotel used to be a local independent hotel. The good thing is the location connected to River Chase Mall. The bad part is from what I gather the previous management (operated as the Wynfrey Hotel) did not exactly keep things up to Hyatt standards. They seem to be redoing the entire hotel to make it into a Hyatt class.

I have my first stay there tonight. I will report back on what I think. I was told it has a 7 day a week Regency Club which is good in some ways but bad when you savor those weekend bonus points.

LASUA1K

Please let us know. I travel often and have been waiting for this place to open. Thanks!

RMC500

For the very few FTers who have to overnight in BHM (actually Hoover, AL, 8 miles south of BHM), this is a brief review of my recent stay at the new rebranded BHM Hyatt Wynfrey Hotel. Because of numerous problems at the old hotel, I had not been inside the hotel in 15 years. In short, Hyatt inherited a property built around 1985 that was in terrible shape.
I was assigned a moderately-sized std. room on the club level that appeared to be totally refurbished -- new carpet, furniture, a 42" flat screen with around 40-plus channels, and an updated bathroom. There is still a somewhat cramped lobby and check-in area. A small regency club, open 7 days per week, is located on the 14th floor -- it has 2 tables and around 12 side-by-side chairs lined up at a counter facing the windows. Wish it was a mite larger. Did not try the appetizers, but wine was $4.00 per glass. There is a very nice and helpful attendant on duty. Valet parking is $12 per night; self parking is $10 per night. An ultra expensive Don Shula's Steakhouse is on the premises, while the old lobby bar has been converted into a casual bar/restaurant. Skipped a free breakfast in the lounge b/c of the crowd and ate downstairs at the restaurant. If you are a shopper, or just bored, you can walk a few feet to the Riverchase Galleria, which is connected to the lobby, and there are tons of other shops, etc. within a half-mile. Overall, this is a marked improvement over the old Wynfrey Hotel and probably a solid 3-star. For my very low corporate rate, I could not complain.

Hot Pocket

This hotel is a good choice if you're a GP member and find yourself in Birmingham, AL.

Rather than, "why is this hotel so basic and with such ridiculous parking and eating options?" ask yourself, "isn't it pretty cool that a mid-tier city in Alabama has an actual Hyatt Regency?"

Things that are blatantly stupid:

The parking (park either side of the parking garage for free, then just come up the garage elevator)

Shula's, pretentious pseudo fine dining at its worst

Things that are appealing:

There is a Regency Club. It's terrible, don't get me wrong, but at least it exists which is contrary to current trends

Remodeled rooms are passable and decently appointed

Direct access to Riverchase Galleria if that's your thing

Walkable if a bit basic restaurants around the perimeter of the property (decent exception -Bonefish Grill)

I'll be back, not that I love it, but it's an HR in a mid-size Southern town where I need to be, and it's a better option for me than an HP or the Westin downtown.

igoncrazy

I'm at this location often. It's fine for a mid-size city in my opinion. Never ate at Shula.

uppereastsider

Just returned from 2 nights here.

Shula's is gone and has been replaced by a tavern offering cheaper food and drink options than Shula's would have had.

Club lounge is small, but wasn't very crowded. Two hot entrees + fruit and pastries for breakfast and hot entrees and cheese/crackers in the evening. Attentive service.

Loud party on the club floor that went until 1:30am after security ended it was quite annoying, although I can't really blame the hotel as my first night was fine/uneventful.

Like the other posters above, I wouldn't ever go out of my way to stay here, but I had client meetings in Hoover and the location was great for that. It was nice to be in a full service place vs the HP I stayed at last time in Birmingham (where I somehow was given one full size bed in a really bizarre mixup there because I arrived after midnight)

sam_goh

My family ended up living here for 6 to 8 months in last year as we built a home in hoover. The Hyatt place while larger room was not that appealing. Ended up getting upgraded to suites fairly frequently. Although it's a challenge during football season because many of the Alabama boosters and opposing teams stay there During the fall. Number of irregularly sized suites but decent number overall and quite comfortable. The club actually ended up being really nice because it's chefs choice in terms of food and lots of things get rotated. Easy walk to the food court. Staff went out of their way to make us welcome. We miss it and definitely call it home for awhile even though we drive by it everyday on the way to the new one.

sch_flyer

Spent a few nights at this property with my family - have really mixed feelings:
Pro:
- Very comfortable beds and high quality linens and towels, especially for a Regency in the middle of nowhere.
- Cool bi-level suites.
- Fairly convenient location - if you need to be downtown Birmingham, it's 15 min away.
Con:
- Suites only sleep 2, as there's a single King bed, and no sleeper sofa, just a couch.
- Rude front desk staff (with the exception of the FD Manager).
- No Regency Club anymore - it was recently closed.
- Restaurant breakfast is adequate but that's about it. Either the buffet or plated American Breakfast are provided, no a la carte option.
- Charge for parking (that was waived as a Glob on points stay), but it's ridiculous for hotel attached to a mall. Self-parking is $14, and valet is $20. Easy to avoid if needed, just park in the adjacent mall lot.

igoncrazy

I stay at this hotel often, but now that the club lounge is closed, I'm debating if I should consider another location. They club lounge was really good...but with most of my work in downtown Birmingham, it may not be as valuable to stay here when there are many other hotels in downtown area.

RMC500

Had a recent stay at this property. Was given a corner room, as requested. Self-parking charge ($14) waived, even though on a revenue stay. Friendly staff. They allowed me to sign up for daily cleaning of room, although general policy is cleaning every three days. Full breakfast comped at lobby-level restaurant. Club is either temporarily or permanently closed. Fitness center closed. As others have noted, the hotel is attached to a large shopping mall, if that's your thing. Except for a seafood restaurant, only food court offerings are available in the mall. Room service is, of course, available. My only complaint, which I have with many hotels, is thin walls. However, my neighbor was fairly quiet.