59Impala

Nice expansion in Europe!
https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=123856

CHICAGO (June 13, 2019) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a franchise agreement with Bay Street Holdings Limited to develop the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Malta. Located on the scenic coastal destination of St. Julian’s, the 153-room resort is expected to open in 2021 as the ideal destination for every occasion – from seamless business meetings to memorable family vacations.

“We are thrilled to announce plans for the first Hyatt-branded property in Malta, a country rich in historic architecture and now quickly becoming one of the most sought after destinations for business and leisure travel,” said Guido Frederich, Hyatt's regional vice president development, Europe. “This is a great opportunity to build on the current Hyatt Regency brand presence in Southern Europe, and we look forward to working with the highly experienced developers, Bay Street Holdings, to open a new, exclusive hotel in the area.”

Gaining popularity among leisure guests and high-end business travelers, Malta’s tourist numbers having doubled since 2010. Increasingly, visitors are choosing to stay at the coastal destination of St. Julian’s due to its proximity to shopping, restaurants and entertainment. Hyatt Regency Malta will be located only a short walk from the beach and marina, and less than 20 minutes from Malta’s international airport and the UNESCO World Heritage City of Valletta. Furthermore, the hotel will offer flexible event spaces and a five-story underground car park, providing a stress-free environment for corporate events, social gatherings and weddings.

“We are delighted to be working with Hyatt to bring a new resort offer to St. Julian’s – one of Malta’s most in-demand destinations,” said Albert Galea, chief executive officer, Bay Street Holdings Limited. “At Hyatt Regency Malta, guests will enjoy the seamless, intuitive experiences the brand is well recognized for.”

Through empathetic service that anticipates guests’ needs, the Hyatt Regency brand designs experiences to ensure productivity and peace of mind while traveling. Hotel guests will enjoy a full range of services and amenities, including notable culinary experiences, flexible spaces to work, collaborate or relax, and tools to stay connected and energized for meetings and events.

VitaliU

St Julian is the least interesting place in Malta, in my opinion but a good fit for a Regency. it would be nice to get an Unbound or even a Park Hyatt in Valletta

VegasGambler

This is the area where most of my family lives, so it's a great location for me I just wish it was opening sooner.

It's not a bad spot, depending on your reason for travel. You are short walking distance from the beach and from nightlife.

If you want to be in Valletta there is an SLH option, though it is not (yet?) partnered with Hyatt. I'm still holding out hope for that one.

craigthemif

Looks to be accepting reservations from 10 October, 2020. Award category 2.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ma...cy-malta/mlarm

Marevna

Smallish suites and no club lounge .....

yoketone

The least interesting but the most touristy with most other large chains already established there.

craigthemif

I'm sure that the "most interesting" part of Malta - wherever the OP deems that to be - would become the "least interesting" part of Malta if a Hyatt and a bunch of other international chains were built there.

I'm perfectly happy to have a Hyatt on Malta, in an award category that makes it a strong candidate for using points...

59Impala

https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=124006

Hyatt Announces the Opening of Hyatt Regency Malta
Located in the seaside town of St. Julian’s, this addition marks the first Hyatt-branded hotel in MaltaCHICAGO (October 12, 2020) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) has today announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Malta, the first Hyatt-branded property on the archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. Situated in the popular seaside town of St. Julian’s, within walking distance of the beach and less than twenty minutes away from Malta’s international airport and the UNESCO World Heritage City of Valletta, Hyatt Regency Malta is the perfect choice for families looking for memorable stays and business travelers attending meetings and events on the island.

The Hyatt Regency brand is designed for productivity and stress-free stays by offering seamless and personalized, high-touch experiences. The full range of services and amenities include memorable culinary experiences, flexible spaces to work, collaborate or relax, and expansive technology-enabled facilities for meetings and events, along with expert planners who anticipate every detail.

• 
  Hyatt Regency Malta Exterior

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of the first Hyatt-branded property in Malta, an archipelago rich in historic architecture and quickly becoming one of the most sought-after destinations for business and leisure travel” said Mark Vella, hotel manager at Hyatt Regency Malta. “Hyatt Regency Malta provides both leisure and business travelers with energizing experiences, all while maintaining the high standards of the responsible and empathetic service for which the Hyatt Regency brand is known.”

Hyatt Regency Malta boasts 151 rooms, including 11 suites and one ambassador suite all featuring sea or Saint Rita Square views. Perfect for those who are seeking relaxation and at the same time an intuitive environment to be productive, Hyatt Regency Malta offers wireless high-speed internet, flexible event spaces as well as recreational facilities including Hyatt StayFit gym with state-of-the-art cardio and strength training equipment. Those looking to relax and recharge can make use of three treatments rooms available in the thoughtfully designed spa or enjoy an uplifting swim on one of the island’s most pristine sandy beaches located within walking distance of the hotel.

Hyatt Regency Malta’s culinary offerings include three restaurants that deliver an ideal space to meet, greet and connect. At Seed, guests overlook the historical Augustinian priory enjoying Mediterranean flavors through local and seasonal ingredients. The rooftop bar by the pool, GIN-ger offers not only refreshing snacks and drinks but also a stunning backdrop of St. George’s Bay and the open sea. For a proper morning coffee, guests can frequent Thyme which is just off the hotel’s lobby. Business travelers at Hyatt Regency Malta furthermore benefit from 1,571 square feet (479 square meters) of flexible meeting, event and exhibition space which can accommodate 10 to 200 guests.

The hotel adds to the growing Hyatt Regency brand portfolio in Europe as Hyatt strengthens its brand presence on the continent, making it the 26th Hyatt Regency hotel in Europe.

Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatt’s multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. More information on Hyatt’s commitment can be found here: hyatt.com/care-and-cleanliness.

For more information about Hyatt Regency hotels, please visit:

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ma...cy-malta/mlarm.

The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

59Impala

Rates starting at 114€

craigthemif

You can certainly find cheaper than that, at least for longer stays. This is 26 December - 2 January, for those who want an Xmas getaway that should get double elite credit in 2021...

59Impala

I believe so too, this is off-season, not warm enough.

craigthemif

If the hotel had a lounge, we wouldn't care.

khabah

Found a couple of photos of the property that should give a better idea of fit and finish beside the renderings.

khabah

***

King room




Twin room


Regency Suite




Rooftop pool

BA Humbug

Who's ready for an in-person review? (Sorry in advance for shaky photos. I'm not particularly good with technology in general, especially at night!)The Location
It's in St. Julian's which some have mentioned above as the expat area so it's great for nightlife and restaurants (or what's left of it). As it's super-new and it's basically built into a San Francisco-esque hill, many drivers aren't familiar with the new road that leads to the main entrance. Tell the driver (Bolt or regular taxi) to turn left immediately after the bridge and it'll take them up the hill in order to drop you off. Otherwise if they miss that turn, you can ask them to drop you off at Bay Street -- walk to the very end (past the be.HOTEL) and there's a lift. Take it to the third floor, then make a U-turn left and there's a walkway that leads directly to the main entrance. The road is very steep, I would recommend geetting delivered to the main entrance rather than crossing the road from Bay Street if you have unruly luggage. If you are taking Bolt, the cost from MLA airport will be between 11 - 13 €. Taxi will be 20-ish €.



The Hotel
The hotel itself is super new -- the corridors still smell like paint and other various construction smells emanate. Still lots of kinks to iron out, however I'm sure they'll get ironed out in the next few weeks. There's a restaurant on the ground floor (Seed) that appears to have gained quite a local following -- it was fully booked on the weekends and I couldn't eat there without a reservation. There's 2 pools -- one on the roof, 11th floor, and one in the "basement" (-1 floor). The basement pool is heavily chlorinated and the smell sometimes seeped into the elevators. The rooftop pool is pretty small but there's a lot of lounging space (both indoor and outdoor) with decent 360 views.


Outdoor Area of Seed Restaurant


Indoor Area - Social Distancing!



GinGer Rooftop Bar, connected to the pool. They haven't hired anyone to man this as of yet, but the little sign on the table and the phone says you can phone down to Seed and they'll bring your drink order up



Looking out from GinGer rooftop bar to the pool area


Outdoor Lounging Area



Outdoor Lounging Area

The Room
I booked the cheapest room, but as a Globalist I was upgraded to the "Regency Suite", which is not a suite in the traditional industry sense of the word -- there is no separate room that can be closed off for business vs. your bedroom, so be mindful of that if you were thinking of doing so. It's also not worth a Suite Upgrade Award if you're considering that. It's just an extra hallway of wasted space IMO.

The ethos of the room is "open space, open space, open space" -- there are barely any cupboards or drawers for you to put your stuff. Even the closet drawers have a little gap open -- a dusting nightmare.


Picture taken from the door -- large foyer / hallway with not much going on, leading to an open-concept closet

End of the hallway (taken from the closet area)

Bathroom

Acqua di Parma toiletries ! Not expected from a Hyatt Regency ...

Shower -- no bathtub (as expected of a suite. This is also the only washroom in the room, unlike a regular suite.

Small nitpicks on the room -- the shower has an elevated platform (white part in above picture) but the door doesn't close tightly all the way (and I tried this across 3 rooms -- more on this later) so literally all the water leaks out. I'm not talking the small amount of spray that just wets the floor towel in most hotels -- I had a veritable flood the first night I showered as I used the handheld hose as opposed to the rainfall option. Another nitpick was the electrics panel at the desk area -- all of the plugs are full international standard, but if you have the UK-style plugs (which Malta also uses), they're far too close together to use simultaneously. I had to alternate between charging my laptop and the kettle. In addition, the light switch on the right end will be pressed if you use a UK-style plug next to the light switch. Good thing is that there are USB charging ports available as well.


Desk plugs -- way too close together


TV & Desk Area -- gigantic TV but not fully set up yet

Bed & Sitting area

Bar area with Nespresso Machine. Mini-fridge empty during Covid.

Covid Amenity - Hyatt-branded sanitizer!

Small outdoor balcony -- there is no way to turn off the balcony light at night however there the blackout curtains mostly did their job

View from the balcony onto the main entrance "square" -- the grey building across the street is Bay Street complex, and if you took the lift to the 3rd floor and made a left U-turn, you would emerge from the white-lit entrance on the left. Seed restaurant outdoor seating visible on the right of this photo.

All the balcony lights stay on, but few people are home ...

The People & the Service
The thing that keeps me loyal to Hyatt is the service. Yes, it's a new hotel so kinks are expected. Most of the management (and many frontline workers) come from the Hilton Malta -- Mark Vella, Andrea Farrugia, and the F&B manager whose name I forgot were all poached from there, as well as a good number of waiters at Seed & the front desk staff. I mentioned earlier about numerous room changes -- as it was such a new hotel, some critters hadn't gotten the memo yet and still thought they had the run of the place.


Not exactly who I wanted to shower with on day 2 ...

However, the service recovery was adequate in that they immediately moved me to another equivalent room a few floors up and offered to help me pack everything. I was told it had affected a few other rooms, but again it's one of those hotel-opening hiccups -- at least it wasn't a desert snake in the toilet, when I visited for the soft opening of the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi near Khalidiya Palace!

In all other interactions with the staff, they were all outgoing and friendly and genuinely tried to help -- there were other hotel-opening hiccups like WiFi dropping off one afternoon, the Spa unable to charge directly to rooms, etc. but I expect all of these kinks to be ironed out in a few weeks, and if not, the hotel staff to make it right.

The Amenities & the Globalist Experience
During my stay I took advantage of the Spa but the services aren't quite up to par -- the design of the spa isn't as relaxing as it could be. I decided to try out a facial, but the sinks were in the treatment room, so every time the facialist went to wring out cloths or do other prep work, it was a bit jarring and took away from the ambience of the settings. The lights could also have been warmer. The entrance to the spa is also directly facing the pool -- which means you are treated to a waft of chlorine the moment you exit your treatment.

The rooftop pool was quite relaxing, and requests for towels, etc. was promptly provided. Did not actually take a dip in either pools.

The daily room-cleaning service left a bit to be desired -- every day they were missing something. One day they were missing a face towel, the next they were missing the floor towel, another day they were missed replenishing the toiletries, one day my clothes would be folded, one day my clothes would be hanging off the back of my chair, etc. (I stayed a total of 8 days). This was fed back to the manager -- that a more consistent approach to room servicing would be appreciated.

As a globalist, there is no lounge, and no happy hour as of yet -- again, this was fed back to the management, that some sort of evening perk would be expected, especially at a Regency (and a Park Hyatt, this isn't). The breakfast was at Seed restaurant from 6.30 - 10.30 (and later on weekends), where they have a "continental" starter served on an afternoon tea 3-tier stand. There were also hot options (Full English, Eggs prepared many different ways, pancakes, waffles, etc.) that were made-to-order and unlimited. I managed to try every item on the hot menu during my stay, and all of them are a bit on the small side -- expect to order 2 - 3 if you want this meal to count as brunch.


"Continental" breakfast with pastries on top tier, cheeses & deli meats on the second tier, and fruits on the third tier. Coffee, tea, fresh orange juice, bottled other juices available.

Made to order Menu options

Eggs Royale with an additional request of grilled tomatoes + hash browns

The Verdict / TLDR
A high-potential hotel in St. Julian's with easy access to shopping, restaurants, & nightlife -- a preferable option to the Intercontinental (but still within walking distance so you can enjoy the multitude of restaurants in that complex). New hotel so still some bugs (literally) to sort out.

Would I return? Yes! I have every confidence the management will iron out kinks. Great (cheap-ish) way to rack up some nights back to Globalist if you're Europe-based.

If you have questions about the property, I will try my best to answer them. Until then, enjoy this sunset from Anchor Bay!

Aventine

The suite is kind of sad looking for a new build. No double vanity or tub.