dpb132

This is a new property, having just opened August 2019, and I think mine is the first post. Starting a review thread here and will leave it with the moderators to adjust as needed.

This is the second Hyatt Place in Tucson, the other one being an old Amerisuites property by the airport. This is a renovated Hampton Inn which, as its name implies, is much more centrally located, just off I-10 at the Grant Rd exit. It's less than a 10-minute drive to downtown or the UA even at rush hour.

First the good:

- The hard product of the renovation is pretty solid (although some elements, like the ancient elevators, weren't redone). The rooms are small but well-designed, with a minimalist look; I spent a month here on a work assignment in town and had no problem storing everything I needed in the room. Full shower (no tub). The window A/C unit is, like all window A/C units, noisy, but it cooled the room down well even on 100-degree days.
- Wifi is reliable and fast.
- Breakfast spread is up to the new HP standard, with a reasonable variety of items rotated in throughout the week.
- Service is friendly across the board.

Now the bad:

- The neighborhood is terrible. The property shares a parking lot with a run-down, non-chain hotel with a whole host of unsavory long-term residents. Across the parking lot is a Circle K with what appears to be its own resident homeless population. The property adjoins the Santa Cruz river trail, which is a source for additional pedestrian transient traffic. More than once I was panhandled outside the hotel and I also observed several drug deals taking place on the far side of the Circle K. No restaurants nicer than a Waffle House and IHOP are available within immediate walking distance, and frankly I wouldn't recommend walking in the neighborhood anyway.
- They have a structural issue with the plumbing in the building, and the entire first floor smells of sewage. The smell comes and goes but it did persist throughout the entire month of my stay. The GM was candid in saying they have tried many fixes, but at the time I checked out none had taken hold. If you are sensitive to odors it could be a huge problem.

If you are passing through town, or on a short-term stay and won't be at the hotel except to sleep and eat breakfast, it works. But I would never do another long-term stay here.

Single_Flyer

I'm here now. I can tell you the neighborhood hasn't improved. A bit nervous about my rental car out in the lot, but they told me they have 24 hour security for what its worth.

But Category 1 AND a new property bonus makes it a bargain. I don't feel unsafe in the hotel (also I think I may be one of the only guests).

The rooms are the new Hyatt Place standard look. Though since the rooms are converted from Hampton, some of the rooms, mine included, are smaller than standard Hyatt Place properties. Mine does not have the sleeper sofa but instead has a chair which I actually prefer.

Boston Elite

I had a one night stay last month. Take a look at the printed letter in your room and you will see that the security is there because of the homeless they are housing in the hotel...

Single_Flyer

They didn't give me a letter... I'm guessing too many people complained about it.

There might be a few people they are housing here, but not many. It's really quiet. I have no problem if they are housing those without other homes here.

kajukenbo

I picked this hotel for a mileage run and it's impressive just how bad it is. The renovations seemed to have missed a lot. I agree with others that I wouldn't trust my car in the parking lot.

As for my particular stay, I had assumed that with COVID there would be an extra focus on cleanliness, especially since they only clean the rooms every 4 days. That was not the case. My room was dirty. There were stains on the bed, all the switches in the bathroom were disgusting and the overall room was not clean. It was bad enough I was debating sleeping in my car and I ended up just leaving and not staying at the property.

If you have to pick between the airport Hyatt Place and this Hyatt Place, the airport location is an obvious choice. If the airport location is not available, I'd leave Hyatt and go somewhere else for my stay.

gr2020

I stayed here a couple of nights earlier this week. After reading this thread (and a few reviews elsewhere) I was braced for the worst - but things weren't so bad.

After seeing the first post in this thread about the first floor, I booked a regular king room and then requested a high floor; I was "upgraded" to a room on the top floor. I say "upgraded", as the high floor rooms are priced higher when booking. I also confirmed an early 12pm check-in.

The front desk agent was friendly and efficient. I asked how full they were, as I had noticed one of the days earlier in the week they had been sold out; she said they were limited by the city at the moment to 30% occupancy, but that they were regularly able to fill that capacity.

The room was nice - there was a large dining table, the sofa corner, and a king bed. Everything I noticed was clean, no housekeeping issues. My room was facing the freeway, but I didn't have issues with noise. I could see the lot where I was parked, and the sketchy motel next door. Random aside - I googled the sketchy motel to see what the rates were (something like $39 if memory serves), and I saw a note on their site that said something about "only guests named on the reservation are allowed in the rooms" - lol.

There's no question this isn't a great neighborhood, and I'm not sure I'd head out after dark to take a walk...but other than that, no complaints about this property.

bbbb

Does anyone know why this hotel is not available until 2022?

59Impala

Any recent stays here? is the "homeless situation" still bad? Reviews are awful and I am considering cancelling my Feb reservation and move somewhere else. Unfortunately no other Hyatt options (Miraval is of no interest to me)

lAzyTraveler

Not that recent, but I stayed here for a few days in Feb 2022. I didn't see or notice any homeless people... Wonder if it's more recent situation? Didn't like that hotel, though it's a cat. 1 hotel...

Kacee

It's a sketchy location.

There are very few decent options in Tucson, regardless of brand.

dpb132

Concur that it remains a sketchy spot. More than that, the hotel is not well-run nor well-maintained despite having been renovated to the HP flag in 2019. Multiple GMs have cycled through and they kept on some poor staff from the previous Hampton Inn incarnation of the property. For a while I believe they were contracting with the city to house homeless and/or COVID isolation guests, not sure if that is still happening.

A Hyatt Regency is eventually slated to open downtown in the old Hotel Arizona space but there have been few public announcements and no timeline released. The city's downtown development district is partially subsidizing it.

https://tucson.com/business/develope...ce0392850.html

VegasGambler

I'm going to be staying here for a few nights in a little while. I'll be driving and expect to have some down time at the hotel during the day. I was thinking of bringing my PS5. Does anyone know if the TVs have an easy way to hook up an external device through HDMI (including, possibly, the back of the TV being accessible). I've stayed here before but I didn't really check or notice.

As for the area, I agree that it seemed a little sketchy but not to the point that I wouldn't stay there. I'd just be sure to either drive or take lyft everywhere... there is nowhere that I would want to go that is walkable anyway.

VegasGambler

I completed my stay here. Pretty uneventful. The TVs are wall mounted but away from the wall so the back is easily accessible to hook up whatever you want.

I checked in on the app before I arrived (which generated a mobile key) and selected 4pm checkout. When I got the I stopped by the FD to pick up water and physical keys (I never use mobile keys due to the lack of convenience; they are mainly useful in case I accidentally lock my keys in the room)

Anyway, when I arrived the FDA told me that the mobile keys wouldn't work to get me into the room; they would only work for external doors when they were locked. I tested that later; she was wrong (it works for the room)

She also told me that they wouldn't be able to honor 4pm checkout because they were full. I pointed out that it wasn't subject to availability, and she said that she understood that but it wasn't available because they were full. Rather than explain what "subject to availability" meant I just let it go. I was already checked in and my app showed 4pm checkout so I didn't really need her to change anything.

Anyway the stay was relatively uneventful. I was going to bring up the 4pm checkout thing with a manager later but I never got around to it. On the last day there was a knock from housekeeping asking if I was going to check out at noon. I said no, I was going to check out later than that. I didn't hear anything from anyone else about it. At about 3pm I checked out using the app and left without talking to anyone at the FD.

This is really not a great property (even by HP standards) but it's really cheap and therefore sometimes useful.

MarkOK

Pretty low of them to push back on the 4PM checkout. That shouldn't ever be pushed back on with these HP hotels. Even when booked , safe to assume there are a large number of people arriving late. Nobody is chomping at the bit to get checked in early.

I was here last Spring for a couple nights, and it was uneventful. The place is worn, and the walls a bit thin (bring a noisemaker device or something), but typical and clean. I had no problems walking around the area either. The river trails are right there, and it's easy to do a couple mile loop (and pleasant, if you aren't in the middle of the day sun). I walked back from downtown the few miles at night up the river trails and though there were a few homeless people camping out under the bridges and near the trail, I was never approached or followed by anyone and felt no less safe than I usually do at night in any city, though, lots of dark corners I suppose. During the day, didn't really notice a 'homeless problem' (a few homeless people near the trails, bridges, and parks, sure, but not a 'problem')