Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa (Austin, TX) - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Nov 4, 2010, 11:12 am
#31
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: Everything is refundable
Posts: 3,727
No more snacks aside from old yellow Granny Smith apples. I guess they used to be green, but laying in a bowl for weeks is not helpful. Beach chairs and towels in a poor condition, same with the deck ( concrete falling apart, flower bowls without flowers, just brown mould and old roots )
Water dispenser filled with one or two small parts of lemon peel, cannot hurt to add some berries, peppermint leaves for both taste and visual appearance etc.
We are still talking about a spa in an upscale hotel charging $ 170 for a massage.
The steam room is a law suit waiting to happen, slippery without any rubber matts etc.
Shower cabins were not cleaned properly, because on one day no service personal was around for hours and on the weekend, the guy could not really be bothered to do something else aside from replenishing the towels..., the men's area hot tub had two beach chairs with the most disgusting stains on it and the area was not cleaned for days ( leaves, sand, grass all around the hot tub )
They used to have 10+ magazines and newspapers for guests, down to the usual Hyatt selection, most internal PR material, now
Regency Club snack selection in the evening was surprisingly good with several nicely presented food options, ranging from creative California rolls to several quality cheeses, garlic flavoured and roasted bread and one changing hot item. Very nice and wide selection of desserts as well, including a massive apple-crumble tart and cream ^
Breakfast selection was nothing to write home about, actualy slightly below other US Hyatt resorts.
Regency Club was not open between breakfast and evening snack hours, RC Concierges very nice and helpful, however
Room assigned was a standard room with a balcony, far far away from the best available room. Agent told me that I was upgraded to a room with a balcony ( big deal considering that 70-80% of all rooms have a balcony/patio )
As reported earlier, the mattress and the bed frame are not fitting, because I fear they ordered the biggest king size frame, however only the second biggest king size mattress ( ~ 5 inch separation on each side )
Nice picture of the Colorado River is placed exactly behind bed frame, so barely visible, turn-down service did not replenish the toiletries or tea bags ( standard Portico Eukal./Tazo )
Room appears to be empty anyway and the beige tiles in the bathroom make the whole room look significantly older than it actually is, the property was opened in early summer of 2006.
Public areas are very nice and the pool/lazy river appeared to be in a good condition, aside from the cheap, low quality Ramada Inn plastic beach chairs, albeit with tons of kids celebrating Halloween. Grounds are spectecular, the drive from the highway to the property is already amazing, right through the McKinney Roughs with beautiful wild flowers.
Usual rate in mid/late October was $ 249, 4 for 3 promotion did not really result in a discount of more than 5 or 6 %. Regency Club rooms available for $ 349, same with 'premium pool' rooms, which appear to be standard rooms on the ground floor, a stone throw away from the pool ( and probably subject to noise from the pool, very likely a terrible value for an upcharge of $ 100 )
Under a bottom line, more or less what I expected, aside from the poor condition of the spa and non-existing upgrade. At the current rates, one of the worst values in the US and simply nothing special, including Diamond treatment.
Jan 1, 2011, 1:20 pm
#32
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: D/FW
Programs: DL MM/Silver; UA 1K ; Hilton Gold; Marriott Titanium; Avis Pref+,Hertz PC
Posts: 585
Stayed here last week and this is what we find:
Very courteous service at all levels: front desk, Regency Club (called Magnolia Room @this property), bell staff.
Self-parking is free, it's about 5 min walk from the lobby. If it's cold out, I'd suggest park the car, walk into the indoor ballroom which connects directly to the hotel.
My wife recently had surgery and couldn't walk too much. Originally they put us on a a 3rd floor room on the other side of the wing where the Regency Club is.
They switched our room on the wing of the RC (for those who wants to stay near it, please request rooms on the 3600 hall) but still very far. Our bellman Steve (from Seattle, btw) proactively called the front desk from the new room and got a closer room to the RC, restaurants & lobby.
RC, luckily was opened during that wkend since they were expecting many guests. I'm not a drinker and glad they have plenty of soda, juices, water available in bottles and cans. They have beers ($3) and other spirits ($4) available & also a self-serve Starbucks coffee machine churning out reg & decafs. There isn't much hot breakfast item but at least there are some pastries & bagels to munch on. Staff is very helpful. The RC is not very big, about 3 regular room size.
Buffets at the Firewheel Cafe is okay. Each night has a different theme. One night we had Tex-Mex w/Fajitas while the next one they had western buffet with Briskett, chicken,and mixed greens. The price is $19.99 per person which incl a non-alcoholic drink (free refills) and dessert buffet which incl cakes, fruits and pies.
I'm just rambling on here...hope it helps.
Very courteous service at all levels: front desk, Regency Club (called Magnolia Room @this property), bell staff.
Self-parking is free, it's about 5 min walk from the lobby. If it's cold out, I'd suggest park the car, walk into the indoor ballroom which connects directly to the hotel.
My wife recently had surgery and couldn't walk too much. Originally they put us on a a 3rd floor room on the other side of the wing where the Regency Club is.
They switched our room on the wing of the RC (for those who wants to stay near it, please request rooms on the 3600 hall) but still very far. Our bellman Steve (from Seattle, btw) proactively called the front desk from the new room and got a closer room to the RC, restaurants & lobby.
RC, luckily was opened during that wkend since they were expecting many guests. I'm not a drinker and glad they have plenty of soda, juices, water available in bottles and cans. They have beers ($3) and other spirits ($4) available & also a self-serve Starbucks coffee machine churning out reg & decafs. There isn't much hot breakfast item but at least there are some pastries & bagels to munch on. Staff is very helpful. The RC is not very big, about 3 regular room size.
Buffets at the Firewheel Cafe is okay. Each night has a different theme. One night we had Tex-Mex w/Fajitas while the next one they had western buffet with Briskett, chicken,and mixed greens. The price is $19.99 per person which incl a non-alcoholic drink (free refills) and dessert buffet which incl cakes, fruits and pies.
I'm just rambling on here...hope it helps.
Apr 20, 2011, 4:26 pm
#33
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: AUS
Programs: HH Gold, GP Diamond, ICH Plat, SPG Gold, WN A List, National Exec
Posts: 225
Just completed a stay and resort is at very low occupancy. Received a code for reduced rate of 179 and resort credit of 50 per stay using 50CRED when calling in for reservation. Thru May 26th 2011. Sun-Thurs stay.
Overall resort was in good shape and service was great.
Overall resort was in good shape and service was great.
May 31, 2011, 1:58 pm
#34
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: OR
Posts: 1,536
Finished a two nights stay on Memorial weekend. Used my diamond cert to upgrade to Junior suite. Checked in smooth, offered 2pm late check out without me asking.^. Diamond amenity offered.
The room I assigned to was a long walk to the regency club. The club was decent. Our suite is "old", according to my wife. She can't believe the resort is only 5 years old.
The bed was very uncomfortable.
No support to your body at all.
We tried the buffet at the firewheel the first night which offered very limited selection. The taste was mediocre at best. Next night we ate at the pool side bar which was slight better.
I was charged the resort fee. I was thinking of asking a reduced resort fee since the internet is free as a diamond (otherwise $10), but I was too lazy to carry that out seeing so many people at the front desk all the time.
The pool area is fun and my 2 years old love it. There was a lot of hotel organized activities for children and my son really had a good time.
The service and staffs were all nice, no complaint about them.
This is just my random thought, hope it helps someone.
The room I assigned to was a long walk to the regency club. The club was decent. Our suite is "old", according to my wife. She can't believe the resort is only 5 years old.
The bed was very uncomfortable. No support to your body at all.We tried the buffet at the firewheel the first night which offered very limited selection. The taste was mediocre at best. Next night we ate at the pool side bar which was slight better.
I was charged the resort fee. I was thinking of asking a reduced resort fee since the internet is free as a diamond (otherwise $10), but I was too lazy to carry that out seeing so many people at the front desk all the time.
The pool area is fun and my 2 years old love it. There was a lot of hotel organized activities for children and my son really had a good time.
The service and staffs were all nice, no complaint about them.
This is just my random thought, hope it helps someone.
Last edited by neuro0; May 31, 2011 at 2:05 pm
May 31, 2011, 3:48 pm
#35
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 847
Finished a two nights stay on Memorial weekend. Used my diamond cert to upgrade to Junior suite. Checked in smooth, offered 2pm late check out without me asking.^. Diamond amenity offered.
The room I assigned to was a long walk to the regency club. The club was decent. Our suite is "old", according to my wife. She can't believe the resort is only 5 years old. The bed was very uncomfortable. No support to your body at all.
We tried the buffet at the firewheel the first night which offered very limited selection. The taste was mediocre at best. Next night we ate at the pool side bar which was slight better.
I was charged the resort fee. I was thinking of asking a reduced resort fee since the internet is free as a diamond (otherwise $10), but I was too lazy to carry that out seeing so many people at the front desk all the time.
The pool area is fun and my 2 years old love it. There was a lot of hotel organized activities for children and my son really had a good time.
The service and staffs were all nice, no complaint about them.
This is just my random thought, hope it helps someone.
The room I assigned to was a long walk to the regency club. The club was decent. Our suite is "old", according to my wife. She can't believe the resort is only 5 years old.
The bed was very uncomfortable. No support to your body at all.We tried the buffet at the firewheel the first night which offered very limited selection. The taste was mediocre at best. Next night we ate at the pool side bar which was slight better.
I was charged the resort fee. I was thinking of asking a reduced resort fee since the internet is free as a diamond (otherwise $10), but I was too lazy to carry that out seeing so many people at the front desk all the time.
The pool area is fun and my 2 years old love it. There was a lot of hotel organized activities for children and my son really had a good time.
The service and staffs were all nice, no complaint about them.
This is just my random thought, hope it helps someone.
Jul 23, 2011, 8:05 pm
#36
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 847
End of Summer SIZZLE Rate
Lost Pines is offering a special rate for certain dates when you use offer code SIZZLE. Only valid for standard King or Double rooms on SUN-THURS nights for the following dates:
$199: 7/31/11-8/12/11
$149: 8/21/11-9/1/11
$199: 7/31/11-8/12/11
$149: 8/21/11-9/1/11
Sep 7, 2011, 7:50 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: New York / Hawaii
Programs: UA Global Services, HH Diamond
Posts: 5,178
Out of Control Fire
Anyone know how the Hyatt property is doing in light of the fires that are burning out of control through Bastrop/Austin? It sounds like more than a hundred homes were lost near the Hyatt...but considering how sparsely populated it is out there, I'd think their property has to be under fire too.
I did a scan of the news and didn't see anything Hyatt specific...nor are there any updates on their website.
I did a scan of the news and didn't see anything Hyatt specific...nor are there any updates on their website.
Sep 7, 2011, 8:13 am
#39
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 847
Anyone know how the Hyatt property is doing in light of the fires that are burning out of control through Bastrop/Austin? It sounds like more than a hundred homes were lost near the Hyatt...but considering how sparsely populated it is out there, I'd think their property has to be under fire too.
I did a scan of the news and didn't see anything Hyatt specific...nor are there any updates on their website.
I did a scan of the news and didn't see anything Hyatt specific...nor are there any updates on their website.
The Lost Pines name for this resort is really a misnomer. The real lost pines are quite a distance away on the east side of Bastrop, where the fire has been raging. The only pines at the resort truly are lost because they were planted for the resort development.
Sep 7, 2011, 10:58 am
#40
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: DL Diamond 4MM, Hyatt CC, Marriott PP/LT Plat, AA ExPlat, Amex Centurion
Posts: 50
Have a meeting scheduled there early next year so we checked on it today. The report is that the resort is fine. Unfortunately it is now the temporary home for several in the area whose homes were destroyed.
Sep 7, 2011, 2:41 pm
#41
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
Here's a Google Earth-ish way to get at where the two important fires were this morning, relative to the Lost Pines Resort. Choose "Hybrid".
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2598/
The Hyatt is north of Highway 71 at 575 Lost Pines Road, near Wyldwood. The "Union Chapel Fire", named after Union Chapel Road, is on the south side, across Highway 71 from Lost Pines Road. The larger fire, the "Bastrop County Complex" is several miles to the east, the right, on the map. Its perimeter shown on the map was as of last night.
Key: The wind has been blowing from the northeast since then, which means the fires are moving to the southwest, away from the Hyatt. The wind is not predicted to change. If there has been no evacuation order, then people must be very confident that it's not threatened. As you know of you've stayed there, it's at the end of a long winding road through the oak woodland.
This was the Texas State Forest Service's report on the closer Union Chapel Fire this morning:
The larger "Bastrop County Complex", though miles away, if not contained by the weekend, could be a problem for the Hyatt later on.
NB: This is all based on the reports of these incidents and weather reports, and so is limited with regard to current conditions. Here is the TX SFS web page that is updated at least daily:
http://ticc.tamu.edu/Documents/Home/tx_sitrep.pdf
Otherwise, going to the Austin TV and radio stations' websites is probably a pretty good idea.
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2598/
The Hyatt is north of Highway 71 at 575 Lost Pines Road, near Wyldwood. The "Union Chapel Fire", named after Union Chapel Road, is on the south side, across Highway 71 from Lost Pines Road. The larger fire, the "Bastrop County Complex" is several miles to the east, the right, on the map. Its perimeter shown on the map was as of last night.
Key: The wind has been blowing from the northeast since then, which means the fires are moving to the southwest, away from the Hyatt. The wind is not predicted to change. If there has been no evacuation order, then people must be very confident that it's not threatened. As you know of you've stayed there, it's at the end of a long winding road through the oak woodland.
This was the Texas State Forest Service's report on the closer Union Chapel Fire this morning:
UNION CHAPEL, Bastrop County. 912 acres, 20 percent contained. Twenty-five homes were destroyed on this fire just west of Bastrop. Aircraft responded immediately after the fire was reported, but were ineffective in the windy conditions.
NB: This is all based on the reports of these incidents and weather reports, and so is limited with regard to current conditions. Here is the TX SFS web page that is updated at least daily:
http://ticc.tamu.edu/Documents/Home/tx_sitrep.pdf
Otherwise, going to the Austin TV and radio stations' websites is probably a pretty good idea.
Last edited by Firewind; Sep 7, 2011 at 4:01 pm Reason: more information, better map
Sep 26, 2011, 10:47 am
#42
Formerly known as iahsumr
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 520
Review + Free Night at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines
I wrote a pretty detailed of this resort and posted it on my site. It is actually a two part review, but this post links to the other half of the review. In summary, we loved it!
Hyatt is also giving a reader a free night at this hotel, so go enter my site and enter if you want to check out this resort for free!
Hyatt is also giving a reader a free night at this hotel, so go enter my site and enter if you want to check out this resort for free!
Sep 26, 2011, 2:05 pm
#43
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: OZ LT D+, UA 1K, AS MVPG AF Gold, SPG Platinum (8 years), Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold, Marriot Gold
Posts: 463
Finished 1 night sun stay. Wow- this huge and massive great hotel. I liked it. Only problem was my GPS cannot find this location, so I should rely on the sign on the road. Huge water park including water slides, and Colorado river park is good attraction to me. And, no luck to upgrade to a suite, but to premium room. Due to regency club closing during weekend, I was offered full breakfast in restaurant. Actually, $38 voucher which matches to two buffet breakfasts at cafe. But, you can use such money to order a la carte menu. You can use that credit to tax and tip too. For the resort fee, $5 was discounted as a diamond member. I like such a compensation. 
I put here one of my favorite lists.
I put here one of my favorite lists.
Sep 26, 2011, 4:04 pm
#44
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
I wonder if this is the new normal. I didn't pay it at all on an award stay. I see you've reported similar for the Hill Country property too (there paying all of it, which would make this feel good indeed) so that's why I'm pondering...
Sep 26, 2011, 4:54 pm
#45
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 847
In August, I also received a $5 Diamond discount off my resort fee. Previously, they have charged me the full resort fee amount on non-award stays. Upgrades to a premium room, not a suite, seem to be the norm here for Diamonds (when available.) I was pleased to be offered a 4 p.m. late check-out shortly after the new policy was announced.
As for GPS directions, even if your GPS finds it, the directions are likely to take you down a dead-end road that does NOT lead to the Hyatt! Follow the directions on the property's website and look for the large sign at the entrance to the long, windy road that leads to the resort.
As for GPS directions, even if your GPS finds it, the directions are likely to take you down a dead-end road that does NOT lead to the Hyatt! Follow the directions on the property's website and look for the large sign at the entrance to the long, windy road that leads to the resort.