Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine (Vineyard Creek) , Santa Rosa, CA - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jan 18, 2011, 1:12 pm
#46
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Florida
Programs: marriott platinum, intercontinental diamond
Posts: 210
Stayed here 1/11-1/14. Recent reviews are right on.
Positives:
1. Very friendly staff in hotel at checkin and throughout stay with one exception (see below).
2. Even friendlier staff in restaurant.
3. Was upgraded to two room suite.
4. Was asked about diamond amenity at check in.
5. Breakfast was very good.
Negatives:
1. Rooms and common areas in need of updating.
2. Did not receive wake up call on date of check out. Fortunately I used cell phone alarm as back up. When I reported the problem to the desk clerk, she gave me what I view as a perfunctory and insincere apology. Did not offer anything else. I suggested she check to see if there was a problem with the system. When I checked out 45 minutes later and asked if she found the problem, I was told she had not checked on it.
Positives:
1. Very friendly staff in hotel at checkin and throughout stay with one exception (see below).
2. Even friendlier staff in restaurant.
3. Was upgraded to two room suite.
4. Was asked about diamond amenity at check in.
5. Breakfast was very good.
Negatives:
1. Rooms and common areas in need of updating.
2. Did not receive wake up call on date of check out. Fortunately I used cell phone alarm as back up. When I reported the problem to the desk clerk, she gave me what I view as a perfunctory and insincere apology. Did not offer anything else. I suggested she check to see if there was a problem with the system. When I checked out 45 minutes later and asked if she found the problem, I was told she had not checked on it.
Jan 21, 2011, 11:20 pm
#47
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: Don't you know who I am????
Posts: 297
Agree with earlier comments. Was treated very well, but the property is getting a little bit shopworn at the corners. Great breakfast, and we found the fire in courtyard very pleasant on a couple of cool evenings. It is not a resort, but a decent suburban property off the highway that is very convenient to some great wine country.
As others have mentioned there are a number of restaurants are very close by. Taking a break from wine we tried the nearby Third Street Aleworks, and found the beer poured well, and the food was as expected for pub grub. But as for service, lets just say the staff AND management are fully aware of their monopoly on craftish beer in the area. Nuf said.
Worth noting that the Vineyard Creek concierge pointed us in the direction of a few very small vineyards (3000-5000 cases/yr) we weren't familiar with and he was really spot on with his recommendations. We find it hard to enjoy a tasting without discovering and buying at least a couple of bottles of something that's worth adding to the cellar, but the the concierge has tasting passes that make it risk free if you would make a stop and not find something to your liking. It is not a completely arms length arrangement of course, but its worth stopping by if only for directions and suggestions from someone who does seem to know some of the smaller local producers.]]
Cheers!
As others have mentioned there are a number of restaurants are very close by. Taking a break from wine we tried the nearby Third Street Aleworks, and found the beer poured well, and the food was as expected for pub grub. But as for service, lets just say the staff AND management are fully aware of their monopoly on craftish beer in the area. Nuf said.
Worth noting that the Vineyard Creek concierge pointed us in the direction of a few very small vineyards (3000-5000 cases/yr) we weren't familiar with and he was really spot on with his recommendations. We find it hard to enjoy a tasting without discovering and buying at least a couple of bottles of something that's worth adding to the cellar, but the the concierge has tasting passes that make it risk free if you would make a stop and not find something to your liking. It is not a completely arms length arrangement of course, but its worth stopping by if only for directions and suggestions from someone who does seem to know some of the smaller local producers.]]
Cheers!
Jul 5, 2011, 12:55 pm
#48
Used to be hamajicky
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: ATL
Posts: 790
One night stay. No discernable upgrade.
Property looks like it was a Fairfield Inn or something at one point that got re-flagged into a Hyatt. Nothing exciting about it, and the rooms are average. Wouldn't stay here again.
Also, i had prepaid for two rooms and at checkout, the clerk had no idea what to do at checkout. my credit card charge was all messed up and i only got points for one room.
Property looks like it was a Fairfield Inn or something at one point that got re-flagged into a Hyatt. Nothing exciting about it, and the rooms are average. Wouldn't stay here again.
Also, i had prepaid for two rooms and at checkout, the clerk had no idea what to do at checkout. my credit card charge was all messed up and i only got points for one room.
Last edited by Chalky White; Jul 5, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Jul 5, 2011, 1:43 pm
#49
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 123
It was actually just called Vineyard Creek before Hyatt bought it a few years (about 7) ago. Company was Vineyard Creek LLP. I can still remember when it was being built.
Jul 6, 2011, 1:01 pm
#50
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SAN
Programs: Lots of faux metal
Posts: 6,414
Just completed a four night stay. Used a suite upgrade and was given an executive "suite" It's not a real suite as it is only one room, but the room is a decent size. http://vineyardcreek.hyatt.com/hyatt...ocale=&start=7
Check-in was easy. Check-out took some time as the agent had to deduct the breakfast charges and manually add back the gratuity. Yes, they will cover breakfast, but not the tip. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful.
Breakfast in the Brasserie was OK, but repetitive after 4 days. Service was great the first two days, but it took almost an hour to get the food the third day. There was some problem in the kitchen. The last day was slightly better. They were out of waffles the last two days. How do you run out of waffles but still have pancakes?
It is in a great location (close to shops and restaurants) and provides easy access to wineries.
Check-in was easy. Check-out took some time as the agent had to deduct the breakfast charges and manually add back the gratuity. Yes, they will cover breakfast, but not the tip. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful.
Breakfast in the Brasserie was OK, but repetitive after 4 days. Service was great the first two days, but it took almost an hour to get the food the third day. There was some problem in the kitchen. The last day was slightly better. They were out of waffles the last two days. How do you run out of waffles but still have pancakes?
It is in a great location (close to shops and restaurants) and provides easy access to wineries.
Sep 1, 2011, 7:04 pm
#51
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 86
Recently did a stay here for dinner at Cyrus in Healdsburg and wine tasting in the Sonoma area. The hotel is centrally located in Santa Rosa, close to a lot of different dining options. Parking is convenient and complimentary.
Generally, the stay was standard. I had requested early check-in, but upon arrival to the hotel at 1:30 PM, was told that room would not be available until after 3 PM. Was not given an upgrade as a Diamond, but was offered the choice of amenities when I came back to check-in at 3 PM. I took the points.
Room is standard, a little dated. There was a wedding going on and later on in the evening, a lot of drunk .........s (for lack of better terminology) yelling about all sorts of inappropriate stuff in the hallway, which kept me up until about 1 AM. The shower is a little odd, make sure you read the sign posted on the mirror on how to switch from tub to shower mode.
Breakfast at the Brasserie was standard Hyatt breakfast fare. I had the Belgian Waffle. It tasted exactly the same as all the other Belgian Waffles at the Hyatts I've been to.
No issues at check-out, breakfast and internet were deducted without me having to point it out. Points were credited to my GP account within two days.
Generally, the stay was standard. I had requested early check-in, but upon arrival to the hotel at 1:30 PM, was told that room would not be available until after 3 PM. Was not given an upgrade as a Diamond, but was offered the choice of amenities when I came back to check-in at 3 PM. I took the points.
Room is standard, a little dated. There was a wedding going on and later on in the evening, a lot of drunk .........s (for lack of better terminology) yelling about all sorts of inappropriate stuff in the hallway, which kept me up until about 1 AM. The shower is a little odd, make sure you read the sign posted on the mirror on how to switch from tub to shower mode.
Breakfast at the Brasserie was standard Hyatt breakfast fare. I had the Belgian Waffle. It tasted exactly the same as all the other Belgian Waffles at the Hyatts I've been to.
No issues at check-out, breakfast and internet were deducted without me having to point it out. Points were credited to my GP account within two days.
Sep 2, 2011, 9:40 am
#52
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
The room again smelled faintly of mildew. Since the decor is still the original, I still suspect that some furnishings must have gotten wet en route to the hotel.
Nov 27, 2011, 11:06 pm
#53
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: San Francisco BA
Programs: UA 1k, Hyatt Explorist, SPG gold
Posts: 133
2 rooms reserved over thanksgiving. Diamond amenities were extended to second room including complementary breakfast. For Diamond welcome amenity (also both rooms), had the half bottle of cab with a goat cheese pastry and both were very good (pastry was excellent!!). No room upgrades as hotel was busy.
Breakfast is not the usual Hyatt fare so was pleased. I would like to see more of that as regular stuff is getting boring. Thanksgiving dinner at the Brasserie was a 3-course meal that I thought was OK for $40. Some dishes were excellent, some were average. Overall, looks like the staff at both hotel and restaurant are getting better to the point of being some of the most friendly staff I have encountered at US locations.
Breakfast is not the usual Hyatt fare so was pleased. I would like to see more of that as regular stuff is getting boring. Thanksgiving dinner at the Brasserie was a 3-course meal that I thought was OK for $40. Some dishes were excellent, some were average. Overall, looks like the staff at both hotel and restaurant are getting better to the point of being some of the most friendly staff I have encountered at US locations.
Nov 29, 2011, 11:51 am
#54
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SAN
Programs: Lots of faux metal
Posts: 6,414
2 rooms reserved over thanksgiving. Diamond amenities were extended to second room including complementary breakfast. For Diamond welcome amenity (also both rooms), had the half bottle of cab with a goat cheese pastry and both were very good (pastry was excellent!!). No room upgrades as hotel was busy.
Breakfast is not the usual Hyatt fare so was pleased. I would like to see more of that as regular stuff is getting boring. Thanksgiving dinner at the Brasserie was a 3-course meal that I thought was OK for $40. Some dishes were excellent, some were average. Overall, looks like the staff at both hotel and restaurant are getting better to the point of being some of the most friendly staff I have encountered at US locations.
Breakfast is not the usual Hyatt fare so was pleased. I would like to see more of that as regular stuff is getting boring. Thanksgiving dinner at the Brasserie was a 3-course meal that I thought was OK for $40. Some dishes were excellent, some were average. Overall, looks like the staff at both hotel and restaurant are getting better to the point of being some of the most friendly staff I have encountered at US locations.
May 9, 2012, 1:08 pm
#58
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 86
Did another stay here recently. It was a quick get-out-of-town trip for me and the wife. No upgrade as a Diamond to a suite or anything (wasn't really expecting one). Got a standard room on the 3rd floor.
At check-in no real recognition of Diamond status, only asked if I wanted to take points or not. When I requested late check-out, the gentleman (Ryan) told me that he could do 2 pm (Don't Diamonds get GUARANTEED 4 PM?). I then politely asked for 4 pm, and responded, "I think I can do that for you", as if he was going out of his way. Not really a big deal, but usually, that's not the response I get. Also some other guest kept interrupting my check-in process with some random instructions/requests to the FD staff, and while I can understand the FD staff wanting to help this guest, it was really somewhat annoying. Not the hotel staff's fault, but I'm not sure why some people can't just wait in line and seemingly love interrupting other guests during check-in.
The rest of the stay was nothing to write home about. I decided to sleep in and missed breakfast so can't really report on that. The room is (still) outdated, but did not smell funny or anything. I do notice that there is a general lack of electric outlets in these rooms, and also, the lighting is really odd (I can only describe it by saying that to me, it's a bit harsh and doesn't really do a good job of illuminating the room). Something a bit warmer would be nice.
Parking was pretty plentiful despite returning to the hotel late at night. It was very hot during the day so the car got ten times hotter. Not a lot of shade in that parking lot. Points posted within a day or two.
At check-in no real recognition of Diamond status, only asked if I wanted to take points or not. When I requested late check-out, the gentleman (Ryan) told me that he could do 2 pm (Don't Diamonds get GUARANTEED 4 PM?). I then politely asked for 4 pm, and responded, "I think I can do that for you", as if he was going out of his way. Not really a big deal, but usually, that's not the response I get. Also some other guest kept interrupting my check-in process with some random instructions/requests to the FD staff, and while I can understand the FD staff wanting to help this guest, it was really somewhat annoying. Not the hotel staff's fault, but I'm not sure why some people can't just wait in line and seemingly love interrupting other guests during check-in.
The rest of the stay was nothing to write home about. I decided to sleep in and missed breakfast so can't really report on that. The room is (still) outdated, but did not smell funny or anything. I do notice that there is a general lack of electric outlets in these rooms, and also, the lighting is really odd (I can only describe it by saying that to me, it's a bit harsh and doesn't really do a good job of illuminating the room). Something a bit warmer would be nice.
Parking was pretty plentiful despite returning to the hotel late at night. It was very hot during the day so the car got ten times hotter. Not a lot of shade in that parking lot. Points posted within a day or two.
Last edited by portlandexpos04; May 9, 2012 at 1:18 pm
May 9, 2012, 2:20 pm
#59
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: berkeley, Ca, USA
Programs: Hyatt globalist, Alaska mvp gold, Marriott platinum, ihg diamond
Posts: 438
Did another stay here recently. It was a quick get-out-of-town trip for me and the wife. No upgrade as a Diamond to a suite or anything (wasn't really expecting one). Got a standard room on the 3rd floor.
At check-in no real recognition of Diamond status, only asked if I wanted to take points or not. When I requested late check-out, the gentleman (Ryan) told me that he could do 2 pm (Don't Diamonds get GUARANTEED 4 PM?). I then politely asked for 4 pm, and responded, "I think I can do that for you", as if he was going out of his way. Not really a big deal, but usually, that's not the response I get. Also some other guest kept interrupting my check-in process with some random instructions/requests to the FD staff, and while I can understand the FD staff wanting to help this guest, it was really somewhat annoying. Not the hotel staff's fault, but I'm not sure why some people can't just wait in line and seemingly love interrupting other guests during check-in.
The rest of the stay was nothing to write home about. I decided to sleep in and missed breakfast so can't really report on that. The room is (still) outdated, but did not smell funny or anything. I do notice that there is a general lack of electric outlets in these rooms, and also, the lighting is really odd (I can only describe it by saying that to me, it's a bit harsh and doesn't really do a good job of illuminating the room). Something a bit warmer would be nice.
At check-in no real recognition of Diamond status, only asked if I wanted to take points or not. When I requested late check-out, the gentleman (Ryan) told me that he could do 2 pm (Don't Diamonds get GUARANTEED 4 PM?). I then politely asked for 4 pm, and responded, "I think I can do that for you", as if he was going out of his way. Not really a big deal, but usually, that's not the response I get. Also some other guest kept interrupting my check-in process with some random instructions/requests to the FD staff, and while I can understand the FD staff wanting to help this guest, it was really somewhat annoying. Not the hotel staff's fault, but I'm not sure why some people can't just wait in line and seemingly love interrupting other guests during check-in.
The rest of the stay was nothing to write home about. I decided to sleep in and missed breakfast so can't really report on that. The room is (still) outdated, but did not smell funny or anything. I do notice that there is a general lack of electric outlets in these rooms, and also, the lighting is really odd (I can only describe it by saying that to me, it's a bit harsh and doesn't really do a good job of illuminating the room). Something a bit warmer would be nice.
Jun 14, 2012, 2:37 am
#60
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Egham, Surrey, UK
Programs: Mucci Champion des Champions, BAG4L, *A Gold, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz Gold, Avis President
Posts: 3,416
We actually had an OK experience here once we got past getting a room. We were greeted as Diamonds and offered points, etc but no late checkout. My profile says High Floor, Quiet Room so when we were offered a ground floor room with 2 large barking dogs next door we went back to complain.
Another room was provided and it was fine but probably the smallest room I have ever been given there. Pool area was quiet that afternoon and the following morning so we had a chance to relax in the sun.
Breakfast was excellent - great food and service. And the car parking is free - one of my gripes is being gouged $20+ just to park my car.
When we checked out it was the same people on the desk and they mentioned that the dogs owners had gone to dinner and left the dogs in the room. Apparently the dogs weren't too happy about this so the owners were phoned and told to come back and quieten them down.
Another room was provided and it was fine but probably the smallest room I have ever been given there. Pool area was quiet that afternoon and the following morning so we had a chance to relax in the sun.
Breakfast was excellent - great food and service. And the car parking is free - one of my gripes is being gouged $20+ just to park my car.
When we checked out it was the same people on the desk and they mentioned that the dogs owners had gone to dinner and left the dogs in the room. Apparently the dogs weren't too happy about this so the owners were phoned and told to come back and quieten them down.
