iluvdoco

I called to ask, and none of the suites have been renovated yet.

jbandy10

odd that they are going floor by floor but not touching suites...

Dr Jabadski

(I rarely take and post these types of photos. The first photo of the bathroom I took had my (naked) image reflection clearly visible at the edge of the mirror. PLEASE let me know if I missed anything else and posted something improper. I'm also not a fan of posting GIGANTIC photos (big enough for 3 computer screens ) in these forums.)

Many like this hotel despite the relatively small size of its standard rooms. In this renovated room there was minimal dresser drawer space, just 2 drawers in the hassock/ottoman/luggage rack (on which my 22’ marginally carry-on sized rollaboard is placed in the photos) and 1 each in the 2 nightstands/night-tables next to the head of the king size bed (in the photos).

IIRC water pressure is now less than before. Fortunately the 2 shower heads are very effective in maximizing stream distribution. Bathroom light is on a motion-sensitive timer, once turned on will turn off automatically in ~12 minutes, which for me was just prior to the end of my shower. (Motion in the shower stall was not enough to keep the light on.) First time it happened I thought it was a power failure, as I stepped out of the shower the light came on again. Next time I waved my arm outside the shower and the light came on. Last time an arm wave didn’t do anything, I had to press the switch again. I mentioned at check-out that they should add a few more minutes to the timer, lady checking out next to me said “the same thing happened to me”.

Confirmed at checkout only top 2 floors (11 & 12) have renovations completed.

Elevators require keycard for all floors, only keys for 12th (Club) floor will allow access to 12th floor.

Club breakfast, evening reception and daytime snacks basically unchanged from prior descriptions.

Lyft & Uber fares from/to DCA highly variable, ~$35 on arrival, ~$18 on departure.

(BTW, the relative lack of dresser drawer space threw me off my “hotel stay” game. In most hotels I rarely use a nightstand table drawer and prior to checkout I rarely forget to pack anything. Upon doing my (usually unnecessary) “fighter sweep”* immediately prior to check-out for this stay, I noticed my running sunhat** (which I forgot to pack) in one of the nightstand table drawers.)

(* “Fighter Sweep”: An offensive mission by fighter aircraft to seek out and destroy enemy aircraft or targets of opportunity in a designated area.)

(** It’s simple; you need to wear a hat when you’re in the sun. … Don’t fool yourself with a ball cap or visor; those are our (dermatologists) “job security.”)

dpb132

That shower is straight out of the Hyatt Place playbook. And no desk? At a Grand Hyatt which is geared towards business travelers? Very disappointing.

serpens

Been there, and it is annoying. But what I find even more annoying is to have the light come on full brightness during a nighttime visit to the facilities. That does nothing to help me fall asleep when I've finished.
I expect a desk (at desk height) in a hotel room, whether the hotel is geared toward business travelers or not. (And I am increasingly frequently disappointed.) I first experienced this at HR Boston.

Off-topic, but other expectations I have of hotel rooms include a closable shower (either glass door or curtain), a slow-close toilet seat and lid, a customer-facing laundry, a night light in the bathroom, enough counter space is the bathroom near an electric outlet to hold toiletries including a toothbrush charger, a table or shelf with an electric outlet on each side of the bed (in case the customer has a CPAP), and a dimmable clock by the bed. (And I am increasingly frequently disappointed.) A refrigerator and a microwave would be nice. None of these features is difficult. Alright, I'll get off by soapbox.

iluvdoco

Didn't this property used to advertise having Herman Miller-esque chairs and a desk in each room? Sad to see they've been replaced by generic looking chairs.

dawsontg

I just completed a one-night, weekend stay at the Grand Hyatt Washington DC with some mixed take-aways. The location of this hotel is difficult to beat if you are visiting to tour the National Mall area, and I had no difficulty walking to the White House and multiple Smithsonian museums. Location alone would likely be enough to bring me back here under the right conditions. The lobby is stunning, and my kids particularly liked the gift shop offerings. Though the Starbucks signage indicates it is a Reserve location, it certainly is not. The employee was confused when I asked the question, so I'm not sure what the story is here.

No suite upgrades were available but I was placed on the 12th floor in one of the recently renovated rooms and the pictures a couple posts above this one capture the renovations well. There is little that sets it apart from a recently renovated Hyatt Place. This includes the toiletries which were a mix of Pharmacopia (typical Regency brand) and a generic "Eco" brand I am unfamiliar (and unimpressed) with.

The club room was a bit of disappointment largely due to its very small size. It felt cramped during evening hors d'oeuvres and dessert, and it was outright overcrowded during breakfast. While some items were notably better quality, I would put the breakfast options on par with a nice Hyatt Place. I have to assume this is a downgrade versus the previously available option of breakfast at the Cabinet restaurant.

For those recently debating this location versus the Park Hyatt on nights where cash stays are similarly priced, the Park Hyatt is far and away the better option unless a National Mall adjacent location is key.

jbandy10

So in essence this is now a Hyatt Place with the possibility of a suite upgrade, a club, and a nice atrium?

dawsontg

I think the comparison to a nice Hyatt Place stops at room amenities and globalist breakfast experience. This is still a full-service hotel in a fantastic location with valet, bell service, better on-site restaurants, nicer work out room, and superior service than a typical Hyatt Place.

Dr Jabadski

Agreed. I make those nighttime visits as often as many other Medicare aged males, especially if I don’t limit beverages prior to bedtime. This renovated room had 2 lights to accommodate that reality; floor level motion activated nightlights on both sides of the bed and a nightlight in the bathroom electrical outlet next to the sink/mirror. Just enough light to safely navigate to and from the bathroom and do one’s business without being blinded at all. (I didn’t even use the 2 dollar-store nightlights (image below) I always travel with.)

(I’m not shill for this hotel and I like new purpose-built Hyatt Place rooms. Not a fan of all other aspects of HP but the rooms themselves (other than the small armoire/closet) are terrific: large, separate sleeping and sofa areas, desk, plenty of dresser space, minifridge, large well-lit bathrooms with walk-in shower and copious counter space. If they had larger closets and an in-room safe, they’d be almost perfect.)

Comparing this hotel to HP is apples and oranges. Only comparison is that the bathrooms look similar. Even after the renovation this hotel is still using individual toiletries, no bulk dispensers on the shower walls, I suspect the mix is due to changing brands and exhausting the supply of the old brand.

As I wrote in post #476 “… GM said they’re increasing the Club size by knocking down a wall and adding the adjacent guest room”, the quote below (from Hyatt booking page) is further evidence, GM specifically said “the size of the Club will double”.

There are many reports here of Globs having breakfast (without charge) in the Cabinet restaurant when the Club is crowded, I’ve occasionally had breakfast in the restaurant simply because I wanted something not available in the Club, never been charged for those breakfasts.

Usual breakfast in the Club (pictured below) is far superior to any HP breakfast, again no comparison. Club breakfast has been the same for several years, it’s only a moderate “downgrade” from breakfast in the restaurant whereas a HP breakfast is a major immense downgrade, again apples and oranges.

Club evening hors d'oeuvres have often been described as comfortably and enjoyably sufficient for dinner.

serpens

I must have misunderstood. Are you saying that the customer must turn the bathroom light on, and it turns itself off if it detects no motion? That is so much better than having the bathroom light turn itself ON and off based on detected motion.

Dr Jabadski

After a while of being off, entering the bathroom would not cause the main bathroom light to turn on, had to press the switch. Upon pressing the switch to turn the main bathroom light on and not pressing the switch to turn it off, it turned off automatically after about 10-12 minutes if the bathroom was empty or I was in the shower for those 10-12 minutes. For 2 of the 3 showers it turned (back) on in response to movement in the bathroom outside the shower stall, 1 shower required pressing the switch to turn the light again.

So best I can tell, yes, I’m saying “the customer must turn the bathroom light on, and it turns itself off if it detects no motion”. When entering the bathroom in the middle of the night, the light did not turn on automatically, the nightlight in the electrical outlet was sufficient for basic nighttime bathroom functions (urinating accurately , washing hands).

serpens

Thank you, and it's great that the hotel did it right. Or almost right; it would be nice to take a shower with the lights staying on. (I recently stayed in a hotel, don't recall which one, where the the bathroom light turned on when it detected motion and turned off after a period of no motion detected. In premature preparation for the night, I put tape over the sensor. While I was taking a shower, the light went off. Since I had taped the sensor, it was necessary to push the button to get the lights to come on again. Two lessons learned: I shouldn't disable the sensor prematurely; and hotels shouldn't have a sensor turn on bathroom lights.)

JIMCHI

To suggest the breakfast in the Club here is equivalent to that at a Hyatt Place is just plain wrong. The scrambled eggs here were creamy (as they should be) and not dried egg crumbles that you get at a HP. Bacon was full size and available in various states of doneness (well cooked to crispy), there was also a 2nd egg dish available, pastries were fresh and tasty unlike the very limited selection of uninteresting ones at HP. Also a good selection of fruits and yogurts, hot cereal, and more. How ANYONE could compare the breakfast in this Club to that at a HP is beyond belief.

scubadu

I believe its called "hyperbole."

Regards