A very nice Hyatt

I had two stays here recently, including three nights over new year, and was very pleased.

On both occasions the check-in agents were professional, efficient and helpful. However, I wasn't offered a choice of Diamond amenity on the first stay, only the second.

My first keycard wouldn't work and later I learned that the replacement wouldn't get me to the Regency Club floor. The keycards are a definite problem. I encountered two or three guests over my first stay whose cards weren't working and mine routinely had problems.

On both stays I was upgraded from a regency king to a club king but on both occasions the best available room below a suite was the view deluxe king. It was disappointing that this benefit wasn't honoured, particularly on the single night stay. However, both times I received a room overlooking the Rhine and on the second stay it was on the same floor as the Regency Club lounge.

The rooms are the strangest layout I've come across. As you open the room door you find yourself standing right in the bathroom, directly in front of the mirror and vanity with the toilet on your left and shower on your right. So essentially bellman and room service attendants and so forth all have to walk through your bathroom first. No chance of leaving your dirty laundry piled up in the corner if you're having lunch delivered, for example.

There is a separate tub and shower that are adjacant to each other and otherwise connected. That is it say, while they are separate there is nothing separating them, other than one end of the tub. The shower has a rain head and handle. Of particular note is that the opposite end of the tub (ie. the other end, opposite the shower) is simply a glass panel that is not opaque meaning it is completely open to the bed/living area. There is no privacy whatsoever in that regard.

The TV wasn't particularly big and had few English channels, other than news. It is also immovable so while it is situated dead in the middle at the end of the bed, it's not possible to rotate it towards the desk or the lounge chair.

There is a helpful soft night light near the WC to guide the way in the middle of the night.

The view over the Rhine was quite nice. The entire wall overlooking the river is three panels of floor to ceiling glass which makes the room feel very open and lets in plenty of light (or at least it would if the weather wasn't so bad). Blinds are automatically controlled but there are also curtains that overlap, which is to say there's no chance of a shimmer of light shining through the gap as they meet.

The bed was very comfortable.

I found service to be very professional. The bellman who delivered my bags went to lengths to explain the room and its gadgets and to offering suggestions of what to do. He also provided his name and said to contact him or his colleagues at any time. The other staff that I interacted with regularly were the lounge staff. Again, professional and polished but still 'human', happy to smile and share and laugh.

I had some laundry done one day it was delivered cheerfully by a staff member. As expected it was clean and nicely folded.

There was an evening turndown each day with bottled water placed next to the bed.

The staff really were excellent all around.

The Regency Club is a a superb space, very well furnished and maintained. It is possibly a little small, however.

I'vewrongly come to thing of evening canapes in hotel lounges as a replacement for dinner and as a result I was a little disappointed on the first night's offerings. But once I reminded myself that I'm still supposed to eat a proper meal I realised that the canapes were perfectly fine. They were high quality and very well presented. There was a soup each night (and always delicious). In terms of drinks, there are no spirits and the beers are only slightly cold which always annoys me. A couple of staff wander around and are happy to provide refills and clear plates.

Breakfast as a Diamond was only available in the lounge. Again, it wasn't extensive but perfectly adequate. Staff offer juices or hot drinks to start and if you ask for tea it will come in a pot with a separate strainer, strainer holder, cup and jug of milk (quite the set-up). There is a coffee machine. The only hot item readily available was sausages and hard-boiled eggs. However, on the second morning I was asked if I wanted something cooked to order. This wasn't offered on the first day or the morning of my second stay. It appears you just have to ask for it.

I had room service one evening and ordered a tortellini for EUR16. It was small in portion size but extremely tasty and very well presented. I otherwise didn't eat in the hotel.

Two large bottles of water were provided each day.

There is no pool but a large wet area with a large jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. In what I assume is the European (or at least, German) way, most other guests were starkers, including the ladies. The jacuzzi wasn't particularly hot but the sauna and steam room were great, particularly given the weather was in the single digit celsius the whole time I was there.

The hotel's location is not its strong point. While located right overlooking the Rhine it is a solid 25 minute walk to downtown. The walk itself is on a level footing and there's ample footpaths but there isn't much to see along the way. The upside I guess is that it's not necessarily a bad way to start the day (walking off breakfast) or end it (a leisurely stroll before bed).

On my first stay I arrived in the morning from the central train station which is about 12 to 15 minutes away. The fare was in the vicinity of EUR20. Departing to the airport was a little more expensive and took about 20 minutes.

If this property was labelled a Grand Hyatt I wouldn't have blinked. It's a very nice hotel with wonderful service with the location perhaps being a disadvantage.

I would happily return.