Hyatt Regency JFK = A Casino Resort More than Airport Hotel

Besides Grand Hyatt SFO, Hyatt Regency JFK might be the best U.S. airport hotel I have ever stayed at, in part because it might not be entirely correct to call it an airport hotel.  I found the hotel to have more in common with Las Vegas casino resorts than a NYC airport hotel, but if I had a long layover at JFK I would consider returning.

Hyatt Regency unfortunately does not have a shuttle bus and is about 10 minutes away from the airport compared to the numerous “real” airport hotels which are 5 minutes or less.  After considering the cost of taxi back and forth it can eat into the value of staying at HR if intending to use it only for a brief overnight.

I booked the entry level room with points (cat 3) which was good value considering cash rates above 300 USD for this property.  I was proactively upgraded to an Executive Suite as Globalist guest.  The room layout was almost identical to Grand Hyatt SFO hence the reference to it above, the room had two full bathrooms (one of them with bathtub separate from a stand-alone shower) and minimal use of carpet which I loved.  We had sunset views of the city sky line far in the distance from our 9th floor room.  Surprisingly the bathroom amenities were not the regular Pharmacopia found at other HRs; normally when hotels deviate from brand standards it’s for a cheaper variety, but here it was rather Le Labo to give a small taste of Park Hyatt instead. 

The Club Lounge near reception was open and we had breakfast and happy hour there.  The space was not very large so I wonder if it can get full at times but it was not during our brief stay.  Breakfast did not stand out one way or another except they had smoked salmon which was a plus.  

For happy hour I am normally not a big fan of lounges in North America but at least once again it was not an overly crowded zoo therefore it could make for a decent place to relax and have a drink, which included canned mixed drinks but strangely the wines were in cans too.  There was a small salad station and bite size appetizer warm dishes which I found to be above average for a lounge in this part of the world, especially at JFK airport.  

If I did not order room service, my stay might have been close to perfect.  Unfortunately more than one hour after ordering we still had not received anything and when I called the restaurant there was no answer so I called reception and they could not get a hold of the restaurant either.  Eventually someone called me back to indicate that they had no staff available to bring my food to the room hence the delay, and that they would send a bell boy instead.  When the food arrived I was surprised to see that it was in plastic boxes in a bag rather than usual room service tray or cart.  The next day there was also an unknown charge from the market (which has take away dishes available) on my invoice but they promptly removed the charge when I informed them that it was not mine.

Wifi worked well with speed of 20 Mbps.

If I only had a layover of less than 12 hours I might look at more convenient alternatives closer to JFK airport than HR, but if having close to 24 hours (needing late check-out for an evening flight) and spending lots of time in the hotel, I would definitely pay again the 20-25 USD Uber each way because points redemptions at HR are excellent, I know my odds of suite upgrades will be better than other hotels, and HR has a respectable lounge.  So this is a hotel I can recommend when being aware of the location drawback for people not using the hotel as a casino resort but more as an airport hotel.