New Year's Eve Stay- Two people with the same name at the same hotel?

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January 2, 2016 by

 Map | 1 Review | 100% Recommended
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Hyatt Regency Austin
 Map | 1 Review | 100% Recommended

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Check In

Check in went very well, with the room ready before noon. We were on the twelfth floor in a newly-renovated room partially facing the river. As a Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum member (from holding the credit card), I was recognized at check-in. I’m not sure that it really helped with the room selection, but hey, the room had a decent enough view and was newly renovated

Service

We left to explore Austin, walking all the way down Congress Avenue to the Capitol Building, then past that the LBJ Presidential Library. The Capitol Building is free to explore, and the LBJ Library is a reasonable $11, with students getting in for only $2. After this trip, I’ve visited 5 presidential libraries, which are always worth a visit.

We came back to the hotel to freshen up for New Year’s Eve, and that’s when the weirdness started. While I was in the shower, someone tried to access our room, startling my girlfriend. We called down to the desk to ask how this could have happened- and apparently, there were two Mark Jacksons staying in the hotel that night. I understood it was an honest mistake, but it was startling nonetheless. The hotel really shined in responding to the incident- new keys were delivered, breakfast and drinks were given, and 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points were also deposited in my account. So, this free night actually earned me miles!

Dining

Newly minted with free drinks, we journeyed down to the Marker 10 for drinks in the lobby. I was impressed that their “house” beers were all local ones, so we had the Live Oak Hefeweizen and then headed off to dinner.

A note to people checking in- this hotel is loud. The atrium really makes normal conversation echo, and that’s the reason you’ll find ear plugs provided for you in each room, as well as an invitation to download a white noise app.

The next morning, breakfast was served in the Southwest Bistro. A standard hotel buffet, it was quite nice. Lots of southwest accents, like biscuits and tostadas. Breakfast certificates include tax and tip, which is nice as well. It’s always a little annoying when “free” breakfast doesn’t include these things.

Location

The Hyatt Regency Austin is located across Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake to those who actually were raised here) from Downtown Austin, built in 1981. It took the place of the tallest hotel in Austin, passing the Stephen F. Austin (now anIntercontinental Hotel). The hotel was fully renovated in 2009, and in 2013, the hoteladded a ballroom and a parking garage.

Being right on the lake, the hotel has direct access to thehike-and-bike trail, which is over ten miles long and runs past landmarks like the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue. It’s also a few blocks away from the South Congress shopping district, full of hip shops and restaurants. All in all, it’s incredibly located, and an easy $5 Uber/Lyft or longer walk away from everything downtown offers.

Overall

All in all, I would consider staying at the Hyatt Regency Austin again. While the hotel made a mistake, they recovered nicely. And, the location really makes it easy to explore all that Austin has to offer. If you liked my review, check out my other reviews at my blog at http://www.thetravelplaybook.com

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