Hyatt Regency Bangkok: Might Be The Newest, But Is It The Best?

862

The words Hyatt Regency conjure up different images than say a Grand Hyatt or a Park Hyatt. Yet Hyatt Regency properties really do vary as much as Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt hotels do. They can range from been-there-done-that cookie cutter properties to unique hotels that think outside the Regency box. Though Bangkok, Thailand has abundant hotel choices, when it comes to my preferred choice, Hyatt only had two properties there that I wanted to sample: a Grand Hyatt and a Park Hyatt Bangkok. A few years ago, though, a Hyatt Regency opened. Friends had all kinds of things to tell me about the property but I wanted to see for myself. The hotel left mixed impressions on me. It has some quirky issues I’ve not experienced in other hotels.

Being a huge Park Hyatt fan girl, and having already sampled and thoroughly enjoyed many other unusual Hyatt Regency properties, I was excited about this visit and writing a Hyatt Regency Bangkok review.

For my most recent visit I decided to spread my time in Bangkok across a variety of Hyatt properties, one of which was the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit. I do like to sample different hotels in Bangkok, as well as different areas of the city, so this idea worked well for me.

How I Paid and My Room Assignment at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok

Don’t think for a minute that I’ll go easy on the Hyatt Regency Bangkok as I pen this hotel and hotel room review. I may be a Hyatt fan girl, but that often means I hold Hyatt properties to a higher standard. After all, first impressions matter and if you’ve not yet stayed here I want you to have the best and most informed impression possible.

I’m not writing to promote Hyatt. I’m writing to inform readers!

Specifics About The Hotel And Some Hyatt Regency Backstory

The hotel has 273 rooms and 21 suites. There are also 34 deluxe rooms. I was told that Globalists like this property as a choice for Bangkok stays. On any given day Globalists make up about 15% of hotel guests. Interestingly though, it is not necessarily a mostly Hyatt member hotel. Only 40-50 % of guests at the hotel are Hyatt members.

Typical guests stay on average 2-3 days. It is a choice for both business and leisure travelers. I’d say it’s a great choice for families as well. The hotel does have connecting rooms and I saw entertainment options for kids down by the pool.

During my stay I saw conference groups, families, wedding parties, business travelers, and leisure guests. The ballroom can host 300-400 people for a sit down dinner, making the hotel a popular space for events!

In case you’re wondering which months are the busiest and which months might be more off season, here’s your answer. As you might expect, summer time in Thailand is off season. That means May through September.

The hotel runs around 70-80% occupancy all year long. Occupancy during my stay was in that average.

The Hyatt Regency Bangkok was built from scratch to be a hotel and opened in 2018. Ownership is a Thai company. Because it’s a relatively new hotel there have not been refurbishments yet. I thought the rooms, and hotel in general, were holding up quite well.

My recent stay at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok was for a week. I could have used a World of Hyatt free night award or booked nights with Hyatt points. Hotels in Bangkok can vary a lot in price depending on season. The all cash rate hovered between $160 and $200 USD a night. I decided to use a combination of points and cash for my stay.

Remember, if you’re paying cash for a hotel stay, let Pruvo monitor your rate for price drops!

Hyatt Regency Bangkok is a World of Hyatt Category 2 property, meaning free nights for me were 8,000 Hyatt points per night.

By the time you read this review this will have changed. The hotel is moving up a category, so using points will cost you 12,000 Hyatt points per night. Keep reading to learn more about this change because it really does influence whether or not I’d recommend this hotel during your time in Bangkok.

My Check-In Experience

Checking in to the hotel went smoothly. Check-in is at 3pm. I arrived around 3pm so my room was ready. When I arrived I was happy to hear I had been upgraded to a deluxe room. It’s a property that doesn’t hold back Globalist upgrades if they are available!

Pro Tip: Do you Pruvo all your hotels stays? If not, do what I do and let Pruvo monitor your reservations for price drops. It’s free and it’s the easiest way to save money on all your hotel rooms.

Using my Hotel Room Scorecard I broke down the individual elements of my  Hyatt Regency Bangkok room which scored a 29 of 40 points.

Location (2/5)

I’ve asked many people why they chose the Hyatt Regency Bangkok for their stay. One reason seemed to be price and the hotel being a Hyatt category 2 property so available for only 8000 points a night. As mentioned, that has changed.

The next reason was location. Again and again I heard LOCATION. People love the area near the hotel. It’s a mix of old Bangkok and new Bangkok.  For me this was my first stay in the Sukhumvit area and I didn’t care for it. The area is too busy and dense and too touristy for me.

If you enjoy quirky and unusual mall shopping, Terminal 21 is just up the street. It’s a huge mall (though by no means the largest in Bangkok) with a travel theme! Every floor was designed to match a location. Floors were designated and then designed in motifs matching Paris, San Francisco, London, and Rome just to name a few. It’s worth visiting for the creativity alone.

If you’re a walker, as I am, my favorite walk from the hotel is to Benjakitti Park. It’s huge with beautiful landscaping and a lake to stroll around.

Not much of a walker? Not a problem. The Bangkok metro system is just up the street. I never mind using the trains at all. It’s an extensive system and easy to navigate. And it’s well air conditioned 🙂

Pro tip: Staying healthy is key to enjoying your travels. Here’s my SECRET, and I’ve even got a 10% discount for my readers!

Lighting (3/5)

The deluxe room did have natural lighting, with two floor-to-ceiling windows, one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. Besides overhead lighting there were no standing lamps.

The brightest areas with the best lighting were the bathroom and the closet. Why is that, I wonder.

I had mixed feelings about the lighting. The lights in the room could either be ALL on or off. If you turned off the master light and only used the light over the bed, it was too dark to read or work. Adjustable lighting is such as easy hotel room feature to include when designing a room.

Why don’t hotel rooms have adjustable lighting? The lack is something I’ll never understand. When it got dark in Bangkok I still needed to work.  Adjustable lighting works better for me especially when I don’t need the whole room all lit up.

Yes, I recognize that the average guest stays maybe two nights, but there are guests who work or just want to sit on the couch and read with proper lighting.

Window Access (4/5)

Having floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom made a big difference. Natural lighting in a hotel room makes for a whole different experience.

There are two levels of window shades, one for sun/privacy and one for black-out darkness.

Bed Comfort (3/5)

The bed was okay for me. Not as soft as some beds at other hotel properties I’ve stayed at recently. And not as hard either.

The pillows worked well and there were already different pillow types on the bed, so I was able to choose which worked best for me. Too often all the pillows are the same, but not in this case.

Bathroom (4/5)

I’ll say right up front that this was a huge bathroom with an interesting design and layout. Spacious, windows for natural light, and a separate area with a sink. The shower and tub were in separate areas.

As you can see from the photos, there was a vanity table, mirror, and bench. Quite unusual for a Hyatt Regency room.

For a bathroom this spacious though, I don’t see why they didn’t design the room with two sinks. That’s always a plus in an upgraded hotel room. This bathroom certainly had the space for that extra sink.

One of my pet peeves in newer hotel shower stalls is that there is no place to put your sundries other than on the floor. Having a ledge for sundries is a simple thing that those of us who are now (or always did) bringing their own sundries when they travel might really appreciate. In this case there was a shelf behind the shower head. Spacious, indeed!

There were double lights in the bathroom. It was very easy to set the lighting to whatever worked best for you. Now why not in the bedroom area, right?

Interior Appointments and Furnishings (4/5)

The room design and furnishings had pluses and minuses.

One of the other draws to this hotel is that the rooms are on the large side. So coupled with the location, room size is often a deciding factor when opting for a Hyatt Regency Bangkok stay.

My deluxe room matched the one you’ll see online, both in design or layout. That’s a good thing because too often guests’ expectations are set by photos they see on hotel websites. And when the photos don’t match the reality it makes sense that guests take issue.

I felt the deluxe room design worked well.

The living area with the couch and tables had a cozy feeling. The round table had a direct light overhead with its own on and off switch. I used this area as my workspace. It also received good natural lighting which added to a positive work environment for me.

I appreciated the bench to the side of the entry way. It came in handy as a place for keys/hats/day packs and other items I used every day.

The artwork was minimal. I prefer this because taste in art is so individual and I prefer that hotel rooms don’t overdue it on the art. I do wish, though, that the photographs on the deluxe room walls had been labeled. I had no idea what they were.

I requested an extra chair that was more of a work chair for the table and it came within minutes of my request.  Often the chairs provided in hotel rooms are not suitable for working at the tables. A traditional adjustable office chair works much better for me. When I explain this to guest services, more often than not, they can find desk chairs for me. I’m grateful!

What I didn’t like about the design was that the room color scheme was too dark. Dark grey and dark wood  just give a room a darker tone. This was true throughout the whole hotel. The hotel lobby, the Club Lounge, and hallways were all too dark.

I recognize it’s a matter of personal taste, but even when I first walked into the hotel and the deluxe room I asked myself why they chose such a dark theme for the design. The carpet in the room was a lighter beige with green floral patterns, so that at least worked well.

There’s an abundance of mirrors in the room. The closet was super spacious.

The coffee/tea/snack/fridge area was along one wall. It provided a generous amount of space and was one of the best beverage/snack set-ups I’ve seen in a hotel room.

The peep hole on the entrance door is placed just right for the average height of women. That’s rare. This has long been a pet peeve of mine. Do only men check who’s knocking or ringing the bell? I think not. Easier for a guy to bend down than a woman to grow a few inches to see who’s at the door 🙂

Electronics (4/5)

Plugs and outlets were good. It’s a relatively new hotel so that’s to be expected.  There were outlets near the bed. No complimentary adapters, though. Many hotels are now providing adapters in the rooms. It’s a welcome touch for many travelers.

Do you find it difficult to book award flights with your miles and points? I do! That’s why I turn to Point.me. They get me great deals and save me money and time.

Amenities (5/5)

The hotel does send welcome amenities to Hyatt Globalists. I received a welcome note and a big bowl of fruit. Simple and perfect for me. Who doesn’t love the fruit in Thailand 🙂

YES on providing a Yoga mat! I’ve started requesting Yoga mats when I stay in hotels. If you’ve ever taken a close look at the “need anything extra” card presented in your hotel room, you’ll notice Yoga mat is often listed. I’m starting to notice, though, how few hotels actually have mats.

The property provides water, and it was super generous whenever I requested more. It was also generous with whatever supplies you needed. That always leaves a positive impression on a guest.

When writing hotel reviews I often review the minibar and available snacks. The minibar and coffee area was well-equipped with a kettle and Nespresso style coffee maker. I also enjoyed the brand of tea bags (Dilmah) the hotel provided.  There was a good size fridge underneath the beverage counter. No complimentary snacks.

Breakfast Options

For breakfast there is a restaurant area on the fourth floor. Hotel guests use the restaurant, as do many locals. It offers a full buffet. And I do mean full!

There was whole fruit (which I very much prefer over assorted fruit cups prepared by a hotel) and an egg station, which was more like an egg restaurant with cooked-to-order egg dishes. There was also a large area with salad options—plenty of greens and veggies as well. I wish all hotel restaurants would offer salad for breakfast!

Naturally, fresh breads and baked goods (plenty of cold cereal options) as well as a cheese and assorted meats station. A large fridge had an assortment of yogurts. There were also fresh juices on offer.

There were Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indian food options.

Nothing was missing from this buffet!

There was table service for coffee and whatever else you might need.

Breakfast is 1000 Thai Bhat if not included in the room rate. As a Globalist breakfast was included with my room. My sense is that if you enjoy breakfast buffets, you’ll be very pleased with the one the Hyatt Regency Bangkok offers.

There are many large common space areas at the hotel. There is a large cafe just off the lobby. They are well used by hotel guests.

Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Club Lounge

If you’ve been traveling the past few years you for sure have noticed that so many Hyatt Club Lounges have closed. They have not reopened and I doubt they ever will. This is the case across hotel brands, not just Hyatt hotels. And this is true both in the states and around the world.

For the Hyatt Regency, there was no question as to whether the club lounge would reopen. They had to!!

The club has some issues that left me rather perplexed. Let me talk about them first before offering my praise.

The club is on the 27th floor with sweeping views of Bangkok. There is a balcony with chairs and tables.

Smoking is permitted on the balcony. I’ve never seen this before at a hotel. Maybe you have.

It not only meant that the smokers congregated on the balcony, but that if you were seated at a table near one of the doors to the balcony, when guests walked in and out of the club you could smell the smoke. I asked management a few times how this smoking policy on the balcony was possible when the hotel does claim to be a non-smoking property, but never got an answer. I was told that it has been this way since the hotel opened.

As someone who travels a lot and experiences club lounges around the world, I have come to the conclusion that managing food and beverage, F&B, is the most complicated part of running a hotel.

When you have a full-service club and also an enormous buffet option for breakfast, which Globalists have access to and other guests can purchase, you can NEVER tell who will take meals in the club and who will opt for the buffet.

Even when a club offers full service at dinner time, you just never know how many people you’ll need to accommodate. You can make an educated guess based on occupancy, but you never know.

Having said this, at times the Club Lounge had a rough go of it. At breakfast they were running out of some items such as yogurt, butter, cheese, and sushi. They could call down to the buffet restaurant but that meant waiting, and for how long you never knew.

At dinner time they ran out of some of the hot food dishes, cheeses, fruit and I did see some guests getting upset and voicing their disappointment rather loudly.

As mentioned, the staff did a wonderful job accommodating guests as best they could. I’m acknowledging meeting guest expectations is a huge challenge, but there were times that the club was not as prepared as it could have been.

No fault of the service staff at the club, though. They were all professional, excellent, helpful, and great fun to talk with.

You might be wondering why I included a photo of walnuts. It’s to demonstrate how proactive the club lounge staff is 🙂 They asked me if I thought anything was missing at breakfast time. Hmmm, well there were no nuts on offer. And who doesn’t love nuts, I thought. So I suggested walnuts. The very NEXT morning, walnuts appeared!

As is the case with clubs, it was open all day for drinks and snacks. The club was open until 9 pm.

In the evening, the club served hot food options, besides cheese, bread, meats and salad items. The  were different every night and there was table service as well.

I took breakfast every day at the club and over the course of the week sampled some of the dishes at dinner time. The food was great, especially the hot Thai dishes!

During my stay the club was well used and was often, especially at dinner time, very busy.

Great to see lots of staff onboard at the Club. The service team throughout the day was excellent. They were attentive and super helpful with whatever you needed.

Concierge Service at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Club Lounge

Inside the club is a concierge desk that was staffed most of the day and into the early evening. The concierge team was tops! Very helpful, very fun to talk with, and never a request I made was too much for them to handle. It was great to be able to secure assistance from them rather than having to go downstairs to the front desk if I needed something.

Club Lounge access can be purchased. It costs 2500 Thai Bhat for the first person in the room and then 1000 Thai Bhat for the second person.

What Guests At The Hyatt Regency Bangkok  Complain About?

When I review a hotel I always wonder what complaints hotel guests have, so I ask the hotel team. This hotel’s chief complaint is one I’ve come across a few times before.

The chief complaint management receives is that people who stay at the hotel hear too much street noise. Rooms don’t start until an upper floor so I’m not sure where that street noise starts to affect guests.

On my stay street noise was not an issue at all. I’m sure the hotel does the best they can to accommodate guests who request high floors and quieter rooms but big cities, which certainly includes Bangkok, are noisy.

I’m not being unsympathetic but rather saying if you’re someone who has experienced street noise ruining or detracting from a hotel stay, let the hotel know.

Fitness and Spa Facilities At The Hyatt Regency Bangkok

There is a medium sized outdoor infinity pool and lounge chairs at poolside. I did not use the pool or gym during my stay. There is no jacuzzi or sauna. The women’s locker room had a steam room which I did use. It’s not kept on so required an attendant to turn it on. It wasn’t very good, probably because it needed to be on for a while before guests used it.

Why use just any credit card when you can use one that earns miles and points? Don’t MISS OUT on the BEST current travel credit card offers!

Hotel Service at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok

You you can tell I was not thrilled with aspects of the hotel room, club lounge, location of the hotel, and the hotel design and layout were not to my taste.

I was, however, very pleased with the service!

The hotel has a reputation for awesome service. Often, though, hotels don’t live up to that reputation. In this case it exceeded my expectations!

Housekeeping was always quick to deliver whatever I requested. If you’ve been traveling much these past few years you might have realized how short-staffed many hotels are. I did not find that to be the case at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok  at all.

There was never anything I asked for from housekeeping, the front desk and concierge team, the hotel management team, or the restaurant team where the staff didn’t happily oblige. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendly, warm and very helpful environment.

Final Thoughts On The Hyatt Regency Bangkok

For the past few days I’ve been thinking about what to say in this section of the review. It’s complicated.

The Hyatt Regency Bangkok is moving up a category so that puts it on equal footing with the Grand Hyatt as a Category 3 Hyatt property. There is also a Park Hyatt in Bangkok, and an Andaz will be opening as well.

Having two Category 3 properties in the same city and relatively close to one another location-wise does mean they will compete with each other. The cash price for both hotels is similar as well. During my stay in Bangkok the Grand Hyatt was actually $30 USD a night less.

I asked staff, including members of the management team at the Regency, why people might choose the Hyatt Regency over the Grand when the points needed and cash rates are on par.

One answer was that guests like the rooftop bar at the Regency. Interesting answer because while I did see the rooftop bar on the 29th floor, it wouldn’t have occurred to me this would be a tipping point for choosing a hotel.

Another answer I heard was that the Hyatt Regency Bangkok is newer and people like new. That’s true, but is it enough to sway a choice given other factors? Maybe so.

The Hyatt Regency, because it’s in the Sukhumvit area, is definitely marketing itself to a younger party-going crowd. The nightlife in the area around the Regency is lively.

The Grand Hyatt is perhaps a mile or more up the road and closer to shrines and shopping areas. It’s definitely more of a resort style hotel and business hotel as well. I prefer the location of the Grand Hyatt.

I think, and some of the staff at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok agreed with me, that the pool/spa/fitness facilities are much better at the Grand. The Grand club is also better in that the space is more guest friendly, brighter, and is open later.

You’ll have to think as to whether each property is a great value on points or when paying cash. I think it’s well worth the value both on points and when paying cash.

It can be a toss-up as to which property to choose. What the Hyatt Regency Bangkok offers and the service were both great.

It is a modern hotel with a certain vibe. If the location suits you, you’ll enjoy the property. If you’re a fan of Hyatt Regency properties, this one ranks up there with any other I’ve stayed at. Every Hyatt hotel is different, every staff is different, and every guest is different, right? Some properties are bound to work better than others for what you’re looking for.

Would I stay here again?

Hard to say. I’m definitely partial to the Grand Hyatt for the reasons mentioned above.

I did enjoy my stay and have no regrets at all. Putting together this review was fun because it brought back memories of an enjoyable hotel stay in a city I’m quite fond of.

I think of the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit as a hotel for people who enjoy mixing their hotel stay with an energetic location in a city that’s already full of energy!

If what I’ve written about the hotel piques your interest, by all means gather up your travel gear and give this hotel a try and see what you think for yourself. You really can’t go wrong no matter which Hyatt property in Bangkok you choose!

Related  Articles:

• My Favorite Travel Resources and Products
• Do you find it difficult to book award flights with your miles and points? I do! That’s why I turn to Point.me. They get me great deals and save me money and time.
• I Always Get the Lowest Prices on Hotel Rooms: Here’s How!
• Staying healthy is key to enjoying your travels. Here’s my SECRET, and I’ve even got a 10% discount for my readers!
• 9 Awesome Travel Accessories To Pack for Your Next Trip
• Why use just any credit card when you can use one that earns miles and points? Don’t miss out on the BEST current travel credit card offers!
• What if you could learn everything you need to know about your destination in just 15 minutes? Here’s how!