Heading to Mexico? Don’t Miss This Hotel Gem!

by Shelli Stein

Mexico is not a country I know well nor had I spent much time there. Mexico City, in particular, was on my list of cities to visit for about five years. I kept hearing from friends who spent time there that it was a wonderful world-class city. I even planned trips, but then canceled because something else always came up. Finally, I made the journey! Big city explorations always require an oasis. I had one property in mind: the Hyatt Regency Mexico City. I heard marvelous things about this property and couldn’t wait to enjoy the hotel for myself.

Determined to finally explore Mexico City, I asked people, either from Mexico City or who have visited, what’s special about the city. They always talk about the people. They tell me about the parks and museums. The stories about and descriptions of the food always make me hungry! These impressions checked off all the boxes on my NOW-is-the-time to visit checklist.

Hyatt Regency, Mexico City

Hyatt Regency, Mexico City is surrounded by lovely parks

While Mexico City, as I compare it to other world class cities, isn’t what I’d call a hotel mecca, it does have what turned out to be one of my favorite Hyatt properties from which to base my stay. I stayed multiple times, and in two categories of suites, but this review is of the Executive Suite. Here is my Hyatt Regency Mexico City review.

History of the Hyatt Regency Mexico City

In 2012 the hotel changed hands from being a Nikko property to being a Hyatt property. Hyatt expanded the hotel, though it was always a big, spacious space.

After the takeover, Hyatt reworked the spaces. For example, now where the main restaurant Rulfo is located, there were waterfalls and a lobby bar.  Hyatt also renovated the lobby, re-did the Residencias on the 1st floor, and also did a soft renovation on the banquet rooms.

Nikko did the room renovations in 2013, so the suites needed some upgrading. The suites were renovated in 2015. Hyatt started a new room renovation in 2019 under the leadership of its new general manager, Christophe Lorvo. This room renovation included everything in the bedroom, including new mattresses. In the bathroom the bathtubs were removed and replaced by a walk in shower.

Because the property was first a Nikko property it doesn’t look like any other Hyatt Regency property I’ve stayed at. It’s also the biggest hotel, by room count, in Mexico City!

Though it’s thought of as a business hotel, I couldn’t imagine that it wasn’t the choice for leisure travelers as well. The Hyatt staff mentioned that guests do use Prive benefits, which I wrote about earlier this year. I was wondering if Hyatt elites favor this property. As I would have guessed, Hyatt Globalists frequent this hotel when they visit Mexico City. I asked many of the Hyatt team members to recommend one of their favorite Hyatt properties that I’ve not yet been to, so for all you Hyatt fans reading this, they unanimously recommended the Andaz Mayakoba!

My Arrival and Check-In at the Hyatt Regency Mexico City

Upon arrival at the hotel, check-in went smoothly. The hotel staff had reached out to ask my arrival time so there was quite a greeting committee waiting for me!

Upon entering, I was delighted by a huge beautiful lobby decorated simply yet and elegant lobby with marble floors. I prefer a spacious lobby that is well lit, and though it houses the front desk, concierge area, and restaurants, says through its design and layout that you’ve arrived someplace special.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Lobby and Front Desk

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Lobby and Front Desk

As I entered my assigned suite I sensed a peaceful quiet feeling and indeed this turned out to be true throughout my stay. I knew it would be easy to work through my jet lag in this comfortable suite.

Let’s dig in to the particulars of my stay, I have lots to share with you.

How I Paid For My Stay at the Hyatt Regency Mexico City

The Hyatt Regency Mexico City was my choice for both a short stay of a week and also on a longer extended stay. I had high expectations for this hotel based on what I’d heard from others, and I was not to be disappointed. In fact, my expectations were exceeded.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Lobby

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Lobby is elegant and spacious.

I had multiple options as to how to pay for my stays. I could have used my World of Hyatt free night award, that comes with my Chase Hyatt credit card when I renew it each year.

I also could have used a cash and points rate of 6000 points plus cash. The all-cash rate, however, was well under $200 per night, so I chose to pay cash. Remember, if you’re paying cash for a hotel stay, let Pruvo monitor your rate for price drops!

Because of my Globalist status with Hyatt, I knew prior to one of my stays that I had been given an upgraded room to an Executive Suite. On another stay, I used an upgrade award certificate to move from the standard room to the Executive Suite. This upgrade did require I also add cash to my room rate. For me that was the best choice.

The Executive Suites are large and well-appointed, and you feel like you’re in a residence rather than in a hotel room. The Hyatt Regency is the biggest hotel in Mexico City. The hotel has 755 rooms and 18 suites.

The Hyatt Regency Mexico City is located in Polanco, an upscale fun area of the city. It is a World of Hyatt Category 3 property, meaning free nights start at 12,000 Hyatt points per night. Because it’s a category 3 property, it’s also a great choice for your World of Hyatt free award night certificate that comes with your yearly renewal on your Chase Hyatt credit card.

PRO TIP: If You Decide to Pay Cash for Your Hotel Room, Make Sure YOU Always Get the Lowest Prices: Here’s How!

Using my Hotel Room Scorecard I broke down the individual elements of my Executive Suite at the Hyatt Regency Mexico City, which scored a 36 of 40 points.

Location (5/5)

The location of the Hyatt Regency Mexico City is perfect. Mexico City is a GREAT walking city. The city does have a metro system, but to truly experience the flavor and vibe of the city, get out and walk! You can rent bikes on many streets. Taxis are available, of course, but I found that they are often penned in by the throngs of cars and buses, and I’m just better off on foot, anyway.

The hotel is in Polanco, so besides easily exploring Polanco, within thirty to forty minutes you can walk to almost all of the sites and other neighborhoods you’ll be visiting. The hotel is also just across the street from Chapultapec Park. This urban park easily won my heart, and I spent many hours walking in and exploring the area. The hotel concierge team will offer you a wonderful map of the area. Take a few of them, keep them handy, and you’ll be good to go.

Lighting (5/5)

Both the bedroom and the living area of the suite have beautiful natural lighting, with almost floor to ceiling windows.

Throughout the suite there are overhead lights that provide good lighting, and I liked that you could dim them as well. In fact, there were so many different options for how the rooms can be lit, that I probably spent way too much time choosing my lighting for each room 🙂

Window Access (4/5)

The Hyatt Regency Mexico City is located on a very busy street with car, motorbike, bus, and general street noise. Because of the hotel’s location there are two views; rooms either have a city view looking downtown and into Chapultapec Park, or they have a Polanco view. I much prefer the Polanco view.

The hotel is right in the thick of it. As with most hotels, you cannot open the windows. The hotel has 43 floors and I stayed on one of the high floors. It was wonderfully quiet.

One day I actually observed the window cleaning crew on scaffolds as they came by my window to clean it. So no doubt you’ll be able to enjoy the view and spot planes as they fly over Polanco on their approach to the airport.

Window washing from the 40th floor of the Hyatt Regency Mexico City

Window washing from the 40th floor of the Hyatt Regency Mexico City

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

Bed Comfort (3/5)

Of course, beds and their comfort levels are another one of those huge and very personal topics. The bed was too hard for me, but not as hard as some other beds at Hyatt properties. Not too hard that I didn’t sleep well, but too hard for me to rate it any higher.

Spacious master bedroom, Executive Suite, Hyatt Regency Mexico City

Spacious master bedroom, Executive Suite, Hyatt Regency Mexico City

Bathroom (5/5)

There are two bathrooms in the Executive Suites. One is just off the entry way to the right of the door. The other bathroom is the master bath.

Both bathrooms were large by any standard, but the master bathroom was downright huge.

Mexico Hyatt Regency Exec Suite Bathroom

Plenty spacious bathroom in the Executive Suite

There were abundant hooks for towels, double sinks in the master bathroom, a separate tub and shower and a bidet. Just off the master bathroom area there is a large closet area, conveniently positioned along the walk from the bedroom to the bathroom. The bathrooms had lighting controls with multiple options, so if you like to leave a nightlight on in the bathroom while you sleep, no problem.

I also appreciated the local bathroom amenities, which featured products from the Yucatan area of Mexico. I enjoyed using both the soaps and shampoos.

Closet area in Executive Suite Mexico City Hyatt Regency

Closet area in Executive Suite, Mexico City Hyatt Regency

Interior Appointments and Furnishings (5/5)

The suite was a luxurious space with wood floors and carpet and very little artwork on the walls. By very little artwork, I’m talking three pieces in an approximately 1000 square foot space. For some this might seem too sparse. For me though, I much prefer quiet walls with a splash of art rather than too much artwork in styles I might not like. Less is more when I’m in a hotel room.

Livingroom Executive Suite Hyatt Regency Mexico City

I really enjoyed this one piece of artwork in the livingroom. I even named him!

The suite had three separate areas. The living room, which is perfect for relaxing in at night, has two chairs, a comfortable couch, a coffee table, and a TV screen.

Artwork in the Executive Suite living room Hyatt Regency Mexico City

What would you name him or her?

The master bedroom was well-appointed with large bedside areas, dressers, a chair in one corner, and a TV screen.

Livingroom in the Executive Suite

The livingroom, with its views of Polanco, is a great space for relaxing!

The third area I began calling the boardroom. It served as a kitchen area with a sink and counter but it also has an approximately 12×4 foot counter-high table with six cushioned high chairs. See why I came to call it the boardroom?

This counter/table served as the perfect workspace as well as a dining table. It was positioned so it received excellent natural lighting. If the view of Polanco, the park, and all the planes flying by weren’t so engaging, I could have actually gotten a lot more work done in my boardroom 🙂 Joking aside, this was one of the best working hotel situations I’ve ever had.

Executive Suite Dining and Work Area

The boardroom, as I called it, lent itself to so many uses!

I really love it when a hotel room doesn’t have carpeting throughout the whole space. I prefer the cleaner look of wooden floors to most hotel carpeting. This suite had wood floors in the entry way and boardroom. Even in the living room and master bedroom, the carpeting had wooden floors along the edges.

One of my pet peeves in hotel rooms is when the front door peephole is placed too high. In this room, the door peephole wasn’t bad and I only had to step up on my tippy toes a few inches!

Electronics (4/5)

There was something that struck me odd about the suite. The room with the most and best plugs and outlets was the master bedroom. Some people might work from bed, but I don’t. The boardroom area, with its most natural use being a workspace, only had two outlets. They were both under the sink area, which was the furthest area from the window.

Plugs and outlets were plentiful in the bedroom and living area, though. There were outlets near the beds and universal plugs and USB charging ports on the dresser in the master bedroom.

Snack and Minibar (5/5)

The boardroom had a sink and counter area. It was a large area with shelving underneath. This was perfect, and I enjoyed having the extra space for storing snacks, extra water and Nespresso pods. There was a minibar fridge and a Nespresso machine 🙂

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.

Fitness area in the Mexico City Hyatt Regency

Fitness area in the Mexico City Hyatt Regency

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Service

Let me say upfront that the service at the Hyatt Regency Mexico City is second to none, top notch, and all-around excellent. Before my arrival, I needed assistance with two separate travel related issues and received wonderful service from both the Director of Rooms (and her staff), and the Guest Services team.

Let me offer my experiences as examples of the high level of service you’ll receive at the hotel.

The bell desk/concierge team at the Hyatt is an impressive group of well seasoned professionals. Many on the team have worked ten or more years at this property. I had travel plans after my stay that required researching possible options to get to my next destination. I found the options confusing. Even my friends in the US who speak Spanish tried helping me sort things out. However, I still wasn’t able to figure out the best option and how to make contact with the transportation services.

The concierge men became my transportation heroes!

While at the hotel I also had an incident with Alaska Airlines which needed handling. I had to call the airline. The concierge placed the call for me and was kept on hold for almost three hours. I kid you not. There was a snow storm in Seattle and the phone lines were a mess.

When the concierge finally got through, he put the call through to my room. That was at almost midnight!

Both before I arrived in Mexico City and while I was there, the Hyatt team handled everything. Without their help I would still be in Mexico City trying to figure things out. Not that a few more weeks at the Hyatt would have been awful, but you know what I mean!

I can’t help but mention the other levels of service at this hotel because it really does tie into my being so impressed with the Hyatt Regency Mexico City.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Pool

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Pool

Because of my Hyatt Globalist profile, I’m known as the coffee woman. I love coffee, review coffee houses around the world,  and prefer Nespresso coffee makers when in hotel rooms. I even have a preferred Nespresso pod.

The staff not only brought me water bottles galore, but every day they topped off my stash of Nespresso pods. This is the hotel I could live in full-time!!

In fact, no matter what requests I made, everything went smoothly. It was as if the staff anticipated my needs. That’s always a nice feeling.

Delicious fruit plate from room service, Hyatt Regency Mexico City

Delicious fruit plate from room service, Hyatt Regency Mexico City

Room service was always available and housekeeping staff is excellent too. The hotel is very well staffed and there was never a wait at the front desk if I needed to inquire about something. For sure, this is one of the most proactive staffs I’ve encountered at any Hyatt property anywhere.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Sun Deck

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Sun Deck

The restaurants the Hyatt team suggested were great. I still have suggestions on my list for next time I visit! Even their suggestions about what to order from the restaurant menus were perfect. Just take my advice and rely on them for whatever it is you’re needing.

They help from the heart, which is what separates the great hotel staffs and great concierge teams from the good ones. You won’t be disappointed.

On the 40th floor of the hotel there is a huge, beautiful, well-designed Regency Club. The recently renovated club looks great. I loved its clean, crisp, modern-looking decor.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Club Lounge

Recently renovated Hyatt Regency Club Lounge

The club has sweeping views of the city, plenty of options for seating, and offers excellent varied choices for both food and beverages.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Restaurants

I mentioned that the hotel lobby is huge. One restaurant, Rulfo, takes up most of the space. It’s a delicious restaurant featuring mostly Mexican as well as non-Mexican cuisine. It’s open for breakfast and has all day food service. There is also a full service bar.

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Rulfo Restaurant

Hyatt Regency Mexico City Lobby and Rulfo Restaurant

There are other high-quality restaurants in the hotel. One standout is Yoshimi, a Japanese restaurant with a world renowned woman sushi chef! People come from all over Mexico City for Yoshimi’s food.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Amado, another gem in the hotel lobby. It’s a bakery/cafe and everything I tasted there was just so good and well-priced. Do you like Sacher-Torte cake? Then do not miss sampling the torte from Amado! It’s another one of the places in the hotel lobby that attracts locals who come in to the hotel from the side entrance and slip out with whole cakes!

Don’t MISS OUT on the BEST current travel credit card offers that help you travel more for LESS!

Hyatt Regency Amado Cafe

Amado Cafe, Hyatt Regency, Mexico City

Final Thoughts

The Hyatt Regency Mexico City is a fantastic value, especially using free award nights combined with points.

I did have a chance to use the pool, which was a nice treat. The weight room was well-attended and well-equipped, and the sun deck provided a tranquil reprieve for anyone wanting to relax, read, or simply catch the sunlight.

The food and concierge service was spot on, and the suite itself worked extremely well for me.

Given all the hotel stays I accumulate in a year, some of the rooms and hotels end up being good, some are great, and some become memorable. The Hyatt Regency Mexico City created a special memory for me and would absolutely be my choice when I go back again.

Any hotel stay starts with the people, and then gets filled in by the particulars of a room, lounge, and location. From the top down, this hotel has it all. The staff teamwork is impressive and they enjoy working for Hyatt and creating a great experience for their guests. You may arrive as a guest, but you’ll leave as a friend!

The location, amenities, and exceptionally attentive staff puts this hotel on my absolutely would stay here again list, and I hope you’ll get to experience both Mexico City, a city I adore, and the Hyatt Regency Mexico City for yourself!

Related  Articles:

 

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Related Articles

15 comments

Dee April 10, 2021 - 11:30 am

Wow. This sounds like a great place to visit!!

Reply
Shelli April 10, 2021 - 12:41 pm

If you’ve never been to Mexico City, Dee, I highly recommend it. And this Hyatt property is an easy choice for your stay. Well located, and I’ve had multiple all-around great experiences there. Thanks for reading!

Reply
Steven April 10, 2021 - 2:55 pm

Did you fly from TIJ/CBX? If so, how was it?

Reply
Shelli April 10, 2021 - 4:31 pm

Yes, Steven, flew in and back through TIJ. It was super easy in both directions. Buy your CBX ahead of time! I’m a fan of Volaris. I’ve also flown LAX to MEX on AA and that was smooth as well. From MEX to the hotel, 30-45 minutes and under 20$ USD.

Reply
Paul Nagy April 10, 2021 - 3:28 pm

Hi Shelli – Great review!! Were you compensated for this stay in any way?

Paul~

Reply
Shelli April 10, 2021 - 4:29 pm

Thanks for reading, Paul. Great question. No compensation at all for my stay. Not my thing, the comp for review I mean. Mexico City and this Hyatt property, this is my thing 🙂

Reply
MilesMachine_ May 5, 2021 - 11:31 am

Hands down my favorite hotel in Mexico City. Glad you liked it and had a good time, awesome review!

Reply
Shelli May 5, 2021 - 11:34 am

Thanks, MM, for taking the time to read and add your opinion 🙂 Feel free to recommend the review to anyone making a hotel choice. It is a special property in a great location!

Reply
Christian May 5, 2021 - 12:40 pm

Another nice review although being a Hyatt fan I admit to a bit of bias. You mention that upon your arrival there was a committee awaiting you. Any idea why? I’m curious if they knew in advance that you’re a travel blogger and that influenced things. You also mention that you knew in advance for one stay that you had been upgraded into a suite. Since only around 3% of their rooms are suites I’m interested in knowing how to get this benefit now that you have my interest piqued. It’s been way too long since I’ve been to Mexico City. Was there a pool by the sun deck? What did they do for Globalist breakfast? Were most of the touristy type places and things nearby open? Sorry for the slew of questions and thanks.

Reply
Shelli May 5, 2021 - 3:31 pm

Hi Christian, I never mind your questions because they are always good ones and will help other readers as well 🙂 As for the greeting committee and my being known as a travel blogger, let me offer my take on this. I had made and canceled (due to my schedule) numerous reservations at the hotel, so the staff had reached out to me many times before my first actual arrival. As a courtesy, I generally let hotels know my expected arrival time. I can usually tell when a property knows I am a blogger because of the thoughtful and generous offerings. Being a Globalist, I know hotels know certain things about me. In this case I wasn’t “known” as a blogger. I think the greeting had much more to do with the hotel being very well staffed, occupancy being very low, and that finally after all the cancellations, I was actually arriving.

You are correct in complimentary suite upgrades being hard to come by because there are so few suites. Occupancy was low, so they reached out to me and let me know. As a general rule, I apply suite award upgrades to my stays if I want a guarantee. I then monitor as I get closer to my arrival.

Yes, the pool was alongside the sun deck, and both the weight room and the cardio room faced the deck and pool. Really good set-up. Locker rooms recently redone.

During my stay Globalists were given menus to order from and could either take room service or go to the restaurant to dine. I found the offerings generous with both Mexican and American breakfasts. Choose the Mexican ones 🙂

As for what was open and what was closed, it actually changed a lot during my stay. The parks were open and so were the museums. Frida Kahlo museum was open. The concierge team at the hotel is excellent. If you have any specific questions about sites, reach out.

Hope this helps. Mexico City easily occupies a high slot on my cities I really enjoy list!

Reply
James June 6, 2021 - 8:52 pm

Impressive.Makes me want to go. Is there any alternative for club? I know lounge closed but club access rooms are available. Comp Food and beverage were available at restaurants for globalist? Thanks

Reply
Shelli June 6, 2021 - 9:22 pm

Thanks for reading, James. Good questions. They are handling the club being closed very well. Yes, food is comped for Globalists and you have options for both breakfast and what would “normally” be served during the evening in the club. You won’t regret booking a stay at this property!

Reply
Mexico City: What Makes This Capital A World Class Gem? November 27, 2022 - 11:23 am

[…] Learn more about my favorite hotel in Mexico City! […]

Reply
Roberto May 6, 2023 - 6:06 pm

To be honest, I’d rank the Intercontinental next door as a better option in that location. Room rates are lower and it has been renovated more recently (nicer rooms) and it also has great restaurants and customer service. Obviously for Hyatt loyalists the choice would be the Regency but without that extra push I’d go for the Intercontinental.

Reply
Shelli May 6, 2023 - 6:47 pm

You make a good point, Roberto. I was recently in the IHG property and they did a great job on the renovation, especially the lobby area. It does pay to check out rates and compare loyalties between programs as to the value of each option. Thanks for reading and adding to the conversation. Appreciate it!

Reply

Leave a Comment