Hotel Reviews: Hyatt Regency Houston West

Back in the chain after a long sabbatical, the Hyatt Regency Houston West is back in the chain. Here is my experience during a recent stay.

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On the west side of Houston on the Katy Freeway is the Hyatt Regency Houston West. At the heart of the energy corridor, the property is ideal for those visiting the many oil and gas giants and the businesses that serve them. Within walking distance is the Conoco Phillips headquarters and the Houston headquarters for Shell, among others. For those traveling for a short break, the hotel is a considerable distance from the Houston Hobby Airport and the Intercontinental George Bush.

Address: 13210 Katy Fwy, Houston, Texas 77079

Telephone: +1 281 558 8338

Goods

A classic business hotel, the Hyatt Regency Houston West is a 1980s gem. Reflective exterior glass, an atrium lobby with a fountain, and Koi fish greet guests in a throwback to a bygone era.

Valet parking will greet guests when they arrive, the rate was $ 21 / night at the time of my stay, although globalists redeeming free nights do not have to pay for valet parking.

The hotel lobby gives way to an elegant reception. The property has an outdoor pool and fitness center, although I was unable to use either during my short stay. In the atrium, dog treats welcome furry companions, as the Regency accepts pets – a charming touch.

Globalist Suite Upgrade

The hotel accommodated me for an early check-in and was able to upgrade me to a Globalist suite. Nine years ago, I wrote an article asking if it was possible to complain about an upgrade. Almost a decade later, I’m still not sure that’s the case, but if it does, this would be the upgrade to be complaining about.

The suite was a pair of rooms linked by a connecting door, one converted into a living room and the other into a master bedroom. I’ll get into more detail later, but it actually looks better in my included photos than in person.

Benefit of Globalist Breakfast

Globalist members of the World of Hyatt loyalty program are entitled to breakfast, which is typically offered at the hotel restaurant or through room service. However, “due to COVID,” globalists are allowed to order at the Lobby Cafe on the Lake.

The staff were wonderful and I was able to grab a hot cinnamon bun and coffee on my way out for a meeting. However, at some point the hotel breakfasts will return. Some hotels will wait as long as possible before returning this very valuable benefit to globalists, I’m afraid this hotel will be one of the last to add it.

Previously, I valued my Globalist breakfast at over $ 30 / d. This is the second Regency stay in a row to go this route and it was worth just over $ 10. This has the opposite of the intended effect – instead of starting my day with a pleasant Hyatt experience, I spend my time wondering if I should have picked a cheaper hotel and bought breakfast for myself – same.

Following

The adjoining rooms I stayed in were 3305 and 3306. It consisted of a bedroom (3306) and a lounge / entertainment area (3305.) The hotel started out as Hyatt Regency decades ago. , was converted to Omni, but is now back with the brand. I found remnants of the original design, the Omni touch and now Hyatt’s attempt to take it back. It’s a step back in time so tired that I’m surprised Hyatt reopened it under the flag without completely renovating it.

Bed

The only strong point of the room was the bedding. The full king size bed provided a ton of room but it was actually too big. In fact, it was so big that there was no room to open the dresser drawers and frankly, there was not enough room for easy access to the sitting area and the desk.

Bathroom

The main bathroom was clean and that’s where the compliments end. Next to the restroom was one of those sick hotel wired phones. The mirror and vanity were fine, but the shower was so bad. Bad water pressure, odd over-tub shower with rough beige / pink tile, and of course a curved shower curtain.

TV / Office

In the bedroom there was a very small television above the dresser and a desk near the sitting area. The desk was fine, the sitting area was – to reuse the same old trope – dated. While the room was clean, furniture like this makes it look like it’s not. How could such an old chair be clean again?

Salon

It was in the living room that it was getting weird. I understand that they are trying to offer an option for guests who want the space of a suite without remodeling purpose-built rooms, and they have warned me that this would be the case, however, this was a really strange configuration in a room at that time had already forgotten.

The Murphy bed was already out when I got there but I didn’t need it. The property just stopped worrying about the details. For example, the two spotlights in the room above the Murphy were missing a bulb. Another example of this is a small bar with sink that had room for a fridge, but the hotel had decided to replace the fridge – only they bought the wrong size. No problem, they just put the mini fridge on top of the mini bar and left the cement floor cavity open.

In short, ugly.

Finally, and perhaps the most annoying, one of the two TVs had been recently updated, was large and had all the features and upgrades you want, the other was older, lacked those features and looked like to a standard definition. The nicest TV was in the living room, the smallest was in the bedroom. I would have preferred the other way around personally, but I understand why it was done this way.

Guest bathroom

I like having a guest bathroom so that I can separate my space from any accommodation I can do. I didn’t have any guests on this occasion, so I didn’t spend a lot of time in the guest bathroom. It was the same layout but somehow less luxurious than the main bathroom.

Value

The hotel is priced between $ 115 and $ 140 a night, well below most markets for a business hotel. However, I would not stay here again even at this price. The newer and nicer Hyatt House is nearby, as is a Hyatt Place (for those wishing to stay in the brand) and while they may offer less space, they don’t charge for parking, and the he hotel has been updated in the last 20 years.

For those spending World of Hyatt points, the property is the lowest tier, a Category 1 with just 5,000 points.

Conclusion

I try to find the right one in most places I stay, but this one was so disappointing. I expected more from an older Omni property, but I understand why the previous owners ditched the brand. He needs a makeover, a facelift, he needs a bit of everything. The space in the suite, including the additional living room, was certainly more spacious than I needed, but the keys were missing, it was inconvenient and I was happy to leave. You could do a lot better for about the same amount of money, if not a little less, but without the added expense. Respect yourself and your family and please select anywhere else for your visit to Houston.

What do you think? Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Houston West? How was your experience?