Review: Hyatt Regency Vancouver, a Category-3 property

On a recent trip to Vancouver, BC, I was looking for a one night stay in the city and Hyatt Regency fit my requirements perfectly. As a Hyatt Globalist, I am a lot more assured of room upgrades than as a Platinum member with Bonvoy. It surprising that Hyatt only has one property in Vancouver. As a Category-3 property the Hyatt Regency is a full service hotel, located right in downtown Vancouver, and should appeal to business and leisure travellers alike.

Check-in and Room selection – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

While the hotel building is pretty uninspiring from the outside, the main lobby is grand and spacious. The darker wood paneling on the walls and high ceilings make it look and feel a lot better than a typical Hyatt Regency in North America.

I was booked on a pre-paid cash rate of $290 CAD (taxes in), in a standard King room, and had checked in on the Hyatt app a day before my arrival. Although I arrived at the hotel well past the standard check-in time, I had not received a notification of room upgrade or a mobile key assignment yet, which had me a little concerned. Upon presenting myself at the check-in desk, the polite staff member went through the regular process of thanking me for the loyalty and also confirmed that I was assigned a King room with balcony (technically an upgrade) on the 31st floor of the hotel.

My inquiry about a suite upgrade caused the front desk staff to retreat to the back room, for a chat with the supervisor. They returned shortly and explained that the only standard suite available for upgrade was on the 10th floor, didn’t have a balcony or much of a view. They confirmed that the supervisor had intentionally switched my room assignment to the newer room with balcony instead. While I was mildly disappointed about not being in a suite, I appreciated their candor. I decided to take the room with the balcony, and upon some research concluded that the higher floor King room with balcony was indeed a better option than a junior suite without a balcony.

Main Lobby, Check-in desk

A full service Starbucks is located inside the hotel, which seems popular, with many patrons using the common seating to enjoy their beverages.

Main Lobby – Starbucks

Lobby Seating – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

In a high rise hotel, one of my pet peeves is either a slow elevator, or just not enough elevators for the guests. Hyatt Regency Vancouver has this area more than covered, with a setup of 5 elevators, and a an elegant touch-screen system for accessing guest floors in the building.

King Room with Balcony – Hyatt Regency

The elevator lobby area on each floor was elegantly designed with artwork and comfortable/tall cushion chairs. Not sure if anyone actively uses them, but it was nice to look at, with different colour palate and art work on each of the floors.

Elevator waiting area

The King room with balcony was impressive, not fancy, but a spacious and well maintained room. The size of that balcony is unreal, and the views delightful. The property has rooms facing city, mountains and the sea – in my case a balcony that overlooked all three! I will let the pictures do the talking;

King Room with Balcony – Floor 31

Old School: I do prefer a working desk in rooms

Reading Nook

Floor 31 Balcony – City/Sea/Sunrise view

Balcony views – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

City View

This is where things got sloppy for me, the coffee setup was average at best – Coffee machine not clean from the inside, one of the glasses was foggy (perhaps used) and unclean. Sachets of Splenda and Coffee Mate was soul crushing. And aesthetically speaking, the wooden cabinet of the fridge looked from the 90’s – sigh.

Coffee and Fridge cabinet

Bathroom was basic, but clean

Breakfast – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Breakfast was served at the Mosaic grille & bar, which was a large seating area that doubles as a restaurant and bar in the evenings. The full menu service was really nice, and if I recall correctly each guest was covered for $29 worth of food and drinks for breakfast.

Mosaic grille & bar – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Mosaic Grille & Bar Menu

Classic Breakfast – Mosaic grille & bar

Other Amenities – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

This was my first time at the property, and while I was not able to avail all the amenities of the hotel (COVID restrictions), I did squeeze out time to grab a drink at Grain Tasting Bar, which looked like a wonderful place to host some friends over evening drinks.

Grain Tasting Bar – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Grain Tasting Bar – Seating

As part of the full service property, Hyatt Regency Vancouver also had a nice pool, and hot tub for guests. Perhaps unsurprisingly, neither were being used during these COVID times.

Take Away – Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Look, I will be honest, its not an aspirational property by any means. That said, it is a solid (the only?) option in a city where hotel rates can be extremely high. I got what I went in for, a more than comfortable room, great views, a standard breakfast, and a very courteous and helpful staff. For fellow Hyatt fans, you do not have a choice in Vancouver, and that’s too bad, but 12,000 points a night is a good price point, imo. I can’t wait for Hyatt to step up their game in Vancouver, BC, and offer members a property to be proud of.