Hyatt Regency Hotel, Tampa

...the unfurled flags of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I have been a member of the Hyatt Gold Passport scheme for about five years now and have been very impressed by the standards that are maintained in their premises both in Europe and the States. I have stayed at this hotel in the heart of downtown on several occasions.

THE HOTEL

Situated on the corner of Jackson Street and Tampa Street, the Hyatt Regency is at Two Tampa ...
...booked our stay through the Hyatt website. A prepayment by credit card of one night was required as a holding deposit. This would have been refunded in event of cancellation up to 48 hours before arrival. At various times of the year there are special internet rates available but Hyatt.com guarantee to provide the lowest quotations. We stayed over a weekend when the room rate was $74 a night (occupancy and sales tax was an additional $8.88).
more

I do enjoy the downtown area of Tampa – the skyscrapers, Harbour Island, Channelside. After negotiating the perplexing one way system of roads in the central area of the city it is a delight to be greeted by the unfurled flags of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I have been a member of the Hyatt Gold Passport scheme for about five years now and have been very impressed by the standards that are maintained in their premises both in Europe and the States. I have stayed at this hotel in the heart of downtown on several occasions.

THE HOTEL

Situated on the corner of Jackson Street and Tampa Street, the Hyatt Regency is at Two Tampa City Centre. Its neighbour, to which it is linked by covered walkways, is the Verizon tower. It is also adjacent to the ‘scraper that was struck by the light aircraft at the beginning of 2002. There is an adjacent ‘pay-as-you-go’ multi-story car park, but multiple use valet parking is offered for a daily charge of $12. The valet parking entrance is on Tampa Street. Outside the main door are stops for the Hillsborough Public Transport System Uptown and CrossTown Connector buses (Free). A short walk away is the new electric streetcar service to Ybor City.

The reception and concierge desks in the foyer and are reached from the Jackson Street entrance. Gold passport holders have their own check in desk. We arrived at eleven o’clock in the morning and our rooms were ready for us. There is a small shop selling newspapers, T-shirts and souvenirs which until very recently was managed by WH Smith. I gather they are currently selling out their interests in the States.

The hotel has 521 rooms (108 designated Gold Passport) and 18 suites. There is an outdoor heated pool with sun deck and whirlpool on the roof of the fifth floor. There is also a health club with the expected apparatus (which we did not explore!).

There is a large convention and conference area on the second and third floors reached by a long elevator from the bar area. This area was landscaped about three years ago with marble, trees and plants, brass rails and water – making an impressive backdrop to the foyer. The hotel on the whole is clean and well maintained although there are one or two carpets in the most public of areas which have seen better days.

THE ROOM

Our room (with comfortable king sized bed) was quite spacious and situated on the eleventh floor. There was a short corridor leading from the main door into the room proper. The décor is dark brown with dark furniture and furnishings. I found it quite relaxing but it is perhaps not to everybody’s taste. The room is equipped with the usual furnishings including television, desk, easy chairs and table, coffee maker, iron and hair dryer. Guests were welcomed with a jar of boiled sweets. The drapes were of very heavy fabric which cut out all daylight. With the curtains open we had a pleasant view out over Franklin Street towards the harbour.

The bathroom is en suite – small but functional – and provided with toiletries. The shower was fitted over the bath.

There was a nightly turn-down service with a small chocolate block left on each pillow. During a previous visit a couple of years ago my daughter had her birthday in this hotel and was delighted to find a small gift wrapped box of chocolates and a small gift left for her.

THE AVANZARE RESTAURANT AND BAR.

The Avanzare restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner; the menu is Mediterranean in style which could be rather limiting for more than a few days stay. The seating is part conventional and part at semi-circular tables. The waiters were attentive and accommodating (“French fries instead of chef’s risotto, please”, “Certainly sir!”) We dined well on starters of Mussels in a tomato/garlic sauce and Portabello mushrooms followed by a very tender filet mignon and Sea Bass. There is a respectable wine list with some good offerings (Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon - $8) served by the glass.

The full bar is located at the base of the three storey waterfall and the sound of cascading water pervades the area. The delight is that it is one of the few places that we have found Ybor Gold lager served on draft; poured directly from the tap into tall frozen glasses.. Bar snacks and light meals are also served through the day. There is a small adjacent Starbucks servery which dispenses coffee and biscuits.

In previous years there was a second restaurant – the City Bar and Grill – which opened onto Jackson Street and Franklin Street. This is currently closed for refurbishment.

THE ENVIRONS.

There are several attractions within walking distance of the hotel – all worth a visit (Florida Aquarium, St Pete Times Arena – the old Ice Palace, the University of Tampa, Convention Center, Harbour Island, Tampa Seaport.) Ybor City is a short ride away on the new electric tram system.

In fact I can heartily recommend my review of this exciting and vibrant city that I posted some months ago. You could find it at “Tampa – it’s my kinda town” (http://www.ciao.co.uk/Tampa__Review_5314293)

OUR STAY

We booked our stay through the Hyatt website. A prepayment by credit card of one night was required as a holding deposit. This would have been refunded in event of cancellation up to 48 hours before arrival. At various times of the year there are special internet rates available but Hyatt.com guarantee to provide the lowest quotations. We stayed over a weekend when the room rate was $74 a night (occupancy and sales tax was an additional $8.88).

CONCLUSIONS:

So my last word is that the Hyatt Regency in Tampa is a delightful hotel in the heart of the action. Although it currently has a limited eatery, it does serve Ybor Gold beer (my personal favourite) on draft.

I have always been impressed with my stays at Hyatt Hotels. In many respects it is so disappointing that they have but one representative in the UK (Birmingham). With standards so high and so uniform, I tend to compare the hotel in question against my experience of the chain as a whole, rather than against other hotels in the area.

If I could, I would award 7 out of 10 for this hotel (3½* out of 5). ‘8’ is a touch generous in comparison with some of the grander Hyatt hotels but then ‘6’ would seem churlish and mean. I have stayed at the much larger Grand Hyatt hotel at West Bayshore in Tampa very recently (review to follow soon). Earlier this month I sampled two of the Hyatt hotels in Orlando (Grand Cypress Resort, Hyatt Regency at Orlando International Airport). They all have their good points and can be recommended.
 

...less