Advantages None besides our free upgrade after complaining
Disadvantages Parking charges, location, grotty room etc etc
Detailed Rating
| Value for Money | |
|---|---|
| Quality of Rooms | |
| Standard of Service | |
| Quality of Food & Drink | |
| Cleanliness | |
| Quality of Facilities | |
| Family Friendly |
My husband travels a lot with his job and accumulates Hyatt points which we have never used. Whilst planning our trip to San Diego we decided we would try and use some of these points. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get our first choice of hotel at Mission Bay but we opted for the Hyatt Regency at La Jolla instead without doing much research first.
The building seemed very large with a lot of wasted space but we made our way to reception. The staff member we dealt with was very courteous and efficient and informed my husband that since he was a Platinum member we had been given the best available room. We were told parking was $20 a night and valet $25 a night. This expense obviously accounted for the excess number of cars parked all over the roads around the hotel trying to avoid the charge. I can’t see how you could possibly reach this hotel without a car so just put the price on the cost of the room and be upfront about it. Using the internet also costs between $15-20 a day as well but luckily the Platinum status gives us that free too.
The best thing about this Hyatt is the staff and they immediately gave him the key to another room and offered us use of the Regency club for the duration of our stay as compensation for the upset. The new room had the same dull, dirty décor with small holes in the curtains and stains on the carpet but at least it didn’t smell anywhere near as bad and the surfaces and bathroom were clean so we decided to accept it.
The room itself was pretty much a business hotel room with two queen beds, one of which was so close to the wall that my very slim 15 year old son had trouble getting in; the only option was to climb over the end of the bed. There was a desk with chair, a room safe, one cupboard and a chest of drawers which was incredibly difficult to open. There was also a television and an iPod dock.
The room had an opening window and very quiet and effective air-conditioning which was brilliant as the weather was very hot.
As I mentioned we had been given access to the Regency Club by way of an apology. I must say this was fantastic and made a real difference to our holiday budget. The Regency Club is a separate room accessed with your room key that offers a complimentary buffet breakfast, afternoon snacks and canapés in the evening. We found the breakfast selection fantastic, large platters of strawberries and melon, ham and cheese, lots of pastries, bagels, bread and a toaster, various fruit juices and cereals. We really filled up at breakfast and it was perfectly acceptable to take bottles of fruit juice or water and fruit away with you for snacks during the day. In the afternoon there was always tea and coffee and cans of soft drink, nuts (and I love pecans so much!) and cookies and in the evening there were continental meats, olives and crudités. With two teenagers having unlimited access to soft drinks and snacks saved us a fortune.
I would say that I think this is very much a business hotel and not suited to the holiday maker at al. I selected the wrong sort of accommodation for us and the location was my fault. However the shabby state of the rooms were completely unacceptable in my view and considering the hotel description states that they have been refurbished I did hope for better. I dislike parking and internet fees as cheaper establishments manage to include them in the price. The room we ended up staying in would have cost nearly £200 (plus £25 for parking and internet) a night and I can honestly say that the motels we stayed in that were £75-£100 were much more acceptable.
Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, San Diego
Attention, this is the first review from this author
Instead of giving a negative rating, consider:

Help this member by giving your advice

Report fraud (for example plagiarism) or other issue with the review to the Ciao support team
Add your comment
Katieshaz 25/08/2012 13:40
catsholiday 23/08/2012 16:21
Sounds poor for a US hotel
Mildew82 23/08/2012 16:00
Fantastic review!
Nar2 23/08/2012 10:38
E!!
Excellent review. John