We took the train from the airport to Mainz, which took all of 20 minutes, and then took a cab from the train station to the hotel, since it was snowy outside. While there was no one in sight to help us with our bags upon arrival, that wasn’t really an issue.
Hyatt Regency Mainz exterior
The lobby was beautiful and light-filled, with a very nice lobby lounge.
Hotel entrance
Lobby
Lobby
We proceeded to check-in where we were warmly greeted. I always seem to have the strangest interactions with customer service agents in Germany. Even when I speak to them in German, they seem to respond in English once they see my US passport.
Anyway, check-in was prompt, and we were informed of the Diamond benefits, including free internet and access to the club lounge. However, due to the holidays the hotel was short staffed, so they were only serving the evening cocktails in the lounge. Breakfast would be in the restaurant in the lobby, which was great, since a restaurant breakfast is always much better than a club lounge breakfast.
Our room was on the club level, which was the sixth floor.
Sixth floor hallway
Now, it’s a given that hotel rooms in Europe are smaller than in the US, though the room was very tastefully decorated. The pictures really don’t do the room justice. The one thing “detracting” from the modern feel of the room was the ancient TV.
Rhine view room
Desk and TV
The room had a lovely view of the Rhine river. Being from Florida, I actually kind of enjoyed the snowy view outside my window.
Rhine view
The bathroom was pretty big and featured a tub and shower (though the design was interesting in that the shower and tub were separated from the rest of the bathroom by a glass shield).
Bathroom
Tub and shower
The ever-so-slightly disappointing aspect of the stay revolved around the Diamond welcome amenity. As I blogged about during my stay, on the second night I phoned down to the front desk to inform them that the food and beverage Diamond welcome amenity had not yet been delivered. They informed me that there should be some apples in my room. It’s disappointing that this hotel considers four “aged” apples to be a welcome amenity, when other hotels provide a bottle of wine and box of chocolates, or the like.
That being said, I was impressed by the fact that, without following up, the GM of the hotel emailed me a couple of days after my stay to acknowledge the “problem” (if you want to call it that), and to say they are working on it and reconsidering the amenity.
Desk at entrance
Diamond welcome amenity
The club lounge spread in the evening was fairly decent with a nice drink selection too. I was over the moon just enjoying German Fanta, which is my favorite drink in the world, bar none. Other than that the selection was fairly decent as well. They had cheese, crackers, veggies, chips and guacamole, and several desserts, including creme brulee.
Regency Club
Regency Club
The highlight of the hotel, though, was Bellpepper, the hotel restaurant. We had breakfast there both mornings since the club lounge was closed. While breakfast retailed for something like 27 Euro/person, it was complimentary for us.
Not only was the restaurant beautifully appointed, but the food was phenomenal. I was no doubt in a carb coma both mornings after eating here (freshly baked German bread+Nutella=happy Lucky), but it was totally worth it. They had everything, from freshly squeezed orange juice to all kinds of fruit, pastries, meats, cheeses, and even cooked to order egg dishes. The service was disorganized, taking into account how few guests there were and how many people were working there, though they were friendly nonetheless.
A major Asian airline known for their attractive flight attendants puts their crews up here, and it was certainly entertaining to watch the crews there, since it seemed to be just us and them every morning. There were also the accompanying British/Australian pilots that sat at their own tables, incessantly ordering coffee and reading books.
Bellpepper
Bellpepper
All in all, I had a fantastic stay and would return in a heartbeat. Given the rate of 108 Euro/night I paid (all-in), this was an absolutely phenomenal bargain, especially with the restaurant breakfast. One tip for those of you thinking of staying here. Apparently the hotel has only two “standard” suites, so if you’re a Diamond looking to use a confirmed suite upgrade at this hotel, book early. I would have used a suite upgrade, but I booked my stay too late, as the suites were already booked.
And while the purpose of my visit was more seeing family than sightseeing, here are a few pictures I took of Mainz:
Walkway along the Rhein
Christmas Market in Mainz
Crazy people standing outside in the cold drinking Glühwein 😉
Another Christmas Market shot
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