- Introduction: The Flight Of A Lifetime
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles Airport
- Review: Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles Airport
- Review: Etihad Business Class 787 Washington To Abu Dhabi
- Review: Shangri-La Abu Dhabi
- Review: Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi
- Review: Etihad Residence Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport
- Review: Etihad Residence A380 Abu Dhabi To Sydney
- Review: Hyatt Regency Sydney
- Review: Virgin Australia Lounge Sydney Airport
- Review: Virgin Australia Business Class 737 Sydney To Melbourne
- Review: Etihad Lounge Melbourne Airport
- Review: Virgin Australia Business Class 777 Melbourne To Los Angeles
One of my favorite city hotels in the world is the Park Hyatt Sydney, which I’ve stayed at several times. So as much as I would have loved to stay there again, I was determined to review something new. In this case I thought it would be fun to check out the new Hyatt Regency Sydney.
This hotel opened late last year, and was partly the former Four Points by Sheraton Darling Harbour. Hyatt took over the Four Points and built an additional tower as well, and it’s a much more budget friendly option than the Park Hyatt. So as much as the Park Hyatt is incredible, it’s typically 3-4x the price of the Hyatt Regency.
The Hyatt Regency Sydney is a Category 5 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night redemption would cost 20,000 points. Alternatively you can make a Points + Cash booking for 10,000 points plus 165AUD per night.
However, in my case paying cash seemed like the better value, given that I value Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents each. The cash rate was 250AUD (~185USD) per night, which is what I paid for my two night stay.
The Hyatt Regency has nearly 900 rooms, and is the largest hotel in all of Australia. The hotel is right on the harbor, and consists of two attached buildings, both of which are visible in the below picture.
Hyatt Regency Sydney exterior
When I arrived at the hotel I was welcomed by the bellmen and pointed towards reception.
Hyatt Regency Sydney exterior
I was very impressed by the lobby, especially given that this used to be a Four Points. The lobby was gorgeous, and had several different “desks,” which created a more intimate experience for such a mega hotel.
Hyatt Regency Sydney reception
Hyatt Regency Sydney reception
The lobby had some comfortable and modern seating.
Hyatt Regency Sydney lobby
Hyatt Regency Sydney lobby
The check-in process was efficient, and they did a great job of recognizing my Globalist status. I was informed that I had been upgraded to a studio suite and had access to the Regency Club, and I was also asked if I needed late check-out. I was then escorted up to my room.
The elevators were located to the right of reception, and there were six of them (which may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t for nearly 900 rooms).
Hyatt Regency Sydney elevators
As you could see from the exterior, the hotel consists of two buildings, which are connected. The main building is the old wing, which is where you are when you step out of the elevator.
Hyatt Regency Sydney hallway
Out of the elevator I turned left and then after walking maybe 200 feet I found myself in the new wing, which had different carpet.
Hyatt Regency Sydney hallway
My studio suite, 891, was at the far end of the hallway on the right.
The room was absolutely gorgeous. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to call this a studio suite — it felt to me more like a corner room — but it was generously sized for sure.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite
It featured an extremely comfortable king size bed with great bedding, and across from it was a TV that swiveled.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite
Then in the far corner of the room was a hybrid couch and daybed. Next to it was a hybrid desk and dining table. I think the desk solution they had was pretty good, since it was comfortable enough as a desk, but also had an ottoman that could double as a seat, so that you could easily have a meal for two there.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite sitting area & desk
My one frustration was the location of the outlets. I know this is minor in the grand scheme of things, but I don’t understand how a newly designed room could get this wrong. The outlets were located immediately underneath the desk, so you had to get on your knees in order to plug anything in.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite inconvenient outlet locations
Back by the entrance was a closet and minibar.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite minibar
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite minibar
Impressively the room had a Nespresso machine, which I don’t generally expect from a mid-range hotel — very nice.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite Nespresso machine
The bathroom was located on the opposite side of the room. It had a walk-in shower, toilet, soaking tub, and sink.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite bathroom
I thought the shower was both very well designed and also somewhat poorly designed. I appreciated that the shower controls were to the side of the shower, so you could get your preferred temperature before stepping inside. At the same time, I wish that the shower had a door. I love taking hot showers, and it’s easier to make it really hot when you have a door.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite bathroom
Toiletries were provided by Pharmacopia, which I far prefer to Hyatt’s usual toiletries.
Hyatt Regency Sydney Pharmacopia toiletries
The room also had a very nice panoramic view of the harbor.
Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite view
Overall I thought the room was great. The room was fresh, modern, (mostly) well designed, and spacious. Wifi was also free and fast.
At check-in I had been given a letter with information about the Regency Club, located on the 11th floor. The lounge is open daily from 6:30AM until 10PM, with service during the following hours:
- Breakfast — 6:30AM to 10:30AM (11AM on weekends)
- Evening cocktails — 6PM to 8PM
Here’s the welcome letter for the Regency Club:
This has to be one of the nicest Regency Clubs I’ve seen anywhere. The lounge is spacious, has great views, and is nicely decorated. In many ways the design reminded me of the Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney.
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge
The lounge had a nice variety of seating options, including communal tables, dining tables, sofas, etc.
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge
The views from the lounge weren’t bad either. 😉
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge view
The first night I checked out the evening spread. The buffet itself is visually appealing.
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge food service area
The lounge had a selection of self serve wine, beer, and liquor.
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge evening drinks
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge evening drinks
The food selection itself was solid, but not great. It was certainly better than what you’d find at most properties in North America, but not as good as what you’d find at most properties in Asia. I’ll let the pictures mostly speak for themselves.
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge evening snacks
The breakfast spread was quite good as well.
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
There were a few hot dishes, including bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs.
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast
There were also eggs to order available, which is a nice feature that you don’t find in many club lounges.
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge breakfast omelet station
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge omelet
Throughout the day there were light snacks in the lounge, including nuts, cookies, and chips.
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge daytime snacks
Most importantly, you could grab coffee in the lounge all day.
Hyatt Regency Sydney club lounge coffee machine
One of the things I love most about lounges is the ability to just have a quiet place from which to work, so I spent some time up there drinking coffee and sparkling water while on my laptop. Kudos to them for having San Pellegrino!
Hyatt Regency Sydney executive lounge coffee & water
In terms of the hotel’s other facilities, there was a gym on the first floor. Oddly the gym had two separate rooms. In other words, to get from one room to the other you had to go back into the hallway and then enter a separate room. One room had weights.
Hyatt Regency Sydney gym
Hyatt Regency Sydney gym
Meanwhile the other room had cardio equipment.
Hyatt Regency Sydney gym
Hyatt Regency Sydney gym
The hotel also has a restaurant and bar just off the lobby, though I didn’t eat or drink anything there.
Hyatt Regency Sydney restaurant
Hyatt Regency Sydney bar
There’s one other element of the hotel that I haven’t covered until now. While the rooms and Regency Club were gorgeous, the public facilities were a zoo. This hotel has a fairly small lobby and limited number of elevators for a hotel of this size. A vast majority of the guests staying here seemed to be either tour groups or convention-goers, so the public spaces felt chaotic.
I took all the public facility pictures at 4AM, which is why they look so peaceful. However, during the day it was stressful to be in the lobby. Similarly, the elevators would often take a while to arrive and then stop on every floor. I guess this shouldn’t come as a surprise for Australia’s biggest hotel, which is also connected to a convention center, but it is something to be aware of.
Hyatt Regency Sydney bottom line
The Hyatt Regency Sydney exceeded my expectations. I had fairly low expectations given that this used to be a Four Points, but was very pleasantly surprised. My room was spacious and well appointed, the Regency Club was gorgeous, and the hotel has a convenient location. Furthermore, it’s reasonably priced for Sydney, in my opinion.
The one thing to be aware of is that this hotel is huge, and the public areas can be a bit chaotic with frantic tour groups. So don’t expect the hotel to be calm in the public areas, though that’s a small price to pay for great rooms with nice views and an excellent club lounge.
I’d return in a heartbeat, given the price point.
@Eric Oh no! I can just picture you bonking your head whilst running on the treadmill, then trying to run a little tilted to the side. Good thing for you there aren't any desserts at the cocktail hour since you're not getting your cardio.
@FNT Delta Diamond Yes, I had the same impression of the "studio suite". BTW, that name sounds like an oxymoron. How can it be a studio if it's a suite?...
@Eric Oh no! I can just picture you bonking your head whilst running on the treadmill, then trying to run a little tilted to the side. Good thing for you there aren't any desserts at the cocktail hour since you're not getting your cardio.
@FNT Delta Diamond Yes, I had the same impression of the "studio suite". BTW, that name sounds like an oxymoron. How can it be a studio if it's a suite? Isn't a studio something that is one room and a suite something is more than one room? Regardless, it's a nice room even if it is the jumbo shrimp of Sydney.
Stayed there back in January and received the same exact room as an upgrade! The only difference from my stay was that chaise lounge wasn't in the room. The option of checking out at the club lounge was great since the queues in the lobby can get quite long. Nice review!
Lucky, why limit yourself to eating in the Club when Sydney is full of amazing places to eat?! You're but a 5-10 minute walk from countless cafes and restaurants.
That said, I realise that reviewing the buffet etc is part of the gig. Out of interest, I'd love to read a detailed post in future about how you manage your health given your eating lifestyle of airline food and hotel buffets.
Just as an FYI, whilst the hotel used to be a Four Points, it was renovated with the intention to change it over to a Hyatt Regency. It only looked like that as a Four Points for a couple of months.
And lucky - you are correct - the new wing was never used as a Four Points - it didn't open until soon after the name change to the Hyatt.
Shame such a nice hotel is located in Sydney's biggest tourist dump... Darling Harbour is a hole!
I could not stay at the Hyatt Regency knowing my gorgeous Park Hyatt was within view.
I was gonna comment "did you take these pictures at like 3 AM?" hahah rightfully so...
also no rooftop bar?
Would be nice to see photos that more accurately reflect the crowds. Otherwise, great review!
1. I'm surprised to learn that Australia doesn't have a single hotel with more than 900 rooms. That's surprisingly.
2. For a "studio suite" it looks rather spartan. There certainly isn't much to the decor. Unless they were going for the sophisticated-meets-spartan look.
3. The lounge looks a little small for a 900-room hotel, especially given that Hyatt sells access to the Regency Club to non-elite guests. Was there sparkling wine on offer?...
1. I'm surprised to learn that Australia doesn't have a single hotel with more than 900 rooms. That's surprisingly.
2. For a "studio suite" it looks rather spartan. There certainly isn't much to the decor. Unless they were going for the sophisticated-meets-spartan look.
3. The lounge looks a little small for a 900-room hotel, especially given that Hyatt sells access to the Regency Club to non-elite guests. Was there sparkling wine on offer? Did they offer the Pepsi or Coke during the day? Unfortunately, some Regency Club lounges only offer coffee and water during the day.
Mate, great review.
Sadly you missed mentioning the Rooftop Bar. One of the best rooftop bars out there;
https://sydney.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/zephyr.html
Next time....
For your interest the tall building in one of your photos 'Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite view' is the new;
Sofitel Hotel; http://www.sofitelsydneydarlingharbour.com.au/
& across from that next to The Star (casino) is to be the new,
Ritz Carlton; http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/putting-on-the-ritzcarlton-the-star-heralds-return-of-luxury-hotel-20161208-gt76wz.html
Down from where you stayed is...
Mate, great review.
Sadly you missed mentioning the Rooftop Bar. One of the best rooftop bars out there;
https://sydney.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/zephyr.html
Next time....
For your interest the tall building in one of your photos 'Hyatt Regency Sydney studio suite view' is the new;
Sofitel Hotel; http://www.sofitelsydneydarlingharbour.com.au/
& across from that next to The Star (casino) is to be the new,
Ritz Carlton; http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/putting-on-the-ritzcarlton-the-star-heralds-return-of-luxury-hotel-20161208-gt76wz.html
Down from where you stayed is being built the new,
W Hotel; https://www.ausbt.com.au/w-hotel-sydney-to-open-2019
Look forward to many more returns to Sydney to review some of these new babies!
Lucky, two things- maybe nit-picky, but the view is over Darling Harbour/Cockle Bay - which opens to Sydney Harbour. 2ndly, a major feature of the new Hyatt Regency is its rooftop bar, which doesn't seem to get a mention.
Sorry for being a pesky Sydney spider.
They must of done a fair amount of work to convert that from a Four Points. Unless that was the nicest Four Points ever haha
This may go against many bloggers, but I much preferred the Hyatt Regency overPark Hyatt in Sydney.
The Regency is good enough, and such a better location. The views are obviously spectacular from the Park Hyatt, but the location means quite a long walk to get to the CBD (downtown) or a train switch to get around by train. For a stay more than a couple of nights in Sydney, the Hyatt Regency is near Town Hall station, so far more convenient to get around the city.
@matt Crown has 1500 rooms, but that is split between 3 different property's ( Crown towers, Metropol and Promenade) The Hyatt Regency is still the largest single hotel in Australia.
Just a nitpicky point, Crown in Melbourne has 1500+ rooms, so not the largest hotel in Australia. That said, I stayed here when it was the four points and it looks like a massive improvement!
I've stayed at the hotel about 30 nights this year for work (always in the corner suite you reviewed), and was similarly impressed. Very happy to have an affordable Hyatt option in Sydney!
My only gripe is that the cardio room is tiny, and the ceilings are too low for me to use the treadmill or other equipment. I'd say if you're over 6' or so you're out of luck.
The lounge staff are really...
I've stayed at the hotel about 30 nights this year for work (always in the corner suite you reviewed), and was similarly impressed. Very happy to have an affordable Hyatt option in Sydney!
My only gripe is that the cardio room is tiny, and the ceilings are too low for me to use the treadmill or other equipment. I'd say if you're over 6' or so you're out of luck.
The lounge staff are really lovely...especially after you've been there for days on end. :-) My only complaint about the buffet is that they don't have dessert options at night except for those cookies Lucky mentions.
This looks like a big improvement from the Four Points! It also seems like it's comparably priced to the Intercontinental Sydney, which is nice but showing some signs of age. Will definitely consider the Hyatt Regency next time I'm on that side of the world!
This used to be the ANA hotel when it first opened catering for Japanese tourists. It then became the Four Points. Am surprised they didn't put you in a suite.
@Alex not worth it. It's just a KE A330 with the CSA exterior paint
Ben, have you reviewed CSA Business Class PRG - ICN yet ?
The lack of well placed ports is clearly a carry over from the Four Points days. For a business traveller hotel, you'd think this was a pretty basic one to get right.
@ Scott -- But I believe the wing I was staying in was newly built? I believe the old wing is the former Four Points.