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.
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