This past weekend I had to be in Redmond, Washington, so it seemed like a great opportunity to try out the Hyatt House. Hyatt House is Hyatt’s newest brand. This particular hotel used to be a Hotel Sierra, and then was rebranded as a Hyatt House earlier this year. I guess Hyatt House competes most closely with Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard, etc., given that they offer free internet and breakfast, as well as extended stay hotels, given that they offer kitchens and “studios.”
Well, I was actually really impressed by the property, and found it to be a step above what the competition offers in the same “category.”
The hotel exterior was beautiful, and the lobby was inviting and warm.
Hotel exterior
Lobby
Lobby
The check-in agent was friendly though seemed to have no concept of Hyatt status, since she just stared blankly at my Gold Passport card and I wasn’t offered an upgrade of any sort.
My room was on the 5th floor at the very end of the hallway, which was quite a haul. The hotel is deceivingly big.
Hallway
The room itself was the most impressive part of the hotel, though. I don’t know what it was, but it just felt very “livable,” something I can’t even say about many high end hotels I’ve stayed at. It featured a desk and kitchen right near the entrance. While I’m not one to cook in hotel rooms (or at home, for that matter), I can appreciate a full size fridge.
Room
Desk and kitchen
Kitchen
I suspect part of what made the room feel so livable was how high the ceilings were and how bright the room was.
High ceilings
Living room
The room featured a comfy king size bed.
Bedroom
View from my room
The bedroom led into the bathroom, which featured a separate sink area and then a door leading to the toilet and shower.
Instead of having individually bottled toiletries the hotel has “pumps” with toiletries. Usually that annoys me, though these pumps actually worked and were full, which I can’t say for 90% of hotels with a similar system.
Sink
Toilet
Shower
The hotel offered free breakfast for guests in their restaurant area. They had cereal, several hot options, and even an omelet station. While it was by no means gourmet, I did think it was much better than anything I’ve seen at other chain hotels that uniformly offer free breakfast.
Restaurant
Breakfast spread
Breakfast spread
The hotel also had a pretty basic gym which I used once.
Gym
Anyway, on the whole I was really impressed by Hyatt House. The rooms were clean and nicely furnished, the public facilities were inviting, and all the employees I interacted with were friendly. For a rate of under $100 per night, what more could you ask for?
And on a mildly unrelated note, I really love the state of Washington, especially compared to Tampa (which is filled with nothing but strip malls and strip clubs, neither of which I patronize).
Was there a shade on the high window in the vaulted part of the room?
Glad you love Washington State, just as I do. I traveled for business two weeks per month for two and a half years between California and Washington State before moving to the Midwest. Very fortunate to have close relatives living in the Evergreen State, no doubt I am settling there when I will have a family.
I was staying at a Hampton Inn here at Fishkill and our customer raved so much about the Hyatt House that I switched hotels mid stay and am very impressed by it.
Lucky,
Glad you love Washington, but have you seen the "other" part of the state,east of the Cascades?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RichlandWaRattlesnakeYakima.jpg
It looks like you were on the top floor and got an upgrade. IME I get the upgrade (if any) without having to show my card.
Also, Washington has plenty of strip clubs. Maybe not in Redmond, but there are several in Seattle, including one that used to be right next door to the Four Seasons and another still in business across from the main entrance to Pike Place Market.
@Bob - For many people yes the little bottles are wasteful, but for some of us they are fantastic. I have a stockpile of lotion from hotels and when we empty a bottle it goes into my wife's painting supplies. She uses them to store her mixed paint when she's doing a specific painting.
@Lucky - That last sentence struck me. I'm currently wrestling with a decision to move from Denver to either Tampa or...
@Bob - For many people yes the little bottles are wasteful, but for some of us they are fantastic. I have a stockpile of lotion from hotels and when we empty a bottle it goes into my wife's painting supplies. She uses them to store her mixed paint when she's doing a specific painting.
@Lucky - That last sentence struck me. I'm currently wrestling with a decision to move from Denver to either Tampa or Seattle. I'm assuming you would be an emphatic advocate of Seattle?
I'll have to check out this hotel the next time I'm in the area.
If you're ever in the San Jose, CA area, I highly recommend the Hyatt House Silicon Valley/San Jose. The hotel is also a converted Hotel Sierra. It's only about a year old and the vibe and decor is very similar to the Redmond hotel.
In my experience, they treat Hyatt Diamond members very well.
nice report on a brand not many know.
I think we need to consider more thoughtfully our complaints about hotel toiletries, and if bathroom liquids are being offered in refillable pump bottles or little separate ones. In an age where conservation, recycling and all-around 'green' thinking should be encouraged for businesses, I'd give good marks to a hotel using refillable pump bottles over disposable little ones. As long as the soap/shampoo is quality, those...
nice report on a brand not many know.
I think we need to consider more thoughtfully our complaints about hotel toiletries, and if bathroom liquids are being offered in refillable pump bottles or little separate ones. In an age where conservation, recycling and all-around 'green' thinking should be encouraged for businesses, I'd give good marks to a hotel using refillable pump bottles over disposable little ones. As long as the soap/shampoo is quality, those little bottles are wasteful.
Very possibly - there were plenty of blue outfitted young men around all the time. But there were also many large families with lots of young children. Breakfast was overrun when we were there. I needed the stay credit, so I'm okay with a lot of loud.
Oh hayyy, that's the pipeline trail through my neighborhood :P
Wonder who you were with when it was taken?
@ Josh G -- I'm not positive, but I believe it does replace Summerfield Suites as well.
@ Holly -- Hah, too funny! It was pretty busy, it seemed like there was some high school soccer team staying there, or something. Was that maybe what made it seem crowded?
@ Jimgotkp -- Hah, actually spent my first night in Bellevue.
@ AK -- The beauty of scheduling posts to ensure you guys aren't bored out of your minds. ;)
@ BrewerSEA -- Persian food=awesome
@ Label -- That was the weekend rate. It seems more expensive on weekdays.
@ Dan -- Nope, no need at all, as it should be in the computer. That being said, I always present it with the credit card just to remind the agent in a subtle way that an upgrade would be nice. ;)
Holy Cow!
We were there too Lucky, on Saturday night. We were also on the 5th floor, at the end, with the same view as yours.
I thought the hotel was a great value for the price, but it's doubtful we'll stay here again. I loved the look of the hotel, dark colors, heavy wood.....but it was a mob scene all weekend. A bit too crowded and noisy for me, but swell if you need to be in Redmond. I think we'll go back to the Hyatt in Bellevue next time we visit our son.
I didn't know something like this existed in my neck of the woods. That area where the hotel is located wasn't anything like it is today when I was growing up. Great location though. For those who like micro brews, Red Hook Brewery is like 10-15 minutes away. I've actually rode my bike to the brewery from there and back. The ride back on the trail was tough after some beers.
Most/ All HP & HH are franchisee, compared to full service Hyatts. Forget about upgrades, a Hyatt employee could get a free night in Park Hyatt Tokyo , but will have to pay $40 for HP !!!!
I didn't know TPA had two types of strips, but don't forget winter in SEA, WA has lots of rain and grey skies, but the area is beautiful in spring and summer. The review of the Hyatt House(formerly Summerfield Suites)Redmond is great, and it looks like they wish this to be a very modern style hotel which provides a good value.
I'm not sure why the Hyatt SS brand is so maligned. We tend to find them very good value. Breakfast is usually way better than HP. As for UG's, well, we've been UG'ed to a 2BR on occasion, but have also been told that the 'computer won't let them'. So it's very YMMV.
Honestly, I don't know why Hyatt doesn't allow Diamonds to use confirmed suite UG's at the SS to move from a...
I'm not sure why the Hyatt SS brand is so maligned. We tend to find them very good value. Breakfast is usually way better than HP. As for UG's, well, we've been UG'ed to a 2BR on occasion, but have also been told that the 'computer won't let them'. So it's very YMMV.
Honestly, I don't know why Hyatt doesn't allow Diamonds to use confirmed suite UG's at the SS to move from a 1BR to a 2BR. I know that many will scoff at the idea, but for families like mine, it's a nice perk.
I definitely agree with you. I was just at the Hyatt House Charlotte and was very impressed by the hotel. I also had the the same issues with clueless front desk agents who didn't have the correct rate and forgot to remove some comped charges.
Does this Hyatt House concept also replace Summerfield Suites? It will be inteesting to see how Hyatt differentiates Hyatt Place with Hyatt House, I guess the former is more like Marriott SpringHill Suites while that later is more closely aligned with Residence Inn/Homewood Suites/Element
@ AK- I know you were kidding, but will go ahead anyway-no wifi currently but it is coming to the 772 and 77W beginning in 2013
Newbie question: is it necessary to present your Hyatt card to receive benefits? Wouldn't the res already have the status displayed when checking in?
Reason I ask is because I'll be staying at the GH Hong Kong soon and won't have my Diamond card by then.
Not sure of the actual history, but I think Hyatt House might be actually Hyatt's newest "old" brand. My prom (1978) was at the LAX Hyatt House and if I recall from the film "Almost Famous" the band stays at a Hyatt House in Hollywood while on tour.
I don't follow Hyatt so I'm not sure what they've been saying about what I can only assume is a reintroduction of the brand.
How did you get for under 100?
Isn't our area beautiful :) How'd you like that Persian restaurant, did Alex order that eggplant dish?
welcome to my home. :-)
wow, that looks fantastic. And at less that $100 that is value for money.
WOW, AA has wi-fi on their 777s in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?? :P
The Redmond area is very nice. There are some great restaurants in the Kirkland and Bellevue area which isn't too far. I'm surprised you didn't stay at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue :P
Before it was rebranded into a Hyatt House, I stayed in a Hyatt Place near Denver Airport.
And out of most of the hotel stays I did last year, it was the best value for money out of the lot. Even the nights posted correctly.
Something that a certain Hyatt near Chicago O'Hare constantly fails at doing...
I have been thinking about changing my backup loyalty from HH to Hyatt. Thanks for the post, helps me weigh my options....
Seems a lot like an Element, with a restaurant though which I think is one thing those properties are lacking. Looks nice though, I really like the colorscheme.