Saturday Special: The Hyatt Regency Delhi

We incorporated stays at the Hyatt Regency Delhi at the beginning and end of a short 74 hour trip to India in September, 2013.

Reason for Choosing

I hate to say it, but as I recall, this was the only available Hyatt in Delhi, and we were looking to retain Diamond Status. That said, even though we chose the hotel because of our Hyatt loyalty, we were very happy with the result. The location wasn’t amazing, as I don’t recall a mass transit station nearby, but we splurged and paid for a car for a 4 hour tour of Delhi (New and Old). If you’re looking for a place to go off on your own, be prepared to pay to get to the metro. If you’re comfortable hiring a car, this hotel is more for you.

Map

Lobby and Check-in/Check-out Experience

As is somewhat standard with Hyatt properties, we were escorted to the club level to check-in. Check in was fairly smooth, and we were in our room fairly quickly–both times– which was helpful. The first time, was about 7am in the morning, the second was mid-day. So I think we tested the consistency of their service.

Where the hotel stood out

The lounge and staff, for us, really stood out.

Lounge

More so than the lounge, the manager of the lounge (and if he’s not the manager, he should be), Pawan, stood out. When we arrived into Delhi (our first stay), we had enough time to grab breakfast in the lounge. I was tired, so I grabbed beverages and found a table. My wife, being the more inquisitive one of our relationship, asked Pawan about the various Indian options for breakfast. He graciously asked her where she was sitting, and offered to bring a authentic Indian breakfast to her(us). For me, a guy who doesn’t enjoy spicey food, I was skeptical. This breakfast was phenomenal. Candidly – if I found a mileage run caliber fare to India, I’d go just to visit the Hyatt Regency Delhi, as long as I could have breakfast there.

Breakfast at the Lounge

Pawan took very good care of us in the evening as well. Even better, we shared with him, that we would be taking the train down to Agra. As a veteran of that train, he recommended we avoid anything offered on the train, and coordinated with his colleagues such that we could pick up a few Fanta Orange, water, and snacks before we left the hotel.

Breakfast delivery set up by Pawan

If there is one component of this hotel that stood out, it is the staff. Pawan did an amazing job, but he also supported his team, who also stood out. I’m not just saying this here, I tweeted the Hyatt Regency Delhi when we were there too.

@HyattRegencyDel Had a great first day in India, the staff are wonderful, Pawan in the Club lounge is especially great #74hoursinIndia — Trevor (@tmount) September 13, 2013

Where the hotel fell a little short

Perhaps the smallest of complaints: As a Hyatt Diamond, we didn’t receive an upgrade. Both of our visits, we were in a standard room–but on the club level. It was more than sufficient for our needs, but, it would have been nice to have had our status recognized with a slightly more spacious room, at least the second time around.

Wrapping Up

If you’re a Hyatt Diamond member – this is the hotel for you, if you care about the lounge. If you aren’t a Hyatt Diamond member, this is perhaps the number one hotel to pay for club access. For us, the club made the difference of this hotel. The location is not the best, and we didn’t feel it was worthwhile to explore very much on foot. But, the view was pretty good, and Pawan made a point of taking us out on the deck to show us some of the notable sights. If/when you do go, do ask for Pawan in the lounge, and please, let us know if he’s still there. Its difficult to give a hotel such a high rating when a single individual is the one that stands out, but in reality, when a single individual stands out, he or she clearly has a strong team behind them.