I know people don’t care too much about hotel reviews but I still find them useful, so here are some quick impressions of the Hyatt Regency London: The Churchill (what a name). I used a Diamond Suite Upgrade and stayed as a Hyatt Diamond (thanks to the status match earlier this year). As I mentioned, we were upgraded past even the lowest level suite thanks to the great employee working the desk at the lounge. Here are my impressions.
Location
As we discussed on the last Saverocity Observation Deck podcast, I was deciding between confirmed suite in unfamiliar location (Hyde Park) and smaller room in a favorite location (Covent Garden). The Hyde Park location, while a 30 minute walk, is still fairly closely situated to the West End all things considered.
Oxford Street gets very busy, but as long as you’re okay with that the location proves quite convenient. Hyde Park lies steps away and a lot of the big stuff lies 15-20 minutes east, so the location is great. As I mentioned, there is also a small park nearby which is great if you have kids.
London sites spread throughout the city, so there is no one location, it’s just a matter of what you are interested in doing. But the Marble Arch area pleasantly surprised me.
Room
Obviously, this would be more useful if we had stayed in a standard room, so I won’t go into too much detail here. Our suite had its own living room, a separate bedroom with door, and 1.5 baths. The second bathroom was really nice since we didn’t have to disturb the kids after they went to bed.
Basically, the Regency Executive Suite is a super nice suite. I think the biggest difference between our room and the standard DSU upgrade is the Regency Suite King doesn’t have the extra bathroom. Here are a couple pictures which basically say all that need to be said about the room.
Lounge
The Regency Club served a nice breakfast. There were a couple of hot items (usually eggs and some kind of meet) and your standard continental fare. One thing I think people will appreciate is there are two lounges: one for adults only. I’m sure those of you who hate my kids will appreciate it :). That also helps to reduce congestion though if you go to breakfast late you still might have to wait for a table.
We never got much of a chance to take advantage of the evening canapes and wine, I’m sure they are your standard fare though. As I’ve mentioned multiple times the lounge attendants are great and probably were one of the highlights of our stay.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to stay at a Hyatt, you only have two options in London. The Andaz is in a less desirable location (to me), so that makes the Hyatt Regency London: The Churchill (phew!) the desired option by default. Still, the hotel is more than just a location: the staff is great, the rooms are nice (recently refurbished), and while it feels business-like the hotel still has a pleasant vibe. Diamond suite upgrades are nice, great hotel staff are nicer. On to Scotland!
Other Posts in this Series
Preparing to travel with two children under four
Handling kid jetlag and other potential disasters
We just left the Churchill . We stayed in a standard room not a suite . Every where I looked the workmanship was superb . The staff were helpful and solicitous to an almost embarrassing degree. The ‘po’ folks attended the breakfast buffet at the Montagu ,not the lounge .It was great . The location was close to Marble Arch underground station .All in all an excellent experience .
I’m confused, what was the hotel in the Covent Garden location you were considering. I had been under the impression that you were deciding between the two Hyatts.
Nah. Never seriously considered Andaz. A couple Club Carlson properties and maybe a Hilton? Can’t totally remember now 😛
Unless you get a room with a connecting door and your neighbors are bouncing off the walls all night long. Then it sucks. Location was excellent, right by the Marble Arch Underground.