Hyatt Regency Amsterdam Review
Some hotels are such fantastic properties that you want to spend more time at the hotel than exploring the city around you. But sometimes, you find that hotel that checks all the boxes well without necessarily blowing you a way. It has nice rooms, a rich breakfast, good amenities, and a convenient location. The hotel isn't a destination itself, but rather sets you up to get the most out of the city you're visiting. The Hyatt Regency Amsterdam is exactly that. In this Hyatt Regency Amsterdam review, we cover how this hotel checks all the important boxes and why it should be on everybody's radar when visiting Amsterdam.
Location
The Hyatt Regency Amsterdam was surprisingly well-located despite what it may look like from Google Maps. With a tram stop just steps away and a subway station one block away, you can get to anywhere in the city in under 30 minutes door-to-door.
The neighborhood itself doesn't have much too offer. The zoo and the botanical gardens are the only attractions within walking distance (the latter of which can be skipped).
Taxis to and from the airport cost around 60 Euro each way. If you're traveling light, taking the train in from the airport into Amsterdam Centraal followed by the subway works well.
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam Review: Typical Booking Cost
The Hyatt Regency is a Category 5 in the World of Hyatt program. Here are the award costs for each room type:
Standard Room
- 17,000 points off peak
- 20,000 points standard
- 23,000 points peak
Standard Suite
- 29,000 points off peak
- 32,000 points standard
- 35,000 points peak
Premium Suite
- 34,000 points off peak
- 40,000 points standard
- 46,000 points peak
The hotel has 211 guestrooms, of which only 15 are suites. When we booked, rooms were around $350 per night in cash. We booked 7 nights for 108,000 back when this hotel was a Category 4, before Hyatt's changes to its award chart in March 2023 that changed the Hyatt Regency to a Category 5.
Check-In
Check-in would have been straightforward but for the fact that our confirmed suite upgrade award turned out to be not so confirmed.
I had applied the suite upgrade award at the time of booking and had been confirmed into a Regency Suite, the hotel's standard suite. I received a standard reminder email about my reservation less than 24 hours before check-in again showing my confirmed suite. Yet when checking in, I was told a “glitch” in the hotel's system removed my suite upgrade.
The front desk manager came to assist and apologized for the issue. I asked whether there were any other suites available for our stay. The manager showed me his reservation system showing that not even the presidential suite was available for my stay. This was not surprising given our 7-night reservation. But that is exactly why I booked the Hyatt Regency–they had a suite available for a confirmed suite upgrade at the time of booking, whereas the Andaz did not.
Frustration with the un-confirmed suite upgrade aside, check-in was otherwise uneventful. The front desk staff explained our globalist benefits and thanked me for being a globalist member.
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam Review: King Bedroom
The standard king bedroom was quite spacious, especially for a hotel in Europe. The room had a large foyer with a bench next to the door and plenty of space to leave shopping bags, a stroller, or whatever else you bring.
The bedroom itself was comfortable and welcoming. One of the walls featured a large diagram of a plant, similar to what you would see in an illustrated botanical treatise. This was a clever way to add character to a room that would otherwise seem pretty generic from the furniture.
The room featured plenty of lighting options, with intuitive controls available on both sides of the bed. We requested a rollaway bed for our toddler and even with the rollaway, the room did not feel cramped. The front desk manager did mention that they were waiving the room capacity limit to add the rollaway, given the mix-up with our suite night award. So I would not count on a rollaway being available (but a crib is permitted). We were not charged for the rollaway.
The large closet offered a lot of storage for suitcases, hangers for clothes, and lots of space for shoes. A cabinet next to the closet doubled as a dresser and minibar. This cabinet included four drawers for clothes; a drawer with minibar snacks, complimentary coffee and tea, and a pair of tea/coffee cups; and a minifridge. Complimentary bottles of water and a pair of glasses were left on top of this cabinet and replaced daily.
The bathroom had a large vanity with a backlit mirror and plenty of counter space. The shower was very spacious and had a rainfall showerhead with excellent water pressure. Like other Hyatt Regencies, this hotel features Pharmacopeia toiletries, though the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam has also joined the trend of bulk toiletries. The bathroom's sliding door worked seamlessly and quietly, while also preserving space in the room's entryway.
Our room faced a canal behind the hotel. While the view wasn't particularly impressive, it did offer plenty of natural light. Housekeeping insisted in leaving the window cracked open every day, so we learned to check for this as soon as we got back to the room or else the air conditioning wouldn't run.
Club Lounge
The Club Lounge is on the third floor and open from 8 am to 10 pm. The lounge offers a light breakfast, snacks, and hors d'oeuvres in the evening, along with complimentary wine, beer, and liquor. The breakfast offering was rather sparse, consisting of a small selection of fruit and a couple of pastries. The evening hors d'oeuvres were more substantial and quite varied. While not enough to replace a meal, it was still a good offering.
The spacious lounge is well laid out to create distinct ambiences for guests, giving a sense of privacy in an otherwise open space. The entire lounge faces a large window that welcomes natural light throughout the day, making the space feel even larger. Over all, the Club Lounge was a nice space to relax with a drink or a snack after a long day exploring the city.
The staff at the Club Lounge was outstanding. Each member was helpful, friendly, and diligent. We had a couple of questions about allergens in some of the food and staff members were very careful to track down the right information. I also noticed that a family forgot a pair of AirPods at a table and a staff member promptly found it and began working to track down the owners.
Property/Amenities Review
The hotel's lobby is modern, welcoming, and cozy, featuring lots of plants and a live wall. The reception desk is near the entrance, while many sets of comfortable couches, sofas, and chairs are lined up against the glass wall of the building's façade.
The Hyatt Regency Amsterdam partners with Viking Cruises, so the hotel can get quite full when there is a Viking cruise in town. Viking staff will set up shop at a table in the corner of the lobby and the lobby tends to get a bit busy during the mornings with cruise guests congregating before leaving for the day. Even with cruise guests, the lobby never felt crowded, even when it was busy.
The lobby bar is in the back of the lobby, directly across from the entrance. Along the side of the bar is a long table where guests can enjoy a cocktail or a snack. Behind the bar is a lounge space with a pool table and couches along the wall. This was a really cool space that I wish we had had the time to enjoy after a day of touring the city.
Gym & Spa
The gym is on the ground level next to the elevator bank. The gym was a lot better than I had expected. It offered plenty of equipment and a good amount of space for free weights and yoga. Floor to ceiling windows facing the canal brought in lots of sunlight.
The spa is down a flight of stairs from the gym, but it did not have a front desk. It looks like guests have to schedule their treatments online or over the phone and just show up at the spa at the time of the appointment. It's not surprising that an urban hotel like this would not have a big focus on their spa. But I can't say I have ever seen this set up before.
The hotel's wi-fi turned out to be a bit of a problem throughout the stay. We consistently lost wi-fi service across multiple devices, having to log back into the hotel's wi-fi every time. This happened in our room, the restaurant, the Club Lounge, and in the lobby. Thankfully, I did not have to hop on any video calls during our stay, but that could have been problematic.
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam Review: Hyatt Elite Perks & Status Recognition
The Hyatt Regency was not particularly impressive in terms of status recognition. As mentioned above, we did not receive a room upgrade (despite applying a suite upgrade award). There was also no status recognition beyond the initial snack and half bottle of wine we had in the room upon arriving.
Meanwhile, the elite perks were as expected. We received complimentary breakfast and bottled water daily, and had the option for a late check-out. We also had access to the Club Lounge.
Globalist members enjoy complimentary breakfast at Mama Makan restaurant. Breakfast consisted of a rich buffet and we could also order dishes from the kitchen, but we were never offered a menu. The buffet had a rotating selection of fruits, pastries, cheeses, and cold cuts. Hot options included scrambled and hard-boiled eggs, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and pancakes. Traditional Indonesian layer cake was also served. Beverages included different kinds of coffee, juices, and sparkling wine.
Service during breakfast was very inconsistent. Sometimes the host would offer us coffee when first sitting us down and other times they wouldn't, yet they would offer coffee when sitting another party just moments later. This wasn't a big deal as it didn't take long for a server to stop by. But the lack of any rhyme or reason to the service stood out.
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam Review: ToP Thoughts
The Hyatt Regency Amsterdam is a solid points option in Amsterdam. The rooms are comfortable and spacious, the breakfast is great, and the lounge offers a nice reprieve after spending the day on your feet. The hotel's location belies its convenience. If you're looking for a good use of World of Hyatt points or Chase Ultimate Rewards in Amsterdam, the Hyatt Regency delivers.
