I’d never expect to write a Hyatt Regency Sydney review. I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Sydney on my last half dozen visits. However on this trip the Regency just made more sense for us.

That’s because my wife and I were traveling with our three year old daughter. On our last visit to Sydney she was five months old. This time we wanted her to have a separate room, and at the Hyatt Regency we could confirm a suite while the Park Hyatt doesn’t have standard suites to confirm upgrades to.

Confirmed suite upgrades (whether via certificate or points) book into suites that I understand are great rooms with incredible views of Darling Harbour – but are really just one larger room. I emailed with the hotel about my preference for a separate living rom/bedroom setup and noting that executive suites were selling for just US$10 more per night and could I buy up? They gladly confirmed an Executive Suit as a further complimentary upgrade in advance.

The Hyatt Regency is the former Four Points Sydney, renovated in 2016. Rooms are generally small but modern with outstanding views of Darling Harbour. It’s a location that’s very walkable to much of the city, though a full 20 minute walk to Circular Quay and the Park Hyatt.

The property has no pool, and the lobby bar was closed while we were there. So was the club lounge (still). There’s a rooftop bar, which would have been a great spot to see some of Vivid Sydney which was on while we were there, but we didn’t head up there with our 3 year old daughter. There’s a mini-mart directly across the street from the entrance of the hotel which is great for convenience items.

Close to arrive rates at the property were over AU$500 per night, about double what I’ve often seen here.

We arrived off of our Air Canada flight from Vancouver, and turned up at the hotel around 10 a.m. Since I was traveling with my wife and daughter I didn’t want to risk a room not being ready, so I booked the night before. That’s not anything I’d normally do. When I was a Starwood Ambassador I’d use Your24 to ensure room availability on arrival, and I’ve never had a problem with early check-in at the Park Hyatt. But after so much traveling with a toddler a five hour wait for a room is more than I’d wanted to risk.

Front of Hotel

Hyatt Regency Sydney Review Executive Suite

The executive suite is small, but much better than a 300 square foot standard room here, and perfectly functional for the three of us. We moved some furniture around in the living room to make space for a rollaway bed for our daughter.

At check-in I was told that the bed had already been placed in the room. It wasn’t there, and we had to call for it several times, but it made its way eventually. I wanted to give my daughter a chance to nap, and was anxious for that to happen quickly, because the strategy was an early nap to help her keep going through the day through dinner (she’d slept 7-8 hours on the flight) not such a long nap later in the day that would ruin her sleep later that night.

She slept in the suite’s living room, we slept in the bedroom. There was enough room for our luggage – traveling with a 3 year old for two and a half weeks involves bags, at least for us – but only by using some of the floor around the room as well. The bathroom was large, but with just one sink. There was a large tub which I don’t usually value except when traveling with my daughter.

Bed

Closet

Bathroom

Shower

Wall-mounted toiletries

On the shelf behind the toilet struck me as an odd place to put a note saying that the water is drinkable in Sydney.

Drinking water sign above toilet

Living Room

Living Room

Balcony

Balcony

View

View

View

The hotel offered daily housekeeping, which was great, and also had room service. So though some venues were closed, including the club lounge, service is returning to the property.

Hyatt Regency Sydney Review: Breakfast

Breakfast here is full buffet only. And that restaurant breakfast is the Globalist benefit here since the hotel’s club lounge had not re-opened. The lounge was the highlight of the property before, with strong offerings and fantastic views. (Some guests report receiving a cocktail voucher due to the lounge being closed, we did not.)

The restaurant is several steps up from the lobby level. When you arrive they’ll take your room number as you enter and then seat you. You never see a check, everything is handled at check-in to the restaurant.

On our first morning the place was an absolute zoo, with the hotel hosting a conference. It was difficult to talk because the restaurant was so loud from the crowd. Things settled down on future mornings.

Nonetheless service was generally lacking in the restaurant. It’s difficult to flag down servers of any kind (especially since there’ll be no check to sign) so ask for your choice of coffee or espresso drinks right as you’re seated and if you want more be alert for someone to assist you.

The buffet was certainly very good for a Hyatt Regency, with fruit, meat and cheeses, smoked trout and breads and various hot items – along with a cooked-to-order egg station where you place your own meats and vegetables for omelettes into a small ball (one bowl per person!), write your name on a paper slip and mark whether you’d like cheese, and then they’ll return the eggs with slip for you to pick up.

Entrance to breakfast

Host stand

Dining room

Dining room

Meats and cheeses

Fruit

Conclusion

My overall Hyatt Regency Sydney review is that everyone was friendly, and service was fine except for having to request a rollaway bed several times that I’d been told was already in the room.

The hotel has a good location, and small rooms, but the ability to upgrade to a suite here was a real advantage. For Hyatt Globalists the club lounge used to be the highlight and I wouldn’t call this hotel a no-brainer choice or a great elite member value until and unless that returns. Still, the hotel serve a real purpose for me and I have no real complaints about the stay.

Breakfast here could certainly be a bit of a free-for-all. But this stay did the trick for us. It’s not luxury in the sense that the Park Hyatt is, but I was able to secure a suite and there aren’t true suite upgrades at the Park Hyatt.