Hyatt Regency Lake Washington Seattle Review
Overview
Late last year I had the opportunity to stay at the new Hyatt Regency Lake Washington in Renton just South of Seattle. This category three property sits right on the shores of Lake Washington and features modern décor and stunning views.
- My Cost: $75 + 6,000 points per night.
- Alternative Cost: $249 per night cash or 12,000 points
Location
Hyatt lacks an airport hotel, but the new Hyatt Regency Lake Washington is close enough that it is a viable property to stay at if you don’t need/want to head into Downtown Seattle. Located about 9 miles from Sea-Tac airport, the hotel sits on the South Shore of Lake Washington directly next to the Boeing Factory. (More on that later!)
Check-In
I arrived at the hotel around 5pm after landing in Seattle on a flight from Los Angeles. Due to peak pricing, the Lyft ride from the airport which was supposed to be $21, ended up costing $29. Upon arriving I was immediately greeted by the front desk staff where my Globalist status was recognized.
About a week prior to my arrival I received a proactive email from the hotel’s General Manager asking if there was anything I needed for my stay. I emailed back and asked about how suites work for Globalist members and he explained it would depend on their occupancy. Then, two days before the stay he emailed me again to advise that I had been updated to a Lake View Junior Suite!
The Room
After a quick check-in I was given the keys to room #501. It sits on the edge of the “U shaped” building and features a small living room area with kitchenette and couch along with a 65” television. The bedroom had another giant television along with an incredibly comfortable bed which looked out over the lake. From the bed I could both see the water and brand new airplanes being worked on at the Boeing factory next door.
Standard rooms at this hotel are 330 square feet, which I believe to be roughly the size of the bedroom. Not the biggest rooms, but incredibly comfortable. Both the bathroom and the bedroom feature modern décor with the use of grays and attractive woods. The bathroom had a very large shower with dual heads (see gallery at the end for more pics) and instead of the traditional Kenet MD Shampoo, they had a slightly upgraded brand which I liked much better.
I can’t emphasize enough how comfortable this room was. Between the amazing and serene views, the big television, the décor and that super comfy mattress (which is much better than you find in most Hyatt Regency properties) I was truly in heaven.
Regency Club
As a World of Hyatt Globalist member I was given access to the Regency Club on the 2nd floor Lobby level. Just like the rest of the hotel, the Regency Club is incredibly attractive. The Club serves breakfast from 6:30am – 9:30am, appetizers from 5pm-8pm and sweets from 8pm-9pm. There is also an honor bar with beer, wine and self pour liquor from 5-9pm.
There are some things I loved about this lounge and some things I didn’t. First, the breakfast spread is very very basic. They do have three hot items, but they are oatmeal, congee and scrambled eggs. That is it. In addition you have pastries, bagels, fruit and cold meats. Pretty much the basic things you will find in any Regency Club in the U.S.
For all-day snacks they feature a build your own trail mix with a number of dried fruit and nut options. It looked very good for a quick snack. While breakfast is basic, the evening food is actually quite good. The first night I was at the hotel they had a hot soup along with bacon wrapped chicken and couscous. The second night featured a different soup along with pork and mashed potatoes. Combined with the cold asparagus, it was a full meal.
Rounding out the club’s offerings are an above average selection of beverages. Starbucks coffee is featured in the morning and I was pleasantly surprised to see Perrier in the refrigerator all day along with the usual selection of sodas. If I had one complaint it would be that there isn’t anything local. I know other Hyatt properties feature local Seattle brands, but that didn’t seem to be the case here. A minor complaint at best.
Amenities
The Hyatt Regency Lake Washington features a fully equipped gym with fantastic views of the boardwalk and lake outside. All of the equipment is very high-end and I enjoyed a quick workout following a beautiful walk around the lake. Next to the gym on the first floor is a yet to open spa and the fantastic indoor pool, hot tub and steam room. The hot tub is large and not too hot. It was a perfect way to relax after walking around the lake.
This & That
The area around the hotel is very very beautiful. There is a park next door with a playground and a beach if you want to swim in the lake. Follow the lake around to the East a bit more and you will find Ivar’s, home of some of the best Clam Chowder in Seattle. In other words, this hotel is a great place to sort of relax for a day, take a walk and enjoy the location.
Conclusion
The bottom line is the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington is fantastic and may just be the nicest Hyatt hotel I have ever stayed at in the United States. While some may prefer the Olive 8 or Grand Hyatt in Downtown Seattle and our own PDX Deals Guy is in love with the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, I personally will stay at this hotel as long as I don’t want/need to be in the city itself. Its location makes for a great base if you are exploring the Southern Seattle area and I truly can’t wait for a return visit.
More Photos
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What do you mean about asking the hotel how Globalist suites work? Isn’t it always a matter of availability? Is there some other factors that should be considered? Sorry to sound dense here, but I thought this was pretty straight up stuff.
I like to know what I am dealing with before I arrive at a hotel. It’s my way of trying to get an upgrade confirmed ahead of time without being demanding. Unless a hotel is going to be sold out, 95% of the time by taking this approach I get the suite confirmed ahead of time with their response. I guess it’s just a softer way of asking for the upgrade.
I stayed there for FTU Seattle and was not impressed by the front desk staff at all. A week before checkin I was told that I would have a lake view suite but then they changed it to a corner suite overlooking a construction site. When I asked if I could move to another suite they told me they were sold out even though the Bellman told me that they were only at 38% occupancy so I opened the Hyatt app on my phone and saw that I could book a suite on the spot and showed it to the front desk lady and she told me it was a mistake. I told her I would just book it then and see what the hotel would do about it and then she got her manager from the back who gave me a nice suite overlooking the lake. I really hate when you have to work for an upgrade that you were already promised especially when you are globalist.
The room and facility are very nice and brand new.
They did have a nice bottle of wine waiting for us in our room which was nice.
I stayed four nights and was charged for parking for five nights so I had to contact the hotel after my stay to get that adjusted. What is crazy is that when I checked out and paid the bill there was only four nights parking but then the next day they charged my credit card for another night of parking.
The day I pulled in, the valet looked right at me but did not take the keys or help with our baggage so I just went to the front desk and when I inquired about parking, I was told it was only valet and they called him over to get the keys. The service really needs to improve.
Shawn, you are supposed to keep the beauty of Seattle a secret. Stop showing off how beautiful the lake can be on a sunny day! Also, you said they served Starbucks… that’s local! 😉
You got me with Starbucks! As for the beauty, it’s a secret that can’t be held.
Shawn Good review and very factual. I have been staying there since it opened last year as I have a branch office several miles away. So I have been through the shake down with the special opening crews that come in all the way through a stay next week. It is nice but not exactly the best place convenience wise unless your doing business in SouthCenter or the industrial park. The place is set back in a “hole” getting in and out at rush hour unless you have more than one person is almost fruitless. The valet parking is NYC prices.
On the bright side it is all that you say it is. I have and will continue to have meetings there.
Travel safe
I was thinking the same as GhostRider5408. I live in Seattle and the location isn’t great for tourists. But, it looks far nicer than I ever would have imagined.
Good point about the location. I agree this isn’t somewhere I would stay if I wanted to be in the city and I know traffic in the area can be bad. I thankfully just had to spend a couple of days there before a flight to Asia so I was glad to hang around, work a little and enjoy the hotel.
Looks nicer than the Park Hyatt NYC to me!