Regency Suite Review

The location of the hotel is quite good and central, within walking distance to many city centre attractions or transport options. You can see how the hotel is quite close to rail stations, shopping malls and the main pedestrian zone of the city centre from the visual map guide. I had taken the advice from the FT thread on the hotel and parked at the Paradise Circus car park nearby which was convenient, clean and easy enough to use and park (even with a large vehicle). To pay for the overnight parking I used the ‘Parkmobile’ app which worked fine and is easy to download and register. There was parking in front of the hotel but I had the feeling it was valet parking only and it was certainly quite full (mid-week) due to conference attendees, you may wish to check with the hotel if you wanted to park in front  of the door for costs.

Map copyright of Google Maps.

I had a last minute need to stay in Birmingham for work purposes mid-week and had always wanted to try this hotel to see how it compares to my usual chain preference of Hilton. I booked a basic king room via the Hyatt website and afterwards was offered an upgrade price to a regency suite for a reduced rate of an additional £ 150. (/ night) I decided to take the offer as my status with Hyatt is entry level and this would allow me to try the ‘regency club’ executive lounge as well as see how a suite would be like. (compared to booking the suite outright, I saved around £150 for that night).

I used the Hyatt app to check in online and had this confirmed. As my work visit finished early I did go to the hotel and asked if I could leave my bag and just to see if the room was ready yet (it wasn’t, but no issue with that as they were quite full. Apparently the concierge desk is outside of the hotel at the entrance (which I though was just the valet desk originally). I did check a bit later (just before the 3 PM official check in time for the hotel) and noted that my room was now ready and could see the room number as well. ^ (a nice feature, shame that they don’t send a text or email to notify you and / or allow room selection via the app but maybe that will come in future).

My check in experience was a bit underwhelming to be honest as there were a few front desk clerks available but all ‘busy’ looking at their monitors, I was the only one waiting but soon a desk became available and I received my key and was on my way. The person that checked me in was new and just learning the ropes of the trade and their supervisor ended up having to go help someone else so my check in was rather poor in terms of being informed of what facilities were available, when breakfast would be served and where (my rate was with breakfast) and where the elevators were, where the lounge was, etc…I had read up on the FT thread and also done some homework so none of this was a problem for me but for anyone that had not done this it would have been a bit surprising to be handed a key, sign a form and not even get a ‘have a pleasant stay with us’ farewell…I did see plenty of other guests during the stay receive a good welcome by other staff so hope this was a one off experience.

For the record, the check in desks are just to the right as you enter and the elevators are further to the right and around the corner from reception. There are 4 elevators that serve all floors but one was out of service for some reason. I never had to wait too long to go anywhere. The pool and spa are down one level from ground floor, with the main restaurant and bar area on the ground level.

Pictures of the main lobby and Aria restaurant area (at night):

I did have a moment of uncertainty when checking in as I was told I had booked a ‘junior suite’ which I would not have paid the extra money for to be honest, but it turns out that the junior suite and ‘regency suite’ are the same thing and are indeed a suite with a closing door between the two areas (living area and bedroom). The room was apparently around 56 m2 and it was a nice size and a decent use of the space as well as being well laid out. I believe you could have had a second room connecting to the one I had so that kids or relatives could also use the living room as a common room if you wished.

The room was quiet, clean and well appointed. The pictures will do all the talking so the only points I think worth mentioning are:

-I liked the amenities, they smelled nice and were pleasant.

-Good to have a Nespresso machine for coffee and a separate kettle for tea for those so inclined.

-Great to see a welcome amenity of some fruit and water in the room as well as bathrobe, slippers and plugs for phones/watches by the bedside tables.

-I liked the fact that the shower was completely separate from the bath and that the shower had excellent pressure as well as hot water. I did find it strange that the two taps were just one for hot and one for cold as most renovated bathrooms have one for water pressure and one for temperature but that was quickly enough sorted! (hot was closed to the door in case that helps others and the taps are all the same!)

-the bed was quite soft but I slept very well in it.

-I intensely disliked the fact that the air conditioning vents were exactly located to blow a strong draft on both the bed as well as the sofa in each room so that you either cooled the room and didn’t stay in those spaces or you shut them off and could sit or sleep without feeling like you were in a freezer. (and I like it warm so this was with the a/c on 20 C…)

Pictures:

Living Room Area:

View looking back to Entrance:

View into Living Room Area:

Living Room Wall and Desk Area:

Nice Sideboard with real flowers, Nespresso Machine and MiniBar:

Sideboard Contents:

Sofa:

Welcome Amenity:

Bedroom:

King Bed:

Bedroom Wall:

Seating Areas:

Night table detail:

Night Table Details:

Bedroom towards Bathroom, Wardrobe and Emergency Exit:

Wardrobe Area:

Bathroom:

View into Bathroom:

Sink Area:

Bathtub:

Shower:

Hot water on left, cold on right for shower:

Toilet Area (wth closing door, quite a large space):

Amenities:

Views from the suite windows:

The concierge staff were both excellent during my stay and helpful as well as friendly. The front desk staff were generally very good with the exception of the new trainee that I had during my check in. The waiting staff at the restaurant, both in the evening and during breakfast were very good and even during very busy breakfast periods, they did remember things and were friendly and attentive.

I ate in the Aria restaurant one evening and again in the morning for breakfast. I arrived very late for an evening meal at 9:40 PM and was greeted warmly (they close at 10 PM) and told it was no problem regarding time. The chap that served me was excellent and attentive, the food very good and presented well as well. The pictures don’t always do things justice but the food was very good and tasted excellent. I had a starter of Parma ham with some Rocket salad and a main course of steak (done exactly as I had asked for it) with some chips (fries) and tomatoes. I felt like a beer and although this wasn’t on the menu they had no issue getting one from the bar area for me. (Moretti from draft which was very good). I also had a bottle of sparking water. The meal was expensive (circa £55) but very good and saved me from having to go look elsewhere that evening for somewhere decent. 

Pictures from evening meal:

Breakfast was a bit more of a scrum, at least at the late hour I waited to go at. I arrive at 09:30 (breakfast is from 06:30 to 10:00 weekdays and extended to 10:30 at least one day on weekend IIRC). All of the main restaurant seating was taken and plenty of people were eating breakfast in the foyer (including me). I did find the options somewhat limited but certainly enough to satisfy someone looking for a warm breakfast, the cold choices were a bit basic but also fine to tide one over until later in the day. Given it was full and so late, I’ll forgive the staff for not being able to keep up with the juice demand (no orange juice available) and have to say that i did not have high hopes for my request for a cappuccino but was very pleasantly surprised when a very good, proper barista version turned up at my table not long after. ^ The lobby and restaurant did look quite poor at around 10 AM due to the large amount of used dishes still remaining to be cleaned up but the staff were trying their best to deal with the large amount of guests at the end rush and were all still very friendly.

This is the executive lounge for status members or for those that have booked a higher class room. (club or suites). The lounge was a decent size and had plenty of seating and a nice ambience. I have not been in many Hyatt lounges so can’t comment on it compared to others but it looked nice. I did like the dual level and mezzanine layout as well as the fact you could access it from floors 22 and 23 (I believe, as there was a door on the higher floor but i didn’t use it, the main entrance is on floor 22 and you need a key card to get in). The selection of juices and water was very good for non peak hours and the place was in good condition and clean. I took a few pictures for those interested, as no one else was in the lounge at that time. There was a washroom in the lounge on the upper floor by the computer desks which led to separate bathrooms for men and women. I am not sure if there is a shower in there as well as I didn’t go in that far.

Pictures:

I didn’t get to use the pool or spa so can’t comment on those features but do find it good that there was a pool here which is not a given in UK hotels by any means. 

I liked the hotel, the room and the restaurant as well as the great location. I would return again and could recommend the hotel to those considering where to stay in this city.

Hope this review and pictures help those considering the area and hotel in future, safe travels.

(and a thank you to others that have posted comments or reviews, especially Uggboy for his pictorial review that enticed me to stay in the first place. Apologies for the size of the review and amount of pictures but trust this is of use to those interested.)