Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa

The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells (formerly known as the Hyatt Grand Champions) is sort of oddly located, as it is right next to the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa (a Marriott property).  In fact, they share the same entrance with the Hyatt located to the left.

Entrance

The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells boasts two golf courses, three tennis courts and seven swimming pools.

I booked the room using a Virtuoso agent, so benefits included an upgraded room, 4 PM late check-out, free breakfast and a $100 resort credit per stay.  Many of the benefits are redundant with being a Hyatt Diamond member, with the exception of the $100 resort credit, and in this case, the 4 PM late check-out since this does not apply to resorts.

I also used a Hyatt Diamond Suite Upgrade for this stay.  When calling to apply the upgrade I was told that I would either be placed into a Hospitality Suite or an Executive Suite, with the Executive Suite being the nicer of the two.

Upon entering the hotel, the front desk is located to the left.  All Hyatt Diamond and Virtuoso benefits were clearly explained, however when given the welcome letter it stated that I had booked my room through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts which was clearly wrong, but both include the same benefits.  I was told that the Regency Club was closed during the summer, so I would get an extra 2,500 Gold Passport points.  The $10 self-parking fee is also waived for Diamond Members, but unfortunately there was no discount or waiver of the resort fee.

I inquired about the possibility of a further upgrade, and after speaking with the manager I was upgraded to a 1 bedroom villa.

1 Bedroom Villa

The villas are located away from the main hotel and is in a quieter location.  Transportation to the villas is provided via a golf cart.  In addition, the villas come with butler service.

Guest Bathroom

Upon entering the villa, there is a large entryway with a half bathroom located to the left.  Although spacious, it is not well laid out as there is only a toilet and very small sink that is about the size of a small drinking fountain.

Living Room

Dining Table & Welcome Amenity

Microwave, Fridge, Coffee Maker

Coffee Supplies

The entryway opens up into a large living room with a sofa, three chairs, fireplace, dining room table, microwave, small refrigerator and wet bar.  There is also a coffee maker with pre-ground coffee.  The refrigerator does include complimentary drinks which included 4 bottles of water, a Diet Pepsi, Pepsi and 2 cans of Iced Tea.  There was also a welcome amenity of three pieces of fruit - a tangerine, peach and apple.

Patio

Jacuzzi

There is a large wraparound patio that includes another door to the bedroom.  There is a patio table, chairs and best of all, your own Jacuzzi.  I had a room that overlooked the lake which was quite nice.

Hallway

Before entering the bedroom, there is a hallway with 2 sets of double doors to provide noise insulation from the living room and bedroom.

Bedroom

View to Bathroom

The bedroom is very spacious and includes two chairs, a ceiling fan, and a dresser with flat screen TV.

Bathroom

Bathroom

Shower

Bathtub

Toilet

Dresser

Walk-In Closet

The entrance to the bathroom has no door, and there are plantation shutters that open up from the bathtub.  The bathroom is extremely large with double sinks, a separate shower and bathtub.  There is also a TV in the bathroom.  The toilet is separate from the bathroom area.  There is a dresser in the bathroom area, and best of all a large walk-in closet that is bigger than most standard bedrooms.

Breakfast is in Lantana and offers a buffet or one can order off of the menu.  If choosing the buffet, there is an omelet station, along with the standard eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes.  There are also pancakes, which are some of the best I’ve ever had.  They are light, fluffy and almost melt in your mouth.  They actually have real maple syrup as well.  Other options include cereal, muffins, bagels, oatmeal, bread, fruit, yogurt and smoked salmon “martinis”.  While the selection is not large, the food is fresh and well prepared.

The only negative experience came at the time of check-out.  The front desk agent was rather inept and not big on customer service.  She was writing in some type of notebook and took a couple minutes before acknowledging me, and kept telling me that she would be with me “in a minute”.  She then took a phone call from a guest, and took off to make him a key, while still telling me that she would be with me “in a minute”.  After finally dealing with the other guest and finishing up with her notebook, she finally got around to helping me.  The whole experience at the time of check-out put a damper on an otherwise marvelous stay.

Despite the flaw at check-out, this is an amazing property and I would not hesitate to stay here again.