Hyatt Place Riverside/Downtown

The Hyatt Place Riverside/Downtown is conveniently located adjacent to the MissionInn, and across the street from the Marriott.

The parking lot is somewhat small, but there is a security guard most of the time and maybe more importantly overnight, as there are some homeless people wandering the streets at all hours of the day.  Overnight parking is $10, but they seem to waive it for first time guests, or maybe for Diamond members on their first stay.

The hotel is square shaped with a small courtyard area in which the pool is located.  Having a room on the street side can be somewhat noisy, but having a room facing the courtyard can also have its drawbacks if there are loud, screaming kids at the pool.

The rooms have the familiar layout of all Hyatt Place hotels that I have been too with a couple of exceptions.

The front desk is located right as you enter the hotel.  The front desk agent was somewhat frazzled as she was on the phone when I approached the front desk.  She seemed unsure of how to handle being on the phone when a guest came to the front desk.  She finally asked the person on the phone to hold while she checked me in.

Couch with Ottoman

Upon entering the room there is the familiar L-shaped couch with ottoman.

Coffee Maker

There is a small wet bar area with coffee maker (which didn’t work), and a small refrigerator.

Desk

Extra Space

There is a small desk with limited workspace, but more importantly plenty of outlets.  The first difference is the amount of space between the desk and wet bar.  It is very spacious, unlike the cramped feeling in most Hyatt Place hotels.

Beds

The beds are comfortable.  There is a small nightstand, but there are outlets close enough to the bed in order to charge your phone or other electronics.

Like most Hyatt Place hotels, there is no central air conditioning, so the wall mounted unit can get somewhat noisy.

Bathroom Sink and Dresser

The bathroom is separated into two parts.

The sink is located outside of the bathroom.  There is limited counter space, but the dresser is located next to the bathroom counter so the amount of space is actually quite large.

Shower/Tub Combo

Toilet

The second exception to this Hyatt Place is located inside of the bathroom.  Unlike every other Hyatt Place I have been to there is a shower/tub combo rather than the walk-in shower with half door.  The water pressure here is excellent, almost like being in front of a fire hydrant.

The Hyatt Place offers free wi-fi to all guests however speed seemed to vary greatly depending on where in the hotel or room you were in.

The Hyatt Place also offers free breakfast to all guests.  There are usually a couple of hot items, along with fruit, yogurt, cereal, breads, muffins and bagels.  The signature Kitchen Skillet sandwiches were missing.  In its place were powdered scrambled eggs and sausage.  Other hot options included Cinnamon French Toast, and lumpy steel cut oatmeal.

The breakfast was somewhat disappointing given the lack of options.  I wouldn’t expect an extraordinary breakfast when it is offered free to all guests, but at least the Skillet Sandwiches add some consistency and familiarity throughout the chain.

The overall minuses of the hotel outweigh the slightly larger room.  I don’t see myself returning to this hotel unless the rate was an absolute steal.