Hotels
in the Palm Springs area are very cheap during the hot summer months, much like
hotels in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area or in Las Vegas during the week.
The
Hyatt Regency Indian Wells has been a mini treasure trove of extra points in
the past during the summer as the Regency Club is normally closed during the
summer, meaning an extra 2,500 Gold Passport Points to Hyatt Diamond members
along with full breakfast in the Lantana restaurant.
Unfortunately
for point seekers, the Regency Club is planned to be open the entire summer
which is both good and bad. It is nice
to have snacks and drinks available throughout the day, but the extra points
and full breakfast is a trade-off I am willing to make.
Although
there was a “My Elite” rate of $92 which is incredibly cheap, I opted to book a
room through Virtuoso which includes 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.
The
Virtuoso rate was $114 so for paying an extra $22 I received the $100 resort
credit.
The
self-parking fee of $10 is also waived for Hyatt Diamond members, but
unfortunately the $23 resort fee is not.
The resort fee includes internet, golf bag storage and shuttle to the
golf course, exercise classes, etc. many things I do not take advantage
of. Since I get internet with my Hyatt
status I feel the resort fee is just an extra charge that can be done without
for many.
Upon
entering the hotel, the front desk is to the left. There were several people in front of me
being helped by other associates.
Although there is a dedicated Platinum and Diamond member line, like
many Hyatt’s this is not enforced and evil glaring looks by other customers is
the norm.
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| Virtuoso Letter |
The
front desk agent was nice, but did not explain any of the Virtuoso
benefits. He also did not inform me
about the Regency Club being open. I had
to inquire about all of these to find out the information which I did not
mind.
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| Presidential Suite |
I was upgraded to a Presidential
suite however, which was a great upgrade.
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| Coffee Maker |
Upon
entering the room, there is a small alcove to the right in which the coffee
maker is located along with a mini fridge.
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| Guest Bath |
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| Guest Bath |
The
guest bathroom is next to that which is only a half bath containing a toilet
and sink.
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| Living Room |
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| Living Room |
The
room then opens up into a large living room space with curved sofa that
contains a sofa bed. There is also a
large coffee table and TV.
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| Dining Room Table |
There
is a small dining room table.
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| King Bed |
There
is a set of double doors that separate the living room from the bedroom.
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| TV |
There
is a small flat screen TV located on a dresser to the side of the bed.
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| Desk |
There
is an oddly placed desk with a painfully uncomfortable chair right next to the
head of the bed. There is also very
limited work space so I had to use the desk to spread my work out.
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| Double Sinks |
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| Tub |
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| Shower |
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| Shower |
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| "Time-Out" Toilet |
The
master bathroom is huge with double sinks, a tub, a small shower and a toilet
fit into a fairly small space. It almost
felt like you were being put in a “Time-out” every time you went to the
bathroom. I am happy to report that
there was toothpaste in the bathroom, something that Hyatt had taken away the
prior year.
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| Balcony |
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| View |
 |
| View |
There
is along balcony that overlooks the pool area which can be accessed from both
the bedroom and living room.
Since
I had the resort credit I chose to have breakfast in Lantana rather than the
Regency Club.
There
was a breakfast buffet which was moved from its prior location inside of the restaurant to the outside entrance of the
restaurant. This is a great move in my
opinion as the former location was very small and was very cramped and
congested. You needed to have your
roller derby skills in order to get food with the prior set-up.
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| Breakfast Buffet |
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| Breakfast Buffet |
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| Breakfast Buffet |
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| Breakfast Buffet |
Hot
items included eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and pancakes (Hyatt makes some of
the best pancakes that I have had), while other options included bread,
pastries, muffins, croissants, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, smoked salmon, cheese
and bagels among others. There was also
a cooked to order egg station.
Normally
when booking a room through Virtuoso you also get a welcome amenity, however
none was present or delivered during my stay.
Not a big deal all things considered but it is one of the stated
benefits with Virtuoso.
Considering
the rate I got which was greatly offset by the Virtuoso benefits, this was a
great stay. I only wish they would
choose to continue to close the Regency Club during the summer.
