HOJO break, WDYT about Hyatt?

[Brancaneve]

After staying at HOJO's for the past several years because of DIS recommendations, we are thinking about trying the newly remodeled Hyatt. If you have stayed there, how was your experience? How was the shuttle service to the parks? I am most interested in this, because walking back with our 7 and 5 year old can sometimes be a drag. Thanks!!!

 

[mrswh]

We love, love, LOVE the Hyatt! Have stayed there several times and always had a great time. The rooms, lobby and restaurants are beautiful, all newly remodeled. Full service Starbucks in the lobby. Fridges in the rooms and Target right across the street (handy for bringing bottled water to the parks). Service there is fantastic. Pool is nice. And the shuttle is great - 5 minute ride down Harbor and runs reliably every 30 minutes. Drivers are really nice. The only time we have had an issue with the shuttle is after fireworks during peak times (last summer when APs first came unblocked and the place was packed, for example) - then there are a mass of people waiting so you may end up waiting a while for the shuttle to take people back and return. (If we were concerned about that bc of huge crowds, we would either stay late, leave early, or go to GK for dinner and take advantage of the 5 hours of free parking!)

 

[Cagirl767]

We've stayed at Hyatt for a change of pace, one time, and that was enough. The customer service was horrible, I was expecting more from a Hyatt property or any chain for that matter. Our soap was never replenished in the bathroom, bathroom sink was broken, children's programming was never fixed on our tv for our 3 day stay. We stayed in a kids' suite and it definitely was not kid friendly. The front desk was rude and a couple of the bus drivers also then expecting tips! Hyatt sent a customer satisfaction survery and I really had nothing positive to say, and they never did a follow up. We much prefer the Homewood Suites and Residence Inn.

You can find reviews of any hotel at tripadvisor dot com.

Good luck!

 

[FANOFALLDIS]

We love staying at the Hyatt. We have always had great service. I would definately recommend the kids suite. If you go on their website you can see pictures of how the newly refurbished rooms look. They do seem to have a lot of conventions and attendees there. They also charge for parking.

 

[Goofy_Dave]

We stayed there about 5 years ago. The Hyatt is very nicely appointed inside compared to all the places that are right across the street, and had one of the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept on. But... it is NOT worth it at all! Having to wait for the shuttle service and dealing with rude, impatient guests cutting in line and jumping on the bus ahead of you really turned us off.

Ever since then, our first three rules for any DLR trip are:
1. Always stay within walking distance.
2. Always stay within walking distance.
3. Always stay within walking distance.

If you get up really early, don't take a mid-day break, and have very patient kids, you might be able to make it work. But other than that, I'd vote no.

Besides, Hojo's is awesome, what's the problem?

 

[deejdigsdis]

We stayed at the Hyatt in April and really enjoyed our stay. We were in a room with 2 queens -- about $80/night. There are pictures of the room/lobby/grounds on pages 6 and 9 in my TR linked below. We were only there for 2 nights, so we were pretty much there just for sleeping. The shuttle worked out better than I was expecting. It was big and always on time. I was worried about it filling up and having to wait for the next shuttle to come around, but that wasn't an issue in April. The shuttle is shared with the Crowne Plaza Hotel across the street. The first shuttle of the day leaves the Hyatt 30 minutes before park opening. On Magic Mornings it leaves 30 minutes before Magic Morning time -- wish it would have left earlier. I've read that some people take a taxi from the Hyatt on their MM days. On our non-MM day I made it in time for rope-drop and was the 8th person or so in line for Matterhorn. I was not expecting that after being picked up 30 minutes before park opening and making 2 other stops before DLR. The only thing I didn't like about the shuttle was that the stop on DLR property was the furthermost shuttle stop. We didn't use the restaurant or pool, so I can't comment on those things. But for the right price, we'd go back.

 

[Brancaneve]

We stayed there about 5 years ago. The Hyatt is very nicely appointed inside compared to all the places that are right across the street, and had one of the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept on. But... it is NOT worth it at all! Having to wait for the shuttle service and dealing with rude, impatient guests cutting in line and jumping on the bus ahead of you really turned us off.

Ever since then, our first three rules for any DLR trip are:
1. Always stay within walking distance.
2. Always stay within walking distance.
3. Always stay within walking distance.

If you get up really early, don't take a mid-day break, and have very patient kids, you might be able to make it work. But other than that, I'd vote no.

Besides, Hojo's is awesome, what's the problem?

I will always love HOJO's, however, my husband is a state employee and is able to get the government rate at any Hyatt. The room will cost us about $80. We thought it would be fun to try another Hyatt after our fabulous stay at the Scottsdale Hyatt. I do agree with you about staying within walking distance! You're absolutely right! Thanks!