Hyatt Regency Orange

[jdm]

Hi

I'm going to try to Priceline our hotel stay to DL the first week of October. I notice that the Hyatt seems to be coming up for that time more so than the Marriott or Westcoast. I did read the posts below concerning this hotel but was wondering if someone who has stayed there could elaborate more. I'm really wondering about the pool area and hoping for a detailed description? Also, is this hotel very snooty? Or is it kid-friendly? Any and all info would be appreciated! (I'll get all my info and then probably not even win a bid into this hotel.... but just in case.... :~)

Thanks!
Jenn

 

[c&m]

Just bumping this up because I have the same pool question and kiddie-friendly query. We bid on Priceline for 9/21-9/29 and got the Hyatt Orange for $42.

 

[jdm]

I'm bumping this up as I did get the Hyatt on a priceline bid of $40 last night for the second week of Oct. I notice you'll be returning before I leave and wondered if you'd post a report about the hotel or email me directly? If anyone else has any info, it'd be great if you'd post.
Thanks
Jenn

 

[c&m]

Hi JDM,

You got a great rate at $40! They wouldn't accept my initial $40 bid so I upped it to $42...oh well...still a good deal! The Hyatt seems to be coming up more often these days.

I'll let you know how the the hotel goes when I return. I'll probably post it on this board. 11 more days to go!!!

 

[bavaria]

Hmmm looks like my 'neighbour' CandM will be there when I am there... anything specific you wish me to look out for? 40+ trips to DL and never stayed there but couldn't pass up the $40 deal....

 

[jdm]

Have a great time and I'll look forward to hearing about the hotel!
Jenn

 

[bavaria]

Just got back and here is the info as promised....

Service - generally very good, very friendly. I rarely eat pizza, but one night just couldn't get out and the staff at PizzaHut was amazing - she made me a fresh pizza and was very attentive.

Restaurants - Starbucks, PizzaHut (but Starbucks closes late afternoon, PH opens late afternoon), lounge, and California Grill which advertises that it is very kid-friendly. During the week, the lounge and restaurant were packed with conventioneers, but on the weekend there were very few ppl, and I saw various parents and kids taking away meals, ice cream, etc. Sorry, did not look at the menu in detail. Room service dinner was acceptable

Pool - surprisingly small, located off Starbucks next to the shuttle bus stop and across from construction. Didn't seem to be used much, probably ok for the relatively small number of families I saw last week

Shuttle - leaves every 30 minutes, but does not start until 30 minute prior to park opening (unlike some, which are 60 minutes prior) Can be frustrating if you want to see Main St prior to park opening. Also leaves from the 'white' zone, which is right on Harbor Blvd and furthest bus stop from DL and DCA (those extra few steps do make a difference at night!) Friendly drivers. 65 passenger bus, which was full even during slow weekdays on some runs. Stops at Hyatt, Homewood Suites/Crowne Plaza, but during lunch and dinner breaks stops at Hampton, Hilton GI, Embassy Suites, Hyatt, Homewood/Crowne (You could get off at the Embassy Suites and walk - it took about a minute)

Area - across street from Walgreens and Target; Outback, Red Robin, other similar restaurants across the street. Area is much better kept than a few years ago

And the all important.....guest rooms!!!

Well, I promised myself that I would be satisfied with whatever I got for my low rate, and got 4th floor old tower. Room was very very clean, but was early 80's decor and very worn out. Carpet a grey color, lots of dings and chips, etc. The worst was a musty smell. I would rate this room barely a two star. Then I moved to the new tower, junior suite with fridge/microwave, brand new, great decor. This room was a four star!

I was originally offered a 'kid suite' for $20 more, but didn't need the bunk beds! At the current $27 rate someone won the hotel for on PL, the $20 'upgrade' is still a good deal if you need the space.

I suggest that the positives do outweigh the negatives - the old rooms are still very clean, and if you do not plan to stay in your room much, go for it to save money. Remember, the most common three stars on PL are the Marriott and the Hyatt (and I cannot say anything negative about my old favorite, the Marriott) If you do get an old room, ask politely if you can be moved if the hotel is not busy (I moved after the conventioneers left)

Good luck and take advantage of the great deals - I saw that the Hyatt has actually lowered their PL rate again!!!

 

[jdm]

I really appreciated the info. Kind of a bummer about the pool. That's a big deal to us. Was it surprisingly small as in little tiny thing? They said on the phone that they had two pools. Did you see both or just one? Thanks again for taking the time to post. We leave in two weeks..... can't wait!
Jenn

 

[bavaria]

Sorry - didn't see your question until today. The pool by Starbucks was about average for a hotel that sized focussing on corporate travel - just not a lot of theming around the pool, etc and not like the Disney resort pools where you would want to hang out for hours. Probably fine for kids!

I did not see the other pool, but I believe that it is in the fitness center in the old tower, so I assume that it is a more standard pool area.

I'm sure that you will enjoy the pool - based on the number and type of guests I don't think that there would be a lot of ppl there! In fact, whenever I waited for the bus it was always staff walking through that area, and no guests!

I'm going back in Nov, and will definitely try to use priceline again, especially since the rates went down again. Even if I end up in an 'old' room, the rest of the hotel will make up for it.

Have a great trip!

 

[c&m]

Bavaria provided a good description of the Hyatt. Here is our experience at the Hyatt:

Room--We stayed in the new North Tower. We were offered an upgrade to a kidsuite. Since we were Gold Passport members (you can sign up for free on their website), it was only $15 extra. $35 for non-members. We took it, since we have 2 DDs (ages 6 and 3). We had a corner suite on the 7th floor which was small but nice, however, we discovered ants in our room. By the second night, we decided we had enough of the ants after we saw one running on top of our DD's lugguage. The front desk was very nice about it and moved us to another room. This room was not a corner suite and was much much bigger than the last one. No more ants, and the rest of our stay in this room was wonderful. The beds were comfortable--a nice sleep every night after a long day at DL. The room was cleaned well, and we had a good supply of toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, soaps). There was in-room coffee offered and a free newspaper (Orange County Register).

There's no in-room safe. You need to ask the front desk for a safe, which is located in their office. No charge for a safe.

My parents and brothers, who were also on vacation with us, chose to stay in the older South Tower in adjoining rooms. Their rooms were older, mustier, and dingy, compared to ours in the newer tower. But, if we hadn't been in the newer tower first, I don't think I would have been that critical. They enjoyed their rooms in the South Tower, and thought that at $42/night, it was a deal!

The Pool--We played in both the North Tower pool and the South Tower pool. Both were of the same size, shaped like a semi-circle. The North Tower pool by the Starbucks was where we did spend the majority of our time. We didn't need a huge pool since our children are still relatively young. They didn't miss the pool slides that are in the Disney resorts. They swam and played in the middle of the afternoon in the pool. Note that the pool is not heated. It is extremely cool to go into in the early morning; also, after 5pm, it seems to get noticeably cooler in the pool. The hot tub was nice too. What we liked about the pool was that it was not crowded. After long days at DL, it was nice to go play in our hotel pool away from the madness at the park. Towels were there for our use. It was a clean and well-maintained area.

Shuttle Service--Left the hotel on the hour and at :30. Picked up at DL on :50 and :20. They were always there on time and we never had to wait.

Starbucks--Opened early, closed by 5pm. DH loved it!

California Grill--The hotel restaurant was open for breakfast and lunch but closed for dinner during the week. Their breakfasts were decent. They had kid meals. I was disappointed that their kid meals did not include milk so you had to pay extra. Very kid-friendly restaurant. We got a coupon from the front desk on the day we arrived for a free appetizer from the restaurant.

Surrounding Restaurants--Red Robin, Joe's Crab Shack, Outback Steak Restaurant, Buca di Beppo. We got a coupon for Red Robin for a free kid's meal from Hyatt's front desk, which came in handy. Also, when we got on our shuttle one night, a guy was passing out menus to his Chinese restaurant (Choy's). It offered free takeout. That night, we were so tired that we ordered in from this restaurant. Their chicken chow mein was quite good. If you want more info on this, I kept the menu and will pass info on to you.

Shopping--Target and Walgrens was kitty corner to the Hyatt. We bought bottled water and milk for the kids at Target. Very handy having a fridge in our suite. Vons supermarket was also on Chapman (recommend a car to go there, too far to walk). We went there one night to buy fresh fruit.

Overall Opinion of the Hyatt--We LOVED this hotel. The entrance is very grand. The service is great. They gave me restaurant coupons which I always love to get! They were very kind to our children. The place is well-kept and clean. We felt like got a great deal for the price we paid. My DH and I would stay there again.

 

[jdm]

Thanks to the above posters for letting me know about your experiences. We are leaving on Wed., will be there for four nights. I had a couple more questions... if you wouldn't mind answering,

When you say they offer in room coffee, am I correct in assuming that you mean there is an actual coffee pot in the room?

We are going with 6 other family members (2 of which are grown children) and I'm feeling a little apprehensive about trying for an upgrade. $15 dollars a night is a great deal and a kidsuite would be great as we have a 9 year old. However, I'm just worried that the other kids and my sister will get upset if they have rooms far away from us (as I know they won't want to pay for an upgrade). Do you know if they had standard rooms in the same tower/floor as your suite? I did register for the passport and have already received it by mail.

I guess I'm just starting to sweat the small stuff now. Also, I was wondering if there are any fast food restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. With 8 of us for the sake of time and $$$ that is the best way to go for quick breakfasts. We won't have a car.

Again, I appreciate all the great info and am relieved that you enjoyed this hotel.

Thank You,
Jenn

 

[jdm]

Bavaria

In re-reading the posts, I see you had a Junior suite. Can you describe it to me and was it the same charge to upgrade as a kidsuite?

Thanks
Jenn

 

[c&m]

Hi JDM:

There was a coffee pot in the room and coffee packs so you can make your own coffee.

I believe that a junior suite and kidsuite is the same. Perhaps I should have used the term junior suite. It's basically a room with a king-sized bed and another room with bunkbeds. We had asked for a standard room in the new tower but we were told that there were none available. Whether it means that they didn't exist or that they were all taken, I'm afraid I didn't ask.

We had the similar situation where my parents and brothers were in the old tower and we were in the new tower. We really didn't think much of it being inconvenient going from one tower to another because we were just glad we were in the same hotel! Also, we were so tired after a long day at DL that all we did when we got back to the hotel was go to our rooms, get the kids to bed and sleep! Each morning, we'd meet in the gorgeous lobby.

As for cheap breakfasts, we brought from home some Cream of Wheat packets and oatmeal packets that we could heat up in our room's microwave (another benefit of having the junior suite, because the standard rooms in the old tower do not have a microwave or fridge). And we also had bought some fruit. That saved us not only money but time on some mornings. BTW, the hotel is very nice about letting us borrow their plates and cutlery.

Other mornings, we just bit the bullet and had breakfast at California Grill--family of four for breakfast cost us on average $32. There's a Coco's restaurant across from Red Robin's, which is walking distance. You may get a cheaper breakfast there.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I think you'll be happy because it's a wonderful hotel. Let me know how your experience went!

 

[Uncle Buck]

We're earsboy:Me W D ) checking in on 10/10 for 5 days. Save us an upgrade!

 

[bavaria]

Sorry I'm back on the road again and didn't get a chance to see your question. The junior suite was NOT a kid's suite.

I was originally offered a kid's suite for $20 more (could be less with my Gold Passport card but I didn't ask) I was told that it had bunk beds.

I was moved on my 2nd day to a room with a living room and separate bedroom, with french doors between them. This is a true junior suite and different from the kids suite.

To the other poster, yes there is a coffeemaker and coffee. And no, it appears that one tower is completely new, the other completely old. (I may be wrong, but that is what the desk led me to believe. I was told that even the top floor of the old tower was the same as my original room)

 

[Tink33]

My kids and I stayed at the Hyatt this weekend. Regarding the pool:

The South Tower pool is currently closed.

The North Tower pool is open from 6 am - 10 pm. There is pool side dining available from 11 am - 10 pm. Just order your meal from the pool side phone and they will deliver to your lounge chair. Bar drinks are also available. The pool is heated and the hot tub is not too hot for children. The deepest part of the pool is 5 feet.