CA Sacramento Hyatt Regency

[Welldone Rumproast]

To see the bid information for this stay, please click *HERE*

This stay is still in progress (Hi from Starbucks in Downtown Sacto :D ) I will update as needed

Hotel Location and Property

The hotel is a AAA 4-Diamond prpoerty locted across the street from the Sacramento Convention Center on one side and, on the opposite side, across the street from the State Capitol Park (about 4 blocks from the Capitol Building itself). The fifteen-story building looks to be about 10-12 years old. Rooms and public areas look to have been recently refurbished and are in very good physical condition.

Airport Access and Parking

SMF (Sacramento International Airport) has no public transportation (bus or light rail) available. SuperShuttle van transport is available for USD 11 each way (major credit cards accepted, no round-trip dscount AFAIK). Estimated taxi fare is USD 25-30. If you have a car, overnight parking is USD 12 self-parking, USD 18 valet (in-and-out priveleges assumed, but please verify).

Check-In and Check-Out

I called the front desk in advance to ask them to put my Hyatt Gold Passport number into the reservation (it's the last day of FFN) B)

The check-in process was very friendly with no mention of PL. The agent noted that there were no kings (my GP preference) available on a completely nonsmoking floor, but that she could give me a "larger, upgraded nonsmoking room adjacent to a smoking room that we usually charge extra for, at no charge" (I'm GP Plat, the middle level). I told her "No problem"! :P Kudos for good customer service and follow through!

Room

Judging from the fire evacuation chart, the room was indeed larger than the adjacent rooms. It was at the end of the hallway, with the extra space occupied by a overstuffed sofa (hide-a-bed). There was also a comfortable sitting chair with ottoman. Two large windows, one sliding with tiny step-out balcony, overlooked the leafy State Capitol park. Because the room was on the thrid floor, the foliage blocked any view of the gold-leafed Capitol Dome (save for a glimpse of the flood-lit cupola of the dome at night, but it was very verdant nonetheless). This particular room was directly above the driveway area, but clever design and trees blocked any view of moving cars and soundproofing to the outside was excellent.

The king bed was triple-sheeted and firm but comfortable, with an alarm clock-radio on one of the nightstands. The full-size desk had a very high-quality leather chair with two power outlets mounted on the side within easy reach. The coffee maker was placed on the desk, with a packet of regular and decaf coffee and tea provided. No minibar (just as well). The large-screen TV in the armorie had about 20 channels including the cable news and sports basics and HBO and the Travel Channel :) Two telephones, one bedside and one on the desk, with data ports. Iron and board and a terry robe were in place in the closet.

Standard bathroom with good lighting. Very good water pressure with shower-massage head provided. Standard Hyatt-Portico soaps and shampoos and plenty of good-quality towels were provided

:) NO high-speed access

(An unattended-automated Business Center is located off the lobby - access is controlled by room-card-key - it charges 60 cents PER MINUTE of online time (Yeah RIGHT)!!

:) Very poor florescent "bulbs" were used in every lamp, making it very difficult to make out detailed print

Restaurant and Area Options

The Vines restaurant serves a very complete breakfast buffet for USD 11.95 (a la carte menu too). The buffet includes:

Fresh California fruit (melon and strawberries are in peak season right now) :)

Good oatmeal with a full range of toppings and also a good variety of cold cereals

Toast-your-own English Muffins and Bagels (with a toaster large enough for these items) :)

Standard hot buffet items (no omelete station) :)

Good coffee and juice selection

Good service/refills :o

I didn't try the more deluxe restaurant or the lobby bar but they looked quite nice

Plenty of alternatives outside the hotel. There is a Starbucks with T-Mobile wireless access (where this report is being filed from) five blocks away (there's another Starbucks but without wireless access only one block away). I had dinner last night at Frank Fats (a locally-famous Chinese political watering hole with good food and service and a short four block walk down L Street). A Hard Rock Cafe is another block beyond the wired Starbucks and Old Sacramento with lots of dining/bar options is about five blocks beyond that.

[Welldone Rumproast]

One correction, and it's a pleasant one :)

Although I was correct in saying that the Sacramento Regional Transit System does not serve SMF, the neighboring county (Yolo) has its own transit district and they *DO* have bus service going between SMF and downtown.

The route is #42 and the stop to go from hotel to airport is at the corner of 9th and K streets, a mere three blocks from the Hyatt. The fare is USD 1.25.

Route 42 runs seven days, once an hour, however, there is no late service. Also, you catch the bus going in the correct direction. If you catch the loop in the opposite direction, you will go on a very long (albeit scenic) ride before you get to SMF.

Routing and timetable details at their website:

http://www.yolobus.com/m3.html

[gleff]

This, along with perhaps the Sheraton (also available on Priceline) is probably the best hotel in Sacramento proper. And it's right across the street from the Capitol, so perfect on political business :)

[spiffycalgal]

Just FYI, for those of you who are concerned about labor relations, there is a boycott of the Hyatt Downtown Sacramento because of its problems with the hotel union. The Hyatt is known as the "Republican" hotel while the Sheraton is the "Democratic" hotel. Ah-nold stays at the Hyatt when he's in town for work.

[Sutter]

We stayed there on a late October Sunday. Rates were just over $115 for that night (booked directly through the Hyatt Web site), but went up by quite a bit for weeknight stays. Self parking was $17. I think valet was bout $25. Wi-Fi was about $9. Bars and restaurants in the hotel are pricey, but there are several restaurants and cafes within walking distance. We had dinner down the street at the iconic Chinese restaurant Frank Fat's (we felt safe walking at night, though it was fairly early in the evening). We walked to a nearby cafe/fast food place for breakfast in the morning. We then walked over to the Capitol for a free tour (we were the only ones so enjoyed a private tour).

The room was large and comfortable, with a very small private balcony, and a nice view of Capitol Park. I paid in advance for an upgrade to an executie room, dependent on availability; would not hve paid the extra if no executie rooms available. The shower was not easy to use (there was a printed note on the shower saying to pull the handle slowly). I phoned the front desk to ask for maintenance, and someone showed up, and fixed the problem, within a few minutes. We did not have time to use the fitness room, and it was too cold to use the outdoor pool.

The room was worth what we paid, even with the added cost of parking and Wi-Fi, though we would probably not have stayed there on a weeknight, when rates were much higher. I like the location slightly better than that of the neary Sheraton, but have not been inside the latter. After our one night of splurging at the Hyatt Regency, we moved to a chain hotel in Rancho Cordova, utilizing Priceline.