Mar 03 2008
Ten Reasons You Do Not Want To Stay at The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
You may read this “List of 10 reasons I don’t think you should stay at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara” and think….quit complaining, we all have bad hotel stays. That is true, but I am still angry because I just dealt with 3 days of Hyatt Regency hell. You can check my track record, I have never posted complaints about a hotel in my life, in fact I would be much more likely to compliment a hotel for a job well done. This situation is much different, I think people planning stays (or conventions) at this hotel should be aware of the problems we faced this week and look elsewhere. Overall this trip does not change my overall perception of the Hyatt brand, they have been great to me in other locations. As for the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara… here we go
1)In over two days of staying here, we can count the friendly staff members on one hand. Actually we can count them on 2 fingers. (One Waitress and one bellman)
2)The hotel bar closes way to early, even when people are still there trying to enjoy themselves. They actually had the nerve to ask everybody to leave the bar area after they closed down the bar. This was a great way to kill any sort of business discussions that were taking place. The bar staff works at such a snail pace I think my credit card almost expired before I got my first beer. They are nice guys, but not energetic enough to handle the crowds of a lively convention.
3)There isn’t a single restaurant, convenience store, sign of retail life within walking distance from the hotel. Be prepared to feel the pain of total isolation from the real world unless you rent a car or cab it everywhere. Don’t the suits at Yahoo and Mcafee ever go out for lunch? If so, they must take their limo’s into San Fran to get a decent meal.
4)The hotel rooms attempt to be trendy, but it is more of a cover-up then a complete remodel. Two sliding frosted glass bathroom doors? Interesting idea to cover up the tiny bathroom. I have been on several cruises that had comparable bathroom spaces. The sink had a faucet on the right hand side (akward), and the actual porcelain sink space is so large you barely have any counter space.
5)The front desk staff may not know how to smile and be helpful… They are also unfamiliar with the surrounding areas. Seriously how hard is it to smile and welcome people to your hotel after a long day of traveling? This hotel is not quite nice enough to get away with an elitist attitude.
6)There is really only one restaurant in the hotel. They attempt to pass this off as 3 or 4 separate ones. They should just say “Our restaurant serves American, Sushi, Bar Food, and Fine Dining all in one”. The food we had was fine, so I can’t say the quality was poor. Just expect typical hotel prices and typical hotel fare. Don’t be fooled on their website by thinking there are multiple dining options.
7)Santa Clara, CA may be the most boring city in all of America. I know this is more of a town to conduct business, but seriously would it kill them to open a few restaurants near all the hotels? As for its neighbor city San Jose, lets just say it made a day in Oakland seem somewhat more appealing. Even the waitresses around town kept saying they couldn’t wait to leave the San Jose area.
8)(Probably more of hygienic pet peeve, but still worth noting) The “Sushi” chef can be seen outside the pool smoking cigarettes. I would like to think he went right inside to wash his hands, but letting food service staff smoke ciggs outside by all the guests and them telling him serve up some California rolls is just disgusting. (This is more of a knock on management for letting him do this, I’m sure he is a fine employee and a darn good sushi roller)
9)It took 3 phone calls to the hotel staff to get the right form emailed to me for a credit card authorization. Also, when a staff memeber had to retrieve a fax for me, you would have thought I was asking her to do me a favor, and not her job.
10)Try enjoying a nice break by the pool when all you hear are jets flying overhead from San Jose airport. I realize this is not a tropical paradise resort, but just realize the pictures of the pool from the website may be deceivingly peaceful.
There you have it, 10 reasons why the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara is below par. Hopefully you all had a much better experience at this conference hotel.
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2 Responses to “Ten Reasons You Do Not Want To Stay at The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara”
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I know that sushi chef… his hands for sure aren’t washed, and those weren’t cigarettes.
Nice! Then our assumptions were right about that place. It was a rough trip.