HYATT REGENCY BIRMINGHAM

Really nice hotel. Didn't use all facilities but in such a great location

Our experience started on a Saturday afternoon where we got to check in early which was lovely. We had a king room on the 14th floor. Bedroom was well made, all appliances and items expected were there. Bathroom was clean and contained all items I expected like a shower cap, shampoo, conditioner, vanity kit etc. We used the pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub and cold plunge as well as the changing rooms in the spa area. We were given cucumber water and clean towels by the spa team. All were clean and well maintained. The mats in the pool area were a little dirty but they may have been used all day by the time we arrived. Overall, really enjoyed the spa experience. (Especially wearing my Hyatt slippers). The bad experience for us was at the Gentleman and Scholar Bar. This can be found near the entrance to the hotel and has a pub/bar vibe providing simple bar foods like chicken skewers, fish and chips, pizzas and pastas. We opted for this bar over the Aria restaurant so we could have something simple and then head on out for the evening. When we got to the bar there was no space for us inside the bar so we sat just outside on stools which was reasonably comfortable and had enough room for all of us. We ordered at the bar and put all food and drinks on one of our rooms to make the billing a little easier for the staff and us. The drinks took over 30 minutes to arrive which was our first sign this bar may not be as good as we had hoped. We then decided it was time to look at a menu. I asked the servers for menus and they said they would bring the menus to us shortly. We sat for 15 minutes with no menus so got them ourselves. Then we ordered at the bar where we asked if garlic bread was an available side. One bartender said yes, the other said no. We ended up being able to pace the order for garlic bread snd was told the pasta dishes we ordered already come with garlic bread so there would be no extra charge. When the food did arrive (which took 40 mins) it was reasonably good. The pizza was nice and the pasta was standard. The steak sandwich was really lovely but steak was overdone so a little chewy. The garlic bread did make an appearance but was more like hard and overcooked bread with no butter or garlic in sight. When the plates were cleared the bill was bought over to our table when we had not stated we were finished but assumed this meant we needed to pack up and leave as the table may have been needed. The bill was to ask for card payment but we had put everything on the room so unsure why payment was required now. Moreover, the garlic bread was charged to the bill at £4.40 per side even after we were told this was included. The bar staff claimed to have no knowledge of the idea that the garlic bread was included and insisted on payment for the same. We ended up having to explain to the staff the meaning of putting the bill on the room, so we signed for the bill and headed out for the evening. Overall, a terrible experience in a 5 star hotel. I do not recommend the hotel for food at all but did have a lovely check in and room experience. Edit: absolutely awful!!!! We have been charged again for the dinner that was put on the room! Not only do they want us to pay for food that was dreadful on the night but they have chared us twice. This hotel seriously needs training on how to be a 5 star hotel because this was one of the worst experiences we have ever had.

Worst experience by far. I was placed on hold for over 10 minutes with no resolution, only to be told the delay was due to “a new system integration.” What makes this even more frustrating is that while they take a card number and keep it on file, they cannot actually process the payment instead you are told it must be prepaid or done in person. That makes no sense. I manage team travel and book hotels regularly. We have corporate cards on file and employees typically just provide their personal card for incidentals at check-in. We have never encountered an issue like this with any other hotel chain. Nowhere on Hyatt’s site does it state that the physical card must be presented upon arrival. On top of the inconsistent process, the communication was extremely poor. The manager never returned to assist, and the information given varied depending on who I spoke to. One representative said all I needed was a form to authorize the card, while another claimed the card must be physically present. Overall, it was disorganized, misleading, and unprofessional. A very disappointing experience.