Amsterdam Amsterdam AMS Hotel Reviews Hyatt Hotels Hyatt Regency

Problematic Regency Club upgrade at Hyatt Regency Amsterdam

a room with a bar and a plant wall

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam is a newly branded Hyatt opened in April 2017 in Amsterdam East. This hotel is currently a category 4 award. I decided to take advantage of the category 4 designation to book two free nights.

The way I booked my free nights resulted in me being given a Regency Club upgrade for both nights of my 2-night hotel stay, only to be followed by an unexpected downgrade at checkout with a 50 EUR breakfast charge.

AMS Hyatt Regency-ext

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam is eligible for free night certificate redemption using certificates only valid for category 1-4 hotels. These are World of Hyatt free night certificates given for Hyatt Visa annual membership renewal and certificates earned for stays in 5 different Hyatt brands or upon reaching 30 nights in a calendar year.

Hyatt cat1-4 certs

Check-in: Thank you for your loyalty. We are pleased to upgrade you for both nights of your stay.

Checkout: Pay up for breakfast, you were not upgrade eligible.

I booked one free night using 15,000 points and one night using my Hyatt Visa cat 1-4 certificate and applied an Explorist Regency Club Upgrade.

Savvy World of Hyatt members probably see the issue I had with my stay booked using two different kinds of award nights.

Explorist Regency Club upgrades are valid for standard free nights redeemed with points or Points and Cash stays, however, Regency Club upgrades are not eligible for nights booked using Hyatt cat 1-4 free night certificates earned from Hyatt Visa, 5 brand stays or 30 nights.

AMS Hyatt lobby-1

I planned for the likelihood I would only receive Regency Club privileges for the standard reward night booked with points and made that my first night’s reservation, followed by a second night using the free night certificate. Breakfast was not important for the second morning since we needed to be at Schiphol Airport by 8:30am.

AMS Hyatt lobby-2

Ams Hyatt bar

AMS Hyatt pool table

Arrival: We came from Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre in west Amsterdam via Tram 7 to Weesperplein. There is also a Metro station at Weesperplein for a quick 3 stops to Amsterdam Centraal Station.

At check-in I explained to the receptionist I wanted to use a Regency Club upgrade and that I knew my Explorist Regency Club upgrade was technically only eligible for the first night of my stay and not the second night.

Since we had to leave for Amsterdam Schiphol Airport by 7:30am on the second morning, I was not too concerned about Regency Club lounge access and breakfast for the second night of our stay.

AMS Hyatt lobby

Room 517

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam has 5 floors. We were on the top floor in room 517. Regency Club is on Floor 2.

Ams Hyatt elevator

AMS Hyatt Floor 5

Ams Hyatt 517

Within a couple minutes of being in the room a phone call from the front desk receptionist told me the hotel would upgrade both nights of our stay to Regency Club access in recognition of my World of Hyatt Explorist loyalty. A minute later there was a knock on the door with two new hotel key cards.

AMS Hyatt 517-2

AMS Hyatt 517-13

AMS Hyatt 517-3

AMS Hyatt 517-4

There was a hallway space between the bedroom and bathroom with the coffee maker, closet and refrigerator.

AMS Hyatt 517-10

AMS Hyatt 517-11

AMS Hyatt 517-12

AMS Hyatt 517-8

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam 517 Bathroom

The bathroom has two glass stalls for the shower and toilet. The toilet door has frosted glass, but clear glass on the shower.

An interesting aspect of the bathroom is only a sheer curtain on the window. The fact I could see out probably meant people on the street could see in through the sheer, especially when it is dark outside and the bathroom is lighted.

AMS Hyatt 517-5

AMS Hyatt 517-6

AMS Hyatt 517-7

AMS Hyatt 517 window

Hyatt Amsterdam Regency Club

Regency Club-1

AMS Hyatt lounge-1

AMS Hyatt lounge-2

Regency Club-2

Regency Club-3

Regency Club-4

Regency Club-7

Regency Club-5

In general, there was limited food in the Regency Club lounge. Coffee and fruit were available in the morning. Cakes from 3-6pm and evening food from 6-8pm.

Complimentary breakfast for guests with Regency Club upgrade is in the hotel’s main restaurant Mama Makan.

We made it to the Regency Club on our first night around 7:30pm. A crying toddler wandered disruptively around the Club making noise and dropping things on the floor. We had a beer and piece of cake and got out of there. The second day we never made it to the Regency Club for afternoon or evening treats.

I had coffee and read the paper in the lounge both mornings.

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam Mama Makan Breakfast

Breakfast is 22 EUR for continental breakfast buffet and 28 EUR for breakfast buffet with choice of eggs dishes. Regency Club access guests receive complimentary breakfast at Mama Makan.

AMS Hyatt menu

AMS Hyatt breakfast-2

AMS Hyatt breakfast-3

AMS Hyatt Mama Makan

AMS Hyatt Mama Makan-2

The first morning Kelley had continental buffet and I had the buffet plus eggs.

AMS Hyatt eggs

We ate a rushed breakfast at Mama Makan restaurant before check-out.

The front desk stated I had a 50 EUR breakfast charge at check-out. I ended up being charged 50 EUR for the first morning’s breakfast with no charge on the second morning for another 22 EUR continental buffet and my Eggs Benedict only order for 11 EUR.

I explained at check-out that the receptionist at check-in told me the Regency Club upgrade was extended to both nights of my stay. 

Within the hour I received this email while sitting in the British Airways Executive Club lounge at AMS:

Dear Mr. Garrido,

Firstly, thank you for staying with us for your stay in Amsterdam.

As well, I would like to apologize for the confusion about the breakfast on check-out.

I checked with our reservations department and my manager to get clarification about your concern.

The first night you have booked with the upgrade to the club lounge, including breakfast.

The second reservation for the night 23rd – 24th February was made without the upgrade to the club lounge.

Therefore, I had to charge your credit card for the breakfast this morning.

Please find your invoice attached to this email.

Best regards and save travels,

 

I’ll remember this Hyatt Regency Amsterdam hotel stay as my most expensive breakfast ever.

[Update: March 4, 2018 – I received an email yesterday stating the receptionist who checked me into Hyatt Regency Amsterdam confirmed I had been offered Regency Club benefits for my entire stay. Breakfast charge reversed.]

All in all, I like the location and facilities at Hyatt Regency Amsterdam. I think this hotel will rise to World of Hyatt category 5 within the next year based on average daily rates.

My two night reward stay earned 1,000 bonus points per night with World of Hyatt’s current promotion.

Loyalty Traveler – Hyatt 1000 points per night Feb15-May 15, award nights eligible (Feb 15, 2018).

5 Comments

  • Michael March 1, 2018

    I stayed at this hotel as a Globalist and had a spectacular experience: upgrade to a gorgeous suite, beautiful amenities (wine, cheese, chocolates, and breakfast in the hotel restaurant each day. I would pushback because it is their fault, not yours, that they granted you the club access for both nights.

  • William Dougeneck March 1, 2018

    I stayed there 3 times in 2017 before October and once after October. They opened last Spring. Not in October like the author of this article claims. Maybe try fact checking before publishing? I’m a globalist they gave me suites twice without upgrading and I used a suite upgrade once for a weeklong stay. The place is incredible. It took over as my home base while in Amsterdam. The place is over the top for a Hyatt Regency…

  • William Dougeneck March 1, 2018

    The refency club there has unlimited food as the restaurant will keep replenishing it. And the author failed to mention that beer/wine/liquor is free in the club lounge for 2 hours each day. The places is my favorite Hyatt Regency. I’m writing this from a Regency lounge in Honolulu now and I would rather have the service and quietness of that one in Amsterdam anyday. At this one liquor and beer is for a charge

  • Ric Garrido March 1, 2018

    @Michael – Hotel staff has not yet replied to my emails.

    @William – The author’s name is Ric. I corrected the opening date to April 2017.
    I should have fact checked through my own article published last April.
    http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2017/04/19/hyatt-regency-amsterdam-category-4-open-for-stays/

    There was very limited food in the lounge in the morning during my two days at the hotel.

    I did not specifically mention free alcohol from 6-8pm. I had a free Heineken in Regency Club our first night. I don’t think I have ever seen an international Hyatt lounge that did not have free alcohol. I have only seen paid alcohol in USA lounges.

    Strike out my Hyatt international lounge free alcohol comment. Realized I have too few international Hyatt stays to generalize based on my own experience. Hilton and Starwood were international lounges where I consumed plenty of free alcohol.

  • Ric Garrido March 4, 2018

    Received an email from Hyatt Regency Amsterdam stating receptionist who checked me in confirmed I had been offered Regency Club access for entire stay. Breakfast charge reversed.

    This incident did not detract from my enjoyment of the hotel. I figured it would settle in my favor.

    More importantly, I told this story to highlight one of the restrictions on Explorist Regency Club upgrades, which is they are not valid for free nights booked using Hyatt Visa and ‘5 brand stays’ award night certificates.

    I really enjoy the location of Hyatt Regency Amsterdam. If this hotel remains a category 4 through next year, I would love to do a trip to Amsterdam redeeming my Hyatt Visa and possibly a ‘5 brands’ free night certificates at Hyatt Regency Amsterdam, then walk 200 meters down Sarphatistraat to InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam and redeem my IHG Mastercard free night certificate for a pleasant stay in Amsterdam East.

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