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Regency Club City View Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles.
A City view.
Business Plan Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles.
A City view.
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Oyster Review Summary
Photos and review by Lauren G., Oyster Expert Hotel Investigator.
Updated: May 19, 2010
Pros
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Cons
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Bottom Line
Gracious service makes the towering, austere 802-room Hyatt Regency feel almost cozy. The rooms, while not new, are large and comfortable. And the location near the scenic Embarcadero and bustling commercial artery of Market Street is convenient for exploring the city. But this largely business hotel is light on amenities and in a dull part of town at night.
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Hyatt Regency San Francisco - SoMa/Financial District, San Francisco
Hyatt Regency San Francisco - SoMa/Financial District, San Francisco
Rooms at Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Best Price Guarantee
Learn More »
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Regency Club City View Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A City view. |
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Business Plan Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A City view. |
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Guestroom
385 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A City view. |
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Regency Club Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed. A City view. |
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Balcony Bayview Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed. A Balcony / Patio and a Bay view. |
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Regency Club Balcony Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed. A Balcony / Patio and a City view. |
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Deluxe Room
385 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A City view. |
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Embarcadero Suite
506 sq. ft with a King bed. A Bay view. |
Oyster Hotel Review
Contents
Scene
The gargantuan Hyatt Regency boasts a warm, accessible staff and big rooms, but amenities are hit or miss, especially for business travelers.
The world's largest hotel atrium
A towering, accordion-shaped structure built in 1972, the 802-room Hyatt Regency is an imposing, if slightly dated, study in contemporary design. The dimly lit 15-story atrium -- the largest in the world, according to the hotel -- resembles a concrete honeycomb buzzing with both laptop-strapped guests and groups of tourists. A spherical metal sculpture and a bank of glass elevators contribute to the "modern" (by 1970s standards) look.
Despite its grandiose proportions, only a small corner of the atrium-cum-lobby is in full use -- the section that houses the front desk and the small, recently renovated restaurant and bar, Eclipse. The rest of the cavernous, echoey space is largely uninhabited. Atrium Bar, the lobby's former watering hole, closed down a year and a half ago due to sluggish business. In a space this big, the vacancy is striking.
Standard rooms are big by San Francisco standards, and they're well maintained even though they haven't been fully renovated in a dozen years. (The plush modern furniture and wonderfully comfortable Hyatt Grand beds have all been replaced in the last two years.) Due to its location in the Financial District, reasonable rates, and glut of meeting space, the Hyatt attracts a largely corporate clientele. And yet the hotel doesn't seem to offer the sorts of extras that would win over such guests. Free Wi-Fi isn't available anywhere but in the penthouse Regency Club, accessible only to guests who book premium rooms. The 24-hour business center offers a fairly extensive array of services, but web access is 50 cents a minute. For late-night dining, guests need to wander. Eclipse stops serving dinner at 10 p.m. At the bar, where the scene is less afterwork crowd than fatigued hotel guests, last call is 12 a.m. Restaurant options in the immediate area are mostly of the chain variety, and nightlife is minimal.
For slightly more money, Le Meridien four blocks away offers more modern rooms and a more happening restaurant. Rooms at the Marriott in nearby SoMa are comparable to the Hyatt Regency's, but that hotel has more amenities and room rates can be lower.
Service
The staff takes pains to make this huge hotel seem small and warm.
Concierge desk closes at an early 8 p.m.
Services are standard for a large midtier chain, but the staff takes great care to provide friendly, personal service. Nearly every person I interacted with -- from the uniformed valets to the front desk personnel to the porter and the maid -- were genuinely cordial. Room service was prompt. I found the concierge to be the least accommodating. When asked to recommend a restaurant in the area, he neglected to ask my budget, gave me just one option, was vague about where it was, and didn't immediately offer to book a reservation.
- Room service available 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Express check-in
- Concierge available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 24-hour automated iConcierge in the lobby available after-hours or during rush (essentially an on-screen list of recommended restaurants and attractions).
- Laundry service available
- Daily delivery of the Wall Street Journal
- Turndown service available upon request
- Valet parking is $50 a day plus tax.
Location
In business-centric Financial District, spitting distance from the Embarcadero and Union Square
On the eastern edge of San Francisco's sterile, skyscraper-dense Financial District, the hotel is near a number of bayside attractions and boasts easy access to public transportation.
- Mere blocks from the Bay Bridge and the picturesque waterside Embarcadero promenade
- A short walk to the Ferry Building, a foodie paradise chockablock with high-end food purveyors and host to a renowned thrice-weekly farmers' market
- Near ferries to Oakland, Sausalito, and Alameda
- Less than a block from San Francisco's main artery, Market Street, and a wealth of public transportation options (including the California Street cable car on the same block as the hotel)
- A five-minute cab ride (or half-hour walk) to Fisherman's Wharf
- Adjacent to Embarcadero Center's whimsical sculptures by Jean Dubuffet and Armand Vaillancourt
- Cabs to and from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) run between $35 and $45, depending on traffic.
Rooms
Spacious, with cushy beds; but not all rooms have the hotel's touted scenic views
The Deluxe Double Room
The Deluxe Double Room, which at 385 square feet is bigger than your average standard San Francisco room, feels spacious and bright. The decor is modern (yet generic), with plush carpet, upholstered headboards and neutral tones. The sturdy armchair and stately wooden desk show some signs of wear, with a few scuffs, streaks and dents, but the rooms aren't in bad shape considering that management says the last renovation was more than a decade ago.
Floor-to-ceiling windows slide open onto a faux balcony (no actual room to stand, just a cement balustrade). The hotel's upper floors have killer views of the bay, but in a "city view" room like mine the unspectacular view is of the stores below. Some standard rooms have partial bay views, but you can't be sure to get one. To guarantee a scenic vista rather than a bird's eye view of a 7-Eleven, Taco Bell, and Starbucks, book a Regency Club room, which can add $75 to $100 to your bill per night.
- Standard rooms come with one king or two double beds.
- A select few standard rooms have partial bay views, but most have views of city streets; official Bay View Rooms with a balcony are another $40 a night.
- Insanely comfortable Hyatt Grand beds are dressed in silky sheets, three fluffy pillows, and down-stuffed comforters.
- The bathroom's dark, tiny toilet and shower area is separate from the sink and vanity. Owing to new fixtures in the shower, water pressure was great, but sink fixtures are older and mine sputtered every time I turned it on.
- Inoffensively scented Portico toiletries
- 32-inch flat-screen TV with basic cable; iPod dock
- In-room Wi-Fi is $10 or $15 a day, depending on speed.
Features
The basic amenities may disappoint the hotel's many business travelers.
The old fitness center
The usual menu of amenities for a city hotel, but business travelers, the hotel's bread and butter during the week, may be disappointed by the lack of late-night dining options, a more comprehensive business center, and free in-room Wi-Fi.
- Free 24-hour fitness center, accessible with a room key, is small but serviceable. The hotel is building a larger facility, due to be completed in November 2009.
- Guests angling for a low-impact workout can request a yoga mat from housekeeping and watch an on-demand yoga session in the room; 45-minute session runs $12 to $15.
- Concierge can book in-room massages from off-site facility for $125 an hour.
- In-room Wi-Fi is $10 for regular DSL, $15 for high-speed.
- Business center, accessible 24 hours with a room key, has three PC work stations, a black-and-white and color printer, and a Xerox machine. Web access is 50 cents a minute.
- Meeting space includes 34 meeting rooms, a huge exhibit hall, and a grand ballroom.
- Top-floor Regency Club (available only to guests staying in more expensive Regency Club rooms) has unobstructed 360-degree views of the bay, work stations with free Wi-Fi, a "Zen Den" with massage chairs, an honor bar, and a daily cocktail and hors d'oeuvre reception, plus all-inclusive breakfast buffet.
Family
Family-friendly due to size and location, but no special features for kids
Despite the lack of a pool or other kid-centric amenities, the hotel's large rooms and convenient location for sightseeing makes it an attractive option for travelling families.
- Rollaway beds, cribs, and fridges are free (though rollaways aren't allowed in rooms with two beds).
- Babysitting referrals available at front desk
- Kids' menu at hotel's Eclipse restaurant
Cleanliness
Rooms and hallways are nearly spotless, but the lobby could do with a bit more elbow grease.
Rooms are clean, though slightly worn in places: I spotted scuffs and scratches on the wood furniture and small dents in the walls of my room, and the old faucet in the bathroom sink sputtered when turned on. Bath towels were fluffy to the touch but pilled when I wiped my hands on them and left my body covered in fuzz.
Hallways are immaculate, with nary a room service tray in sight -- though it would be hard to spot any grit given how dimly lit the the corridors are. The lobby is slightly less spic and span, probably due to the high volume of traffic in and out. I noticed sticky floors and some scum in one of the fountains.
Food
Uninspired but palatable cuisine at Eclipse restaurant; the breakfast buffet is a good value
The lobby's Eclipse restaurant
- Dishes at the newly renovated lobby restaurant Eclipse run the gamut from Asian to Mexican to pizza, with an emphasis on local seafood; surprisingly few vegetarian options .
- Like most Bay Area restaurants of a certain ilk, Eclipse claims to use local produce and meats "whenever possible." This is slightly suspect given that, according to my waiter, the menu doesn't change seasonally -- he said it had been largely the same for the past six months.
- My entree-size Shrimp and Crab Louie Salad ($18) was huge, crisp, and fresh; the Littleneck Clam Chowder ($9) was rich and delightful. The attentitve waiters kept me supplied with endless baskets of warm San Francisco sourdough.
- For more interesting culinary options, stroll 10 minutes to the Embarcadero's Ferry Building market
- In-room dining, available from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., features a menu that's nearly identical to the Eclipse restaurant menu, albeit slightly more expensive.
- $23 "Recession Buster" breakfast buffet is a great value.
Bottom Line
Gracious service makes the towering, austere 802-room Hyatt Regency feel almost cozy. The rooms, while not new, are large and comfortable. And the location near the scenic Embarcadero and bustling commercial artery of Market Street is convenient for exploring the city. But this largely business hotel is light on amenities and in a dull part of town at night.
Hotel Features
| Number of Rooms: | 802 |
| Pool: | No |
| Fitness Center: | Yes |
| Spa: | No |
| Internet Access: | Yes |
| Pets Allowed: | No |
| Cribs: | Yes |
| Kids Club: | No |
| Jacuzzi (in room): | Some |
| Casino: | No |
Hotel Information
| Location: | SoMa/Financial District, San Francisco |
| Toll Free Bookings: | 1-888-776-9783 |
| Address: | Five Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111 (See Map) |
Travel Guide
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Things You Should Know About Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Address
- Five Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111
Hotel Is Also Known As...
- San Francisco Hyatt Regency
- Hyatt San Francisco
- San Francisco Hyatt
Room Types
- Deluxe Room
- Business Plan Room
- Balcony Bayview Room
- Embarcadero Suite
- Regency Club City View Room
- Regency Club Room
- Balcony Suite
- Guestroom
- Bayview Room
- Regency Club Balcony Room
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