Earlier this year, my wife and I took an extended trip across East Africa. We started in Rwanda and, before moving on to the Masai Mara for five days at the JW Marriott Masai Mara, we spent a night in Nairobi at the Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands. It ended up being a great place to catch our breath before heading out into the “bush.”
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands Bottom Line Review
The Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands has a lot to recommend it. The hotel is in reasonably good shape, has sleek restaurants and a very nice club lounge, and occupies an entire floor with its gym, sauna, and covered swimming pool. Rooms are clean, comfortable, and spacious; the WiFi is great. Service was incredibly friendly, though hit-or-miss; while we were there, the restaurants didn’t seem fully staffed, and we had some issues at check-in and check-out. Despite that, it’s a fine place to base yourself in Nairobi. Thumbs Up
- Price: Hyatt Category 2, 6.5K/8K/9.5K points off-peak/peak/standard. When we were there in early September, we paid 6,500 points per night. The cash price was ~$120.
- Value: Varies somewhat, but usually seems to be in the 1.5-2.0 cents per point range.
- Location: The hotel is located in Westlands, a relatively affluent mixed-use neighbourhood. There are a slew of restaurants and shops nearby, and a casino next door. When we visited, many new buildings were going up in the area around the hotel, which made it feel a bit like staying in the middle of a construction zone.
- Room: We booked a standard king room and were upgraded to a ~900 sq ft Deluxe Suite with a city view and a separate living room. The room was a tad worn in some places, but it was a spacious and comfortable place to spend the night.
- Parking: Complimentary for all guests.
- Resort/Destination Fee: None
- Internet: Excellent, able to stream throughout the hotel.
- Service: Very hit and miss. The front desk person seemed entirely baffled about how to check us in, what benefits we had, and how to charge a deposit (we ended up being charged for the $50 “deposit” and our hotel charges). Restaurant service was incredibly slow, primarily because the servers were spread out over several rooms and seemed to have little backup support. The elevators were unpredictable, to the point that the hotel had someone constantly stationed in front to help guests navigate which ones were working and the vagaries of getting a key to coax it to the correct floor.
- Turndown service: None.
- Dining:
- District 6: A Sports bar located on a completely different floor from the hotel lobby. Open for dinner and drinks daily from 5 pm – 2 am.
- E.A.T.: This is the primary hotel restaurant, with magnificent views of Nairobi and a fun outdoor patio. Service left something to be desired, but the food, both for breakfast and lunch, was pretty good. Open daily from 6:30 am to 11 pm, with a breakfast buffet in the morning and an all-day menu the rest of the day.
- The Atrium: 24-hour grab-and-go market with prepared sandwiches, packaged food, and drinks to go.
- Spa: There’s no spa at the hotel, but there is a nice sauna and semi-outdoor pool.
- Fitness Room: The hotel’s fitness area is a full gym that also sells access to non-guests. It has an extensive array of weightlifting and cardio equipment, as well as a yoga room, sauna, and pool/relaxation area.
- Hyatt Globalist Benefits:
- Suite Upgrade: I booked a standard king room and was upgraded to a ~900 sq ft Deluxe Suite with a city view.
- Regency Lounge: The hotel has a spiffy Regency Lounge located on the lobby level. During the day, there’s a substantial selection of snacks, fruit, and coffee, replaced in the evenings by an extensive hors d’oeuvres spread with included beer, wine, and spirits.
- Free Breakfast: Served at E.A.T. restaurant. It’s an extensive buffet with a wide variety of juices, cold and hot options, an egg-and-waffle station, and espresso drinks.
- Late Checkout: Automatically given 4 pm.
- Parking: Self-parking is free for all guests.
- Would I stay again? It’s a perfectly nice place to spend the night, with terrific views. If it were convenient to where I needed to be in Nairobi, I’d be happy to stay there again.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Impressive amenities: pool, gym, club lounge, etc
- Good elite recognition
- Nice view of Nairobi from the rooms and dining areas
- Seems to usually be a decent value when using points
- Suites and rooms are very spacious
Cons
- Service was hit-and-miss throughout our stay, especially at the front desk and in the restaurant
- No club lounge
- Lots of construction in the area right around the hotel
Image Gallery
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands One Bedroom Suite
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands Club Lounge
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands Dining
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands Fitness Center & Pool
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Nice! We stayed at the Double Tree Nairobi (gotta use those Hilton credits!) during our single night between arriving at NBO and heading to JWMMM the next morning. It was perfectly fine for our purposes — and conveniently located to Wilson airport — but the Hyatt Regency definitely looks like a step up.