Hyatt Regency Calgary: Bottom Line Review

I recently finished a Canadian tour that included a stay in Calgary, one of my favorite cities in the country (see also: Delta Hotels Downtown Toronto Bottom Line Review and Hyatt Regency Vancouver Bottom Line Review). I stayed in the Hyatt Regency Calgary, a landmark in the downtown core.

The Hyatt Regency has a marvelous location smack dab in the center of downtown Calgary, two blocks from Calgary tower and 5 blocks from the Bow riverfront. With a full-service spa and very spacious standard rooms (renovated in 2018), it has a little less of a convention hotel feel than some other Regencies. There are great views from many of the higher floor guest rooms, as well as from the 18th floor club lounge (which, for once, is actually open) and 18th floor pool/fitness area. The public areas are also quite lovely, only displaying artwork from Canadian artists, a nice touch that’s surprisingly rare in chain hotels.

Hyatt Regency Calgary Bottom Line Review

Bottom line: A great value points redemption with an enviable location in Downtown Calgary. The recently-renovated rooms are spacious and comfortable; the the pool/fitness area and club lounge have terrific views. A solid hotel that does what it needs to (although the f&b options have room for improvement).

• Points Price: Category 3, 9,000-15,000 points per night.  Bookable using a Category 1-4 certificate from the Chase Hyatt Card.
• Cash Price: There is a fair amount of seasonal variation.  The nights that I was there, it was CA$360 (~$275), but it can be upwards of CA$600-700 or as low as CA$200
• Points Value: It’s often a very good value for a points redemption or a category 1-4 cert. Rates are usually $200+, making the point value well above our reasonable redemption value for Hyatt points of 1.6 CPP.
• Resort Fee: None.
• Parking: Self-parking is available for CA$32/day and includes in & out privileges (~$25). Valet parking wasn’t available while I was there.
• Turndown service: None.
• Housekeeping: Everyday for all guests.
• Internet: Very good. Able to stream, cast and zoom throughout the property
• Dining:
  • Thomsons Kitchen and Bar is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 7am-10pm (11pm in Fridays and Saturdays) with a happy hour from 3pm-6pm. There is also a grab and go option called Baker’s Cafe that is open from 6:30-2pm daily.
• Spa: Stillwater Spa is open Wednesday-Sunday and claims to be the only full-service hotel spa in Calgary. I didn’t go there, but it was renovated in 2019 and guests that did go said that it was very nice. There is also a large, indoor pool and hot tub with near floor-to-ceiling windows next to the fitness room on the 18th floor.
• Fitness Room:The fitness room is located on the 18th floor. It’s mid-sized and has an assortment of weight machines and free weights alongside 10-12 cardio machines (treadmills and ellipticals)
• Hyatt Globalist Elite Benefits: Suite Upgrade: I booked a standard room and was upgraded to a club room on the 18th floor pre-arrival. I asked about a suite upgrade at check-in, they initially said that there were none available (although there appeared to be availability in the app), but then said there was a 4th-floor “conference suite” available. These appeared to be a large meeting area with a bedroom attached, so I declined and stayed on the club floor.
  • Club Lounge: On the 18th floor with beautiful views of downtown Calgary. Open 24 hours, with breakfast from 6am-9am M-F and 7am-10am on weekends. There are nightly hors d’oeuvres from 5-8pm and light snacks, tea, coffee and n/a beverages during the day.
  • Free Breakfast: Served daily in the club lounge from 6am-9am M-F and 7am-10am on weekends. This was probably the most mediocre part of the stay. There were three hot dishes daily (bacon, powdered eggs and french toast), as well as an assortment of pastries, fruit, cold cuts, smoked salmon and cereal. The selection was exactly the same every morning and not terribly high-quality.
  • 4PM Late Checkout: Applied automatically without asking.
  • Free Parking: I didn’t have a car, but there is free self-parking on award stays.
• Would I stay again?  Yes, it has a very good location with spacious rooms, a lovely club lounge/floor and mostly above-average public spaces. Given the cash prices most of the year, it’s a very good-value category 3.
• Hyatt Regency Calgary pros:
  • Great location in downtown Calgary, near Calgary Tower, the riverfront and the convention centre. The C-train stops across the street.
  • Very large standard rooms with huge bathrooms and good views from higher floors.
  • Lovely club lounge (that is actually open!) with a nice view of downtown Calgary
  • Slightly dated, but still impressive pool area, again with good views of downtown Calgary.
  • Often a very-good points/certificate value.
• Hyatt Regency Calgary cons:
  • Some parts of the property feel a bit worn and dated.
  • Seemed a bit understaffed with quite a bit of (probably needed) maintenance happening.
  • Elite recognition could be better, both in terms of upgrades and also in explaining benefits. Several guests arrived late for breakfast because they weren’t told the hours (and breakfast ends at the weirdly-early hour of 9am on weekdays).
  • The F&B options, both the restaurant and the food served in the club lounge, leave something to be desired.

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