TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.
Other links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission that helps contribute to the running of the site. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card welcome offers, earning rates and benefits and some credit card benefits will require enrollment. For more details please see the disclosures found at the bottom of every page.
- Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Trip – Introduction
- Connecting At Zurich Airport – A Quick Look
- Review: Aspire First Class Lounge – Zurich
- Review: Cathay Pacific 777-300ER First Class
- Review: Cathay Pacific Arrivals Lounge – Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Airport Express, Free Hotel Shuttles & Kowloon Check-In
- Review: Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Harbour View King Room (Part 1)
- Review: Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Harbour View King Room (Part 2)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge – Hong Kong
- Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class
- Review: Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf
For details of my room and the Regency Club Lounge check out Part 1 of this review.
I ended Part 1 of this review with a bit of a cliff-hanger saying that the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong offers the single best amenity I’ve ever seen offered by a hotel…and I really don’t think I’m exaggerating.
If you don’t happen to have access to a great roaming deal (like T-Mobile offers in the US) then you’re likely to be at the mercy of wi-fi hotspots when you travel abroad…but not if you visit the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong.
On the desk in my room I found a smartphone and, as you can see from the various screens that it was scrolling through, it was free!
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Smartphone
The instructions that came with it were pretty simple (click image to enlarge)…..
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Smartphone
…the phone was mine to use for the duration of my stay and it offered a fantastic package:
- Unlimited local and international calls (to USA, UK, Australia, Singapore, China, Korea, Japan & Taiwan)
- Unlimited 3G mobile Internet access
- Hong Kong City guide
I genuinely couldn’t believe that a hotel was offering free international calls…how cool is that?!
With my roaming package being as terrible as it is (I really must do something about that) I made the most of this amenity. Being able to access google maps while out and about as well as being able to make a few calls home while wandering around Hong Kong was a great benefit to have. Kudos to the Hyatt Regency for offering this.
After deciding that I really liked my room (especially the view and the bathroom) I decided to see what else the hotel offered.
The fitness center is on the 10th floor of the hotels and, just like the elevators, is accessed using your room keycard.
It’s a good-sized facility with enough equipment (and enough different types of equipment) to keep all but the craziest of fitness freaks happy 🙂
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Although the fitness centre wasn’t huge there was still a feeling of space and, even with a few people in it, I don’t think it would feel cramped.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
As well as an impressive array of equipment the gym offers cold bottled water and fresh towels.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
There is one bathroom directly linked to the gym:
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Fitness Centre
Having checked out the gym and now feeling quite tiered just thinking about exercise I headed down to the pool level.
The arrangement the hotel has with the pool is a little strange as it appears to be linked to the residences that share the same building as the Hyatt.
To get to the pool guests have to first take the elevator to the 9th floor where the hotel’s “sky garden” is and then walk down a further level to a reception area for the pool.
The sky garden is an open-to-the-air level of the hotel with a few seating options, some greenery and some views oven the nearby buildings. I suspect that this is mostly used for functions as the only guests I saw were those having a cigarette!
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Sky Garden
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Sky Garden
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Sky Garden
After checking in with the pool reception desk I was pointed in the direction of the changing rooms which are used to access the pool area.
You can see the pool the moment you leave the reception area…..
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool
…but that gate is unidirectional and for exit only.
The changing rooms were in very good condition and, as no one was in there, alto very tidy.
There were lockers for clothes….
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool Changing Rooms
….nice sinks….
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool Changing Rooms
…and a couple of good showers.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool Changing Rooms
All in all the fixtures and fittings were not dissimilar to what you’ll find in some of the better gyms.
Once through the changing rooms I was out onto the terrace and standing by the pool:
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool
At one end there were a couple of lifeguards on duty and some loungers….
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool
….while, at the other end of the pool, was a larger area with loungers and umbrellas as well as a hot tub:
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool
There was a further hot tub around the corner….
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Hot Tub
….as well as a small kids play area:
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Pool Kids Area
By this stage I’d seen enough of the Hyatt Regency so I decided to head out into Kowloon and take a look around.
The hotel’s location makes it very easy to see all the local sights and to get to the Star Line Ferry terminal from where you can cross to Hong Kong Island for the princely sum of HK$3.50 (US$0.45) – that’s one of the best value things you can do in the territory! 🙂
I won’t bore you all with details of my sightseeing but, if you’re heading to Hong Kong and you haven’t been before, it’s well worth heading down to the harbor at night to see the city light up.
The only thing left to mention is the breakfast in the Hyatt’s Regency Club Lounge.
Breakfast is served between 6:30am and 10:30am Monday to Friday and 6:30am to 11:00am on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
The lounge offers a small a la carte menu…..
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
…or a self-serve buffet.
Which included:
Cereals and dried fruit.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Salad items and dressings.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Various fruit.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Mixed pastries and muffins.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Bread rolls of various kinds.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Cheese.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Some very ordinary as well as well as some very nice bread.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Wok fried vermicelli.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
String Bean BBQ pork….which, by the time I saw it, was 95% string bean!
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Mixed mushroom congee.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
Some very anaemic-looking chicken sausages.
And some hard-boiled eggs.
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
The continental buffet items were fine and I’m sure the a la carte items would have been fine too (had I ordered any of them) but the hot buffet items didn’t look very appetising.
The highlight was the very good selection of teas that the lounge offers…and these aren’t just plain bags of tea….
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Club Lounge Breakfast
…this was the good stuff 🙂
Bottom Line
Between being upgraded to a room with a good view, having my room ready at 11:15am and the fantastic smartphone amenity I couldn’t have been happier with the service at the Hyatt. The staff were all friendly and helpful and the lounge staff were particularly good at suggesting what to see and when based on how long I was going to be in Hong Kong.
The room was more than good enough for my needs and, while it wasn’t the biggest room in the world, it would have been fine had Joanna been with me…and she would have loved the tub!
The Regency Club lounge was comfortable and had some great views but, had my room not have been ready as early as it was, it would have been nice to have a few more power outlets available.
The weakest point of my experience was the breakfast which, although ok, wasn’t great and, had I been staying for longer would probably have seen me eat out a few times (or in the restaurant downstairs).
Overall I was very happy with my choice of Hyatt in Hong Kong. I’ve heard good things about the Grand Hyatt from other bloggers but the price differential didn’t seem worth it to me when I came to booking (which it why I ended up at the Regency)…..and I don’t regret my decision at all.
Good location, friendly staff and some great amenities all make it a property I would happily book again.
In my experience, every four and five star hotel in Hong Kong offers this free phone/wifi service.
That’s great service. My previous visit to Hong Kong was back in 2012 and, at that point, the 4* hotel I stayed at didn’t have this so it’s good to hear that its so common….now if only hotels in other parts of the world offered this.
I also had the use of the smartphone for free with the same facilities when I was staying at The Link Hotel, Singapore. Agreed, it is a great item to use. I do hope more hotels provide them.