First the positives:
-Let me rate the customer service. The front desk staff is very friendly and helpful, although there is no dedicated line for GoldPassport Elite members. Either way there are plenty of staff on hand and the wait is not long. Once you are at the desk, the staff takes the time to make sure all your questions are answered.
-What really impressed me was the hotels reaction to an unexpected event. I was there for a donwtown festival that got cancelled due to an impending tropical storm in the area. The hotel, recognizing that a lot of guests were there for that event and would want to leave to avoid the storm, made the decision to allow guests to leave withouth an early departure penalty. This clearly cost the hotel revenue, but they placed guest satisfaction before profit, major kudos for that.
-The restaurant provided good food for both breakfast and dinner, with a creative pasta buffett option for dinner which was a nice touch.
-The location of the hotel is great, one easy walking block from the Jacksonville Landing and a bridge if you like to walk accross bridges for a view. Dowtown Jacksonville however is downright scary on weekends, and nothing is open, so unless there is an event going on, don't pick this location for a weekend escape.
-The river view rooms have great views of the sunset, river, and bridges, and the all glass doors that actually open to a balcony are a plus when most hotels this day an age are sealed.
Now the negatives:
-The hotel is clearly dated and carpets and furniture are worn out. To be up to current Hyatt Regency standards, it needs a major facelift.
-The workout facility is clearly undersized for the number of rooms in the hotel, so depending on what is going on, expect to wait for equipment.
-Of the 8 or so elevators, only 2 or 3 seem to be working and the wait was always long
-The pool area seemed like a war zone, but I think this may be due to the type of people staying at the hotel on this particular ocassion. The pool on the rooftop is actually quite nice.
-Parking is $15 per day, which seems a little much given plenty of other parking available in the surrounding area.
-No refrigerator in the room, and a new trend I noticed at Hyatt's, no safe deposit box in the room. And given that this is a very large convetion hotel, with all kinds of different guests, this should be a priority.
Given the very slim choice of hotels in downtown Jacksonville, this seems to be the best choice, but by Hyatt standards, this is on the low end.
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