Hyatt Regency LAX: Review

I’m not one to call an airport hotel home. When I travel, I like to be a man among the people, experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and culture of our favorite destinations. Anyway, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency at LAX recently.

Travel Fanwife and I used it as a stopover before making our way to Disneyland for a few days. It allowed us to rest and visit with a few friends while avoiding the traffic to and from Anaheim after an already long day of travel.

It’s a popular hotel, obviously, for airline staff and travelers with extended layovers. I wouldn’t make this my home base for an LA vacation, but it does the job for those that need it.

A quick, free shuttle picked us up from our terminal and dropped us off at the hotel. We found a clean, open lobby. Lines were moderately long, but since I am Discoverist tier, not to brag, we got expedited service. Thanks to the Hyatt card for that.

Next to the lobby is a well-stocked bar, much needed for weary travelers. It’s also where we recorded a soon-to-be award-winning podcast episode with Chris. The Open Market, with its standard collection of snacks and refreshments, provided us with quick, albeit pricey, bite after checking in. The hotel also has the Latin-Asian hybrid restaurant, unity la. The name isn’t capitalized for some reason, so I don’t want any grammarians coming after me. We didn’t try it, opting for In-N-Out instead, but it gets mixed reviews online.

As for the rooms, they’re well designed and, most importantly, have soundproof windows. They worked. The modern design gives the rooms an upscale feel but sacrifices a bit of warmth. This isn’t a room I’d be excited to stay in for more than a couple of days. The workstation, or table, was less than comfortable. It was easier to get work done in bed. By work, I mean Google myself. As with many Hyatt properties, the beds were comfortable with a generous amount of pillows.

I do like that they furnished the room with travelers in mind. It seems obvious, but so many hotels seem to forget some basic needs, a la charging stations. Not the case here. I’m also a fan of rooms that don’t have large pieces of unnecessary furniture. The biggest offenders are those with massive entertainment centers. We don’t need it. We’re not bringing our VHS collections with us. There’s a great use of space in these rooms. A simple closet rests beside the door and the large tv is wall mounted.

The bathroom was fresh with a white vanity and sliding glass shower. Beyond the wallpaper I momentarily confused with a Magic Eye print, the aspect I wasn’t fond of was the barn door. There was a minor sightline through the door, which doesn’t do much for privacy.

Both the bathroom and beds were clean and free from soil, which is most important for me. There were some unsettling stains on the chairs and carpet. We didn’t notice them when checking in, but they were revealed as the sun crept through the window.

The hotel amenities include a pool and a surprisingly nice gym space. Valet parking is offered, but it’s going to cost you $44 a night. And you thought Vegas was bad. We opted to pick up our car the next day instead of succumbing to that fee.

We booked our room using points, so it’s hard to complain when nothing was spent out of pocket. You could do a lot worse with an airport hotel.