Background:
For my past Labor Day trip to New York, I stumbled on a crazy rate for an Executive Suite at the newly opened Hyatt Regency JFK at Resorts World New York. My JetBlue Mint Suite flight arrived in the evening to JFK and didn’t need to be in the city until the next day, so I decided to try out the new hotel and the suite and spend a night near the airport.
With World of Hyatt, you can redeem points for suite upgrades, coded “Lp Suite Pts Upgr” below.
Only 6,000 points and $89!
For standard suite upgrades, the cost to upgrade is just 6,000 points which is a flat amount not dependent on a hotel category. However, normally the cash portion correlates with the standard rate. But when I was looking at rates, it seemed to be capped at a flat $89, which was a great deal given that the standard rate was about $359. $89 + 6,000 World of Hyatt Points seemed like a much better deal with a Suite! As shown above, you could take either the 1 Bedroom Suite, or the Executive Suite. I opted to take the Executive Suite as the cash rates for this room were higher. Cash rates for the Executive Suite were going for $1108 per night, which is crazy for an airport hotel.
Right before my stay, the hotel already modified the 6,000 points + $89 rate, and now it is not available anymore.
Arriving at the Hotel + Location:
I went right before Labor Day Weekend, and at the time, the hotel had been open for a little over two weeks. The Uber App didn’t even have the correct drop off for the front of the hotel. The hotel entrance is shared with the Sugar Factory Restaurant and one of the casino entrances. I did like that I didn’t have to walk into the casino at all to get into the hotel.
Front of Hotel
Even though the hotel has “JFK Airport” in the name, it sadly doesn’t have an airport shuttle even though it’s only 4 miles from the airport. I had to take an $18 Uber ride, which only took about 13 minutes from Terminal 5 to the hotel.
You theoretically could take the AirTran at JFK to Jamaica Station which would cost $7.75, and then Hyatt Regency does advertise a free shuttle on their website to Jamaica Station (LIRR). But for the time being, it looks like the website says the shuttle service is currently suspended. Honestly it sounds kind of messy regardless, so I think an Uber is easier and will save you time.
There really isn’t anything next to the hotel, and it’s not the most desirable area so if you’re here you will most likely stay on site.
Check In:
I arrived right before 8pm, and was checked in by a friendly associate. It is a brand new hotel, and she was definitely getting used to the systems and had to ask her supervisor for some help. She was very nice, so I didn’t mind at all.
The lobby was tastefully done, and it didn’t feel like I was at an airport hotel which was nice!
Lobby
With my Explorist Status, she said that they had upgraded me to have Regency Club Lounge Access which I appreciated. The suites don’t automatically come with club access, so it was nice to get the upgrade.
As I walked around the hotel, I noticed it was very empty- if I had to take a guess, it was probably 10% occupied.
The Executive Suite:
The suite I was assigned to was located on the 10th floor, which is the top floor of the hotel. Upon entering the suite, there is a nice full guest bath with standup shower.
Executive Suite: Full Guest Bath
Across this guest bath, is an ample sized closet with an iron and extra luggage rack.
Executive Suite Entrance
The main living room has an L-shaped couch and large TV.
Additionally, there was a large minibar area, which has a small mini fridge for personal use, coffee/tea maker and safe.
Executive Suite Living Room
Executive Suite Daytime Living Room
The bedroom was nice and felt luxurious, with a nice king sized bed as well as a desk near the window. The bed and sheets were pretty comfortable, and the bed felt new and solid.
Bedroom
Desk
There were plenty of charging ports, and even had a wireless charger on the alarm clock next to the bed. Perfect to charge my AirPods lol. An additional closet was in the master bedroom as well.
Drapes were all controlled electronically in the room, and I could see Manhattan (distantly) in the background.
View from Room
Bathroom in the Executive Suite:
The bathroom in the suite was quite pretty, and definitely the star of the room. Two sinks, a huge freestanding tub, large shower and separate W/C.
Executive Suite Bathroom
Bathtub and Shower
Toiletries were provided by Le Labo, which is normally seen at more upscale properties. The scent used is the Hinoki scent. Generally, I’m used to the Pharmacopia toiletries so this was a nice surprise.
Issues:
The negatives from the bathroom were that some of the towels were dirty. I was surprised by this given that the hotel was so new.
Additionally, when I went to fill the tub to try out the bath, it was a light brown color. I wondered if it was the water, but after closer inspection it seems that the bottom of the tub was all dark/sandy. Yuck. No bath for me!
The main issue for me was that I woke up to the sound of jackhammers outside in the morning. Thankfully, I had to be up early anyway to meet a friend in the city, but I didn’t need my alarm clock to wake up. It was quite loud even 10 floors up. Then, I walked into the living room and the scariest thing was that I could hear the room next to me verbatim. I thought it was coming from the connecting door, but nope. Apparently there’s horrible insulation from the window, I think there is a gap from the wall to glass window. It was so loud!
I would have never discovered this if the hotel didn’t assign another guest right next to me. Which actually surprised me. The hotel was literally so empty, you couldn’t have put at least a 1 room buffer?? And it’s funny, when I went to breakfast in the lounge I noticed from the voices it was the room next door to me LOL (and yes, we were the only people in the Regency Club lounge for breakfast).
Regency Club Lounge + Dining:
I really liked the Regency Club at this property. The club lounge was completely empty when I visited at night, and looked very nice! On the website it says Regency Club access is $30 + tax per person and kids under 12 are free. So it seems like you can add club access to any reservation.
The lounge is open daily, and scheduling is as follows:
- Breakfast 6am-10:30am
- Stationary Items & Beverage Service 3pm-5pm
- Happy Hour 5pm-8pm
- Beer & Wine 5pm-11pm
Regency Club Lounge
Lounge Seating
Sadly, when I got to the lounge a few minutes after 8pm, I missed the Happy Hour and the nice attendants in the lounge apologized and said they already took away the bites and dessert.
From 8pm-11pm, they had some beer and some mixed cocktails in a can, and the standard drink fridge open. I didn’t see any wine.
8pm-11pm at the Lounge
Grab and Go Market:
I ended up leaving the lounge, and went to grab a bite from the Grab and Go in the lobby for a something to nibble on for a late dinner/snack.
Grab and Go Market
The Grab and Go Market had snacks, pastries and even sandwiches they could toast for you. I opted to grab a Turkey Sandwich ($13) which wasn’t too bad, and brought it back to the lounge with me.
Grab and Go Turkey Sandwich ($13)
One of the lounge staff members felt so bad I missed the happy hour that she brought me out a plate of desserts from the back. I really appreciated it, such good service!
Pastries
The brownies, cupcake and macarons were all tasty and a great late night snack before bed.
Teas and coffee were available, as well as soft drinks and juices. I would say it was a pretty good refreshments spread for a domestic lounge.
Coffee, Tea and Cold Drinks
Interestingly, I realized that I was the only guest using the lounge that night. Nice to have it all to myself! The next morning for breakfast, there was only one other party in the lounge- the people in the room immediately next to mine lol.
Breakfast Spread
As far as domestic lounges go, this breakfast spread was pretty solid. There was bacon, sausage, an omelet and a pancake choice. And, there were pastries, cereal, fruit and yogurt.
Pastries and Fruit
Breakfast Time!
I enjoyed my regency club lounge breakfast, and it was a good meal before heading into the city.
The main restaurant that I didn’t have a chance to visit for a meal is called Sugar Factory. It’s located technically outside the hotel itself, but in a common lobby area that connects you to the hotel, casino and to Sugar Factory. Room service from Sugar Factory is also available.
Amenities:
For starters, there’s the casino which I didn’t visit, but the hotel also has a fitness center on the 2nd floor. It’s down at the end of a hall, and you have to past a good number of rooms before getting there. I felt kind of lost in the long empty hallway, but I eventually found it. It was decently sized, and had most of the equipment you would need for a full workout.
Fitness Center
Fitness Center
The Verdict:
Overall, I enjoyed trying out a stay at the Hyatt Regency JFK especially for the rate I paid in scoring a suite. It was certainly a fun experience. While the suite was relatively nice and new and the Regency Club was great, I’m not sure how I feel about the sound insulation issues, and the fact that there is no shuttle for an airport hotel. I don’t foresee myself needing to stay near JFK in the near future, but if I had to I might opt to try the TWA Hotel sometime for the nostalgia.
Do you think you would like to try a stay at the Hyatt Regency JFK Airport at Resorts World New York? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
$18 to get to the “airport hotel!” That’s going to be a tough sell.
Agreed. Thanks for reading!