Review: Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport + A Visit to the Freddie Awards!

Background:

I booked a room at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport as I was looking for a place to stay at the airport to attend the Freddie Awards that was taking place nearby. The Hyatt Regency Dulles is a Category 1 property under the World of Hyatt Program and was pricing at peak pricing for my two-night stay. During off-peak pricing its 3,500 World of Hyatt Points, standard award rates are 5,000 World of Hyatt Points, and 6,500 during peak. Cash rates were going for about 250 USD, so I thought it was a solid redemption!

Complimentary Shuttle Service:

So, I had an evening arrival into Dulles Airport, and the timing worked out nicely to where the shuttle came 5 minutes after I got to the hotel shuttle pick up area. Shuttles from the airport to the hotel leave the airport at the 15 and 45 minute marks of the hour, and it is 24/7. On the other hand, shuttles from the hotel leave at the 00 and 30 minute marks of the hour. They do want you to reserve your shuttle at the front desk back to the airport one day in advance. I did like the fact that the hotel had its own shuttle, and that it was not shared with another hotel.

Lobby and Check-In:

I was quickly checked-in, and headed to my room on the 10th floor. The previous day, the app notified me that I was upgraded to a “High Floor” room. I already saw my room assignment on the Hyatt app, but needed to check-in to get the physical key (and have the digital key on the app activated).

The lobby was quite nice, and ample seating for lounging around. Connected to the lobby is the 29,000 sq. ft. Executive Meeting Center onsite.

The Room:

I was in a High Floor King Room, and all rooms at the hotel are like mini-suites. First, as soon as you entered, you had a desk and chair on the left, a coffee maker + a mini fridge for individual use, and a living room with sofa. 

Next, there was a large TV separating the bedroom from the living room, and on the other side of the TV, there was a nice built-in luggage rack.

Finally, the bathroom had an open concept with no door to the sink area. The sink was quite large, updated, and had ample counter space. To the left of the sink was a place to hang clothes, a safe, iron and an ironing board. To the right of the sink was a toilet and stand-up shower. Toiletries were the standard Hyatt Regency brand, Pharmacopia. Unfortunately, the drainage in the shower was a bit slow, so if you left the shower on for a few minutes, it would start a puddle.

In terms of other pet peeves of the room, one quirk of the room was the AC. The fan blew right to the face of the bed, which was annoying. But, also turning off the unit made the room a bit stuffy. Additionally, noise levels were very good the first night, but the second night there was either someone above or beside me, and you could hear every time the toilet flushed. Lastly, some of the sheets and towels had minor stains on them.

Nonetheless, the room was quite nice for an airport hotel and falls on my list of one of the better airport hotels I’ve stayed in.

Amenities:

There’s a fitness center on the lobby level, that is open 24/7. It’s a decent sized fitness center, and even has a Peloton Machine.

Behind the fitness center is an indoor pool that is open from 6:30am to 10pm.

Dining:

In terms of dining, there is one main restaurant called Flight’s Bistro. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is served from 6:30am-11am daily and as of my April 2023 stay, offers a buffet breakfast for $22, as well as an a la carte menu. Lunch is served from 11:30pm-2pm daily, and dinner is served from 5:30pm-9pm daily.

I grabbed lunch one day, and got the Globalist Burger. It was pretty good with avocado and onion strings. I liked that it could come with either fries or a salad. I opted to be healthier and go for the salad, but they ended up bringing both out which was nice of them.

The Flights Bar connected to the bistro is open from 5pm-11pm Sunday-Thursday, 3pm-11pm Friday and Saturday, and it serves dinner between 5pm-10:30pm. There’s a “late night” menu from 9pm-10:30pm. It seems after the Freddie’s there was a mini after party at the bar and it stayed open past 11, so perhaps it’s flexible depending on the vibe in the lobby.

Additionally, the Grab and Go Market is open 24 hours at the front desk and has snacks, nonalcoholic beverages and also pre-packaged pastries, salads, and sandwiches.

Freddie Awards:

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Freddie Awards, they were introduced in 1988 by InsideFlyer magazine’s Randy Petersen. The name of the “Freddies” is named in honor of Sir Freddie Laker and the goal of the Freddie Awards is to provide a voice to the frequent flyers out there and honor the industry of frequent travel programs.

This year, the event was hosted at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is right next to Washington Dulles Airport. I had the great pleasure to attend and meet with industry professionals and fellow BoardingArea teammates.

It was a bittersweet moment, as Randy Petersen announced his retirement from the Freddie’s. Randy is an amazing person and he’s been very helpful and supportive in all of my pursuits, as well as being an industry icon in the frequent flyer industry. 

If you’re interested in seeing all the winners from the event, you can do so here!

Some highlights in the Americas included Air Canada Aeroplan winning Program of the Year and American AAdvantage winning Best Elite Program. On the hotel front, Marriott Bonvoy won Program of the Year and World of Hyatt won the Best Elite Program.

Internationally, TAP Air Miles and Go took home 4 awards in different categories, and newcomer Xiamen Air won a “210 award” having the best average ranking among programs that were ranked by fewer than 10 percent of the voters.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a solid stay at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport. I enjoyed the large room and efficient hotel shuttle. I also had an amazing time attending the Freddie Awards, and hope I can do so again!

Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

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Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!