Notes On The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Hyatt’s ‘Disney Hotel’
Hyatt has a Disney hotel. It’s not ‘on property’ like Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin, but being off-property is a plus for many. And the remarkable thing is that it’s actually an excellent hotel. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress at the end of 2019, and again last month. In a key way the hotel isn’t as good as it used to be, but it would still be my preferred ‘off-property’ hotel for a Disney trip. And everyone loves the macaw in the lobby named Merlot.
- The staff is fantastic
- Elites are well-treated
- The hotel is a resort unto itself (e.g. pool with water slid, mini golf, climbing wall)
- Clean and in good condition
What’s more, it’s a category 4 hotel – so you can use the various free night certificates earned in the World of Hyatt program, such as the annual credit card free night and additional free night earned via $15,000 spend, the one for hitting 30 nights in a year, and for staying at each group of 5 brands for the first time. Moreover as a category 4 (standard redemption price 15,000 points per night) it can be a nice value on points with rates often in the mid-$300s.
I stayed in a standard suite, confirmed at booking (with confirmed suite upgrade certificate), and that room – identical to the one I had on my November 2019 stay – is essentially two guest rooms, with two doors and two bathrooms, where one room is turned into a living room.
This is perfect traveling with our daughter because she has the sofa bed in the living room, she goes to sleep much earlier and sleeps in later than we do. And when the room is serviced, we were left 4 bottles of water in each room each day – 8 complimentary bottles of water daily is helpful in South Florida. Standard suites at the end of the hallway (which we’ve had on both of our stays) have a view of Disney fireworks.
The only real disappointment about the property is that they’ve permanently closed their club lounge, which used to be excellent both for its provisions and because it was a pleasant space with nice views.
One small area for improvement is with the excellent elevators – they are fast and there’s glass, my daughter loves the ones facing the atrium to watch everything as we head up and down – but there’s no indicator on a floor which one is going to open. So you don’t know where to go, you hear something open and have to figure it out… quickly. A ‘this elevator coming next’ light would be nice.
Breakfast is notable in a few ways. It’s really good for a domestic Hyatt Regency though I wouldn’t call it really good in its own right. The hotel is generous with Globalists for the breakfast benefit in that there’s a choice between the buffet or ordering off the menu (entree, coffee or tea, juice). Terms say access to the buffet is enough. The breakfast coupon specifies that tax and gratuity is included, as it should though some hotels cheat on this.
The buffet includes an omelet station and made to order pancakes, fruit and pastries and the usual sausage and bacon and the like. It’s available in a nice large window of 7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. as well.
There are numerous dining outfits here, and plenty to do on-property, though in truth we just used it as a base for Disney visits and lunches and dinners entirely off-site for instance at Disney Springs. The only spending we did on property was at the hotel’s coffee shop and marketplace, a Starbucks-ish place with pastries, cereal, snacks, etc. which was convenient but I wish it opened before 6:30 a.m. and which I found somewhat overpriced even for a hotel (a single serving package of dry cereal was $3.25).
The hotel offers a free shuttle to Disney, Universal Studies and also to Disney Springs on a fixed schedule that may or may not work for you, though rideshare is readily available and parking is free for Globalists on points (otherwise $20++/night self-park, $45++ for valet). The hotel has a $45++ resort fee – egregious, but waived for all on award nights and for Globalists on paid nights as well.
This hotel goes above and beyond with elites, not just at breakfast offering entrees OR the buffet since the buffet alone satisfies the requirement, but generally. They’re good with upgrades, responsive with service especially via text, and just overall helpful.
