Review: Hyatt Regency Cologne

The Hyatt Regency in Cologne (Köln) Germany was one of the most disappointing Hyatts I have ever stayed in. Oh, it wasn’t without many redeeming qualities, but the hotel (or my room at least) is in desperate need of a refresh.

Our stay almost never happened. The hotel had showed sold out for several days. I happened to be checking space around midnight the night before when all of a sudden a room showed up (cash + points). I quickly grabbed it. That was smart, because the hotel remained sold out the next day.

The full hotel meant no upgrade. Forget a suite, we didn’t even get a room with a view. But the problem was not our lack of a view, but the fact that our room was falling apart.

Hyatt Regency Cologne Guest Room

The room was dimly lit with a view of an ugly courtyard outside. Fine.

The beds were comfortable enough, and there were sufficient plugs, so I figured…well, this is going to be fine.

View outside:

The bathroom was fairly spacious and perfectly adequate.

But when I opened the desk cabinet, the shelf fell down.

An hour later, I opened the room door…and it fell off the top hinge. It took maintenance 30 minutes to fix it and I wasn’t even offered an entschuldigung (sorry).

Then a ceiling panel opened….and I still cannot quite figure out how (which is a little scary).

I had to laugh. Really?

These three issues really left a bad impression. If I am not mistaken, I stayed in a “renovated” room. Could have fooled me…

Hyatt Regency Cologne Regency Club Lounge

While the room was nothing memorable, the Regency Club Lounge was quite nice. Its decor was certainly dated, but it featured an excellent spread of evening hor d’oeuvres and great views of the Rhine and the Cologne Cathedral.

Lounge staff were also quite friendly.

In the morning, the breakfast spread was also nice, with a full array of continental breakfast items as well as a couple hot dishes.

Hyatt Regency Cologne Breakfast

Rather than eat breakfast in the lounge, I enjoyed it in Glashaus Restaurant, the hotel’s main restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast buffet was expansive and the views outside were excellent. I loved this dining room and the excellent breakfast. Highlights of the buffet included an omelet bar, juice station, and fresh fruit.

Hyatt Regency Cologne Pool + Fitness + Spa

The indoor pool was lovely…with great natural light from outside and natural colors, it is essentially ageless.

The fitness center featured recently updated Technogym machines and free weights. It was rather limited in its equipment, but sometimes a bodyweight workout is a helpful change of pace.

The spa was showing its age, though. I still used it…it wasn’t horrible…but the sauna and steam room were small and the facility simply not remotely luxurious. Comparing this spa with the nearby Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf was like night and day.

Hyatt Regency Cologne Parking

The hotel has an underground parking structure, we parked on the ground level at no charge. There are several parking spots on the ground floor to the right of the hotel (as you face the entrance). Perhaps we were not supposed to park there, but there were no signs indicting otherwise.

Hyatt Regency Cologne Location

Not only does the hotel have a stunning view of the Rhine and the Cologne Cathedral, but getting into town is just a short walk across the Hohenzollern Bridge.

We were a bit jet lagged and walked around town for a bit late at night, stopping outside the cathedral, the infamous station where mass sexual assaults took place in New Years 2016.

CONCLUSION

On the one hand, this hotel offers an excellent breakfast, nice club lounge, and boasts a superb location in Cologne. On the other hand, my room was essentially falling apart and the spa, one of my favorite amenities at any hotel, has seen better years. Therefore, I cannot recommend this hotel in good conscience to a general audience. As a Hyatt loyalist, though, I will try this hotel again next time I’m in town. Perhaps I just received a particularly bad room.