There is no Hyatt I stay at more than this hotel. Over the years, I have come to consider this hotel a second home and the staff part of my extended German family. It’s not the best Hyatt, but it’s one hotel I always look forward returning to.
From Frankfurt Airport, it is a 25-mintue drive (50EUR taxi) or 30-minute train trip (4.50EUR on S-Bahn S8). Guess which one I prefer?
From the Mainz Römishes Theatre station, you can reach the hotel in five minutes by foot. Head out of the station, take a right, then at the bottom of the hill take a left on Rheinstraße. You’ll come to a little shopping center called the Malakoff-Passage. Walk through the “mall” and out the other side (near a Vapiano’s and gym). There you’ll find the hotel. The front entrance is on the other side.
Inside, the sun-filled lobby, a check-in desk is usually well-staffed with minimal queues. I appreciate that the hotel is usually able to accommodate early check-ins. That may be a gesture just extended to Globalist members, but it never hurts to try (and I’ve never been told the reason for the early check-in was due to my Hyatt status).
To get to the rooms, continue walking through the lobby until it bears right to the conference rooms. There you’ll find the keycard-controlled elevators.
There are not many suites in this hotel. Two to be precise. In all my years at the hotel, I’ve received a suite upgrade only once…the subject of a future review. There are also a few deluxe rooms with balconies.
Hyatt Regency Mainz Guest Room
As I said, almost all rooms are exactly like the one pictured below. Two twins or a king, river view or city view. Nine times out of 10, I am “upgraded” to a Rhine River view, which is always appreciate.
The room is fairly spartan, with the beds(s), a desk, a chair, and a cabinet with mini-bar and hot water kettle (no espresso machine, but powdered coffee and tea bags are complimentary).
Plugs are German in the room, but there is always an adapter on the desk.
Robes and slippers are available in the closet.
I must complain about the bedding here. It’s not 100% cotton and the synthetic material is not good for those who like to curl up. I like to bundle up when I sleep, never sticking my feet or hands out. I’ve woken up several times at this hotel profusely sweating…just something to keep in mind.
The rooms also have no air-conditioning, though I’ve never been there when it is so hot that the air would have been nice. Windows open partially to provide fresh air.
View from the room on a nice summer day:
The bathroom is spacious considering the small room. The bathtub and shower are separate. Pharmacopia toiletries are provisioned.
Hyatt Regency Mainz Regency Club Lounge
Regency Club guests are usually placed on the sixth floor. The lounge is small, but never crowded. The breakfast spread in the morning contains a continental buffet with the option of ordering eggs. Globalist members can use the hotel restaurant if they prefer.
During the day, coffee, tea, water, soft drinks, and yogurt are available.
The evening spread, from 5pm to 8pm, always include a hot soup, bread, cold cuts, salads, light appetizers (often involving seafood), and desserts.
I have several restaurants I like in Mainz, so I don’t use the lounge very much any longer except for coffee and water while I am working.
Hyatt Regency Mainz Breakfast
Breakfast in Bellpepper restaurant is always a treat. Oh, German bread. I love it so much and it is freshly-baked every morning. There’s also great omelets and waffles, fresh juice, fruit, and all the continental stuff.
This buffet is not cheap…about 30EUR. I’m not sure if that is worthwhile if you intend to have lunch a few hours later, but I do always enjoy it.
Hyatt Regency Mainz Dining + Bar
Bellpepper also serves lunch and dinner, though I’ve never dined there outside of breakfast hours. Outdoor seating seating is available during the warmer months.
The lobby has two bars, M-Lounge and Malakoff Bar. If you look at the fort-like structure in the first picture of this review, you’ll note the hotel is built over an historic fort and inside one of the towers is Malakoff Bar. I’m not sure why the hotel needs two bars adjacent to each other, but one is smoking (Malakoff) and the other is non-smoking.
There’s also a beer garden called Rheinkanzel that serves BBQ (only open during summer months). BBQ is also available at Rheintöchter Terrace.
Hyatt Regency Mainz Spa + Fitness + Pool
One of my favorite parts of this hotel is the spa in the basement level. A visit to this hotel is not complete without sitting in the sauna and steam room. Remember, clothing is not permitted inside, unless you want to encounter the wrath of cleanliness-oriented Germans.
The indoor pool has been surprisingly crowded my last few visits:
Although on the small side, I always manage a good workout in the fitness center. Cardio equipment has recently been updated.
Hyatt Regency Mainz Location
This is not a “Frankfurt” hotel even though it will show up when you search for Frankfurt Hyatt properties. It’s at least 40-minutes into the city by train. If you need a closer Hyatt to Frankfurt, there is a Hyatt Place at Frankfurt Airport. That said, I use this hotel as my Frankfurt base when traveling for work. This is the hotel I tend to overcome jet lag in after arriving in Europe before continuing to other places, usually in the Netherlands or Italy.
But you don’t need Frankfurt…you have Mainz, a charming little town with history, beauty, quaintness, and plenty of shopping and restaurants.
The hotel itself is in a residential neighborhood (forget about finding street parking) and you can start or end each day with a beautiful walk along the Rhine River.
CONCLUSION
While not a perfect hotel, I always look forward to returning to this property. If you’re in Frankfurt for vacation and work and want a bit of a change of pace, Mainz is a great option.
This is a Category 3 hotel in the World of Hyatt program that often runs over 200EUR/night. That makes cash + points (6,000 points + $75) a particularly good value.
Lovely. My fave Hyatt too. There’s something supremely relaxing about the overall lack of things to do in Mainz – I don’t feel like I’m missing out in anything. What are your favourite restaurants there?
Da Vito (Italian + Eiscafe) , Damas (Lebanese), and El Burro (Mexican).
It doesn’t happen often but I do love when your in a hotel you like often enough to get to know the staff. It always makes a visit feel that much more special.
And having it be in place as magical as this one makes it even better.
While in Mainz, a visit to the Gutenberg Museum is recommended. (Mainz was Gutenberg’s birthplace/hometown.) Aside from having two original bibles, the museum has many different printing presses that track the evolution of the press over time. There is also a hands-on area where you can try your hand at typesetting.
If you happen to be in Mainz in late June this year (or any other year), the annual Johannesnacht (St. John’s night) festival serves as the venue where printing apprentices in Germany graduate to become tradesmen/women. During this ceremony, there is an initiation ritual involving a fair amount of beer and song where apprentice printers are dunked in water. Johannesnacht ends with a fireworks display over the Rhine.
I’ve been there and agree it is must-see.
I’m more interested to know WHY Mainz has a Hyatt. Seems like there are a million other brands it would make more sense for the property to be affiliated with. There must be some story there, no?
There’s also a Hilton a few blocks away. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of tourists in the summer and convention facilities.
I got abit emotional reading this review Matthew. I studied & lived in Mainz for about 5yrs and i always return for a visit a few times a year. Was last there a month ago for the half marathon. A lovely city especially in summer. We would barbecue not far from the Hyatt. And there’s that club near there when we would go dancing to 80s hits on some Fridays.
I have great memories of the small bar in the Hyatt. We drank coctails many times there. Now i miss Mainz.
Sam, thanks for you comment.