I arrived late and left early, but I had a good rest at the very pedestrian Hyatt Place Albuquerque Airport.
Hyatt Place Albuquerque Airport Review
Albuquerque has a couple of Hyatt Place properties and I chose the airport location because it was cheaper ($125). Had I had more time (I was on a road trip to California), I would have tried out the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, which looks like a very nice property.
Parking
I pulled into the lot and parked. The parking lot was not controlled. However, at the front desk I was informed of a new QR system to pay for parking at a rate of $10/night. However, the front desk attendant on duty waived the fee because of my World of Hyatt Globalist status (I did not ask).
Lobby
The lobby was empty at night, but filled with a church group the following morning such that I struggled to find a place to sit to eat breakfast.
Airport Shuttle
For airport travelers, a complimentary ABQ Airport shuttle runs from 4:30 am until midnight on request. From the airport, call +1 505 242 9300 once you have your luggage to request a pick-up.
Guest Room
This is very much a “cookie-cutter” Hyatt Place. While there was very little charm, my room, 415, was large and clean, with an L-shaped couch (with fold-out bed), a desk, and a king-size bed.
The thermostat was ancient…
But I appreciated that the desk had extra plugs including a USB-C and USB-A port.
The bathroom vanity and sink were in the main part of the room while there was a smaller side room with a toilet and shower.
Breakfast
Complimentary breakfast was provided in the lobby. Breakfast buffet hours are 6:00 am to 9:30 am Monday through Friday and an extra half hour until 10:00 am on Saturday and Sunday.
The selection included:
- scrambled eggs
- sausage
- potatoes
- hardboiled eggs
- sliced cantaloupe
- cereal
- donut holes
- waffles (via self-service machine)
- bagels
- toast
- coffee
- juice
- tea
The coffee was very bad, but I had some scrambled eggs with green chilies to fuel me for the car ride ahead. Maybe some of you can recommend third-wave coffee in ABQ because I could not find any that opened early…
The Placery + The Market
A self-serve market and 24/7 café called “The Placery” (standard at most Hyatt Place properties) with food like sandwiches, burgers, and salads.
Business Center
A small area with a desktop computer and printer in the lobby area was available for internet browsing and the printing of boarding passes (do people still do that?).
Fitness Center
A ground-level fitness center included an exercise bike, an elliptical machine, two treadmills, kettleballs, medicine balls, and foam rollers.
Pool
An outdoor pool is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm during warmer months.
And I believe that Hyatt Regency Tamaya is a category3. I will be there in February. Your Hyatt Place ABQ looks like what you would expect. The breakfast actually looks better than most.
Airport Hyatt Place charging for parking? Is that new? I never had that before. I am actually getting tired of Hyatt Places. They are plain and haven’t innovated in years. Their breakfast is bad and all I actually eat is their bananas. Coffee is horrible and all that processed stuff they serve is an easy pass for me.
AUS, ATL N & S, MIA E, MCO all come to mind. Definitely an annoying trend. Fortunately you can almost always find street parking.
I stayed at the Hyatt House Shelton Connecticut recently and they had an almost identical pay for parking with a QR code system. I was stunned that I needed to pay for parking honestly, didnt think to look when I reserved it. Ended up being waived for anyone with any Hyatt status. At least some of their parking was an underground garage too so I was able to park there and stay dry in a rainstorm.
After living in a Hyatt Place for 3 months, I try to avoid them these days. ABQ doesn’t have any inspiring airport hotels…. I ended up at the HGI a few months ago (thanks to Advanced Air canceling on me, which they do every time I try to fly them). It shares a shuttle with the Hyatt Place (which also stopped at the Sheraton – all one owner I guess).
Going back to ABQ in a few weeks and staying at the Parq Central which used to be an old hospital (and has free airport transfer).
Parq Central is very nice. Wonderful rooftop bar with great views of the mountains.
Uptown location is way better- same category and closer to excellent coffee and food. Then again the ABQ Hyatt place is near the frontier and Michael Thomas coffee roasters.
Breakfast at HP’s had been a 50/50 chance of paper thin bacon one day and the sausage the next. Now unfortunately they added one of the nastiest looking pieces of ham to the rotation. Very dark and obviously cheap quality. Not sure if it replaced the bacon or not, but wouldn’t surprised with costs.
I ask for their barista coffee instead and most of the time is offered complimentary. One front desk clerk showed me an email from corporate Hyatt specifying Hyatt Place and Hyatt House are not to offer benefits to Globalists except for free water.