Review: Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay

The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay is located on Maryland’s panhandle, easily accessible from Delaware, but far from Northern Virgina and DC. As a point of reference, it’s about a 2.5 hour drive from Northern Virginia, and 2 hours from DC, despite it looking much closer on the map. The area is a “destination” and isn’t really near a ton of other attractions, or larger cities such as Annapolis or Washington DC. Getting here, your best option is to drive, and the nearest airport in Salisbury is only accessible by US Airways prop-planes from Philadelphia or Charlotte.

The hotel is on a large, expansive property, complete with plenty of parking, walking trails and golf courses. It’s a good location for company events, and galas, if that’s what you’re setting up.

The lobby is open, with a great view of the Chesapeake Bay through expansive windows across the way.

 

I checked in at one of the desks to my left, and was informed of some my amenities as a Diamond member (these are the big things I valued on this trip):

• Late check-out of 4pm (I accepted)
• Regency Club access (open on weekends)
• Complimentary parking (valued at $20 a night)
• Complimentary bottled water, in-room

When booking, Two Double Beds was about $20 cheaper than a King bed, and after speaking with the front desk agent, we found out there were no Kind beds to switch to, so I stuck with the Two Doubles.

The Room

My room was located on the 6th floor, the same floor as the Regency Club.

Inside, was a standard sized room, with a walk-out balcony accessible via a sliding glass door.

I really appreciated the bottled water, and there was a refrigerator in the cabinet to cool these as necessary.

The room was clean, though I did note some water stains on the ceiling which would need repair. The bathroom was larger than normal, and featured a small table to hold towels, which was nice, as I could place personal items here without them touching the floor or counters (which are traditionally dirty in many hotels).

The Regency Club

The Regency Club was located down the hall from my room, and is open for most of the day, including weekends. Interestingly, it even featured “adult only” hours, so you wouldn’t be bother with small children, which I thought was a nice feature.

During the evening, there was a heavy Hors d’oeuvres, with vegetables, cheeses and, for this evening, a chicken parmigiana. The following morning, breakfast featured a good array of pastries, fruits, bagels and breads, as well as pre-made breakfast sandwiches, which were actually quite tasty. The beverage section was done in individual bottles, and there was a good amount of juices, milks, as well as soft drinks and waters.

The lounge was very busy the one night I visited, so I don’t know whether this is a regular pattern or not.

My Take

I thought this hotel was quite nice, and was a bit more upscale than standard Regency hotels I’ve been to before. The Regency Club was larger, and featured a good food spread, though you may want to monitor the hours of operation to avoid busy times with families, especially if there is a large event at the hotel. For Diamonds, I found the amenities at this hotel to be above-par, and saved on the parking, thanks to them offering this benefit gratis.