Hyatt Regency Dulles Review

Booking & Stay Details

I was down near Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and had to go back up north to D.C. Originally, my plan was to stay at the Sheraton Pentagon City, however that hotel was sold out for the day of arrival and I was looking for alternatives. I love Hyatt and looked for Hyatt’s in the area. There are a few properties near DCA but parking is outrageous. Some of them only have super expensive valet parking. So, I decided to try the Hyatt Regency Dulles, which a lot of people will probably use as transit hotel anyway.

Location

I love the location of the hotel. It sits in a quiet corner outside the airport. There is not much traffic on the roads around the hotel. The freeway is close by, but access to it takes a little drive. There is also a Metro Station within walking distance of the hotel.  

The Innovation Center Metrorail Station can be reached by following the main road, Sunrise Valley Drive, near the hotel. It is about a 10-minute walk. The region has a pretty good public transportation network. If you want to go to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, you can take the complimentary hotel shuttle to the airport and from there the bus to the museum. Entrance to the museum is free. However, they charge a lot if you arrive by car. So, it is worth using this simple travel hack while you are staying here.

The drive to the airport is also about 10 minutes.

Parking

There is plenty of parking available at the hotel. Overnight parking is $15. I never got charged for parking during my stay, even though I explicitly mentioned that I will be parking and also received the parking pass. It might be a Globalist benefit at the Hyatt Regency Dulles. I have seen this at other Hyatt properties, where parking gets waived for Globalists.

Shuttle Service

The hotel has a complimentary shuttle service from and to the airport. It runs regularly from early mornings until late at night. During the hours of 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. the shuttle runs only on-demand. If you are arriving late, just call the hotel and they will send you the shuttle bus to the airport.

Check-In

Check-in was quick and easy. The front desk is straight ahead when you walk in. Nobody was in line and I got my room keys after ID verification. I also received my parking pass. The elevators to the room are to the left of the front desk, towards the fitness center and pool.

Check-In: 3 p.m.
Check-Out: 12 p.m.

1 King Bed Room (Room 1215)

The room is marketed as “1 King Bed” room on the website but it is actually a junior suite. It is 374 sq-ft (34.75m2).

As you walk in you have the big open living space area right in front of you. It comes with an L-shaped sofa-bed and a table in front of it. Next to the sofa is a medium-sized refrigerator and on top of it sits the coffee maker.

Next to the entrance door is the “generous workspace” as it is called on the hotel’s website. However, they thought placing a large microwave right there was a good idea. It took up all the space. I unplugged it and set it down as I wouldn’t use it anyway and I needed the extra work space.  

A pony wall doubles as the stand for the large flatscreen TV. It can be swiveled around to either be watched from the sofa or bed. The pony wall also doubles as a suitcase stand on the bed side of it.

The second part of the suite is the sleeping area. It comes with a King-sized bed. Nightstands are placed on either side of the bed. Power outlets are available on each side of the bed but only one side had also USB ports available to power your devices. On the same nightstand sits the in-room phone. However, the batteries of the wireless headset were in very bad condition. I picked it up to call the front desk and it almost died on me while talking to the agent.

The bathroom is a separate area of the suite. The open entrance with no door leads to the vanity with a single washbasin and a large wall closet to store clothes. Inside the closet you also find the in-room safe as well as an iron and ironing board. The large wall-mounted mirror has a hidden clock in it. Once you turn on the light, it will show the current time. Pretty neat.

The toilet and shower are located in a separate room in the bathroom. This room has a door which can be closed. The shower has two sliding doors. Besides the normal shower head, you also have a shower wand, which is super nice to have.  

There are two windows in the junior suite. From the windows you get a good view of the sunrise but nothing else interesting is to see. You will see the neighboring office building as well as the convention center and entrance of the hotel.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby is huge and has a tall ceiling as well. There are lot of seating options and the TVs next to them display an aquarium which I found neat. This is mainly because directly connected to the lobby is the hotel’s mini convention center.  
Also housed in the lobby is the Flights Bistro + Bar.

The hotel also has a large outdoor patio near the main entrance where you can sit down and relax.  

Business Center

The business center is a little bit hidden in the far corner of the lobby. Don’t trust the map on the screen near the front desk. The area marked there as a business center is now a meeting room. The business center consists of a single workstation and a printer.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is large and has a ton of workout equipment. It overlooks the indoor pool area.

Pool

The indoor pool area can be accessed through the fitness center. For both you need your room key to open it. There are only a few pool loungers in the pool area. Besides the pool, there is also a small hot tub.

Guest Laundry

There is no guest laundry facility but they have dry-cleaning service. The bag and paper slip should be hanging in your closet in the bathroom. Mine weren’t there and I asked the front desk for some and they didn’t have any there but sent up housekeeping with some.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is offered daily. I opted-out of daily housekeeping for my short stay of only three days and put the do not disturb sign on the door.

Dining

Flights Bistro + Bar is the only restaurant on-site at the Hyatt Regency Dulles. Besides that, there is a small convenient store next to the front desk, which offers some small snacks for to go. Drinks like soda and water bottles to go are available at the bar.

Just past the main entrance is a small counter. This is the food delivery drop-off counter. The hotel requires delivery drivers to drop off the food there.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at the Flights Bistro + Bar in the lobby. When you go there a waiter will bring you to your table. According to the breakfast voucher Globalists get, you are supposed to let your server know right away that you have a voucher, before ordering. I did but it doesn’t seem to make a difference as you just put it with your check once you get it. The only thing might be that it only covers the buffet rather than the a-la carte menu? The buffet costs $22 + tax which is covered by the Globalist breakfast voucher. The voucher also covers 15% gratuity for your breakfast but I still got charged the 15%. A phone call fixed this.

The buffet is just what I expected from the Hyatt Regency. Lots of food options. They have the basics like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, cereals, toast and oatmeal. Besides that, you also get salmon and other little pastry treats to choose from. The buffet really offers a lot of choices. The waiter will server coffee, tea and juices straight to your table.  

Breakfast Hours: 6:30 am – 11:00 am daily

Flights Bistro + Bar

Lunch and dinner are served at Flights Bistro + Bar as well. If you want to sit down, you will sit in the same area as for breakfast. Outside there is also a bar where you can order drinks to hang out and mingle.  

The salmon on their dinner menu was really good. I can recommend it.

Hours:

Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Conclusion

It was a great stay at the Hyatt Regency Dulles. The hotel is old but well maintained. Service was great and the staff was super nice. The dry-cleaning worked out as well. I was worried that I wouldn’t get it back the same day, I had to chase them down as I would fly out mid-morning the following day.   The only thing I was missing was the Chromecast integration. I love to easily stream my favorite shows and movies to the TV. However, the hotel has Hyatt mobile entry.

This hotel does not have a Regency Club. It’s sad that there is no consistency at Hyatt, as you would know exactly what to expect. Well, many top-tier Hyatt hotels never re-opened their club lounges after Covid.