Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill 

I first stayed the Hyatt Regency The Churchill London was in 2021 prior to my wedding. At that time, the hotel had very good cash rates and a triple points promo running seeing as though it had newly reopened post Covid; however, the club lounge wasn’t open during our stay During that first stay both my parents and my wife and I enjoyed Regency suites for our stay. They even had a buy 2, get a 3rd night free deal running.

Upon my second visit to the Hyatt Regency The Churchill London, I again had Globalist status, and once again applied one of my globalist suite upgrade certificates. This time, realizing that the Regency Suites are in fact junior suites, I requested a suite with a balcony called an Executive Suite. Balcony suites are listed a standard suite on the website and what a room we were given! Top floor, corner, with a nice view of the park. A big change from the glorified junior suite we stayed in during our first stay.

Stay Details

• When:
  • August 2021
  • January 2023
• Where: London, UK
• Length: 5 nights
  • Both stays were 5 nights
• Room 2021: Base room upgraded to Regency King Suite with Globalist Suite Upgrade
• Room 2023: Base room upgraded to Executive Suite with Balcony
• Status: Globalist
• Benefits:
  • Breakfast
  • 4pm late checkout
  • Regency Club access – closed but other amenities provided
• Points earned:
  • Stay 1:
    • 28,850 ( triple points promo running )
    • I’d value these between $500 and $550 ( 1.7 to 2 cents a piece )
  • Stay 2: None…redeemed 125k points
• You could book for 25k points a night since this is a Hyatt category 6 property

The Location

Fantastic location facing Portman Square which is a private, key access, just a couple of blocks away from Oxford Street and Selfridge’s. A month prior I stayed at the Hilton Biltmore on Grosvenor Square and this is virtually the same neighborhood just north of Oxford instead of South. Nearby train stations are easily accessible and there are plenty of dining options, including Nobu across the street, and Selfridge’s food court nearby. On that note…I’d highly recommend Mercato which is a restored church that now serves as a gourmet food court.

The Lobby + Check In

My wife checked in for us prior to my arrival and was given keys to the room, from what she said it was swift, benefits explained, and she was impressed. This was actually the case on both of our stays. I arrived a day after my wife each time.

Once I arrived, having only seen the hotel from the exterior, I was thoroughly impressed, as were my parents who were staying in their own suite on the same floor. Not that the exterior of the hotel isn’t impressive, but it pales in comparison with the upscale vibe the interior exudes, which is probably the finest Hyatt Regency I’ve been inside of…much more akin to a Grand Hyatt than a Hyatt Regency in my opinion.

The Room – Executive Suite with Balcony

This is a true 1 bedroom corner suite featuring 1.5 baths, a large living room, and spans the entire width of the building with windows on each side. I was very impressed with the suite allocation, and thought it was pretty amazing to secure this using points with a suite upgrade applied.

The Living Room

Small sitting area with a sliding door that opened to a small balcony overlooking Portman Square.

It featured a small desk, bar area with coffee maker, and sitting area.

The Balcony

Any kind of outdoor space is extraordinarily rare in London so having this, with a sprawling view across London was pretty incredible.

1/2 Bath

The first thing you see when you enter the room is the 1/2 bath. This was quite nice since the main bath is small for a quite this large

Main Bath

The main bath features a shower/tub combo, that unfortunately wasn’t very well contained and would leak onto the floor. It’d be interesting to see if they keep the setup the same in the hotel should they renovate. It would make sense to create one large bath that has a separate shower/tub than two baths that are both individually quite small.

The Bedroom

How incredible that the way the building is designed allows for this suite to have windows on both sides. This has to be one of the coolest suites in the building. Top Floor. Corner. Balcony. Tons of light.

The Room – Regency King Suite

I mentioned I’d applied a Globalist Suite upgrade – I executed this via email with my Hyatt Concierge who applied the suite upgrade. Part of me thought I’d receive an additional upgrade, seeing as though better suites were available over my stay, and I carry top tier status, but alas, I didn’t receive any further upgrades.

The Suite is better characterized as a Junior Suite than a One Bedroom since there aren’t any doors that separate the living from the sleeping space which I found to be kind of a lost opportunity. I’d imagine many travelers coming to London are suffering from a bit of jetlag and if those travelers are with anyone else, having a space that is separate is really advantageous in the middle of the night.

I also think, for the price point, around $300 the room is great and competes. However, if you compare it to what the rates can often climb up to, $500+, the hotel feels a bit tired when compared to say the Biltmore, Marriott Park Lane, Edition, or the new Scotland Yard

Entering the suite, you’ll notice a small collection of Churchill themed books and some wipes

The Living room

Total square footage is 550 give or take and living room features a normal sized couch alongside a flat screen tv.

Nespresso machine…they left me a TON of pods – I was pretty jetlagged lol. Water was also delivered in the morning and prior to bed during turn down. The coffee cups featured Churchill’s profile

The Bedroom

Another flat screen tv, a writing desk, and luggage rack

The writing desk

There was one international plug; however, it didn’t work.

The closet

Robes, hairdriery, safe, and drawer space. For a 550sq ft room, it was an impressive closet.

The Bathroom

Tons of space, a great separate tub and shower, and it also features an old school bidet. While the shower had good pressure and featured a rain shower, whenever they renovate the property I think a reconfiguration could be helpful.

One thing that would be a great improvement would be a dual vanity sink. While a single suffices for a standard room, if you’re offering a Suite, which this one regularly retails $800-$1k a night, it makes it a bit crowded as a couple at this price point.

Regency Club

Upon our second stay the Regency Club was now open and serving breakfast in the morning, drinks and canapes at night. The Regency Club isn’t large, and to my surprise, was never really over capacity though I could see that happening quite easily.

Breakfast

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The evening drinks and canapes…

Each night there was a slightly different selection and was definitely something to enjoy. Was it a legitimate meal replacement? I suppose it comes down to how much you’re accustomed to eating, for me personally, it was a light snack prior to a real meal

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Restaurant Breakfast

A great benefit of staying on the club floor or having Globalist status was the inclusion of breakfast in the rate. I was able to take advantage of breakfast on both my stays.

Breakfast was offered as a combination of buffet and hot egg selections you could order from the wait staff.

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Each day I also ordered an omelette was was very well done.

The Gym

Small but sufficient. It seems to be that they converted a guest room, and this was the gym that was open during our stay in January of 2023 as well. I will note that there was a new gym under construction that hadn’t opened quite yet, but should be available at the time of publishing.

The Churchill Bar

I couldn’t recommend this bar enough whether you’re staying on property or not.

It has an incredible vibe, great cocktails, and an impressive old school feel.

Overall

At category 6 pricing, 23k to 27k points per night ( I paid 25k ) , the Hyatt Regency Churchill London is a great property, centrally located near Hyde Park and Mayfair, and I would stay at it, again and again.

The lobby, common areas, and certainly the Churchill Bar make this property feel 5 star and the branding as a Hyatt Regency seems odd and misaligned…it’s much nicer than your typical Hyatt Regency.  It’s a bit large for an Unbound Collection property, but that branding seems almost more appropriate than HR.

Would it be my top Hyatt choice in London?

Hyatt’s portfolio continues to expand in London. The new Hyatt Regency Blackfriars is open, at category 5 pricing  ( 17k to 23k ) , near a tube stop and the Thames, and I loved my stay there. I’m not sure I would choose this as my first choice between the two properties that each have lounges to offer guests. This is a difference compared to the Andaz and The Scotland Yard ( which I’ve yet to stay at ), and there swath of SLH properties that I would like to stay at in the future, but almost always seems to price disproportionally high in points compared to their cash prices and I never want to pay cash.  Don’t forget a Park Hyatt London is due to open by year’s end and will be Hyatt’s crown jewel in the London market.