Hyatt Regency Perth, Perth

pluses are: • great hall with much interior space, comfortable rooms and bedding, instant hot water in the shower, good service, great breakfast buffet, swimming pool, 4 high speed elevators minusses: • some rooms are really too far from the elevators, make sure to request one which is close • if your room is close to the central fountain you'll hear it running all night long through your door, although that sound can be found pleasant by some • too far from the city center to walk there (25mn) but the busses are free and take you there in5 o 10 minuts from the bus stop right next to the hotel • expensive internet connexion

We were there from Aug 9 - 13, 2006 and I was very disappointed in the Hyatt Perth. I was expecting 5 star quality and only found 3 1/2 star. The hotel is in need of some minor renovation. The carpets were stained in almost area that I visited. Service was less than desirable as I had to wait a minimum of 20 minutes for anything. From waiting to check in, to waiting for a taxi, to waiting for ice to be delivered to my room. The staff was friendly and very willing to help once I DID get someone's attention. However, I felt that the hotel was understaffed and the wait times were lengthy. The king sized bed was actually two single mattresses put together on top of a box spring. I found myself in the crack of the two mattresses several times while cuddling with my spouse. Internet connection is A$29 for 24 hour period but the connection is excruciatingly slow. It took me all night (while I was sleeping) to upload 30 .jpg's to my webpage and they were not done when I woke up. It took a minimum of 3 minutes to load any page. The separate tub/shower was nice but the lighting left much to be desired. There was no lighting in the shower and I had to adjust my make-up outside the hotel due to the harsh lighting in the bathroom. The room was probably better suited for a business-man rather than a business-woman or a romantic couple. The hotel is located about 5 or 7 blocks from the Central Business District where there is an abundance of shopping and the city has a free bus to take you there. However, when asking the concierge how to utilize the service, all we were told was where the stop was located, not how to know when to get off the bus. The bus does not tell you where you are so you must count streets. Get a map from the concierge and make sure you know how many streets you must pass before you want to get off. The bus only stops if someone is waiting at the stop or if a passenger has rung the bell. Look for a red button or watch other passengers to see how it's done. If you intend to stay there, please be aware that there are different phone numbers for different services. Most 5 star hotels, you can call one number (front desk or concierge) to get any service needed. This hotel, you must call Room Service for ice, call House-Keeping for towels, call the front desk for billing, etc. If you are unsure who to call, you can call the front desk and they will transfer you but they will not take care of it for you. I was on the phone for 15 minutes being transferred for a US-Aus converter. The restaurant buffet was delicious but I was disappointed in the lack of cooked vegetables available. There were plenty of protein and carbohydrate dishes and a wide array of desert dishes available as well as a cold bar of seafood and cold vegetables. Healthy eating was difficult to manage. Also, I didn't notice much difference in the price of eating in the hotel and eating out in town. I was full at the end of my meal in the restaurant whereas that was not always the case out in town.