Hyatt Place Albany/Downtown — Attraction in City of Albany

I stayed at the Hyatt Place a couple nights when work took me to Albany.||||This is the only Hyatt option in Albany.||||The hotel is newer and generally in very good condition. I say generally very good because I saw a few minor things. Some of the walls are scuffed, scratched, etc. and need new paint. Likewise, the shower had light traces of mildew. Some of the outdoor furniture on the patio was stained. They need a little more attention to detail.||||Staff were excellent. Ed at the Front Desk particularly.||||Housekeeping does a very good job, but daily service is not provided unless specifically requested. My room was spotless.||||One of the best parts about this hotel is the location. Albany is not the greatest city nor is it the safest city. But the area around the hotel is relatively safe. I say relatively safe because uncontrollable things can happen anywhere. There's a federal building right across the street. I walked around and had no issues. The English pub next door is good as is the Irish pub a short walk away. ||||The only issues?||||1) Parking. The situation is complicated. There are a limited number of spaces in the parking area directly in front of the hotel. They also have a lot or garage. I wasn't directed there but other guests were. I was lucky to have a parking spot right in front of the entrance. The other location seemed overly complicated and a lot of guests were having issues. There is an open-air parking lot right in front of the hotel. Why aren't they using that?||||2) Lobby bar and restaurant. It's a brand standard Hyatt Place F&B offering. Breakfast is okay for being free but there aren't a lot of options if you're staying more than a day or two. It would be nice to have fresh berries or some non-sugary granola and yogurt. I didn't see any. At night, they don't open the bar until 4 pm but they are open until 11 pm or 12 am. Open the bar by 2 pm so guests arriving to check-in at 3 pm can order a drink or wait in the bar and have a drink if their room isn't ready. It makes no sense to open the bar a full hour past the 3 pm check-in time. I also don't think it makes much sense to keep the bar open until 11 pm or 12 am. Do they really have customers eating and drinking food at 11 pm?||||3) Some of the towels and linen on the bed were mismatched. One day pillow cases were all different. The next day the towels in the bathroom were different. Maybe they have supply issues. I don't know. Or maybe the laundry company gave them the wrong hotel's towels or linen. The towels were noticeable as some were quite cheap-feeling.||||4) The ground floor entrance to the hotel is unattended with no staff. The lobby is upstairs on the second floor. Some trash accumulated in the ground floor area because there is no doorman. They really should have someone there. Especially at night.||||All things considered, the Hyatt Place Albany/Downtown is a very good hotel. Rates are reasonable, the location is excellent, and the staff are excellent. I...

I stayed at the Hyatt Place a couple nights when work took me to Albany.||||This is the only Hyatt option in Albany.||||The hotel is newer and generally in very good condition. I say generally very good because I saw a few minor things. Some of the walls are scuffed, scratched, etc. and need new paint. Likewise, the shower had light traces of mildew. Some of the outdoor furniture on the patio was stained. They need a little more attention to detail.||||Staff were excellent. Ed at the Front Desk particularly.||||Housekeeping does a very good job, but daily service is not provided unless specifically requested. My room was spotless.||||One of the best parts about this hotel is the location. Albany is not the greatest city nor is it the safest city. But the area around the hotel is relatively safe. I say relatively safe because uncontrollable things can happen anywhere. There's a federal building right across the street. I walked around and had no issues. The English pub next door is good as is the Irish pub a short walk away. ||||The only issues?||||1) Parking. The situation is complicated. There are a limited number of spaces in the parking area directly in front of the hotel. They also have a lot or garage. I wasn't directed there but other guests were. I was lucky to have a parking spot right in front of the entrance. The other location seemed overly complicated and a lot of guests were having issues. There is an open-air parking lot right in front of the hotel. Why aren't they using that?||||2) Lobby bar and restaurant. It's a brand standard Hyatt Place F&B offering. Breakfast is okay for being free but there aren't a lot of options if you're staying more than a day or two. It would be nice to have fresh berries or some non-sugary granola and yogurt. I didn't see any. At night, they don't open the bar until 4 pm but they are open until 11 pm or 12 am. Open the bar by 2 pm so guests arriving to check-in at 3 pm can order a drink or wait in the bar and have a drink if their room isn't ready. It makes no sense to open the bar a full hour past the 3 pm check-in time. I also don't think it makes much sense to keep the bar open until 11 pm or 12 am. Do they really have customers eating and drinking food at 11 pm?||||3) Some of the towels and linen on the bed were mismatched. One day pillow cases were all different. The next day the towels in the bathroom were different. Maybe they have supply issues. I don't know. Or maybe the laundry company gave them the wrong hotel's towels or linen. The towels were noticeable as some were quite cheap-feeling.||||4) The ground floor entrance to the hotel is unattended with no staff. The lobby is upstairs on the second floor. Some trash accumulated in the ground floor area because there is no doorman. They really should have someone there. Especially at night.||||All things considered, the Hyatt Place Albany/Downtown is a very good hotel. Rates are reasonable, the location is excellent, and the staff are excellent. I...

First of all, I would like to say that I'm extremely impressed by the professionalism, courtesy, friendliness, respect, and service attitude shown by the older gentleman who worked at reception when I stayed there during the weekend of 5/17 - 5/19.

Although I forget his name, I am extremely grateful for his help in going above and beyond the call of duty to find a solution to an unexpected and emergent issue under extenuating circumstances.

I hope the hotel will take note of my review to reward the older gentleman for excellence in customer service and ensure that his exemplary professionalism and service attitude will be a model to inspire all who work at this hotel and the hospitality industry in general.

I would also like to commend the cleaning staff for their attentiveness and responsiveness.

Overall, service is the primary reason that I'm giving this hotel 5-stars.

Other likeable features of this hotel include its hot breakfast buffet, which provides patrons with real ceramic plates and silverware along with decent selections of food items and fresh fruit juices.

The fact this hotel was newly built in 2023 and has walk-in showers also make it a standout among other hotels in the city.

Last but not least, the hotel also has some shortcomings, most notable of which is that parking in the 'hotel parking lot' is not free, and instead is separately charged and managed by the municipality, which means that if you don't pay at the meters in the parking lot, your car could potentially be ticketed by the city. This particular aspect about the hotel was unusual, inconvenient and a bit weird.

The variety of items breakfast buffet is somewhat lacking and monotonous, as the hotel only appears to serve two types of hot breakfast fare with a minor variation between them which alternate between days. Also speaking of the breakfast items, the scrambled eggs are clearly made from egg batter instead of fresh eggs, which unfortunately seems to have become the trend at most hotels. The poster advertising the hotel's breakfast buffet in the hotel's elevators are also not true to what is actually offered. Specifically, the posters show fresh raspberries in a bowl of oatmeal, even though there were never any raspberries at the buffet.

It would also have been better if the standard King rooms had a microwave and a fridge that has an actual freezer.

But like I said early on, my overall experience staying at this hotel is superb because service made all...