Hyatt Place Columbia/Harbison — Hotel in Columbia

This hotel was amazing! I’m not sure why anyone would rate it less than 5 Stars? |I stayed here while attending a certification class at the SLED CJ Academy. it’s about a 7-10 minute drive from the hotel.||PROS:|1. Clean- very clean. The hotel itself and the room was very clean. No hair, mold or bugs. The rest of the hotel was clean, this hints towards the cleanliness of the kitchen. ||2. Breakfast- the restaurant wasn’t open but breakfast was! I’m not kidding when I say this was the BEST breakfast I’ve ever had at a hotel with complimentary breakfast. I would come back just for that alone!|There’s hot food- eggs, bacon or sausage, Potatoes, pancakes or waffles, cereal, toast, bagels, milk, donuts, muffins, pastries, yogurt, an array of fresh fruit spread jams/jellies, cream cheese, honey, Pb, syrup, butter, hot sauce, creamers, sweetener and sugar, coffee, tea, juices, water, granola, dried fruit toppings, you name it. ||The only negative was there was no hot water- I believe the dispenser was broken but the staff was very happy to get me however much i needed on request.||3. Staff- Super duper sweet kind staff. From front desk, to housekeeping, to kitchen staff. So awesome and friendly! I had a mixup with my room (booked by HR at my job) and was having some issues having the desk attendant understand my problem. She figured it out! I got into tie elevator with a friendly gentleman. He asked me if everything was ok, what the issue was, if I got the issue resolved, if I needed anything further and asked if the staff was kind and competent. I thought it was weird he was asking. Well, turns out he’s the DM…so, it was obvious he cared and didn’t try to embarrass his staff in public. Which is a huge PLUS||4. Room - room was spacious, & clean, bed was very comfy. Lots of feather, firm, and soft pillows! Iron/board, lots of towels, very clean linens, spacious seating area, safe, empty mini fridge, coffee bar and keurig in room. ||5. Area- safe, and convenient! same parking lot as Cracker Barrel for a bite. No homeless, weird ppl hanging around, loitering ect. Close to freeway, gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores ||6. Gym- hey! They have one! One elliptical, a bike, a treadmill (I could be wrong on how many?) free weights and a bench, large ball, ect. BONUS: ear buds and towel service! WHAT? AV cord string ear budge new in package and lots of clean towels. This is fantastic bc I swear like crazy and always bring my own towels. I didn’t have too here! Just wipe your brow then equipment with another towel and the cleaning spray provided n toss in the hamper in the gym. I did drive 5 minutes away to planet fitness several times. ||7. Pool- nice pool! Lots of kids and wet feet in the hotel when I was there. But if you want a pool they def have one ||8. Parking- Free! Nice large lot. Felt safe, even at night. ||9. Tech- FREE Wi-Fi, office space, televisions in the bar area (that was open on the weekends incl Friday) USB plug ins all over the room and lots of easily accessible outlets ||CONS: |SMOKE: I’m allergic to Mary Jane. There was a constant wafting in the hallway and elevator. Not their fault! Good luck trying to find the smoker in a huge hotel. People smoking cigarettes right outside the hotel was great for my allergies as well. Also, I didn’t let anyone know so I didn’t give them The opportunity to deal with it||NOISE: Doors opening/closing is very loud and disturbing. All of the doors on every floor can be heard and felt in your room. Lots, n lots of kids running and screaming in hallways, going in and out, up until around 1-2am (again, didn’t complain to anyone, just an observation) ||IRONING BOARD - didn’t have any padding in it so it didn’t work very well at all. (Didn’t ask for a new one) ||RESTAURANT: No notice that it was closed, nothing on the website about it being closed or open or seasonal or anything. I got in around dinner time the first night and had planned to go eat at the restaurant. I looked all over and didn’t see one…this time I asked…there is a restaurant inside, but not an open restaurant. So call before you go if that’s important to you. ||I would stay here again. Typical gripes of any hotel you’ll stay at during the summer that has a nice pool and lots of families staying. Nothing the hotel could really control. The breakfast alone made up for any short...

Me and my family came from California to celebrate Sgt. Major Birthday. We scheduled are room for 5 days in advance with credit card on file and reservation numbers. Only to arrive to find out that are rooms have been sold away. They made every excuse. 1.We didn't have reservations. Are name was not reserved

Continued ** 3/7/2025 Still no answer from Hyatt!!!!! Sent this letter to Regional Manager

Dear Hyatt Management,

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with my recent experience at your Hyatt hotel in South Carolina. I had booked a room from October 3rd to October 7th, but upon arrival, I was denied my reserved room and encountered multiple, baseless issues from the staff.

Despite having a valid reservation and a fully functional credit card, the front desk staff claimed that I had no reservation on file and that my credit card would not clear. Both of these claims were false, and I found it unprofessional that your staff would make such unfounded accusations.

After hours of distress and embarrassment, I was eventually told to stay with my family members who were already guests at the hotel, rather than being provided with the room I had reserved.

To make matters worse, the manager on duty refused to speak with me, leaving me to fend for myself in an increasingly distressing situation. The complete lack of customer service and problem-solving efforts were astounding and completely unacceptable for a Hyatt establishment.

As a result of your staff's incompetence and unwillingness to address my concerns, I never received the room I reserved and paid for. This entire ordeal has tarnished my faith in the Hyatt brand and the quality of service your properties are supposed to provide.

I am appalled at the level of disrespect I encountered during my visit and demand a full refund for my reservation. Furthermore, I expect a thorough investigation into the staff's mishandling of my situation and appropriate measures to be taken to ensure no other guests suffer such an unacceptable experience.

Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. I hope that by addressing these concerns, the Hyatt brand can begin to restore its reputation and demonstrate its commitment to providing the high-quality service that guests expect.

"Moreover, due to the hotel's inability to accommodate my original reservation, I was forced to make alternative arrangements. This resulted in an additional expense of over $600 for two separate hotels, one of which was located outside of the city, just to cover the days that your hotel refused to honor. The financial and emotional distress caused by this experience is unacceptable and further demonstrates the need for immediate action to rectify the situation."

This is my Google Review!!! (Me and my family came from California to celebrate Sgt. Major Birthday. We scheduled are room for 5 days in advance with credit card on file and reservation numbers. Only to arrive to find out that are rooms have been sold away. They made every excuse. 1.We didn't have reservations. Are name wasn't found. 3.We didn't leave are card on file. 4.Our card didn't clear. We were also told to stay with other family members who had rooms in the same hotel. Even after calling the US number there was never no resolution. Manager refused to speak to us and refused us rooms for the remaing days. Left us out in the cold. There where no available rooms in the city. We ended up staying in Sgt. Majors home in there children's room, after driving around to several hotels that were all full. The next day we found a one day stay for double the price. And then transferred to another hotel for two more days which was in a diffrent city all together for triple the price. Very sad service. Very sorry pitiful management. The hist at the desk the second day trying to register was great ran our card to prove it would clear. And assured us that we had reservation but there where no rooms available. Never stayed there one day. No rooms were ever...

Positives first - the staff here are wonderful, super friendly and helpful and very professional. It must be a great place to work because workers were everywhere, there didn’t seem to be any sort of staffing shortage here as seen many places.

Breakfast was adequate and fresh and being replenished regularly.

Parking lot was clean and very well-lit and. The building, and our room were also very clean and the place had a very clean smell. Our floor is partially used by the nearby hospital for a sleep center, which was interesting although we didn’t see anyone in that area.

The lobby looks much like every other Hyatt Place I’ve been to and it was also clean and tidy.

For the less positive-

Our room needed a lot of attention. The outlet by the wet bar didn’t work, the coffee pot didn’t work (moved it to another outlet but then it just boiled the water and splashed everywhere and didn’t dispense any coffee. When I first entered the room there was no water at the bathroom sink. I determined the shut off valves were turned and turned them back on. When I turned the one for hot water I got drenched with it spraying everywhere. Okay, so no hot water at this sink. Not a deal breaker since the other sink did have warm water. The light fixture above the bathroom sink also periodically turned off for a few seconds.

I made a short list of these things and provided them to the front desk at check out but the gentleman assisting us didn’t even look at the list. Perhaps just due to it being check out hour. Hopefully they will make note of the issues at some point?

My bigger problem was one I worked with and it may not affect others. I was offered through the Hyatt app the option of “add-ons” to include early check-in. I and the options of 9am and 12pm and chose 12pm. My reason for having this room reserved were a little different. I needed to take a proctored online exam and I was required to have a quiet, private space with internet. I chose a time that coincided with 3pm Check in but had hoped to change it to an earlier time. Thankfully I didn’t base my testing time on the availability in the app for the guaranteed early check-in. This hotel apparently doesn’t participate in anything offered via the app including check in and check out?

I received a notice that my room AND key were ready a little after 1 pm so I headed on over to check in and get settled for my test. I went straight to my room since I had a key in the app, but maintenance was working on the door.

I went downstairs where I was told that the online check-in was a “Hyatt thing” and that the hotel doesn’t really have online check-in but that the mobile key should work after I have used my traditional key once (it didn’t by the way, I tried a few times.). If the Hyatt app features don’t work at this hotel with the Hyatt name on the outside they should disable them. One reason for choosing this hotel was the option to add the early check-in, which then didn’t work (my room was ready just a few minutes before 3). The mobile key is a feature I enjoy but doesn’t make or break my stay. But why am I getting a notice that my room is ready, with a room number and a key that doesn’t work- if this hotel doesn’t even use that feature? (The room number assigned in the app was the room I was given - so that was right.)

Just disable those features until they are functional. The room not being available until traditional check in time isn’t a problem except when you get a notice saying otherwise. I could have done other things in that time spent sitting in the lobby and I didn’t seem to be the only person affected by this. Seems lots of folks were getting “room ready” notices only to get to the hotel to find this wasn’t the case. Minor points that are easily remedied.

Once more I’d like to mention the excellent staff. Everyone was pleasant and professional at this place and that’s an exception to the norm...