Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country — Hotel in Santa Rosa

I feel like this place has a bad reputation among the Globalist Elite group. But I was pleasantly surprised (my expectations were very low). The hotel itself was lovely. Current/updated decor in the public areas. 2 different courtyards, one with a giant firepit they light at night (and put out makings for s'mores). Lots of grounds and a pool.||Check-in was easy. We arrived around 4pm, rooms were ready. Jane, the front office manager was lovely. She told us both rooms I'd booked we're upgraded (parents were with us on a Guest of Honor away). I had 2 kids with me and we'd booked a 2 queen room. We got a Premier 2 Queen with over 500 SQ feet and a sitting area. My parents might have had a better view but unclear how their room was an "upgrade". I think it was called an Executive King but just seemed like a regular room. We received bottles of water for everyone and a small bottle of Cabernet (I assume the Globalist welcome amenity) for each room!||Needed an extra sheet and blanket for my 4yo who wanted to sleep on the couch. No one answered the front desk when I called (but it was a busy check-in time). Hubby waited to ask at the front desk and the sheets and blanket were delivered while we were wandering around the hotel.||Breakfast was at the Railroad Stop restaurant which is attached to the hotel. Restaurant looked bright and updated but the buffet ($15 value) which was offered as the Globalist breakfast benefit was pretty sad. They did have eggs, sausage and potatoes in chafing dishes but everything seemed cold. There was oatmeal, pastries, bagels, toast, cold cereal, yogurt and fruit. Maybe about what you'd get in a mediocre club lounge. When I clarified with the server what was included in Globalist breakfast she was very kind and said "oh we just changed the policy, if you'd like to order 1 entree off the menu instead of the buffet, I'll cover it". She kinda stopped herself mid-comment to ask me how many nights we were staying. It was only 1 which prob made it easier for her to continue with her offer...entrees we're a few $ more than the buffet ($18-22) so it's not like it was that significant a difference for them...food was just ok. Kids' waffles were very dense. Our avocado toasts were acceptable. Better than the buffet tho. ||Location of the hotel was nice. While yes, right off the freeway and not what I picture when I read "wine country" it's still literally across the street from a popular part of Santa Rosa full of restaurants and shops. We walked to dinner (Jackson's Bar & Oven was very good!) then to ice cream, then came back for s'mores. Decently located for actual ventures into Sonoma wine country (15-20 mins away) while Napa area was more like 40 mins away. Anderson valley 1.5 hours away.||There's a bar in the lobby that was quite lively when we were there (that night was hosting a big conference and the hotel was brimming with mostly adults and very few kids that we noticed).||There's an ok pool. We saw plenty of people in it on an average temp weekend in April (mid-70's?) so it must've been warm enough! Lots of grounds for weddings or receptions. Giant wall of water features likely to cover up the freeway sound.||Santa Rosa Creek runs right behind the property and there's a path to stroll along along the creek, with a bridge that leads to a small park with a play structure in the neighborhood behind the hotel. While it didn't feel BAD, it was an older neighborhood that made me feel like checking the play structure for stuff I wouldn't want kids to come across, before I let them play on it. I didn't find anything.||We both stayed on points so [Globalist parking benefit] valet parking was free (otherwise $30). We never needed our car until we left so I can't really comment on valet.||I'd return if I needed to stay in this area. If I wanted a more "wine country" vibe I prefer the other Hyatt in Napa, but we're talking about 2 completely different...

So dissappointed with Hyatt. We are traveling across several states, and we just came from the Hyatt in Monterey which was wonderful. I booked Hyatt in Sonoma because I am a world hyatt member and was looking for a Hyatt while we were in San Francisco, but Hyatts in San Francisco were sold out. From the moment getting here it has been one issue after another. Waited in line to check in for a long time. There was only one person working the desk and mutilple people waiting to check in. I also was informed they charge $10 a night for parking whether you self-park or valet, was not mentioned any where when I booked hotel. No instruction given as to where anything was or where they serve breakfast in morning. We get to our room which was clean. But nothing has been as described. Bathroom looks newly renovated with subway tile surround and quartz counter. Advertised as granite surrounds in a deluxe room with separate sitting area.You are only provided 3 bath towels for a room for 4. (I was told by housekeeping I met up with in hall in morning to ask for more towels that it is standard to only put 3 in room) We called desk to find out when they were bringing up our rollaway or cot we ordered, to discover that they do not allow them nor do they have any on site (even though it was an option when I booked online). I told them we just had a cot at previuus Hyatt. So they offered to send up extra pillow and blanket instead. We had to call twice to get them to show up. Which phone did not work either only speaker phone worked. I called down again to ask where gym was for the morning since no floor map is given either. They would not tell me only said to come to desk in morning and they will tell me. I asked for map they said it was to confusing and just come to desk. So I did, had to wait again, asked for map again told me to confusing. I said I wanted one anyways that I was not going to stand in line every time I wanted to know where anything was. I am not stupid I can figure out a small hotels map. Gym is not bad smaller than previous hotel. We decided to eat breakfast at hotel before heading out. It is in a meeting room served buffet style or you can order. Had to pay before we ate. After we ate asked for a recelpt to only realize they had overcharged us on 3 of our meals. Had to wait for manager to show up to refund me but only refunded the difference in meal price DID NOT adjust auto 20% gratuity added or the tax. Since when is a small family auto gratuity? We came back from a day out to see that even though they say they are conserving water because of a drought and only provide clean towels after a 2 day stay, which is perfectly acceptable, they do not even come to touch up room. We could have at least had our room touched up with garbage emptied and beds made. This is not a cheap place to stay and we expect the service to be appropriate. The grounds are ill kept for middle of summer, their gardens they advertise should be in full bloom and beautiful to walk through. Nothing there to boast of but a few very short paths with dead plants and a couple of metal sculptures. They have one patio courtyard just off lobby with a large firepit for evening if you dont mind socializing with others around it also. They do offer free coffee and tea in lobby but if you want regular coffee and not decaf get there early as they dont remember to refill it. Plus it is $4 to get a coffee or tea at their breakfast down the hall. So grab a cup first. I will not be staying here again my money is better spent at the Marriott in Napa just a...

Right at 1pm, and just as we were getting ready to depart despite our prearranged 4pm checkout, the male housekeeper barged into our room despite the “do not disturb” sign being on the door. This has happened before at Hyatt properties, and it typically happens when personnel are paying more attention to their personal schedule than the needs of a customer. This is easy enough to confirm by checking what FOBs entered our room and when, but the general manager never mentioned a thing about doing that. It is egregious, disrespectful, and invasionary, but it happened. To add insult to injury, we were misbilled with billing that should have been easily caught with any sort of second look by anyone who would have seen our bill.

What made things the worse is that I phoned the general manager and she appeared oblivious to the abilities of really listening and taking responsibility, instead she chose to repeatedly interrupt and throw insincere apologies at me while I was in the middle of letting her know what happened. When I said I was misbilled, she even interrupted me with “...what can I do for you?...”. If you read her responses to the reviews on Google, you get an idea of how our telephone conversation went: evading taking responsibility, saying, "This is not how we treat or value our customers..." when how they treat people is EXACTLY how this property and its staff and management treats and values its customers in the moment. Our telephone conversation was so frustrating because of this GM's constant slipperiness and I became so put off and I sensed the conversation was getting nowhere, I told her I had to get off the phone, and I did. Even after close to 24 hours later, my bill remains unchanged, so I have had to put in a dispute with my charge card.

We originally were going to stay for only one night but liked the property so much we decided to extend our stay to two nights. We had stated before leaving our room that we would enjoy returning, and then everything else happened that has left a very bad taste in our mouth, all so unnecessary and so much of that from the general manager.

29Jul2024: Ms. Hubert, I will never be "Mark" to you. It is so unprofessional of you to address me in the familiar, particularly in this situation. Despite my call to you, thereafter, you chose not to correct the billing errors, forcing me to waste more time going around you. And then, in your email, you had the audacity to take credit for fixing the billing error when you were nowhere involved. My Hyatt Concierge and I did that work with one of your staff. In my reply, I specifically requested you not respond here when I refused your attempt to buy me off with Hyatt points. Now, I'll have to specifically request Hyatt Corporate leadership to intervene as I told you I would. You just keep making things worse because you just do not listen to customers with whom you create problems out of thin air. Do not ever contact me again...