Hyatt Place Virginia Beach / Oceanfront — Hotel in Virginia Beach

I don’t write many reviews, but this one is necessary. Our family’s recent experience at Hyatt Place Oceanfront was not just disappointing — it was disgraceful. This was supposed to be the start of our weeklong family vacation, and instead, we spent our first night fighting to be treated with basic human decency.

At 10:00 p.m., we pulled out the sofa bed for our children and found it infested with live bugs. We immediately called the front desk. Their response? “We’ll send someone up to check.” That was the beginning of a 3-hour ordeal that could have — and should have — been resolved in 30 minutes or less.

Instead of acting swiftly to relocate us or even acknowledge the seriousness of the issue, the staff focused on gathering “evidence.” I was asked repeatedly — no fewer than seven times — how many bugs I saw. Then came the requests: photos, videos, and text messages with the footage, as though I was building a case rather than reporting a sanitary and safety issue in a hotel bed.

At one point, I was told the best they could do was change the sheets and spray the mattress — as if that would magically make it safe for children to sleep on a bed that bugs had just crawled across. Thirty minutes after stripping the bedding, bugs were still visibly crawling on the mattress. My concerns were brushed off.

It wasn’t until after 11:00 p.m. that anyone truly stepped in to help — and that help came not from management, but from two night auditors: Tatyanna and Takeyva. They did what no one else bothered to do. They found a room for us at a neighboring hotel, personally helped move our belongings, and treated us with care and professionalism. They were the only individuals that night who demonstrated basic empathy and leadership. Even still, it was after 1am before we finally made it into our rooms at the nearby hotel!

The experience with the night auditors stood in sharp contrast to the evening crew (Bree, Sara, and Kara) that we initially engaged with. Their collective response ranged from indifferent to borderline dismissive. And then there was General Manager Lisa Centeno, whose follow-up was arguably the most frustrating of all. When I finally spoke with her, after a tepid apology for ‘the situation’ she asked: “What would you like me to do?”

Here’s a suggestion: • Lead. • Apologize. • Take responsibility. • Don’t act like this is the first time someone has found bugs in a hotel room. • And absolutely stop trying to downplay what actually happened.

The voicemail she left me the next day — casually informing me that pest control “didn’t find any bugs” — was a masterclass in missing the point. I’m not sure what she hoped to accomplish with that message, but it felt more like a liability shield than any meaningful concern for our experience. Pest control showing up after the bugs were cleaned up doesn’t erase what we saw, what we documented, and what we lived through.

To make matters worse, the next morning we had to check out of the ‘temporary hotel’ and move all of our belongings BACK to a new room at the Hyatt Place— as a family of five with a dog — with absolutely no help or even an offer of assistance from staff or management. No follow-up. No accountability. Just silence.

If it weren’t for Tatyanna and Takeyva, this experience would’ve been irredeemable. But make no mistake — this wasn’t just a rough night. It was a reflection of poor training, bad leadership, and a fundamental failure to put guests first. Hyatt should take a serious look at the way this property is being managed.

We won’t be back — and I strongly urge others to think twice...

We arrived today, 7/22, and will be staying until Friday. The hotel is quite nice and the staff has been very accommodating. We like having quick and easy access to the beach and nearby shops/restaurants. One of the housekeepers was very KIND and went out of her way to help my sister. Bree was especially FRIENDLY and LISTENED to our concerns regarding valet. Sooooo, this is for the valet MANAGER. Your valet employees need to Get off their phones. One of the young men NEVER looked up from his phone until my daughter, who was sitting in the backseat, rolled down her window and said “Excuse me, can you help us.” He still moved at the speed of SLOTH! Greet your guests! You know, smile and pretend that you LIKE your job! Open their doors. This probably takes 2.5 seconds. Like Nike says, JUST DO IT! Offer to help unload suitcases. Offer to grab a luggage cart. Don’t just look though the window like you’ve spotted a ship at sea and say, “Yes, here come some carts!”, and then proceed to stand there while the GUEST goes to get said cart. Really?! I’m going to estimate that you were about 15 steps away from the carts. Just go get the dang cart! Offer to UNLOAD a walker. For the love of all things holy, PLEASE offer to unload a walker. Ask if there is ANYTHING else you can help with. Remember, YOU represent this hotel! YOU are the first employees that guests encounter. Make it MEMORABLE!

The manager’s excuse is that this is not a “full service valet”. Huh?! What?! Are you kidding?! What is this foolishness?! I don’t think Neptune or the other Gods would approve. Maybe you need to have a flashing NEON sign stating this ridiculous mindset. Again and louder for those in the back, YOUR employees are the FIRST impression of this hotel. Make it a Good one! We are not staying at a Motel 6 although they WILL leave the lights on for you! On our last trip to your lovely city, we stayed at the Marriott down the street and the valet service was EXCELLENT. Heck, we had better valet service when we went out to eat tonight. I’m a high school teacher and seeing the lack of RESPECT, the lack of BASIC social skills, and the complete lack of MATURITY in these young men nearly sent me into a blind rage. I’m guessing there’s a MINIMUM age to work in Virginia and it is NOT 12! Oh, and the BEST PART…wait for it……it happened twice in one day! We saw a man who looked to be 120 unloading his own cart and pushing it with great difficulty to the lobby. REALLY?!! A little kindness goes a LONG way and will be REMEMBERED. These young men (I use the word men loosely) did NOT change their behavior after it was brought to their attention! This would NOT fly in my classroom! Do better! Be better! Oh, and I can almost GUARANTEE that your tips will increase tenfold!

Hotel=5...

We arrived today, 7/22, and will be staying until Friday. The hotel is quite nice and the staff has been very accommodating. We like having quick and easy access to the beach and nearby shops/restaurants. One of the housekeepers was very KIND and went out of her way to help my sister. Bree was especially FRIENDLY and LISTENED to our concerns regarding valet.|Sooooo, this is for the valet MANAGER.|Your valet employees need to|1. Get off their phones. One of the young men NEVER looked up from his phone until my daughter, who was sitting in the backseat, rolled down her window and said “Excuse me, can you help us.” He still moved at the speed of SLOTH!|2. Greet your guests! You know, smile and pretend that you LIKE your job!|3. Open their doors. This probably takes 2.5 seconds. Like Nike says, JUST DO IT!|4. Offer to help unload suitcases.|5. Offer to grab a luggage cart. Don’t just look though the window like you’ve spotted a ship at sea and say, “Yes, here come some carts!”, and then proceed to stand there while the GUEST goes to get said cart. Really?! I’m going to estimate that you were about 15 steps away from the carts. Just go get the dang cart!|6. Offer to UNLOAD a walker. For the love of all things holy, PLEASE offer to unload a walker.|7. Ask if there is ANYTHING else you can help with. Remember, YOU represent this hotel! YOU are the first employees that guests encounter. Make it MEMORABLE!||The manager’s excuse is that this is not a “full service valet”. Huh?! What?! Are you kidding?! What is this foolishness?! I don’t think Neptune or the other Gods would approve. Maybe you need to have a flashing NEON sign stating this ridiculous mindset. Again and louder for those in the back, YOUR employees are the FIRST impression of this hotel. Make it a Good one! We are not staying at a Motel 6 although they WILL leave the lights on for you!|On our last trip to your lovely city, we stayed at the Marriott down the street and the valet service was EXCELLENT. Heck, we had better valet service when we went out to eat tonight.|I’m a high school teacher and seeing the lack of RESPECT, the lack of BASIC social skills, and the complete lack of MATURITY in these young men nearly sent me into a blind rage. I’m guessing there’s a MINIMUM age to work in Virginia and it is NOT 12! Oh, and the BEST PART…wait for it……it happened twice in one day! We saw a man who looked to be 120 unloading his own cart and pushing it with great difficulty to the lobby. REALLY?!! A little kindness goes a LONG way and will be REMEMBERED. These young men (I use the word men loosely) did NOT change their behavior after it was brought to their attention! This would NOT fly in my classroom! Do better! Be better! Oh, and I can almost GUARANTEE that your tips will increase tenfold!||Hotel=5...