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It’s been 15 years since I was last in Cologne, or Köln as it is referred to in Germany. The city is the fourth most populous in Germany and is the former capital of West Germany. When looking for a hotel, I wanted one that was well situated and would earn me credit toward renewing either my Hyatt Globalist or Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador. I’m just a few nights away from another year of Globalist, so I went with Hyatt. The Hyatt Regency was built in 1988 and went through its last renovation in 2012. It has 306 rooms and suites with a prime location on the Rhine River.
Anthony’s Take: The hotel feels elegant upon entry with an open lobby. It was nicely decorated for Christmas when we visited and the restaurant serving breakfast is right up the stairs. The breakfast offered to Globalists was delicious and offered a huge variety. There is also a Hyatt Regency Club that offers a continental breakfast, snacks, and evening hors d’oeuvres. Additional amenities include an indoor pool and spa as well as a gym. When we visited the pool was overrun with children, which made the pool unusable and the spa facilities anything but relaxing. Overall, the hotel offers the perfect location for exploring the city and everything a traveler could need.
Booking
I booked a King Bed Rhine View Room directly on Hyatt.com. The Member Rate was 285 euros per night plus a “cultural charge” of 14.26 euros each day. This hotel is a Category 5 Hyatt property with rooms starting at 17,000 points through 46,000 points per night for a premium suite (depending on if the date commands an off-peak, standard, or peak redemption).
Transportation to the Hotel
We took a Deutsche Bahn train from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne Messe/Deutz Station. The ride was delayed a bit but still took only an hour. From this station, it’s only a five-minute walk to the hotel. If you come into the Köln Hauptbahnhof (Cologne Central Station), you will need to cross the bridge. This takes about ten minutes. Departing Cologne we took an Uber to Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), which took about 16 minutes and cost 30 euros for the 13.5-kilometer ride.
Location
The Hyatt Regency Cologne offers the perfect location for visiting the city. It’s across the Rhine River from the Dom Cathedral (so you avoid the heaviest crowds), but it’s only a ten-minute walk to cross the bridge and get to most of the sites and restaurants.
As you come around from the train station, you’ll see the hotel with large signs outside.
Check-in
We arrived around 2:00 pm and were informed that our room was ready. The lobby is open and was elegantly decorated for Christmas when we visited. As a Globalist, I was granted a complimentary breakfast, a 4:00 pm checkout, as well as access to the Hyatt Regency Club. The hotel was pretty full (with what seemed to be an endless crowd of children under the age of five) and no upgrade was given. I inquired about one at check in and was asked to wait while the desk agent called her manager. After a moment on the phone she told me that none were available. The agent gave us an overview of the property and we were in the room shortly thereafter.
King Bed Rhine View Room (325)
As mentioned above, there are 306 rooms and suites at the hotel. The hotel feels like it should be a business hotel but during our stay it was entirely packed with families and there many small children.
Immediately inside the door was a small closet with robes and slippers.
The bathroom was next to the closet with a separate tub and shower.
The shower was small and water managed to flood the floor pretty much any way the shower head was positioned.
Across from the shower was a vanity with a single sink.
A blowdryer and some other items were provided.
The toilet was tucked in the back corner of the bathroom.
Toiletries were Pharmacopia, which seems to be the standard for Hyatt Regency brand.
Out of the bathroom was a spacious bedroom. The bed was comfortable but the bedding was a bit hot.
Across from the bed was a cabinet that housed the safe, minibar, and tea setup with a 65-inch TV on top.
Everything needed to make tea. I found it a bit odd that there was no coffeemaker or Nespresso.
The desk overlooked the window and the gorgeous view of the Rhine and Dom Cathedral.
Just look at this beautiful view!
Hyatt guest room renovation rendering.
Hyatt bathroom renovation rendering.
The hotel was last renovated in 2012, but signs in the lobby show that rooms will be renovated in spring 2023. Our room was clean and the finishes were fine. The renderings look great and will make the hotel even nicer once completed.
Regency Club
This Hyatt Regency has a small lounge with continental breakfast offerings, snacks in the afternoon, as well as a light evening selection. We chose to eat breakfast in Glashaus, the hotel’s main restaurant. I can’t comment on the quality or selection of the lounge’s breakfast as we did not try it, but guests with access can select this option if they want something a bit quieter.
The evening buffet offered a hot dish (in two chafing dishes with pasta in one and sauce in the other). It was spaghetti Bolognese the night we visited.
Ingredients were provided to make a basic salad.
Potato salad and two other small dishes.
A small cheese board was available.
There were also two desserts.
The Regency Club offers a coffee machine, soft drinks, and light snacks throughout the day.
There is a desk where an agent would normally be, but it was unattended every time we were in the lounge.
Breakfast
As mentioned, we chose to have breakfast in the hotel’s main restaurant (Glashaus) during our stay. There is a huge assortment of hot and cold items but the service was a mess. No one seemed to be handling individual tables. Servers wandered the dining room but needed to be flagged down if you wanted coffee. Both days we were in the restaurant we watched the host/manager seat people (including us) at dirty tables and then apologize as they got cleaned. One morning, a family went up to the buffet to get food and came back to find the manager seating new people at their table. Another apology and he whisked them to another table (my guess is that one was dirty as well). Breakfast was packed with people and children almost outnumbered adults.
Many varieties of cold, smoked fish.
Several fresh squeezed juices were available as well as champagne.
Fresh vegetables for salads.
Pickled vegetables and cheeses.
Hummus and yogurt.
More yogurt.
Fresh fruit.
Meats and cheeses with a cool slicer.
Eggs and waffles.
Omelette station. Deemed one of the best omelettes he’s eaten by my husband.
Lots of bread.
Amenities
The hotel offers a small fitness center with a sauna and steam room as well as an indoor pool. This area was extremely crowded and not relaxing as children ran, splashed, and screamed throughout. I did not get to take pictures here. This one is from the hotel’s website.
Overall Impression:
You can’t beat the location of this hotel when visiting Cologne. The rooms are comfortable and will be even better after the renovation that is coming in the spring. Breakfast is delicious and varied. The service is not great but the food makes up for it. It’s nice that the hotel has a pool and spa (just pray that you’re not there at a time when it’s overrun by toddlers like when I visited.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
