Either I'm bigger or it has got smaller!
Written: Apr 05 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good food, pleasant service, oatmeal soap!
Cons: Small rooms, not city central
The Bottom Line: Not bad, but won't turn "Baku" into "Bak-oooooooh"
The Park Hyatt rooms are nicer.
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| vodkaboy's Full Review: Hyatt Regency Baku |
Review – Hyatt Regency Baku, Azerbaijan
The Hyatt opened in Baku in about 1996, give or take a year, and was the first international hotel chain into Azerbaijan. There was great excitement when they opened and it was a popular place to visit, for a drink or a coffee, even though it is not really walking distance from the centre of town.
I visited not long after it had opened, though I didn’t actually stay there. I remember it as being quite bright, compared to the grey tiled buildings around, but surprisingly small inside. I’m used to hotels in which the lobby is large, spacious, sweeping, with a high ceiling, long reception desk and a lounge area nearby. However I remember The Hyatt in Baku as a long corridor with a reception desk and café parked in the middle.
The next time I went back was last summer and I was slightly disappointed that yes, it does seem a bit small, though of course it was somewhat reassuring to discover that my memory has not failed me.
Since my first visit, though, the hotel has expanded; as well as the original Hyatt Regency there is now a Park Hyatt just next door, and next to that a Hyatt International Centre which houses the offices of several international companies including American Express, British Airways and Lufthansa, as well as several up market shops.
This review is about my most recent stay, at the beginning of April 2003.
RECEPTION
You enter through a revolving door into a small lobby area, about 20 feet by 15 feet, which is made even smaller by a thick, square pillar in the middle of it. At the far end is the reception desk. A corridor to the left leads through a cake shop, which has a couple of small tables and chairs alongside, and from there to the hotel pub, Britannia.
From the other side of reception a similar corridor leads past a small shop, exchange office, a room labelled “General Manager” which seems to contain a table and chairs and not much else. Maybe he is available there at certain times? I have no idea, but there is nothing either there, or in the rooms, to tell you!
At the end of the corridor is a square lounge area with a door onto the street, which is always locked; I have a vague memory that this was the original entrance to the hotel. Here are two elevators to the upper floors, as well as the entrances to two restaurants.
What contributes to the feeling of “small-ness” is that there is no natural light along the corridor. There are windows in the reception room but that is lost because of the large column and the length of the corridor, there are no windows at all.
Check in and check out has always been quick and trouble free. The people are almost always pleasant and friendly, asking if you had a good flight, enjoying your stay, etc. They are happy to help, including the porter who had his hand on my roller bag almost before I got my key.
ROOMS
The hotel still uses traditional metal keys and, like on several previous stays, I found the door was slightly reluctant to open. I had to wriggle the key into the lock, then it would not turn until I pulled the handle with my other hand. I can see why the porter was so keen to help me upstairs!
Inside there is a standard hotel “L” shape room layout; small entrance hall with bathroom on one side, opening out into the room. The room itself was clean, tidy, simply furnished and rather small. I got that impression throughout the room – it all seemed a little under sized.
The bed was a double bed – it seemed smaller than most hotel doubles, but that might have been imagination. On one side of the bed there was a small bedside table and a standing lamp in the corner. On the other side was also a small table with a bedside lamp and telephone crowded onto it.
Near the foot of the bed was a cupboard. Inside the cupboard is divided into two horizontally, with the top half for hanging clothes and the bottom half taken up by drawers, a safe etc. There are a generous number of hangers, but the top half is quite low, which means that shirt tails will rest on the bottom of the cupboard and you have to fold trousers over the hanger, creasing them.
At the other side of the room – barely a few feet from the end of the bed – is a small, simple writing desk with another lamp on, a low cupboard containing the minibar and kettle, with a small television on top. The remaining three feet of wall is empty, but there is a folding suitcase stand. The TV had about 30 channels available including three movie channels and a series channel in English, several news channels, a few in other European languages plus of course the local and Russian channels.
I like the fact that they provide coffee, kettle etc so you can make your own coffee. But there was nowhere obvious to plug the kettle in! Once I put it on the floor, this time in the bathroom (I unplugged the hair dryer). Also no bottle of mineral water, or indication that the tap water is safe. In the end I risked it and filled up from the tap; a few days later my bowels are still in one piece so I guess it was ok!
The bathroom was clean and well maintained, with the usual amenities of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and a couple of wash cloths. One thing I like about Hyatts is the “oatmeal soap” (simple things keep me happy)
Overall the room was comfortable enough but small, a bit cramped, and it seemed everything about it was undersized – the TV, cupboard, bar, desk. Although the essentials were there, it lacked extras, or things that show some thought had gone into it – there was no phone on the desk, so you cannot plug in a laptop; there was a phone by the bed, but no spare electric socket.
The thing that did annoy me was that the air conditioning didn’t work. The room was a bit warm, but even switched to “cool” and temperature ׃”, it still blew hot air! I tried opening the window, which did cool the room down but the street outside was busy all night, and large Russian trucks are not the quietest in the world! My choice was therefore to not sleep because it was too hot, or not sleep because it was too noisy!
FACILITIES
There are meeting rooms and a conference room on the second floor of the hotel, along with a large lounge area. There are function rooms available elsewhere in the hotel too, which I have not seen.
There is an outdoor pool to the back of the hotel, which is shared with the Park Hyatt next door, from what I can tell. I’ve never had the chance to try but looks quite welcoming. There is plenty of space around the pool for sun loungers, deck chairs etc.
The fitness centre, which claims to be the largest in the area (and thus the most painful?) is also located in the “International Centre” (next building after the Park Hyatt). I’ve not seen it so can’t comment.
RESTAURANTS
There are several restaurants and bars on site at the Hyatt Regency.
On the ground floor, to the left of Reception is the Cake Shop, which has fresh cakes and sandwiches every day. The ones that I have had there have been good but not cheap. There are a couple of small tables and chairs next to the shop but it feels like sitting in a busy corridor!
Beyond is the Britannia Pub, with a bar area, and a separate room with large screen TV and several tables and chairs for either watching a match, or if you want to eat. The menu is limited – kebab, fish & chips, spaghetti - but what they have comes fairly quickly, the portions are not bad and the food is quite good. The bar can be quite busy and crowded, it was last week when I was there, but other times when I have been it is been almost empty, I guess it varies!
At the other side of the hotel is the Lemon Grass restaurant, supposedly an up-market restaurant offering good food, but I have never seen it open! Next to that is the Beluga Bar, which sounds like it should be a cocktail or caviar bar but in fact is more of a restaurant and is where they serve the breakfast buffet every morning!
I’ve eaten at the Beluga Bar several times and have never been disappointed. This time I had the smoked salmon and horseradish cream starter; it came with a generous portion of fresh, moist and tender salmon. The cream barely tasted of horseradish (but then I do like mine hot!) and was liberally sprinkled with capers. For a main course I had the local chicken kebab which was two skewers of tender, freshly grilled chicken with rice and salad. The service was good and efficient, and overall highly recommended.
There is also a Bar/nightclub called 1033 which I have not tried; they advertise Latin nights every other week. Finally on the second floor is a large, comfortable looking lounge.
SERVICE
The service at the Baku Hyatt Regency has, in my experience, always been good and I have never had cause for complaint. At Reception and in the Restaurants it has been efficient, pleasant and polite. I can think of only one person, a waitress in Britannia, who was not pleasant, she looked grumpy and in a bad mood. Otherwise, good!
LOCATION
Not the best. The Hyatt buildings are a little way away from the heart of the city, uphill, so although you might be willing to walk into town (I would guess half an hour along some busy roads), you might not want to walk back after a big meal or drinks! If you do want to go out in the area, there is a good Italian restaurant left out of the hotel, left at the corner, and a short way down on the right hand side. There are a few cafes and supermarkets nearby too. However the centre of town is less than ten minutes away by taxi, which is not expensive. Just ask for Fountain Square and wander from there.
SUMMARY
Good service, good food, what more could you want. Oh, yes…rooms…the only thing that lets this hotel down! OK, they are certainly habitable and well kept, but if you want your room cool either check the AC when you arrive, or ask for a room facing the back!
Overall the food and service deserve 4**** rating but I've rated 3*** because the rooms are basic and because of the air conditioning.
Recommended:
Yes
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