Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel

The hotel no longer gets my four stars, it’s now down to two. The hotel is getting cheaper and cheaper by the month. First, all the vanities in the bathrooms are cracked and the bath amenities are frequently at the 50% mark or less! Pillows have now become those cheap tiny half pillows that are nearly impossible to sleep on.
I was staying for two days originally but cut it short when the staff ASSURED me that being on the eighth floor would be more than high enough to not be disturbed by the wedding parade that was taking place on the roof of the parking garage. Incorrect. I heard every bit of it starting bright and early at 0800! Why the hotel didn’t place all the wedding guests on the lower floors facing the garage and all the unknowing guests completely away from it is beyond me.
Also, your do not disturb sign means nothing at this hotel. Housekeeping knocked on my door two times before I finally yanked the door open and blessed out the dude knocking all while, sleepily, pointing to the sign on the door.
The $ 12/​night parking charge is just usury at this point as this is not an area where any place charges for parking or provides an alternative.
I have praised this hotel in the past but can no longer even recommend it to people that I hate.

Disappointed. I’ve stayed at the Hyatt before throughout the US and I’ve loved the staff and service but…
1. the warm water broken
2. Loud staff in halls
3. They forgot to do my room service
4. Called for towels waited an hour and got pillows
I’m checking out a day early after complaining and they wouldn’t even comp the parking. Again disappointed. The people here need to check how the New Orleans staff run the Hyatt over there. Hyatt at MSY was exceptional.
Two stars because when I did get room service the room was left clean. When interacting with staff they were polite. The place dose look clean overall. But needs a lot of improvement. I won’t be coming back.

I hosted a conference at this hotel and the service was beyond poor!!! I did everything besides open the tables and place the linens on. I had to hunt someone down for every little thing which was more than a pain. The tavern restaurant was very tasty and I received excellent service at the bar, but that didn’t makeup for the horrific service from the event staff.

Older looking from the outside and in the lobby but the rooms were quite modern and well kept. I really enjoyed my stay here. For those who like convenience, there are 2 restaurants in this hotel and it’s also attached to a mall! The mall wasn’t anything to write home about but I’m sure it’s super nice for Alabama. I was in town for business and we generally hovered around the hotel and mall the whole time. There isn’t a ton to do in Birmingham so I’m glad there was this mall and a few strip malls near by to pass the time.

Great location! We needed to be in Birmingham all weekend, and after our last visit we knew not to stay inside Birmingham.
This was less than a 15 minute drive– right off the highway, and smack dab in the middle of everything you could need– from restaurants to shopping, gas or groceries. The mall attached was a nice relief from having to go out again for food– we opted to just hit the food court for easy quick food.
The mall was nice to walk around, if you had some time to kill but not enough for an adventure.
The only thing I can say was a bit of a nuisance was the parking deck– it was a pretty tight turn onto the driveways and I always worry about scratching my wheels.
My parking and Internet were part of my rate fees– so I didn’t have that, but I guess beware when booking. Coffee & tea available in the room.
The staff was excellent, and everything was very clean.
Also– there is a Shula’s steakhouse in the hotel!!! If you’ve never been — GO! Amazing food!
We will definitely be staying here next time Birmingham calls!

this hotel fails me every time i stay here!!! this time, the lotion, shampoo and conditioner bottles are half full, which indicates that they are used! yuck!
they charged me $ 100 for my pet, with no doggie bag, treats, nothing!
the restaurant tied to the hotel, shula’s is a mess… but that is a separate review.
the staff is not sharp, friendly enough, but i would expect sharpness. is there a nice hotel in birmingham alabama??? @hyattregency @wynfreyhotelbirmingham

We’ve stayed at this location 2x in the past 6 months. To the Hyatt director of acquisitions that bought this place from the «Winfrey” – you need to part of a corporate restructuring. NOW when we visit the area for business/​leisure, we stay at the Homewood suites by Hilton. The Daphne, AL and the Birmingham locations are better than the run down Winfrey/​Hyatt. Whatever it’s called, a pig with lipstick is still a pig. The native Alabamans are nice, but there is ALWAYS a problem with the room. Either the air, or the fridge, or something that maintenance can’t «get to» (because they probably have 100 other rooms to fix). But like some tend to believe «location, location, location…) when you have to park 1 mile away, it’s better to stay 3 miles away and have a nice condo style room instead of one with: low ceilings, torn shower curtains, a plumber that must have had vertigo, exposed pipes, as well as being Birmingham’s largest fire hazard. The staff at the front desk is adept at playing musical rooms. Add to that some staff that has the authority of a «toothless wolf» and you lose valuable profits. You probably don’t want me, just the cash. I can assure you that every member of my family is in the customer service industry. This is unique – a review that nobody would be honest, or nice enough to tell you. The regional manager should mystery shop one of your finest rooms and then stay at the Hilton.
Because the“quality» of the property «never goes out of style». It has only cost you $ 1500 in lost revenue and 7 room-​nights so far…
But when you have to call the front desk every time you use a restroom to request a plunger, I would prefer a stay in a third world country, rather than attempt to explain «WHY?» to every member of my party. You should place a porta-​potty at the end of each hall as a communal facility and it would make the hotel a much better experience. Or at the very least, determine the amount of rooms, and buy that many plunger sets. Guests want to steal your plungers no more than knowing that in a clean room, the bathrooms have been flooded with E-​Coli dozens of times…
Yet the staff can ignore the problems like nothing ever happens, and smile as they hand you a hefty bill for a room that requires the use of food court toilets. The board of health would have a field day issuing citations if they went through what I was forced to endure.
But I feel 2 stars justify getting thousands in fines (over low water pressure) from the board of health as they test floors for (the past toilet floods in multiple rooms) only to have someone at the front desk say «Thank you-​and please come see us again now, ok ???”-sure.

We had a good stay. The valet service was great and super nice. We only stayed one night so we did not see a lot of hotel. It was nice to be close to the mall.

My daughter stayed here for a week. We had an early morning flight and forgot a brand new pair of Michael Kohrs shoes in the room. I called at least 6 times over the course of 3 days to talk to someone in lost and found. Every single time I was told they were closed etc. Every time someone took my name and number and description of the shoes. Finally received a call back 5 days had gone by and they said they could not find them. The shoes were left on the desk still in the shoebox box. I am very upset they would not return them to me.

I stayed there for just one night, but was so pleased with some of the service I received. Check in was quick and efficient. The breakfast buffet is the real reason I am writing. The staff was so helpful, and the cook who took care of the omelets and waffles was just so nice and helpful. She got my day off to a great start. Rooms had sound machines in the alarm clock, which was a nice touch with busy hallways outside. The steakhouse food was so amazing. Every step of the visit was nice. The valet staff was very helpful too when I couldn’t get to my car parked at the mall in the morning. I would definitely stay here again.

This was the first time I have stayed here since the remodeled. The overall place looks a lot better. I thought the $ 12.00 parking was ridiculous. The room was clean add the front desk were helpful and polite. Was looking forward to a great nights rest on a big king size bed. Was disappointed for a hotel like this I felt like the bed should have been more comfortable. We stayed in a best-​western in February who had a very much more comfortable bed. They also only provided us with one wash cloth.

We recently stayed here with a child and dog. I’ll try to sum up the pros and cons.
Pros
Located adjacent to the mall so here are list of food options in walking distance along with shopping.
With a child the proximity was great as we rode the carousel in the mall, there’s an arcade at the mall and a train hat goes throughout her mall. There are also some coin rides for toddlers on her top floor by the gap. The hotel also has a pool so lots of stuff for kids without even having to leave the premises.
Not a hotel perk but a mall perk, there are a couple of massage places in the mall (in huge mall hall and also private places) that are nice and inexpensive.
The hotel view we had was great and the staff was friendly. The rooms were clean and they have tons of outlets to plug in devices– clearly his has been upgraded.
The remote has a sleeve ensuring it’s been cleaned with housekeeping services
Tons of lamps and lighting in all areas
Free breakfast
It may not seem like a big deal but the sensor activated floor lights are a nice touch for when you get in bed and forget something or have to run to the restroom
Cons
The water pressure in the shower is not great
The hallways are noisy so not great for pets that have keen ears
The fridge temp is not able to be adjusted and so all our sodas froze since the automatic setting was too cold
They have coffee but they don’t leave you many sugars, creams, coffee supplies
The surfaces on the desk and tables were really dusty
There’s only a main room and bathroom so for a child there’s no separate space
No free happy hour
The guest lounge is cramped and gets really crowded and frustrating for the free breakfast
Parking is not free
The line to drop off and unload at check in is long and very unaccomodating

Hyatt’s overhaul of the Wynfrey certainly has made many improvements from my last visit. But there were many to be made, so where are we at now?
Let’s start with the room’s positives: new carpet, paint, and furniture. New bath fixtures and importantly hot water with good pressure immediately, even on the 9^th floor.
The fair to ehh: The shower, tub, toilet, and cracked marble counter are still here. Even with new lamps the lighting is too dim in the bath. The large LG flatscreen is decent but not exceptional and the printed TV station guide is inaccurate. $ 20 for pay per view movies is BS!
The basic WiFi is free but does not have a consistently strong signal causing it to drop or be painfully slow. When I was initially checking in, the guest checking in next to me is told that the wifi pass code is in the envelope with the room key. There is no code in my envelope, so I checked to see if it is automatic and no you’re redirected to a payment menu page. When I asked about it at the desk I was given a curt response about selecting basic for the free option and told they’re working on some problems with it (?!).
They charge for parking, not solely valet, but self parking. FYI the mall parking lot is free if you walk the extra 40 feet from the garage.
The disappointing: when housekeeping leaves you three packets of coffee for the in-​room coffee single cup brewer and they’re all decaf… But you see a staff person on your floor so you take the decaf packets and ask to trade and she (1) doesn’t comprehend what you’re saying, (2) offers you more decaf packets, (3) doesn’t have any regular coffee on the cart for you to grab yourself, (4) then doesn’t comprehend that she should get the guest some assistance (5) after two awkward minutes you take your decaf and sulk back to your room.
For having just undergone a buyout and makeover the attention to detail and maintaining the freshness is missing. The carpet is cut too short and a screw has been dropped and lodged in to a space between the carpet ending and the wall. A strip small enough to escape vacuuming but prominent enough for your un-​shoed foot to find it! The quality control lacks attention as there is paint drips on the furniture and mystery stains on the ottoman (gross!) and scrapes on the wall (only to seen if you say move the chair), and a large mark of tape adhesive residue on the inside of the window.
The windows can’t be opened which is unfortunate as there is often a chemical smell either from a spray cleaner or perhaps the ventilation that really merits some fresh outside air.
Has it improved since 2011, heck yes. So a two star upgrade to three. Would I recommend it, heck no, it is just a-​ok.

This hotel is pretty nice. Can’t lose with a galleria attached. The room was pretty nice and modern. I loved the motion sense drawer lights. However, the bathroom shower needs a major upgrade. It’s like they forgot about the shower when they upgraded the hotel. I’ve stayed at the Hyatt in multiple locations in other states and have never had a curtain shower. Reminded me of a cheap hotel. But aside from the shower the breakfast was pretty good. Not the best hyatt regency breakfast as far as variety but I was not exactly disappointed. The staff were friendly and welcoming. In the lobby there was refreshing fresh fruit water which I loved. Overall my stay was good.

First be warned that parking and internet are both $ 10 each and the Riverchase Galleria is not a nice mall, but the accommodations are comfortable and service (other than Merk’s) is great.
I seriously do not understand why hotels charge for internet and in this case, for parking. Parking in Birmingham is not sparse, so charging for it is just plain greedy. However, those two things are the only problems I had with this hotel.
I enjoyed the free wsj every morning. It is a nice touch. The rooms are clean and have a simple look (a lot of grays). My only complaint is my bathtub would clog and although I left a note for the housekeepers, nothing was ever done about it. It wasn’t bad enough for me to call the front desk.
This is a relatively quiet hotel. I only heard a screaming child once (and unfortunately it was in the room adjacent to mine).
I originally booked this room, because the hotel was connected to the Riverchase Galleria. Well, the galleria ended up being a disappointment and next time I’ll probably book a hotel in the Brookwood Village area, because there seems to be a lot more shops and things to do there. However, if we are judging this hotel on just the hotel itself, it is a good place to stay.

This hotel is nice for a bunch of reasons. The rooms are updated, the location is excellent, it’s attached to a nice mall, and the staff is super helpful.
I was there for a large conference and I think they were a bit overwhelmed. I didn’t have a shower curtain in my bathroom for 24 hours. When I realized it, I was in a hurry and had to shower without one. I was hoping they would replace it while I was gone, but no go. The front desk did send someone right away when I called. Then another staff member walked right into my room with a second shower curtain, thinking the room was vacant.
The food from room service was pretty good. I heard the tavern downstairs was a bit overwhelmed during lunch breaks as well.

Although the hotel has been remodeled the customer service and overall experience is not what I have come to expect of a Hyatt Regency. I am a platinum Hyatt Rewards member and I KNOW all to well the type of service and attention to detail that should be expected. I know the hotel is still in transition, but it is not on par with any Hyatt Regency that I have stayed at.

Overall I thought this was a very nice hotel. The recent renovation has done a great job to ensure many more years of happy fun times at this storied B’ham hotel. The furniture, fixtures, beds and linens are all new and luxurious. The location, attached to the Galleria provides lots of entertainment and dining options without ever getting your car out of the garage.
The in-​room dining is fine. I definitely would not say it’s great; lukewarm is perhaps a generous description. But every front desk person, valet, bellhop and guest services person was lovely.
There are a few things they could do better. They should promote Comekia from the front desk to general manager. For as many people as were super friendly, there were lots of people who wouldn’t make eye contact. The hallways and housekeepers are pretty loud, even by big busy hotel standards. But again, overall, a nice place to stay and somewhere I would consider staying again if needed.

The hotel has been beautifully remodeled. Everything was clean and the staff is very nice. We would stay there again but we could not sleep. Every person around us we could hear. Entire conversations. At 5am there was a group leaving and we heard everything. Horrible nights sleep.

Just got done a 4 city tour for work so can compare each against each other pretty accurately… The Wynfrey stands out for a few reasons.
Service: something we needed for the conference table was broken when shipped, and after casually mentioning it to the bellhop he showed up 20 minutes later with a replacement. Then drove us to the airport the next morning rather than making us wait for the next shuttle. Others were similarly nice.
Conference rooms: big, clean, and good food (grits and biscuits, baby).
The mall: as easy escape from the hotel if you’re there for a short time and want to walk around. A surprisingly nice mall.
Rooms themselves are nothing special, but clean and comfortable. Not really near much other than the mall and some other shopping areas.