I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara for a weekend in October, 2014. The hotel is older, my guess it was built in the mid 1980’s, and has a large footprint of 501 rooms. The closest airport is San Jose (6 miles), a small airport that makes getting in and out easy.
I assumed it would be quiet on a weekend when business travelers were at home, but was I wrong! This is definitely a conference hotel (it is attached to the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley). There were two conferences at the hotel (ironically neither were tech conventions); one was quilters the other was high schoolers. As you can imagine, I was disheartened to say the least. Luckily, the check in agent could tell I was not looking forward to a weekend with youngins, so he put me on the 13th floor away from the students. I thought he said he “upgraded” me as I am a Platinum HGP member, but it turned out that the only upgrade was that it was on a higher floor.
I ended up in a nice room that clearly has been updated recently. I had a view of the hills and the new Levi Stadium (home of the 49ers) which was fun. The room was very clean, reasonable size, although the bathroom was very small. Large bed, large desk, small fridge. Coffee maker, iron/board, robe, safe. Bottles of Aquafina were $4 each.
Nice bathroom products, towels were quality and bedding was fine. The furnishings seemed cheap; the lamps were from Ikea (I have the exact same ones in my home) and the TV was ancient. However I did like the bathroom doors that were barn style with a fogged glass inlay, although the lack of privacy might be an issue if you were traveling with someone else. Overall, very comfortable, but not fancy.
I got free wifi, but that may have been because I am a platinum Hyatt Gold Passport member. I am assuming that now all guests would receive free wifi as that is Hyatt’s new policy.
The halls and elevators were very outdated. Looks like early 1990’s. Needs new carpet, paint jobs, doors and decor. Biggest negative: only 4 elevators that are SLOW. Especially being on the 13th floor it took a long time for the elevator to come and when it did, we stopped on every floor.
The lobby was nice. High ceiling and open. I did get a drink at the bar; nothing too exciting. The pool was GREAT. Large pool and hot tub. Maybe the best part of the stay at the hotel. Nice pool area; well maintained, nice chairs and cabanas. There is lots of free parking, I would suggest the reserved area to the south that you need your key to enter. I always found a space there. If it is crowded, there is a free garage in back but it is a bit of a walk. There is also a VTA light rail stop across the street. The Great American amusement park is a very short walk away, as is Levi Stadium.
Overall, the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara is not a bad choice if you get a deal and need a place to sleep in Santa Clara. I would not want to stay there if the 49ers were in town; I’m sure it is a mad house. It is non-offensive but also non-memorable. Highlight was definitely the pool.