HYATT REGENCY SYDNEY- ACCESSIBLE ACCOMMODATION SYDNEY

Hyatt Regency Sydney is the luxury hotel Darling Harbour needed. Located in the popular dining and entertainment precinct this recently renovated property (previously Four Points Sheraton) offers 892 guest rooms, including two styles of accessible accommodation.

Walking into the expansive hotel lobby there’s a feeling of opulence and elegance. Although decorated with modern fixtures the hotel maintains a warmth which is assisted by the welcoming hotel staff.

My eye was immediately drawn to the large vases of flowers which reminded me of our visit to the Plaza Hotel in New York where an abundance of flowers met us at the door.

REGENCY CLUB CITY VIEW ACCESSIBLE ROOM

For the kids, checking into a hotel is a little like opening a present. There’s much anticipation, a jostle to be the first into the room, snooping in cupboards and checking out the many features. Awaiting the kids at the Hyatt Regency Sydney was a special surprise in the rooms. There was a divine chocolate cake in one room and chocolates in the other. Nicely played Hyatt Regency, you had both kids grinning with glee immediately. I barely had time to take a photo before AJ was doing the honours and cutting the cake for all to enjoy. Lucky we were visiting during the Vivid Festival so we would spend the evening walking off the cake.

For our stay we had two rooms, an accessible Regency Club City View room and a standard Regency Club City View room.

Located in the new tower of the hotel these rooms are brand new, fresh, light and beautifully appointed.

Walking into the room there’s a spacious foyer area in front of the bathroom and wardrobe. There’s plenty of room on one side of the bed to transfer from a wheelchair and there’s space under the bed for a hoist.

Light switches are large and all room controls are at a lowered level.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM

A spacious accessible bathroom allows plenty of circulation room for a wheelchair user to transfer both to the shower seat and toilet.

The toilet is equipped with a backrest, there’s a flip-down shower bench, height adjustable shower head and lever taps.

The bathroom also features a wheelchair accessible sink, grab rails throughout and a lowered amenities shelf.

The wardrobe is well lit with a safe easy to access in a drawer, a mini bar and kettle. The hanging space is at regular height.

Free high speed Wi-Fi and Foxtel is available to guests.

STANDARD CITY SIDE ACCESSIBLE ROOM

If you are travelling with several pieces of equipment, or a large power chair, you may find the Standard City Side accessible rooms more suitable as they are larger than the Regency Club City View accessible rooms.

The rooms also have a separate lounge with the option of paying for a roll-away bed meaning the room can accommodate up to three people.

As a twin bedded room there’s room on one side for transferring from a wheelchair to the bed. Made up as a king bedded room there would be room to transfer on both sides.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM

The bathroom is spacious with good circulation space for a wheelchair user. It features a toilet with seat back, flip-down shower seat, height adjustable shower head and lever taps.

There’s a wheelchair accessible sink, grab rails throughout, magnifying mirror and a lowered bathroom shelf.

If wheeling or walking a distance is difficult for you, this room is closer to the lift than the accessible Regency Club room.

The hotel has a total of 14 accessible rooms making it a great location for a conference.

REGENCY CLUB CITY VIEW ROOM

AJ and I stayed in a standard Regency Club City View room where we enjoyed the super comfy beds and dreamy pillows. The next day Hubby was busily taking off the pillow cover to see if he could work out the pillow brand, proving we weren’t the only ones impressed.

The main difference between this room and the accessible club room is the bathroom and door width.

AJ has a reputation for forgetting her toothbrush when we travel but to be honest, no matter how well seasoned we are as travellers it’s easy to forget bits and pieces. Hyatt Regency has it sorted with a Convenience Collection menu in the room which is essentially a list of complimentary items that are for guests to keep, plus a variety of everyday essentials guests can borrow. Complimentary items include baby shampoo, mouthwash and sanitary products. If you’ve forgotten your power adaptor, phone or computer charger or steamer you can borrow one.

 

Tapping to unlock the door is so much easier for people with hand function restrictions than the cards which need to be inserted and removed to gain entry.

You can read more about Hyatt Regency Sydney here.

DINING

Sailmakers restaurant serves dinner in the evenings and is the scene of a diverse breakfast buffet in the mornings.

This thoughtfully designed restaurant spreads the breakfast stations out over several areas of the space reducing breakfast peak hour congestion.

A large selection of hot and cold food is available for breakfast.

LOBBY LOUNGE

The Lobby Lounge is a quiet place to indulge in an evening cocktail or the perfect spot to have a coffee, tea or light snack during the day.

Ramp access is available on the right hand side of the Lobby Lounge.

ZEPHYR BAR

Even if you don’t stay at Hyatt Regency Sydney, the Zephyr Bar is the place to go for a drink and snack with expansive views over Darling Harbour.

I love the open feel to the rooftop bar and although the winter chill is moving into Sydney at the moment don’t worry, Zephyr Bar have it covered with heaters and blankets.

This looks like a great spot to enjoy a lazy weekend afternoon or to enjoy a cocktail in the evening. Currently it provides amazing views of the Vivid lightshow.

There’s lift access to the Zephyr Bar and a stand-alone accessible bathroom.

REGENCY CLUB LOUNGE

As we were staying in the Club rooms we had access to the Regency Club Lounge for evening canapés and breakfast.

I would have once said BJ didn’t eat enough to make a buffet breakfast worthwhile but he thoroughly approved of the offerings in the Regency Club Lounge. He loved the passionfruit yoghurt, which I can second as being particularly good. I also lined up for my usual made-to-order omelette which I can never go past if offered on a breakfast buffet.

AJ was immediately drawn to the little bottles with smoothies which were colourfully lined up.

Staff were concerned the table was too low for us and offered alternatives but I couldn’t help but want to sit front and centre for the fabulous view. I loved the fact staff had an understanding of access and were on the ball.

NEARBY

Just a 2 minute walk or wheel down the street is lift access to Darling Harbour (cross Market Street to lift). Darling Harbour is a level easy access precinct of Sydney which is popular for its variety of dining and entertainment options.

SEA LIFE SYDNEY AQUARIUM

Sea Life Sydney Aquarium is popular with locals and tourists for its vast range of displays and variety of sea life. You can read more about our visit to the aquarium here.

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Madame Tussauds has a mix of celebrities and personalities which cover a good time period so the saying, “There’s something for everyone” really does apply here. There are sports stars, movie stars, TV personalities and medical heroes on display.  Although our kids are not familiar with Alfred Hitchcock or Audrey Hepburn, they are certainly keen to see the likes of Katy Perry and Pink. You can read more about our visit to Madame Tussauds here.

WILD LIFE SYDNEY

If you are a visitor to Sydney, or even a local, Wild Life Sydney will give you a great overview of Australia’s animals.  It was 30 degrees the day we visited so we appreciated being able to enjoy it in air conditioned comfort and with easy wheelchair access. You can read more about our visit here.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE & CIRCULAR QUAY

Sydney Harbour’s headline attractions are only a short, wheelchair accessible, ferry ride from Darling Harbour. It’s a lovely ride during the day or evening.

So, you can see there’s lots of reasons to stay at Hyatt Regency Sydney. Not only is it a beautiful hotel with great access but its location allows easy access to many of Sydney’s wonderful attractions.

You can read more about Hyatt Regency Sydney here.

We stayed as guests of Hyatt Regency Sydney but as always our enthusiasm and glowing review is a result of a fabulous stay.