Hyatt Regency Kinabalu Review

In March I decided it was time to thaw out and leave the cold of Michigan for a few days. I was doing research on Hyatt properties in tropical destinations and found the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu in Malaysia. The hotel is a Category 1 hotel that costs just 5,000 World of Hyatt points, so I booked a trip to spend five days in paradise.

Booking the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

The booking process is pretty simple on Hyatt’s webpage. One thing I do when searching is to enable the “Use Points” option to easily compare the points cost vs cash cost and see which option makes sense for you.

Everyone has a different valuation of points which they use to determine whether to pay cash or use points when booking a room. This award booking has a value of about 2 cents per point ($103 / 5000). To me, this was well worth it.

For people paying cash, the Chase World of Hyatt Visa is a great card to use to earn more Hyatt points. If you want to earn flexible points, I would go with the Citi Prestige to earn ThankYou Points and get the 4th night free when using their concierge to book. Click here to for the latest credit card offers.

To get more detail on how to earn World of Hyatt points and the booking process, please go on over to The Frugal Guys.

Arrival at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

I was greeted by the doormen who opened the door as I arrived. The bellman took my bags so I could focus on checking into the hotel. I went over to the check-in desk and was told that because of my World of Hyatt Globalist status, they will check me in at the lounge instead.

A staff member led me to the lounge and introduced me to the concierge. The concierge processed the check-in and informed me that I’ve been upgraded to a suite.

Keep in mind, this was about 9:30 am, way WAY too early for check-in. Most hotels won’t let you check in until 4 pm. Even if you have status, most hotels won’t have rooms available until lunchtime.

The agent suggested I grab some breakfast and explore the resort while they readied my room. He said that they would message me when the room was ready.

Even though I arrived so early, within 30 minutes of checking in my room was ready.

The Regency Suite at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

The Regency Suiite at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu was fairly large at 89 square meters. It offered a spacious living room with sectional sofa, computer desk, dining table, and TV.

A half-bathroom was also attached to the living room.

Here is a different angle of the living room that shows the sofa, TV, dining table, and minibar along with Coffee/Tea makers.

Bedroom with Chair / Ottoman and a second TV.

Storage and closet space in between the bedroom and master bath.

Master bath has dual sinks and large bathtub. The bathroom itself is rather large as well.

This is something EVERY hotel that claims to be a luxury property should have. A rainfall showerhead. This thing is the best since sliced bread!

Bedroom with a king-sized bed.

Panorama shot from the suite’s living room.

Breakfast and Dining at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

The breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu was amazing. As a World of Hyatt Globalist, I receive complimentary breakfast every day.

Complimentary breakfast in the restaurant

As part of my loyalty status, I was given an option to eat in the club or the restaurant. When given this option *ALWAYS* choose the restaurant. It will always be better. Always.

Yep, LOTS of pictures of the breakfast. Why? Because I was extremely impressed that this hotel that can be had for only 5,000 World of Hyatt points. Plus, the cash rate I ultimately paid was just over $60 a night.

It is hard to beat such an amazing breakfast with the spread, the options, and quality of the food. The Pho was especially good. I had some almost every morning during my 5-night stay.

Service at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

I was impressed with the stellar service here.

The doorman on duty always opened the door when going or coming.

And lounge staff regularly greeted me by name, which is always a nice touch. They made sure tables were clean and drinks weren’t empty.

Restaurant staff came by almost immediately whenever a plate was empty or my drink glass was close to empty.

No service complaints here!

Hyatt Regency Kinabalu or the Gaya Island Resort?

As great as my experience was at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, the next time I’m in the area I’d like to try to nearby Gaya Island Resort.

Gaya Island Resort is part of SLH Group of hotels, which recently began a partnership with Hyatt. This means you can get Hyatt stay credits and use World of Hyatt points there.

A little research shows that the Gaya Island resort is a Category 4 hotel. This means that it costs 15,000 points to stay here each night versus only 5,000 at the Regency.

The Bald Thoughts:

If you plan to visit Malaysia, I highly recommend the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu. It is a World of Hyatt Category 1 property so it is incredibly affordable at only 5,000 points per night. The breakfast is amazing and the service is incredible.