Everyone deserves a vacation from everyday life and responsibilities, and in many cases, this can mean a vacation from a spouse and kids. I’ve enjoyed several “mom-only” vacations, and this year’s adventure brought a friend and me to Nairobi, Kenya — an affordable and quick 5.5-hour flight from my home in Doha, Qatar.
As I’ve always been keen on a great award redemption, I was intrigued by the low rates and ideal location of the new Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands. Redeeming a Guest of Honor award was the icing on the cake, with complimentary breakfast and Regency Club access. The property still has some finishing kinks to work through, but the staff during our stay was stellar.
Read on to find out what my stay was like.
Booking the Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands
I had been eyeing the opening of the combined Hyatt House Nairobi Westlands and Hyatt Place Nairobi Westlands, hoping that these would be Category 1 properties where I could maximize my World of Hyatt points. Unfortunately, a delay in their opening forced me to choose my next option for my mid-March 2024 stay, the nearby Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands.
I utilized a Guest of Honor award from UP’s News Managing Editor Stella Shon, which she received as a benefit of her World of Hyatt Globalist status. With the 2024 changes to the World of Hyatt program, sending a Guest of Honor award to another member is now easily completed online. Stella simply needed my membership number and last name, and I received an email confirming the “gift” in my account. This award essentially granted me temporary Globalist benefits for the duration of my stay (hello, free breakfast!).
This property opened in February 2024, and at the time of my booking, the website reflected zero actual pictures of the rooms, instead using stock photography (the hotel has now remedied this).
Knowing I would receive Regency Club access as a Guest of Honor benefit, I booked the lowest category room — 2 Twin Beds — which averaged $159 per night pre-tax (or 6,500 points). Upon check-in, the hotel upgraded us to the 1 King Bed Deluxe with Club Access, which averaged $285 per night (this room type was unavailable with points). The next night, the hotel eventually upgraded us to the Deluxe Suite, which averaged $348 per night (or 11,500 points).
When booking the 2 Twin Beds from 6,500 points, it is important to note that the “from” language is quite important to review, as the price of 3 nights was 6,500 points per night, and 1 was 8,000 points. Thus, the total for 4 nights was 27,500 points, or an average of 6,875 per night.
I transferred the points from Chase Ultimate Rewards using points earned via my Chase Sapphire Preferred®Card. Considering the all-in cash cost of the room booked was $792, this redemption delivered a value of 2.88 cents per point, considerably higher than our valuation of World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each.
Even though this was an award redemption, I earned 5,000 points for the stay, including 500 bonus points per night for New Hotels Bonus Offer (available for bookings through March 31, 2024) and 3,000 bonus points through the Bonus Journeys promotion. That’s enough for a free night at a Category 1 property! I also earned 1,000 Etihad Guest miles through the “Go Further with Etihad and Hyatt” promotion (no longer open for registration).
Hot Tip: When paying the cash rate for your stay, consider booking with one of our recommended credit cards for Hyatt loyalists.
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands Location
The Westlands neighborhood in north-central Nairobi is considered an affluent area with high-rises, shopping malls, and plenty of dining options. While most of our touring took place in or near Nairobi National Park, about 25 to 45 minutes away, depending on traffic, it was easy to grab a ride-share car to wherever we were going.
The hotel is about 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO). The reservations team advised me that I could arrange a minivan pickup for $50, but I was able to price Uber and Bolt ahead of time and could see that taking a ride-share would be much cheaper. Our flight arrived after midnight, and the journey from NBO via Bolt took 25 minutes and cost Ksh 710 (~$5).
The hotel entrance occupies the right side of the building, and the left side of the ground level and the first floor has a Syrian restaurant, retail shops, and several travel agents.
Our initial Bolt car was bomb-scanned and allowed to pass through the gated entry, but we found that on subsequent pickups/dropoffs, drivers preferred to pick up outside of the gate to avoid the hassle.
If we arrived outside the gate, 2 layers of security guard teams assessed us as pedestrians — first at the street gate and then at the inner gate to the hotel. We never had to show our key cards or explain that we were guests. This seemed more of a formality, and these guards were always friendly and smiling.
Upon entering the property, our luggage and purses were scanned using an X-ray machine while we walked through a metal detector.
One of the friendly bellhops in the arrival lobby would always ready the elevator for us and keep the door open for us.
The lobby is on the eighth floor, and this is where we started our check-in process, escorted by a bellhop.
First Impressions
Upon entering the elevator, our first impressions were not great, and the issues we noted with finishing touches were a recurring theme throughout our visit.
The elevators had scratched and scuffed railings and the wall panels needed a good clean.
The floors had a dated design, and the grout was noticeably sloppy.
Check-In
We arrived around 1 a.m. and found the lobby seating area quiet and dark. The bright check-in area was immediately in front of the elevators. We were greeted by a lone staff member, Steven, with a friendly “jambo” and “karibu” (“hello” and “welcome” in Swahili). He confirmed we would be in a 1 King Bed Deluxe with Club Access and walked us through the breakfast and Regency Club timing.
He asked what we were interested in doing in the area and mentioned that we would need reservations if we wanted to visit the elephant and rhino orphanage known as the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This was not in our original plan, but based on his feedback, we were interested in visiting and were later able to secure reservations.
Elite Benefits
I was able to utilize Globalist benefits as a Guest of Honor during my stay, including:
- Club lounge access
- Complimentary bottles of water
- Complimentary breakfast
- Late checkout of 4 p.m.
- Room upgrade to a standard suite
As we arrived very late at night and were the only guests at check-in, there was no need for priority check-in, but 1 of the 3 desks was dedicated to World of Hyatt elites.
Lobby
While the area was quite dark at night, the lobby and atrium received much more light during the daytime. This entire space felt extraordinarily dated for a brand-new hotel, particularly the parquet floors, color scheme, and bland seating options.
On our final day, we sat in the lobby while waiting for our bags to be retrieved, and it wasn’t comfortable or homey.
Amenities
The hotel has an indoor/outdoor pool, spectacular fitness facilities, and lots of meeting space.
Pool
Based on the images online, I was fully expecting an indoor pool. Imagine my surprise to walk out to this beautiful and innovative indoor/outdoor pool space! The upper level had 2 showers and 3 loungers with lovely views of the surrounding area. It is worth noting that this did not appear to be a handicapped-accessible pool, as you had to descend several steps to reach the pool itself, and there was no chair lift to enter the pool.
I appreciated the sun protection that the roof offered, and while a staff member told us that the pool was heated, it was still a bit too chilly for us. Each side of the pool had a large rolled blue tarp; I’m not sure when the pool was covered, but these did deter from the aesthetics a bit.
Several more loungers were in a corner of the lap pool area.
Fitness Center
The Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westland’s fitness center is, hands down, one of the most thoughtfully planned and complete gyms that I’ve ever seen in a hotel. Top-of-the-line treadmills with massive screens lined one of the windows.
Weight equipment was abundant, from a Smith machine and bench to dumbbells.
The shelves were stocked with steps, balance balls, foam mats, and a foam roller.
I was super impressed with this tire flip equipment. Not enough to give it a try, but impressed nonetheless!
The expansive space continued with ellipticals, stationary cycles, and a variety of strength-training circuit equipment.
At the rear of the gym was this modular Life Fitness SYNRGY360 — the possibilities were endless.
An adjacent studio room looked set for a fitness class.
Locker Rooms
The women’s locker room was expansive, with lockers, toilets, showers, steam rooms, and a sauna.
My friend and I had a weird experience when walking through the locker room. One of the bathroom stall doors was locked, which we later realized was an employee storage area of some sort. We only learned this when a male staff member entered the female locker room unannounced and entered that stall. He did not acknowledge us or apologize for being in the space, but this situation would have been awkward and inappropriate should anyone have been showering or changing.
Wi-Fi
We had no issues accessing the internet and received decent speeds of over 38 Mbps throughout the property. I only ran into issues when ordering a ride-share before stepping into the elevator (where I’d lose the connection until the ground floor).
Meeting Space
The hotel has 5 meeting rooms on the sixth floor and 3 meeting rooms and a ballroom on the 16th floor.
The lounge area on the sixth floor had a funky design with lots of seating options.
Parking
Self-parking is offered in the property’s secure parking garage.
Pet Policy
Pets are welcome at the hotel; reach out to the reservations team for details on acceptable weight and costs.
Rooms
Both rooms I was assigned were on the 12th floor, the highest floor for guest rooms. After exiting the elevators and turning left, you see this small lounge area.
Continuing the trend of “these finishes don’t feel quite right,” the carpet in this area felt a little weird underfoot, almost as if it wasn’t anchored in properly.
This area had a lovely view of the atrium and light fixtures. Note that rooms have either a city or atrium view, so it is possible to be assigned one of these inward-facing rooms.
1 King Bed Deluxe With Club Access
Prior to our arrival, I received 2 emails from the reservations team inquiring about my arrival time. In the second query, I replied, asking if an upgrade might be available. Jacinta, the assistant front office manager, confirmed our preferred bed type (generally because suites do not have twins) and said she would try to prioritize a Junior Suite or a Club Deluxe room if that was not possible. We were upgraded at check-in from a 2 Twin Beds room to a 1 King Bed Deluxe With Club Access room.
I won’t go into too much detail regarding the first room we were assigned, room 1232, but the layout was a bit awkward. The space opened into a wooden room divider with the headboard mounted to the window-facing side. I liked the patterned rugs, but their texture collected little bits of debris that were not cleaned before our arrival. The bed was comfortably firm, though the pillows lacked a bit of oomph. The nightstand had a wireless charger built into the alarm clock, but my dead phone in the morning told me I didn’t fully understand this technology.
The room had a lovely view of the surrounding neighborhood. The blackout curtains did a great job keeping any morning sun out of the room.
A large sitting area was divided from the bed area by a shelving unit with a TV on one side. The sofa was comically big and could likely accommodate 2 people reclining with their legs up. After pulling out my laptop, I quickly became aware that this room had no defined work area. I awkwardly tried to work in the armchair with the smaller coffee table, but it was uncomfortable and also left my friend with no good option for her workspace.
Hot Tip: This room layout did not match the images for the room type on the hotel’s website, so it’s worth noting that the standard and deluxe rooms are shown online with a dedicated desk and work chair.
My final gripe with this space was the lack of a TV on the other side of the shelving unit. It was clearly meant for one, and having a separate seating space without a TV seemed like an oversight.
This room was preset with a welcome note and a small bowl of fresh fruit.
The bathroom was spacious, with plenty of vanity space and a walk-in shower. A sticker on the mirror indicated that the sink water was non-potable, but there were no bottles of water in the bathroom, which seems like a no-brainer when guests need to brush their teeth.
Our impressions of this room’s finishes, particularly for a new hotel room costing upwards of $300 a night, were not great. The wallpaper below the air vent was dirty.
Wallpaper installation seemed to be a major issue with this property, as the paper was bubbly, and the areas where the wallpaper met the wood moldings looked super sloppy.
Before I went to bed that night, I emailed Jacinta directly and mentioned that my friend and I found the room challenging to work from, and would a suite be possible for the remainder of our stay? When we arrived in the lobby for breakfast later that morning, Jacinta identified and walked directly over to us and mentioned that a Deluxe Suite would be available. She said we would just need to have our bags ready to move from one room to the other while we were out that day. We were delighted with this customer service and resolution.
Deluxe Suite
For the next 3 nights, we enjoyed the Deluxe Suite in room 1237, just a few doors to the left of our original room.
Living Room
The suite entered into a short corridor. The light closest to the door was flickering a bit.
Upon entering the suite, a large half-bathroom was to the right. As I worked into the later hours of the night, this bathroom was handy for getting ready for bed without disturbing my friend with light or noise in the bedroom.
The suite opened into a living room area, with a dining table with a funky chandelier, an armchair, and an L-shaped sofa facing a TV.
Yes, this suite, thankfully, had 2 TVs. Under the TV were an empty minifridge and 2 storage areas. On top of the cabinet was a coffee maker with mugs and bottled water.
It wasn’t until the following day that my friend realized that the coffee maker’s cord was unplugged because it could not reach any available outlets from the counter. This seemed like a huge oversight from whoever planned the accessories for the room.
Bedroom
The bedroom was spacious and comfortable. An armchair and table were next to the window, and a bench was at the foot of the bed. I really enjoyed the vibe of the lamp lighting and the under-bed lighting.
A desk with a work chair was closest to the master bathroom, and a large TV was mounted on the wall with a small shelf underneath.
The nightstand accessories were identical to those in the previous room, with an alarm clock with wireless charging on one table …
… and a phone and notepad on the other. Both nightstands had a universal outlet, USB-A and USB-C outlets, and light switches.
The desk beside the bed had a kettle with glasses, mugs, and water bottles.
The open closet was on the right when walking towards the bathroom. The hanging robes had slippers in their pockets, and the closet also had a scale, safe, and shoe shine kit.
I liked the look of the wood flooring in both rooms, but there were glaring issues with the installation, as many of the planks did not fit well together. Any dust or debris on the floor was also very obvious.
Main Bathroom
The bathroom was quite large, with a walk-in shower on the left, along with a toilet and bidet wand. The full-size shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were from Pharmacopia’s Argan Oil Collection. The shower had a soap dish, but a bar of soap was missing.
The towel racks were contained within the shower and on the door, but the bathroom could have benefited from an additional towel bar or hooks.
The double vanity had a small “facial soap,” but it took a lot of effort to wash off my hands, so I wasn’t interested in using it as a body soap. No other soap was provided, as the wall-mounted bottle was body lotion. A shower cap and vanity kit were also offered.
A bathtub with a view had a handheld wand, but again, my eyes were drawn to the workmanship, with the ill-fitting access panel and grout smears at the window ledge.
The bathroom had what I assumed was a structural support, and part of it had a wallpapered panel across from the vanity. There was no avoiding how shoddy this looked.
Bottom Line: The design execution throughout the property did not appear to have received a thorough visual inspection from management prior to the hotel’s opening. From flooring to wallpaper, my eyes were constantly darting to missed and messy details.
Food and Beverage
Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands had 1 primary restaurant, E.A.T., open during my visit.
E.A.T.
E.A.T. was open for breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 on weekdays, ending at 11 a.m. on weekends. Lunch was served daily from 12 to 3 p.m., and dinner was served daily from 6:30 to 11 p.m.
The breakfast buffet was set up at the rear of the restaurant, and the airy space had a variety of booths and more standard dining tables.
We had our choice of seats, including outdoors on the patio.
We brought our laptops to breakfast while having coffee and tea, and I was pleased to see that each booth had universal power outlets.
The buffet had standard pastries, croissants, and buns.
Savory options, including Asian, Indian, and Western favorites such as teriyaki chicken wings, aloo bhaji, vegetable moussaka, Thai curry, beef sausage, pork bacon, beans, and mushrooms, were rotated daily. A Kenyan dish, such as sukuma wiki (collard greens) and plantains, was also offered.
I appreciated that portions in the hot containers were kept small, as we never saw more than a few tables occupied.
Eggs and pancakes were made to order from a chef at the end of this line. There was no menu to select from; you just asked for what you were interested in.
Cereals with milks, juices, and whole fruits were also available.
A cold case contained cheeses, smoked salmon, cold cuts, fruit salad, and canned fruits.
Sliced fresh fruit and salad vegetables were also offered.
I ordered eggs a few different ways, and almost all of them were quite bland. The omelet “with everything” did not have cheese and needed salt. The potato rosti was a bit cold each day. My friend and I both had a laugh, as well, that the forks were a bit tiny — smaller than a salad fork, even.
My friend enjoyed her eggs Benedict, which were served on a hearty biscuit.
An à la carte breakfast menu was also available, and the all-day dining menu is available online.
Regency Club
At check-in, we received a letter regarding the Regency Club’s hours. The lounge was open for nonalcoholic drinks and light snacks from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with complimentary alcohol and canapés served from 6 to 8 p.m. Access is exclusively for those in a room with club access or World of Hyatt Globalists.
The entrance to the Regency Club was behind a heavy frosted glass door in the lobby. Access was via key card.
The club didn’t have what I would consider too many comfortable places to relax — there were just 2 sofas.
The majority of the seating functioned best for dining or working.
The views were fantastic, and there was a restroom within the lounge.
Nuts, cookies, chocolates, and fresh fruit were available all day.
Staff was on hand to assist with any beverages from the cooler or to make coffee.
My friend and I visited during 2 happy hours. On the first night, the server cited a list of the menu items. On the second night, a tray of options was on display. Having a daily printed menu visible to guests would be helpful.
Menu options included hot and cold items, such as stuffed mushrooms and antipasto bites …
… as well as cucumber rolls and chicken satay.
My friend and another guest tried ordering drinks with vodka towards the end of happy hour and were told that the lounge had run out and that the person with the key to the lock where the vodka was stored was unavailable. She was a bit baffled and disappointed by the lounge’s lack of proper stock.
The Atrium
The lobby had a grab-and-go pantry with nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks, coffee, and snacks for purchase.
To show you how these prices compare with grocery stores, a 6-pack of Coca-Cola No Sugar was Ksh 95 (~$0.72) at a local store, but just 1 was Ksh 600 (~$4.50) at The Atrium.
District 6
District 6 is a sports bar that was under construction during our stay. When I looked through the locked doors, it appeared it was being used as a meeting space, as large conference tables were set up. The bar is not listed on the hotel’s website, so I suspect the future of this space is still up in the air.
Takeaway Breakfast
One morning, we had an early 5:45 a.m. pickup for a safari, and the hotel was happy to arrange a takeaway breakfast for us. It included pastries, fresh fruit, coffee, and tea.
Service
As soon as I started receiving emails from the team at Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands, I was impressed. The representatives clarified with me when we were arriving, answered questions about the Guest of Honor benefits, and sent vendor information for a safari quote. Their back-and-forth responses were quick and appreciated.
When we checked in, I appreciated Steven’s recommendation to make reservations for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT). While I immediately contacted DSWT directly to inquire about booking, a woman staffing the hotel’s travel desk also took down my information and helped arrange a booking with them directly.
I expected service and training to need the most improvement in the first few weeks of any business opening, but the reality at Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands was quite the opposite. The staff, from the security team to the bellhops to the restaurant staff, was consistently friendly, smiling, professional, and courteous.
The only bizarre service issue we had occurred on our day of checkout. We were offered a 4 p.m. checkout as part of the Guest of Honor benefits, but we checked out from the room just after 9 a.m. and stored our bags so that the property could ready the room for the next guest. When we returned a few hours later to grab our things (before 4 p.m.), we asked if we could use the Regency Club to grab a drink before our flight. The front desk agent told us we could not use the lounge since we had already checked out. This soured our departure a bit, and the hotel could have used this opportunity to have us leave on a high note.
Surrounding Area
The hotel is centrally located, and we found ride-shares via Bolt quite affordable — we bounced all over town from $2 to $7 per ride.
Consider a visit to one of these area attractions on your visit:
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust; it felt overcrowded, and the keepers did not keep spectators’ hands off of the elephants and rhinos, which I was upset to see. I would also pass on the Maasai market, an open-air market that rotates its location daily. Many of the vendors have the exact same items without price labels, so you have to be comfortable with vendors after you to make a sale.
Final Thoughts
For a newly opened Category 2 property, Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands still has some physical improvements to polish its guests’ overall experience. The decor finishes look rushed and lacked attention to glaring issues. Fortunately, the staff’s positive and helpful attitude goes a long way to compensate for some rumpled wallpaper and sloppily installed molding and floors.
The hotel has new competition, with the recently opened JW Marriott Nairobi just a few blocks away. For customers that have a choice between these 2 high-end properties, the Hyatt Regency will need to step up its complete package to be worthy of the rates it charges. For World of Hyatt enthusiasts redeeming points, however, the award rates cannot be beaten (that is, until the nearby Hyatt Place and Hyatt House open!).
