Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

I recently returned from a 5 day stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress resort in Orlando, Florida with my family (wife, twin "tweens"). We intended to make it a "resort vacation" with a single park trip, but mostly pool time/relaxation. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of the resort property in my opinion: Strengths: - check in/bell hop both very efficient. "Sebastian" at the front desk was very helpful and informative, patient to take the time with us to answer questions and attempted to accommodate our room requests. When we could not get the exact floors we asked for in the reservation due to availability, he offered to accommodate us with a change of room the next day. We declined after spending a night in the room and finding it comparable (details further on). The complementary cup of champagne at check-in was a classy touch. The quality wasn't bad, and I would have easily taken the second cup offered had I not been tired from travel and didn't want to completely fall asleep standing up. - room view for fireworks. We requested floor 14/15 based on the reservation agent's recommendation. We were given a room on the 10th floor, pool side view, and had ample viewing of both park's fire works. The additional 4-5 floors would not have really offered an improvement worthy of moving. - breakfast buffet/breakfast package. We originally booked the room without the breakfast plan, however after doing the math ($30+ pp each day x 4), the added breakfast plan made for a better deal. The buffet is typical "American" with the addition of the "European" cold-cut, smoked salmon, and salad options. You will find an omelet station, pancake station, multiple breakfast meat options, multiple bread options (the croissants are especially good), cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, and fresh fruit daily. On the first day they had delicious mangos, but only that first day (this will be noted as a weakness later). The food quality was worth the price for each person in my party, and no one left hungry or wanting (except for the mangos). "Youssef" on the wait staff was exceptional. He knows how to serve very well, and does so with a bright smile, a handshake, and a cheerful friendly personality. While others seemed adequately pleasant, he stood out with a charisma that made a difference! - room. We booked a king room, with pullout sofa bed, and requested a roll away bed upon recommendation from the reservation agent. Typically our family of 4 does a 2 bed room and adjust sleeping arrangements as necessary, so we were skeptical of comfort. The king bed is absolutely wonderful- great mattress and high quality sheets and linens. The sofa bed was moderately comfortable, and our son eventually just slept on the couch cushions with it in couch mode. Our daughter had no issues with the roll away bed. It was not the typical "fold in half with metal base" but rather a solid wood base and an adequate mattress top. We took advantage of the feather comforter folded lengthwise for added comfort on top of the mattress. she had no complaints and slept soundly. It all fit with walking room in the evenings, even with the sofa bed extended and the roll away bed laid down. - bathroom. The bathroom has a walk-in shower with a rain showerhead and removable water wand, in addition to typical counter sink/vanity, and separated toilet area. The one strength here is the rain shower head. As a taller gentlemen, I often leave the hotel shower with the cleanest chest as that is how high the shower head reaches, requiring me to duck my head to wash my hair and face. THIS however was a glorious thing with the rain shower head. It was absolutely luxurious, and having the water wand for those "other parts" was fantastic with perfect water pressure! Towels were soft and ample, though I could have used them just a little bigger, however I was sufficiently covered. - elevators. While I'm sure it is totally dependent on the capacity of the hotel, we had minimal wait for any of the 5 elevators, at most 3-ish minutes. The glass elevators overlooking the lobby makes for an interesting viewing perspective if you look down going up and/or down. They were efficient in speed and easily fit multiple families, even including strollers/prams, luggage, and pool floats. - pools. There are multiple pools (that I was aware of). There is an "active" pool that has the waterslide (adequate for smaller kids and tweens), a zero depth fountain splash pad area, a lesser active "swimming" pool that is best for sitting around and relaxing and dipping into, and then the mythical "14th floor pool" that is adults only that I did not get to visit. In addition, there is a grotto/cave section of the pools that connects the active pool with the lesser active pool, complete with waterfalls that makes for a fun swim experience! The activity pool is heated much warmer, while the lesser active pool is so large that heating it is difficult. You will find that as the sun beats down on it the water does get slightly warmer, but never "warm" so it is always refreshing after spending time sun bathing. I never found the "lesser active" pool too crowded and we were always able to find our own space. It goes from 3.5' deep to 6.5' deep in the center. Multiple mornings, I saw guests doing lap swimming before the families showed up. Towels are ample and were never depleted. - pool seating. I can see how this aspect could be a mixed review. The idea is indeed civilized. If you want a reclining seat by the pool under an umbrella for shade options, simply go to the pool and occupy one by sitting in it. If you are going to actively use the pool and then return to the chair, no problem. leave your belongings while you swim. If you have family members that will join you shortly after your arrival (relatively), then fine- you can "occupy" multiple seats, provided SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE ACTIVELY THERE. But as the multiple signs say, do not try to reserve seating by "claiming" them with towels, only to then leave the pool area all together for an extended period. Your belongings will be collected by the staff and taken to the towel booth. This is fair, though many will say otherwise. Having stayed elsewhere and been the "5am pool towel reservation" person, not having to wake up early on vacation is worth celebrating! We arrived after breakfast, found ample chairs, and then actively occupied them for the morning. There was no fighting over chairs. there was no arguing over who had what where. If you plan on going to the park and then coming back to swim at the hotel and want pool side seating, they have lovely cabanas that you can rent for the day, guaranteeing you pool side seating. But be aware that if you come to the pool after noon, most, if not all, non-cabana chairs will be occupied. Do not be disappointed, be informed. - pool side food/service. There is a bar located near the active pool. Wait staff circulate through both areas offering menus and taking orders. "Tran" is fantastic and very attentive! Other staff were good, but they could learn from "Tran". The frozen drinks were great- both with and without alcohol. The food was surprisingly good as well. Chicken strips were crunchy but not oily, fish sandwich was quality, fries were also well prepared! Overall, I have no complaints about the food or service around the pool. I did observe some folks who had challenges and or issues around the pool which likely would result in some sort of complaint or poor review, but I tend to think that people often make their own bad experiences. Treat people kind, be patient and respectful, and I'm sure you will have a fine experience. - in-house restaurant. We dined at the Lakehouse restaurant for dinner twice. The menu, while a hint limited offered a few notable offerings we enjoyed (branzino, broken lasagna, short ribs, calamari). Prices were expectant for the venue and we felt that it was average value. You are in a tourism based area and this is not McDonalds, so what can really be said. Service was good, not astounding, but good. - texting for service/wifi service. I very much appreciate the opportunity to text for hotel services. Not having to directly speak with someone, allowing you to compose your thoughts via text is my preference for personal reasons. I used this option multiple times without any issues. The wifi service was also adequate for my whole family to do whatever they please (game/stream/text/surf) on their devices without any lag or interruption. - Starbucks/market. It is open till 11 PM. This was great for late night snacks, and a cold bottled drink on the way up to our room at the end of the day. The staff was also kind enough to provide us with a small cup of real milk for our coffees in the room! Convenience and quality! - Lobby bar room service. We ordered wings and pizza one afternoon before going out as a late afternoon snack. The sweet bbq wings were good not great, though we liked the fried crisp. The pizza was ok- edible and satisfying, but we have ALL had better. Service was very fast! - water sports. We took out a couple of their water bicycles on the lake. The bike I took out could have used a little TLC (handlebars askew, slipping chain) and my son's bike got the extended length tie up rope tangled in the propeller. They had to do a brief "water rescue" but got him back going in a short period. Over all it was a fun experience! Weaknesses/areas for improvement: These are not necessarily "complaints" but rather areas where things could be improved. In some instances, I'm sure it was just timing, other areas could use addressing. - bathroom shower set up. The door on the glass encloser for the shower is on the same side as the rain shower head. The seal on the door is very weak, and so the water pools significantly on the floor, essentially flooding the bathroom floor. The provided bathmats quickly become sopping wet as they absorb all the water that comes out. At first I thought it was my children causing the flood, so I intentionally went in and made sure to inspect it while showering myself. It is a design or rather installation error. Had the door been placed at the opposite side of the shower head area, this might have been minimized. Alternately, they could put in a floor drain that runs the length of the door to catch all the water. When I alerted the staff about this, they offered to send up engineering to remedy, but I realized that this would require a bathroom renovation- not something I wanted on my vacation. The downside is a collection of sopping wet bathmats. They provided us with more bathmats. - Restaurant food plate. We ordered the melted cheese appetizer for dinner one evening. The cast iron pan it was served in was extremely hot. I'm sure the waiter let us know, however it is easy to forget when you are all diving in hungerly. A couple of us did get superficial burns (nothing serious in anyway) from touching it. This could have been avoided by putting a sleeve over the pan handle, or some other way of protecting from the heated metal of the cast iron pan. - pool bar refillable cups. We were told that there were refillable soda cups available for purchase at the pool bar. For $20, this is a bargain for families to use for all day refills. While we were there at the start of heavy tourist season on the brink of spring break, they were out of these bargain cups. This could have been due to delivery challenges or perhaps poor planning, I'm not sure. Our wait staff compensated by offering free soft drinks on request, but this was a shortfall on the resort. This is definitely something that should be rectified ahead of the busier seasons well in advance. Overall thoughts: My family truly enjoyed our stay here. There were several amenities we did not try, including the gym, spa, game room (though I looked in and it seemed sparse), mini golf, put/chip golf, climbing wall, and park shuttles. The scheduled times for the shuttle didn't meet my family's needs. This could be improved slightly. We would definitely return in the future. I would absolutely recommend it to a family that is NOT looking for a theme park experience, but perhaps one that is looking for more of a relaxed experience with 1 or 2 days at most visiting the parks and surrounding options. We relaxed for hours by the pool, enjoyed the grounds and lake activity, and decompressed. It was perfect for our needs. With the minor improvements noted, this would have been a truly "EXCELLENT" experience and one I look forward to in the future!

Travelled in for a conference and was impressed with the resort. Great pool, activities and customer service. Especially appreciate of the catering staff and their accommodations made for dietary restrictions. Will be back with my family!

This property I cannot give enough stars.I am a frequent traveler the one place I keep going back to is the Hyatt Grand Cypress you will get hooked also .Beautifu,l fantastic service ,the team they have you cannot get any better in the service industry!!

Beautiful hotel and very close to Disney parks. We have a room on the 15th floor that overlooked Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. It was amazing. Offered shuttle service to parks which was a perfect addition to our state. Will definitely stay at this hotel again.

I had such a great time at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress! Everything about my stay was smooth and easy—from check-in to checkout. The staff was super friendly, the resort was clean and beautiful, and the whole vibe was really relaxing. One of the coolest parts was being able to see the Disney fireworks right from the hotel at night—such a nice surprise! Definitely a place I'll come back to. Highly recommend if you're visiting the area!