Whenever I have searched for a hotel property at which to stay with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, the room rate of Hyatt House was almost always more expensive than Hyatt Place; so I would typically choose the Hyatt Place hotel property — but in Louisville in Kentucky, the Hyatt House and Hyatt Place both advertised an identical room rate, which led to my first stay at a Hyatt House property: the Hyatt House Louisville – East.
My First Stay at a Hyatt House Hotel Property — and The Verdict Is…
Hyatt House was actually the name of what is believed to be the first airport hotel property in the world at Los Angeles International Airport in 1953 by Hyatt Robert von Dehn and Jack Dyer Crouch. It was also the first Hyatt property.
Summerfield Suites was acquired by Hyatt Corporation in December of 2005 from the Blackstone Group, which had inherited the limited service brand from its purchase of Wyndham International. Hyatt Summerfield Suites was rebranded as Hyatt House in January of 2012 to compete in what is considered to be the upscale extended stay market against Staybridge Suites by InterContinental Hotels Group; Homewood Suites by Hilton; and Residence Inn by Marriott International, Incorporated.
The front desk is located to the left upon entering the building. The abstract head of a horse reminds guests that they are in Louisville, which is the home of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Complimentary hard candy in a jar was a nice touch; but the candy was old and stale.
On the right side of the entrance upon entering the lobby — which is stylishly decorated and seemed quite clean — is an open business center with plenty of outlets and ports with which to charge portable electronic devices. The elevators are behind the wall; and the breakfast area is over on the left side.
The H Market is located behind the front desk, where guests can purchase snacks, beverages, sundries, and other items. Members of the World of Hyatt membership program receive at least one free bottle of water, which is a nice touch. Guests may choose between refrigerated water or water which was room temperature located to the right of the Starbucks refrigerator.
As I rode the elevator to the floor on which my room was located, I noticed a laminated sign warning of the rules for the elevator: no pushing, no horseplay, and no jumping — with an emphatic Thank You!! by the management of the hotel property.
I have never seen a sign like this before in any elevator at any hotel or resort property at which I have stayed over the years. What could have prompted management of the hotel property to hang this sign inside of the elevator?
Anyway, I walked down the hallway to my room and opened the door.
The Room
The layout of the room was fairly typical; but it was nicely decorated in earth tones with touches of orange. The beds were reasonably comfortable — albeit slightly “squishy” — but the pillows were too fluffy and not firm enough, in my opinion. No other options for pillows were offered in the room, as all six pillows were exactly the same. Perhaps one of the gray or orange pillows might have been firmer.
Despite having no fewer than five different sources of illumination, one part of the room was rather dark. The chair at the desk was rather low at its highest setting.
Because I was only staying for one night, the room in which I was assigned was not designed for an extended stay, as it did not have a full kitchen…
…although the room was equipped with a miniature refrigerator, a microwave oven, and a pot for coffee or tea. The photograph on the right shows the entrance to the room, with the bathroom on one side of the hallway; and a mirror on the other side.
A selection of coffee and tea — along with a variety of sweeteners — is offered. A corkscrew for opening bottles of wine and an ice bucket are available as well. Notices and paper messages can be attached to the wall with a round magnet.
As is a growing trend in the lodging industry in general, you must use your portable electronic device to obtain information about the hotel property, as physical paper guides are no longer printed.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was nice and clean; and it uses a “barn door” rather than a conventional style of door…
…but the bathroom was low on no fewer than five items: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toilet paper, and facial tissue. I have never experienced that in all of my years of travel. All were promptly replaced after informing the employee at the front desk.
A small bar of soap and body lotion — as well as no fewer than three packets of wipes to remove makeup — were on the vanity of the bathroom.
I somehow did not take photographs of the spacious shower stall, for some unknown reason. The water pressure and temperature were as close to perfect for me; and the shower head was adjustable with several settings. I must have spent at least 30 minutes showering.
The View
The Hyatt House Louisville – East hotel property is located in a corporate park east of Louisville…
…so the views from the room were mostly of…
…you guessed it…
…the buildings, parking lots, lights, and vehicles of a typical corporate park.
Other Areas of the Hotel Property
Towards the rear of the lobby of the hotel property is a full service bar.
An indoor swimming pool is available to guests — complete with a filling station for bottles for water, as well as a water fountain.
…but a sign which was taped to the door had the words “Please see Front Desk Associate for Access. Sorry for the inconvenience.” This meant that guests could not use their room keys to access the swimming pool or the workout room.
In fact — in addition to the aforementioned one in the elevator — signs seemed to be all over the hotel property. What goes on at the Hyatt House Louisville – East hotel property to warrant all of these signs?
I did get a glimpse into the workout room through the glass door, as that was another area of the hotel property that guests could not access with the room key.
Two washing machines and two clothes dryers — coin operated, of course — are located in the laundry room…
…along with two chairs for seating; a flat screen television; a flat surface for folding laundry; a trash can; and a telephone.
The Gathering Room — which I suppose is their nomenclature for a meeting room — was locked.
Outside of the breakfast area is a patio with a fireplace and a barbecue grill.
The stone wall offers privacy from Whittington Parkway on the other side.
In addition to the chairs and tables is an area under a pergola of sorts with more seating — which cannot be enjoyed during or immediately after rain, as nothing covers this outdoor area.
Final Boarding Call
The Hyatt House Louisville – East was purportedly recognized as being one of the top ten percent of hotel properties worldwide in 2023 as awarded by Travelers’ Choice. I personally do not agree.
The service by the employees of Hyatt House Louisville – East was great — especially when attention was paid to an issue. The hotel property itself was clean and comfortable. I recommend staying at this hotel property because of those reasons; but I did not like that the bathroom was not properly supplied with basic amenities when I arrived — and I did not enjoy the complimentary breakfast at all, which was supposedly ranked number one of all of the Hyatt House hotel properties in the United States. A review of that award-winning complimentary breakfast is in this article.
If a Hyatt Place is less expensive than a Hyatt House, I will choose the Hyatt Place over a Hyatt House, as the Hyatt House does not offer enough of a differentiator to warrant a more expensive room rate. For the purpose of an extended stay, Hyatt House would likely be a better choice than a Hyatt Place.
The room rate at Hyatt House Louisville – East was $103.20. With taxes, the total bill cost me $119.78.
Hyatt House Louisville – East is conveniently located less than a mile north of exit 15 on Interstate 64; slightly greater than a mile east of Interstate 264; twelve miles east of downtown Louisville; and eleven miles from Louisville International Airport.
Hyatt House Louisville – East
9315 Leesgate Road
Louisville, Kentucky 40222
United States
1-502-919-7855
Free parking is available on site.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
