After staying five nights in the Presidential Suite at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, we moved about 10-15 minutes east to the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown.
We did this because we were in town for the 2021 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown (one of two Hyatt Places in the city in addition to the Hyatt Regency) was close to a Park & Ride lot that we thought would be most convenient for visiting the Fiesta.
In the end, driving to Balloon Fiesta Park and parking nearby turned out to be the better choice, so we needn’t have moved to the Hyatt Place. That’s not to say it was a bad choice though as it’s a decent hotel in a good location and very friendly staff.
Here’s a complete review of our two week stay at the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown.
Check-In
We had the longest check-in experience imaginable despite the fact that there was no kind of line in front of us. We’d booked a couple of rooms – one for us and one for Shae’s mom and stepdad – so that might have played a part in it. However, it seemed to be more because the front desk agent was being overly fastidious (albeit very friendly).
I came inside for the first five minutes because we had a room booked under each of our names, then I went outside to unload the car. We travel full-time with everything we own, so I unloaded two luggage carts worth of stuff, then parked the car. By the time I got back we’d finally been checked in, so the whole process took closer to 15 minutes even though check-in normally only takes a couple of minutes when checking in at Hyatt Places.
We were provided with a sheet explaining everything about the hotel which was helpful.
They also gave us a coupon for a free drink from the bar or a snack. We actually got a couple of these because the other room was booked under Shae’s name and she has Explorist status.
Bedroom
We were assigned room 516. Despite having Hyatt’s top tier Globalist status, we seemed to be assigned to one of the smallest room types in the hotel; we didn’t realize this until later though when seeing the size of the room Shae’s mom and stepdad were given.
The reason our room was smaller was because it was right next to the elevator. That meant the elevator shaft next to us affected the room’s shape and size. It wasn’t a tiny room – it was just disappointing that we didn’t get a room with more space seeing as we were staying there for a couple of weeks.
When entering the living area was on the right, a desk and wet bar off to the left and the bedroom and bathroom straight ahead.
The room Shae’s mom and stepdad were assigned had a corner sleeper sofa, whereas we only got a smaller sleeper sofa with an ottoman. One of my pet peeves about some Hyatt Place properties is that the living rooms don’t have a power outlet, but this one did to the left of the narrow shelving unit.
On the other side of the living room was a desk and office chair. To the right of those was a wet bar with a mini fridge.
Beneath the wet bar’s sink was a safe.
Between the living area and bedroom was a TV that could be turned a little to face either direction.
The TV channel selection was OK, but we plugged in our Fire TV Stick to have a better selection of things to watch.
The Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown has two main room types – one with a king bed and one with two queen beds. We’d picked a room with one king bed and that was very comfortable as always (we spend quite a bit of time in Hyatt Places each year) and the blackout curtains worked well to keep the room dark.
Our room had a great view of the Sandia Mountains, somewhere I’d hiked up just a few days before.
The room’s closet contained an iron, ironing board and luggage rack.
It also had a shelf on top where you could – in theory – store stuff. This was made tricky though by the fact that there was only a ~9″ gap to be able to fit anything through to store up there.
Bathroom
Just outside of the bathroom itself was the sink, along with a dresser to the left of it.
The bathroom itself had a walk-in shower and toilet. The shower was OK, but it didn’t have amazing water pressure.
I think some Hyatt Places have transitioned to having wall-mounted toiletries in the bath/shower, but the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown still had small bottles of them.
Breakfast
All Hyatt Places offer complimentary breakfast, although during COVID a lot of properties have only been offering to-go breakfast bags. The Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown was back to offering a full hot breakfast in the morning which we appreciated. Hot options rotated each day and included eggs, potatoes, sausages, bacon, churros, etc.
What we appreciated even more is that during the International Balloon Fiesta they had some breakfast items out from something like 3am. That meant that if you wanted to leave early for the Dawn Patrol and Mass Ascension, you could grab some to-go items to take with you.
Amenities
Although it was a month after Labor Day, the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool was still open. I’m assuming it’s heated because a number of other guests used it during our stay despite it not being particularly warm outside.
There’s a fitness room with a few pieces of equipment and some weights. There was a sign on the door asking for guests to restrict their workouts to 45 minutes at a time, presumably to limit overcrowding during COVID.
If you need to use a computer during your stay or print something out, there’s a business center with a couple of computers and a printer.
As with all Hyatt Places, there’s a small bar area next to the front desk.
Pet Policy
The Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown is a pet-friendly hotel. Their pet fee is $75 for stays of 1-6 nights and $175 for stays of 7+ nights. Although we stayed there for a couple of weeks, we only got charged $75 which was nice.
They accept up to two dogs per room. Dogs have to weigh less than 50 lbs, with a combined weight limit of 75 lbs if you bring two dogs with you.
The front desk staff were very nice to Truffles, particularly Hector. He had some meatball treats that were like crack for our dog Truffles. She couldn’t get enough of them, so we ended up getting her a bag after we left as they’re her new favorite treat.
The hotel has a number of rocky and grassy areas around the property where your dog can do their business. There are also sidewalks and a neighborhood nearby where you can walk your pup, plus Albuquerque has a bunch of dog parks – our favorite that we’ve checked out when staying in Albuquerque in the past has been the North Domingo Baca Dog Park.
Service
Service overall was pretty good, with front desk staff members always being friendly. Hector in particular was lovely – he’s one of the most cheerful people I’ve ever met and was always kind and helpful.
Things didn’t always go perfectly though. The extra room we’d booked was for Shae’s mom and stepdad for the first few days of the International Balloon Fiesta. They left, then that evening Shae’s dad and stepmom flew in. We’d arranged for housekeeping to clean the room in between and we checked 2-3 times with the front desk that day that this would be done, but for some reason housekeeping never cleaned the room. We therefore had to move them to a different room that had been cleaned. That room was even larger than the original room they’d have been in, so we definitely got the short straw with the size of our own room!
An aspect of service that was very good was the fact that they set up breakfast so early during the Balloon Fiesta. Ensuring that guests can take breakfast to-go so early in the morning was a great touch. In the evening they also had a coffee/tea/hot chocolate station with cookies set up at the entrance/exit, presumably for those attending the Night Glow. This isn’t something that Hyatt Places normally offer, so the fact that they added this extra touch was commendable. It was only a small thing, but it was thoughtful of them to provide it.
Wi-Fi
The hotel offers complimentary Wi-Fi for all guests. It had a good speed and we never had any connection issues.
Check-In & Check-Out Times
The check-in time at the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown is 3pm and check-out is at 12pm.
Location
The hotel is in a pretty good location uptown. ABQ Uptown – an outdoor shopping mall – is directly outside the hotel. That means there are plenty of stores and restaurants within walking distance. That includes a Target, so you can get groceries from there if you don’t have a car.
It’s a safe area to walk around at night, with a residential area just around the corner. It’s only a few minutes from one of the Park & Ride locations for the Balloon Fiesta and a 20 minute drive to Balloon Fiesta Park, although that timing will depend on how much traffic there is.
Parking
The Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown offers free parking for all guests. There are a few spaces at the front of the hotel, but plenty more spaces on the left and right of the property and at the back of the hotel.
Cost
Booking hotels during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta can get expensive, so we booked using points. That’s because the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown is a category 1 property and so, at the time, only cost 5,000 points per night.
It’s still a category 1 property, but Hyatt recently introduced off-peak/standard/peak pricing for stays starting from March 1, 2022. That means it’ll cost 3,500 points per night when off-peak, 5,000 points per night for standard pricing and 6,500 points per night for peak pricing. As you might expect, this hotel will be at peak pricing during the Balloon Fiesta, so it’ll cost you 6,500 points per night. That’s still a very reasonable redemption considering how much cash rates are – just not quite as good value as before.
If you have Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer those to the World of Hyatt program if you have a card like a Chase Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred.
Even if you don’t have any Hyatt points or Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can buy 13,000 Hyatt points (enough for two nights at peak pricing) for $312, so only $156 per night. They often sell points at a discount, so every couple of months or so there’s the opportunity to pick up points even more cheaply. That wouldn’t make sense during normal times of the year when room rates are lower, but during the Balloon Fiesta it could certainly make sense. The first six nights of our stay would’ve cost $203.95 per night including tax, while the five nights after that would’ve cost $296.19 per night including tax. If you’re seeing prices like that, buying points for $156 per night or less makes much more sense.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our stay at the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/Uptown. Although we were given one of their smaller rooms, the hotel itself was nice, was in a great location, had a decent breakfast and friendly staff.
At only 5,000 points per night during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta it was excellent value and will continue being very good value at that time of year even at 6,500 points per night.
Truffles Approval Rating
Truffles gives this hotel four paws out of four – pawfect! Even though the hotel was very busy due to the Balloon Fiesta, it wasn’t loud which meant that she wasn’t loud! It was nice being able to take her for walks nearby, plus she particularly loved the meatball treats she got from the front desk every day.
Our Rating
Room = 4.1 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 4.0 / 5
Food = 4.4 / 5
Location = 4.7 / 5
Service = 4.2 / 5
Overall Value = 4.8 / 5 (based on the points value)
Total = 4.37 / 5
Address
Hyatt Place, 6901 Arvada Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
Hey-
Do you use the safe? We are always wary of that for some reason.
Also, in general-If you requested a room with two queens would that floor plan be larger than a king room?
Thanks for including us in your journey-appreciate everything you write!
We don’t ever use the safe here in the US. We sometimes use it when overseas if we don’t want to take all our cash and/or cards out with us.
As for square footage, it can depend on the hotel. With some hotels the square footage is larger when picking two queen beds, but other times it’s the same square footage and so booking a king bed means you have a little extra floor space.