The Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf

The Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf: My stay at the 5star luxury design hotel

I first noticed the Hyatt Regency building emerging majestically from the opposite side of the dock embankment as I was visiting the famous Gehry buildings at Düsseldorf ’s Media Harbour (Medienhafen) three years ago. On a peninsula extending from the Speditionsstraße and jutting out like a promontory into the water of the Düssel (a tributary river of the Rhine), a group of buildings was erected in 2008. Comprising of two towers it was completed in 2010 and named Hafenspitze Düsseldorf (Harbour Point).

The Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf at nightEver since then the 19 storey and 65 metre high southern tower of the complex has been home to the Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf, a five star design hotel which quickly advanced to become a frontrunner in the hotel industry at the Dusseldorf harbour. Whenever I had visited the Media Harbour I had always planned to stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It took three years for my dream to become a reality but it was certainly worth the wait.

The cozy lounge next door to the barDüsseldorf has always been a harbour city. What is known as the Media Harbour today used to be a trading centre where ships laid anchor as early as the 17th century. Düsseldorf’s municipal coat of arms clearly symbolises the anchor to this day. The end of the sixties spelt the end of the harbour’s economic importance. First the coal, then the steel crisis meant that parts of the harbour docks were reclassified in the mid seventies.The proximity to Düsseldorf’s old town being only nine hundred metres away made the area attractive as a service and office location. The WDR Studio Düsseldorf (radio and tv station) set up home in the area as well as the Film and Media foundation NRW and various other media companies. From then on it was known as the Media Harbour. In the meantime advertising agencies, management consultants and fashion companies can all be found here.

View from my room at Media Harbor DüsseldorfPresented as the architectural focal point and flagship of the project was the building ensemble “Der Neue Zollhof” from star architect Frank O.Gehry. It was inaugurated in 1999 and locally named Gehry Bauten (Gehry buildings). But what was missing was a hotel highlight. A highlight whose design and architecture matched its surroundings. And so in a prominent position, directly opposite at the new Harbour Point and reachable within a few minutes walk over the footbridge, the Hyatt Regency in Düsseldorf was born. A design jewel that bore the unmistakeable style of Holland’s renowned Interior Designer FG Stijl. Warm colours, lots of glass and daylight determined the appearance of the hotel. Modern straight lines, natural materials such as reed, marble and granite dominated the interior. Images of aquatic plants, wave patterns and complementary colours on walls and floors transported the hotel’s surroundings into its interior. The result is an elegant, urban-esque atmosphere in feel-good colours.

The “catwalk” inside the hotelI didn’t arrive using the footbridge but by car so the first „Hello and welcome“ was from the car valet at the hotel’s entrance who took my keys; kindly accompanied me into reception; took my luggage up to the room and parked my car at the hotel garage. My second „Hello and welcome“ came from the exceptionally charming Hyatt receptionist who told me about the amenities of the hotel after checking me in. Facilities such as the luxury spa and fitness areas with five treatment rooms, sauna, steam bath and an over-dimensional whirlpool, the ballroom, various conference and meeting rooms and not forgetting the restaurant and bar. But what impressed me the most apart from the staff was the hotel’s architecture and interior design.

At the lobbyThe lobby invites you in with warm muted gold, orange and bronze tones accompanied by dark slate floors and broken up by blue and green paintings which act like spots of colour. A vase-like object with tulips, a seating corner bathed in subdued lighting which cajoled the eyes and radiated calm. Walking ahead along the corridor named „The Catwalk“, you pass a lounge area and reach the bar and restaurant. On your left the lifts await you taking you up to any of the hotel’s 19 floors and on your right you can find the reception desk or ‚Golden Box’ as its called, stretching along the length of the space and bathed in glorious daylight by a beautiful panorama window. To protect the more prominent hotel guests from inquisitive onlookers from outside, they have come up with an ingenious system where the window can be custom-screened. Functional design so to speak. What more could you ask for.

View from the entrance at the lobbyMy airy deluxe-view room in warm earthy tones greets me with a glorious view of the Media Harbour and has all the comfort that you could expect from a five star hotel. The roomy 37 square metre corner room offers a luxurious kingsize bed, a generous working area at the window, a modern design bathroom with rainfall shower, a separate bathtub as well as a toilet well away from the sleeping area. Very impressive and  moreso the floor-to-ceiling panorama windows which stretch over two walls to give you an amazing view of the Media Harbour, the Gehry buildings and the TV Tower even from the comfort of your own bed.  A magnificent view, especially at night. I can imagine that after a late night restaurant and bar evening you can hardly tear yourself away from the city-lights view. As if someone had pressed the mute button on the remote control; you see the fleet of cars racing over the seemingly 3D Rheinknie bridge; leaving a blazing light trail on their way towards the bluely lit TV tower and then disappearing into the Media Harbour’s haven of lights to harmoniously blend in with the hotel’s soft lighting. But you don’t hear them.  Outside city life is pulsating but inside it’s like a world away, with wonderful deep-sleep-guaranteed  peace.

My cozy room at the Hyatt Regency DüsseldorfFitting in with the design of the 303 rooms and suites is the DOX Restaurant and Bar on the ground floor.  Crossing the „Catwalk“ (named in relation to Düsseldorf being the fashion capital) you reach the lobby and over to the cosy lounge with wood-panelled walls, comfortable chairs and an open bioethanol fireplace. Opposite is the elegant DOX Bar with a large illuminated bar area made out of alabaster and a view of the water, the bridge and the buildings of the Media Harbour. A magical place for a snack or a digestif after dinner next door.

View at the DOX barIn the restaurant including show kitchen, sophisticated modern elegance is celebrated with culinary delights  in a pleasant design atmosphere charmingly paired with style which is only matched by the professionality of the staff. For those who prefer a bit more privacy there is the option of the private dining areas Riversalon I & II which can be booked and combined and are discreetly tucked away from the main dining area of the restaurant behind the sushi bar.

The DOX restaurantNext to the sushi bar is an elegant white staircase leading you up one floor into a further VIP zone „Pebbles“. An exclusive event location with a bar whose UFO-like chrome shiny exterior makes you think that it had been beamed here from an Oscar Niemeyer architectural cosmos in order to land at the Media Harbour’s Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf.

The DOX Restaurant at The Hyatt Regency DüsseldorfPrivate dining area next to the restaurant at The Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf

If you manage to come back to earth after a late night club outing or a visit to the hotel bar and restaurant,  then a lavish breakfast awaits you at the DOX restaurant. Fresh fruit a-plenty, excellent coffee, international newspapers, and nimble staff who manage to maintain an amazing overview in a sea of German, American, Russian, French and Italian accents. It’s a melting pot of siteseers, business guests and creatives from all over the world. Whilst some (can) take a little more time to enjoy their breakfast others are already sitting with their packed brief cases, smart phones in their hand or held to their ear. From the comfort of my table it’s funny to watch how the busy business people leave the hotel and stream over the footbridge in order to get to their meetings on the other side of the Düssel. For example in one of the offices at the Media Harbour; just across from the hotel, next to those Gehry buildings.

The Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf
Text and photography: © Peter von Stamm (all rights reserved)

Many thanks to Bianca Demsa for helping me with the translation!!

Booking.com

Contact:
Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf
Speditionstraße 19
40221 Düsseldorf
Germany
Tel: +49 211 9134 1234
Fax: +49 211 9134 1235
E-Mail: dusseldorf.regency@hyatt.com

Official video:

One of the best places to stay & eat in Düsseldorf: The Hyatt Regency http://t.co/hnBfomlAYM #travel #luxury #hotel pic.twitter.com/Esop8EINkT

— Peter von Stamm (@petervonstamm) 24. März 2015