Earlier this year, I planned a quick 36-hour trip to Cairo with one primary goal: visiting the pyramids. While I’d previously been to Egypt to go for a Red Sea yacht charter and visit to Luxor, I never had a chance to see the pyramids so when I had a couple of days without plans while in Europe, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to plan a quick visit. I considered a few hotels for the one-night stay but settled on what seemed most comfortable: a night at the Hyatt Regency Cairo West.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Hotel Basics

The Hyatt Regency Cairo West is located in the Pyramids Heights Business Park, a private development in 6th of October City. This is a separate city administratively from Cairo but it’s in the Cairo region and convenient to the Giza pyramids. Yes, the name comes from the October 6 start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

The location is on the other side of town from the airport, which isn’t the most convenient for arriving or departing, but the location means you’re just a short drive away from the pyramids of Giza (which the hotel has a view of).

The hotel has 250 rooms, including 10 Regency Suites, eight Regency Executive Suites, a four-family suite, and two Diplomat Suites. It officially opened in September 2021 and presumably didn’t have much traffic during the pandemic so everything is still very new.

Booking Hyatt Regency Cairo West

The Hyatt Regency Cairo West is a Category 2 hotel meaning that a standard room redemption costs between 6,500 points on off-peak dates, 8,000 points on standard dates, and 9,500 points on peak dates. My one-night stay was categorized as off-peak so I booked the stay using points.

In comparison, cash rates were over $300 on my dates so points offered, by far, the better value for my stay.

Cash rates at this property seem to range between $150-400 so it’s worth doing your analysis to see whether you’ll get much better value booking with points than booking with cash.

Getting to the Hyatt Regency Cairo West

I made a rookie mistake arriving at Cairo Airport. I booked this trip very last minute: as in, flights and hotel booked the day before. After most of my recent travel being in North America, Europe, and Asia, I forgot that arranging an airport pickup is essential when arriving in this part of the world.

I arrived in the chaos of Cairo Airport early in the morning and slowly proceeded through immigration. There is no fast track for immigration at the airport and it can take over an hour before reaching baggage claim. Once on the other side, there’s no proper taxi line: just lots of people aggressively yelling at you to offer you a ride. I tried to order an Uber but was immediately hit with drivers renegotiating the price and wanting to be paid in cash.

Given the situation and feeling I had little choice, I ended up negotiating a price, about $20, with one of the drivers and we were on our way on the 45-minute drive to the hotel. If you’re planning a trip to Cairo, I definitely suggest that you book a transfer directly to the hotel.

Arriving at the Hyatt Regency Cairo West

Luckily, I arrived at the hotel without issue. There were several security checks and I finally arrived at the hotel a bit earlier than 8 am. I had booked a pickup for a pyramids tour at 10:30 am so I planned to see whether I would be allowed to do a (very) early check-in ahead of my departure or take a shower at the gym while leaving my luggage at the hotel until I could check-in after seeing the pyramids.

I didn’t have to worry. Upon my arrival at the hotel, the front desk told me they’d have a room available for me shortly — before the 9 am early check-in window begins for Globalists — and, after making a copy of my passport, asked me to wait at the bar. They also offered me my welcome drinks which they described as “freshly-squeezed orange juice” which I saw them pour out of a plastic bottle of “orange-flavoured beverage” (it also tasted sugary, not fresh orange juice). Still, I appreciated it after the drive from the airport. My room ended up being ready right about 8 am.

I was walked up to my room and given a letter outlining club benefits which are automatically extended to Hyatt Globalists. Non-Globalists can also access the Club Lounge with a Hyatt club lounge access award, booking an eligible rate, or paying $55 per person for the first guest and $25 per person for additional guests.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Regency Suite with 1 King Bed

For this one-night stay, I was upgraded to the hotel’s Regency Suite with 1 King Bed. Given this was a last-minute, one-night stay, I did not confirm a suite ahead of time using a suite upgrade award given that this was only a one-night stay. Interestingly, the hotel categorized the suite as a premium one, so this exceeded Hyatt’s “best room available” upgrade benefit for Globalists, which only explicitly covers standard suites.

It’s laid out with a comfortable living room area with a desk and a separate bedroom which also has a seating area. There’s a television on either side of the partition wall with sliding doors should you want to separate the rooms.

It was dark when I checked it, but I could see the pool from my room once the sun came up.

When the sky clears up, you can see the Giza Pyramids in the distance. While I think some of the advertising of the hotel as having “over-looking” the pyramids is a bit overstated, it’s still an outstanding view to create a sense of space while visiting Cairo.

A Nespresso machine and a couple of small bottles of complimentary water were left in the room.

There was also a welcome amenity consisting of some cookies, fresh fruit, chocolate nuts, and dried fruit. It was delivered later in the morning while I was at the pyramids so it was waiting for me on my return.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Regency Suite Bathroom

The suite comes with a spacious bathroom with a soaking tub and a waterfall shower. Interestingly, this is also where the closet is located. There were two bathrobes.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Regency Club

The Regency Club at the Hyatt Regency Cairo West is open from 9 am to 10 pm. Per World of Hyatt terms, Globalists get automatic access to the club lounge. It’s also accessible to guests who book a club-level room or suite and to those using a club access award on their booking.

There’s a lot included in club access at the property. Snacks are served starting at noon until 9 pm. There’s also a light lunch available from 2 pm to 4 pm and a light dinner from 6 pm to 9 pm. From 6 pm to 8 pm, there’s a happy hour.

After the pyramid tour, I was ready for a snack so I went to the lounge to see what was on offer during the “light lunch”. In addition to the soft drinks, there was a variety of finger food.

There were also lots of snacks (particularly artistic chocolate) available along with non-alcoholic drinks and coffee/tea available whenever the club lounge is open.

I grabbed a couple pieces of pizza, salad, and a few other snacks and sat down to enjoy the snack with some sparkling water.

Almost as soon as I sat down, a lounge attendant came to welcome me to the lounge and asked if there was anything specific I would like for lunch. Now, I didn’t quite know how this worked since he didn’t offer any sort of menu so I asked what was available. The answer was: “Anything you want!”

That’s a nice answer but also not incredibly helpful so I told him I’m vegetarian and asked for suggestions. He seemed confused and said he’d confer with the chef. He returned and said the chef would send some spring rolls and a pasta and asked if that would be alright. I confirmed and waited while getting some work done on my laptop.

They were delivered a little while later and while it was described as a “light”, I think for most people the Regency Club food is more than enough to be described as a full meal.

I returned to the lounge during the “cheers hour” happy hour (6 pm to 8 pm). In addition to a selection of local beers, they had two local local wines. I’m not a fan of Egyptian beer so I went with wine. While neither wine is anything to write home about, the red wine was easily drinkable and I had a few glasses.

I also had some snacks as part of the “light dinner” menu. Again, there was a spread of various items and the offer to have something specific prepared by the chef.

I returned to the lounge for another “light lunch” on my day of departure and was offered an excellent pesto penne.

The service at the Regency Club was excellent all around.

For example, during lunch on my departure date, I asked the lounge attendant if I could buy a wine of glass from the bar to pair with lunch (since this was before happy hour). This was apparently an unsual request. His initial response was that happy hour started at 6 pm and I clarified again that I understood that, I just wanted to buy a glass of wine to go with dinner.

He seemed confused and said he would check, then returned a few minutes later with the bottle and a glass saying “happy hour starting early for you!” True to word, he kept offering refills. While letting me purchase a glass from the bar would have been fine, being flexible with the exact hours of happy hour and offering the house wine was excellent service which I really appreciated.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Breakfast

Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Cairo West is served in the hotel’s Park Food Hall restaurant located on the same floor as the Regency Club. This is where the Globalist free breakfast is served from 6:30 am to 10:30 am. There is no breakfast in the Regency Club.

There’s a huge selection of various local, western, and international foods available from the buffet. You can also get eggs to order and custom coffee drinks (including with oat milk).

I didn’t get a photo of my omlette but it was as expected, as was my oat milk Cappuccino. After I had finished breakfast, one of the waiters brought this to my table “local pancake” as a dessert — apparently, a local specialty. It’s super sweet and I wouldn’t order it again, but I enjoyed a few bites 😉

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Pool

Egypt has fantastic weather for spending time at the pool and the hotel has an excellent pool to enjoy the weather. The pool consistently had activity but was never too busy to find a sunbed. There’s a poolside bar “Taste of Hyatt” and service throughout the pool.

After lathering on plenty of sunscreen, I spent a couple hours next to the pool. I ordered an espresso martini. While it looked like an espresso martini, it didn’t taste very good so I didn’t order any other cocktails at the hotel.

There was also a second relaxation pool at the hotel on the lower level next to the spa and fitness center. I only got a photo of this in the evening (it was being used during the day) but it seemed like a nice spot to enjoy some water features in a restful ambiance.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Fitness Center

The hotel has a well-equipped and spacious fitness center. The gym features a variety of cardio and cardio and weight-training equipment for a good workout.

There is both a chilled water machine and infused water along with some apples if you need some energy during your workout. There are also towels.

If you appreciate proper benches for weight training, you’re in luck with three benches including one squat rack.

I visited the fitness center once to take photos and again for a workout. There wasn’t anyone using it either time.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Spa

The spa is located next to the gym. Given my short stay, I didn’t have a chance to experience any of the treatments. Some photos of the spa are available here.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Grounds

Once the sun set and the temperature cooled down, I took a walk around the grounds. The property (and the surrounding business park) is well maintained and there are many spaces that guests can relax in beyond the dining areas.

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Service

After my past visits to Egypt, I didn’t have high expectations for the service at the Hyatt Regency. On my previous trip, I stayed at the Marriot Hurghada and the Hilton Luxor and felt the service was atrocious at both hotels and, frankly, everywhere I went in Egypt. That background is part of why I wanted to drop in for the pyramids and head right out on this trip. The Hyatt Regency was a completely different experience.

• The front desk agent could not have been more helpful when I arrived and asked for an early check-in. While early check-in starting at 9 am is a published benefit for Globalists, allowing me to check in earlier than that set the tone for excellent service throughout the stay.
• After I checked in early in the morning on the first day, I left for my pyramid tour at 10 am and returned at 1 pm. My room was cleaned during those three hours. There was also turndown service, albeit with no amenities or chocolate. Then, my room had an additional cleaning before my late checkout on the second day. None of these were at my request so if you’re keeping track, that’s three cleanings on a one-night stay.
• The Regency Club service here is one of the best I’ve ever seen. If you wanted, you could pretty much eat every meal except breakfast here. In contrast to some properties where using a club access award would not meaningfully change your experience, access to the Regency Club here will meaningfully improve your stay.

Needless to say, I enjoyed my stay here and wouldn’t hesitate to return to this specific hotel. I commented to a friend that while I don’t have immediate plans to return to Egypt, I wouldn’t mind going there for a week at the Hyatt Regency — I’d just bring my own gin!

Hyatt Regency Cairo West Bottom Line

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my stay at the Hyatt Regency Cairo West. Given the chaos that seems to be ever-present while visiting Egypt, the Hyatt Regency feels like an island of serenity. The hotel is modern and offers excellent elite recognition for Hyatt Globalists. This luxury hotel is located in the Pyramids Heights Business Park with views of the Giza Pyramids. If you’re planning to explore the center of Cairo, this probably isn’t the hotel for you. On the other hand, if your goal is to visit the pyramids from a comfortable luxury hotel with great service, then the Hyatt Regency might be a good choice.