Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Colorado Springs – Garden of the Gods

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If you’ve never been to Colorado Springs, a little over an hour south of Denver, you’re missing craft breweries and the city’s centerpiece – the gorgeous Garden of the Gods.

hyatt garden of the gods

Garden of the Gods took my breath away

I stopped here during my road trip to Denver. And chose the Hyatt Place Garden of the Gods as our stopover hotel. Here’s how it went!

Hyatt Garden of the Gods Review

This hotel is usually ~$99 to ~$108 per night. And as a Category 2 hotel, it costs 8,000 Hyatt points each night.

I value 8,000 Hyatt points for for $160. So for my 1-night stay here, I paid the cash rate.

It’s right around the corner, 10 minutes, from Garden of the Gods park. I’d heard it’s worth stopping along the way to Denver. But I wasn’t prepared for how completely gorgeous it is.

a tall rock formations with trees and a blue sky with Garden of the Gods in the background

Garden of the Gods is amazing. At the Hyatt Place near it is plenty comfy

For our night in Colorado Springs, the Hyatt Place was perfect.

Arrival and check-in

Firstly, if you want to be right downtown, you won’t be in the action at this hotel. If you want to be near I-25 and of course, Garden of the Gods, this place is stellar. Also, the price can’t be beat.

We pulled in and easily found a parking spot in the big lot outside the hotel. We’d just left from the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort in Santa Ana Pueblo as part of our road trip to Denver. So we were in full road trip mode by this point. And so excited to be in Colorado.

a hallway with light shining through the walls

Hallways of the Hyatt Place Colorado Springs

It was everything I’ve come to expect from the Hyatt Place/Hyatt House brand: cheap, cheerful, great employees, free breakfast, that sort of colorful milennial-esque look hotels think is so trendy right now.

This hotel is smallish, with a breakfast nook and one set of elevators. There are 124 rooms – in my opinion, a perfect size for a chain hotel.

The desk agent quickly got us keys and showed us where the free breakfast would be. We headed up to room 427.

The room

Ah yes. If you’ve stayed at a Hyatt Place, you know what to expect: the sectional couch, the separate bathroom sink area, and of course a spacious living area. I personally love the Hyatt Place brand.

a room with a bed and a television

View upon walking in

a sink and mirror in a room

Fridge/bar/coffee area

a couch with a table and a painting on the wall

Sectional couch that doubles as an extra bed

a room with two beds and a television

I didn’t get a shot of the desk, but you can see it on the right there – across from the fridge area

No idea why my photos are so blurry. I chalk it up to road trip sludge on my phone camera.

Side note: I cannot WAIT to dump my iPhone for a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy S9.

There was plenty of room in the living area to sit, hang out, and enjoy a couple of drinks before heading out again.

two beds in a room

Two big, comfy beds

a bathroom with a mirror and a bed

Separate sink and closet

a group of bottles of shampoo and conditioner

KenetMD toiletries

a closet door with a mirror

Closet with hangers, luggage rack, iron, extra bedding

The sink is in front of the beds. So if you want to brush your teeth or wash your face, you’ll do it in full view of your companions.

a bathroom with a white bathtub and shower curtain

Shower and toilet have their own little room

two beds in a room

View of the room from the window

Overall, a nice size for the 3 of us. We loved the spaciousness and room setup. Everything is out in the open, so it definitely promotes hanging out and socializing. It reminded me a lot of Starwood’s Aloft brand, actually.

And the view from the window was simply beautiful.

a parking lot with trees and mountains in the background

Loved seeing the Rockies from the room’s window

Honestly, for a 1-night stay, this hotel was perfect in terms of location and price. The room was clean, quiet, and the wifi was fast on all our devices. And you can’t beat the $99 a night room rate – doesn’t get much cheaper than that.

Breakfast

Now I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart: free breakfast.

That’s why when I saw Hyatt is testing paid breakfast at some Hyatt Place locations, it gave me pause. A huge reason we stayed here was the free breakfast.

Was the most amazing breakfast in the world? Of course not. But when you wake up and want to get the day going or hop back on the road, stopping right at the beginning adds extra time when you’re trying to be on the move.

Plus, coffee and a pastry at most coffee shops is what, $6 to $10?, depending what you get. And I like having a little fruit and being able to take a to-go coffee (in my Hydro Flask to prevent more waste).

For 3 people, or for a family, that adds up fast, especially if you have a multi-day trip. Without free breakfast, we might as well stay some other no-frills cheap joint. Eliminating the free breakfast is a disruption of the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House branding. Plus, Hyatt doesn’t need to give peeps another reason to avoid their hotels – their watered-down loyalty program was already a huge blow.

Whew, with that off my chest, here’s the simple breakfast they are thinking of taking away.

a group of pans with food on a counter

A few hot items – pancakes, potatoes, sausage, and eggs

a group of pitchers on a shelf

Juices, milk, and water

a kitchen with a stove and a stove and a pot

The breakfast serving area

a room with chairs and tables

Seats and tables

a table with plates of food

Our breakfast selections

So yeah, we got eggs, fruit, toast, potatoes. It’s nothing decadent or anything, but a huge value add. If Hyatt Place took this away, I’d 100% actively avoid them for both paid and award stays. Too many other brands still have it wrapped in the room rate for similar prices.

I honestly don’t spend much time in the rooms when I stay at hotels – I’m out exploring. And use the room to sleep, shower, and charge my phone. So I look for ancillary benefits, like lounge access, breakfast, extra points, or free parking. Often, the room itself is secondary to those “extra” perks.

Bottom line

We loved our stay at the Hyatt Place Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. If you’re ever there, check out Trinity Brew, an awesome local craft brewery 2 minutes down the road.

And definitely visit the gorgeous Garden of the Gods.

This hotel was the quintessential “Hyatt Place” experience: cheap, spacious rooms, free breakfast, great service. I’d be really disappointed – and would 100% switch my stays – if Hyatt removed free breakfast from Hyatt Place hotels.

Regardless, if you can stay here for $100ish a night, get something to eat in the morning, and visit the nearby attractions, it’s an excellent hotel. Plus, it’s right next to I-25, so you can be in downtown Denver in about an hour. Excellent “road trip” hotel. And at 8,000 Hyatt points per night, it’s worth it to pay the cheap cash rates.

If you’ve stayed here, how’s your experience compare? And how important to you is free breakfast at places like this? 

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About Harlan

Just a dude living in Memphis, traveling, and working toward financial independence.

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Comments

  1. This review could be of literally any Hyatt Place or Hyatt House. They are all the same cookie-cutter standard fares, which is good because there is something to be said about consistency.

    • Definitely! I chose this one because of the location. It’s nice to be able to go around the country and get a consistent experience – at least you know exactly what you’re getting.

      Thank you for reading and commenting!

  2. I agree with you that “free” breakfast is a deciding factor in which hotel we choose. We have a system down that coordinates bathroom/shower time and eating at the hotel so we can get out the door at a decent time with our family. I am not going to start to take an hour to go for breakfast at a restaurant and pay roughly $30 each morning. I vote with my money (or points) and will not book hotels that do not provide breakfast if I can help it.

    • Exactly! This is the reason I like Hilton Gold elite status so much – free breakfast nearly everywhere you go. Glad I’m not the only one who chooses based on the free breakfast.

      Thank you for sharing!

  3. I always think I’ll be able to drag myself out of bed for breakfast, so often use AmEx FHR or sometimes it comes with status… Nope. Haven’t figured out how to do that part of life yet.

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