I rarely leave reviews, but my recent experience at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla was so unacceptable, I feel obligated to warn other travelers—especially families.
We booked a two-night stay expecting a 4-star experience: two queen beds on the 7th floor or higher. Instead, we were bounced between three different rooms, including one (Room 702) that was completely unsafe for occupancy. The air in that room was so bad my wife struggled to breathe and my son started coughing uncontrollably. It smelled toxic and stale, like mold or chemicals, and it felt like the air had no oxygen.
I begged the front desk for a new room and was told the hotel was “100% full”—a lie that was repeated multiple times by different staff members. Eventually, the assistant manager came up to the room himself, stayed for 30 seconds, and said he too was struggling to breathe and described it as “like being at high elevation and out of air.” Only then did they magically find a new room for us.
We were moved to Room 403 (a downgrade with a rollaway bed) .
To be clear: multiple hotel employees admitted that Room 702 was unsafe. Even the engineer said the air was “awful” and could not be fixed by changing the air filter. The bell hop shared the same experience when he went to move our luggage to another room. Still, we were left in that room for hours, despite pleading for help. This is not just poor service—it’s a health and safety issue.