Downtown Phoenix

Hyatt Regency Phoenix

★★★★★

The Hyatt Regency Phoenix is downtown's classic full-service hotel and the most convenient base for conventions, ballgames and concerts. Opened in 1976 at 122 North 2nd Street, its 24-story tower stands directly opposite the Phoenix Convention Center and a short walk from Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the downtown arena used by the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, the Herberger Theater and Symphony Hall, and the restaurants and bars of the CityScape and Roosevelt Row districts. With 693 rooms, it is one of the largest hotels in Arizona, and a multimillion-dollar renovation refreshed rooms and public spaces with a modern, desert-inspired look. Upper-floor rooms have broad views over downtown toward South Mountain or the Camelback corridor. The hotel's signature is The Compass, a revolving restaurant on the 24th floor long billed as Arizona's only one, where a meal makes a slow circle over the Valley's lights; check its current schedule before planning a special dinner, as hours and formats have varied. Other facilities include a lobby bar and casual dining, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a business center and extensive meeting space. For leisure travelers, the hotel's strength is location: the light rail stops a block or two away, connecting to the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Roosevelt Row and Tempe, and to the airport via the Sky Train, so you can stay downtown without a car for several days. Weekends without conventions often bring good rates, while major conferences and big games can push prices up quickly.

Downtown Phoenix has changed enormously over the past two decades, and the Hyatt Regency sits at the center of it. Within walking distance you will find The Square PHX with Rosson House, the Children's Museum, the Arizona Science Center, the Arizona Capitol Museum a short ride west, and the dining scenes of CityScape, Roosevelt Row and the Warehouse District. Evenings bring ballgames in spring and summer, basketball in winter, and concerts and theater year-round, all a few minutes' walk away.

Room tips: ask for a high floor for views, and a room facing north for the mountains or south for South Mountain and sunsets. If you are traveling for a game or concert, book early, because demand tracks the event calendar. Parking downtown is paid and can be expensive, so consider light rail from the airport. Families should note that while the hotel is comfortable, it has none of the water features of the resorts; a pool afternoon here is a city break, not a resort day.

Who should stay: convention-goers, sports and concert fans, light-rail travelers who want to explore without a car, and first-timers who prefer a city base. Who might not: travelers seeking desert scenery and resort pools, who should look to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or the Biltmore area instead.