For President’s Weekend 2022, my family and I escaped the cold winter and headed to sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. I have had my eye on the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch for a while. I contacted the hotel to see if they would host my family. They agreed to host us for two nights, and then I used points to complete our third. In this post, I’ll review what you can expect when staying at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale for a family vacation.
 

Getting the Points

The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale is a Category 7 hotel, which means it will cost you 21,000 points a night off-peak, 25,000 points a night at standard pricing, and 29,000 points a night at peak pricing. To get the points to stay here, I recommend opening a  card_name and then transferring those points to Hyatt. This card could give you three free nights if you visit during standard pricing. The World Of Hyatt Credit Card or other Chase Ultimate Rewards® cards are other great options.

All information about the World of Hyatt Credit Card has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The World of Hyatt Credit Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

Want our guide on how to earn more Hyatt points? Visit this link and drop your email to get the guide sent to your inbox.

 

The Hotel

When pulling into the hotel, it definitely had a resort feel to it. There is valet parking, but after unloading the car, we just parked in the nearby lot. There is plenty of parking, and it worked out great for us.

The hotel is located right next to Gainey Ranch Gold Club, which is open to both Club members and hotel guests.

 

 

The resorts’ grounds are very well maintained, and I was impressed by how pretty they were.

 

 

 

The Room

We had a 2 queen courtyard view room. When we walked into the room, I was surprised by its size. The toilet and shower are separate from the sink and vanity. This area was nice and spacious and also included a closet. We could easily fit the baby’s pack-play in the vanity area. There was also a nice large TV. One of our favorite parts of the room was the balcony. It was so nice to sit outside and relax, listen to the live band play, and watch the Native American dancers perform on Friday nights. There was a small table and two chairs on the balcony.

The one downside of our room’s location was that live music at night could be loud. Thankfully, we had our sound machine, but if not, it probably would have driven me a little crazy.

 

 

 

Activities

The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale shines as a family vacation destination with its activities, most especially the pool! The pool area is so fun! First of all, there is a 30-foot, 3-story waterslide, and my kids absolutely loved that. There is also a sandy beach, which the kids, and especially the baby, loved. Out in the middle of the pool is a platform, and that was really fun for the kids to jump off of. We pretty much spent our whole vacation out here by the pool.

The one complaint was that the water was a little cold, but I’m assuming that on those 100+ degree summer days, it is just perfect! There is also an adults-only pool, but I didn’t spend any time there.

 

 

 

Right next to the pool, there is a putting green (my oldest loved this!), ping pong, life-size checkers, Connect Four, a playground, and a climbing wall. You do have to pay for the climbing wall, but the rest is included.

 

 

Friday evenings are fun at the resort because they have a bird show called “Arizona Birds of Prey Take Flight.” The highlight was seeing a Bald Eagle. After that, Native American dancers put on a show and played music.

 

 

There are also tennis courts at the resort, a spa, a fitness center, and a golf course.

 

Dining Options

It always feels like you’re at a resort when you can order poolside food! We had lunch at the pool one day. Typical poolside food: burgers, nachos, wraps, chicken strips, pizza, etc. The kids loved ordering drinks. One day, everyone got piña coladas, and the following day, the kids all tried different flavors (mango, peach, and strawberry).

 

 

There are also a few restaurants on the property. We ate at SWB one night, and we really enjoyed it. The appetizer (shrimp) was okay, but the entrees and dessert were great! The kids could order from the kid’s menu, or there was also a kid’s buffet. They did the buffet and enjoyed all the kid’s favorites like pizza, mac n cheese, chicken strips, tater tots, fruit, and then less popular kid’s items like veggies 😉 There were also brownies. Mitch and I ordered the steak and salmon, which we loved. We also got a chocolate cake for dessert, and I could have had another one. So good.

We also had breakfast at SWB one morning. The kids got pancakes, fruit cups, and juice, and I had a bagel. We ordered to go and then brought the food back to the room to eat.

 

Overall Thoughts

There are parts of the hotel that could use an update. In the hallways, I had some carpet pulling in areas, and it felt a little dated. I was very impressed with the grounds and how well they were kept up. The staff was also excellent- especially Mia, who ran the climbing wall and water slide at times. She was so cute with my kids! At 21,000 points a night, I felt this was an excellent way to use Hyatt points. Especially considering that cash prices for the dates I was there were around $650! I would totally bring my kids to the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale for another family vacation.