Room renovations expected to be done next month, but entire hotel is focus of the project.
By: Gwen McNamara
WEST WINDSOR Major changes are happening at the Hyatt Regency Princeton hotel in Carnegie Center off Alexander Road and Route 1.
The hotel is pouring $11.4 million into a facility-wide renovation project, which will transform the building inside and out.
"It’s important for our hotel, especially one of our service level, to maintain our look and live up to the expectations of clients," said Kelly Blice, director of sales at the Hyatt. "We want to stay as fresh as possible."
Already, renovations to the hotel’s fitness center, indoor and outdoor pool areas and the Catch A Rising Star Comedy Club have been completed. A new roof has also been installed and the parking lot updated.
Work began in January to renovate the hotel’s 348 guestrooms. Each room will get top-of-the-line bedding, tasteful wall coverings and curtains, plush new carpeting and bathroom upgrades, along with a new phone system and the addition of high-speed Internet access, Ms. Blice said.
"We expect the room renovations to be complete by the end of March," she said. "Right now with our transition plan we’re doing everything we can to use the renovated rooms first to give our customers the best experience possible."
In addition, work began Feb. 9 to renovate the Hyatt’s 4,500-square-foot Gallery Level meeting space.
"We recognize the atmosphere for meetings is critical," Ms. Blice said. "That’s why, in addition to top speed Internet lines, we’re improving the lighting, bringing the color scheme up, adding more elegant boardroom furniture and bringing in tables with audio-visual capabilities built in."
Renovations on the Gallery Level are expected to be completed by mid-March.
Afterward, the hotel’s modernized Business Plan Lounge is expected to re-open and upgrades to the Hyatt’s ballroom foyer, lobby and Crystal Garden Restaurant will begin. The Hyatt’s front entrance will also be given a facelift, complete with new landscaping.
"We’ve been wanting to do something for a while now, in terms of renovations," Ms. Blice said. "It was just a matter of finding the right time and getting together the design we wanted. No matter when you choose to start, it can be a battle, especially with Mother Nature, but so far things are happening on schedule."
The new features will help the Hyatt stay competitive with the many other hotels along the Route 1 corridor as well.
"We’re giving our customers what they want, while improving our standing," Ms. Blice said. "Now we’ll have the most beautiful rooms on the block."
Overall, the Hyatt Regency Princeton has 22,000 square feet of function space, including its 10,000-square-foot ballroom and 20 meeting and banquet rooms. In addition to amenities such as the Crystal Garden Restaurant, comedy club, health club and pools, the hotel also features a business center, sauna and tennis courts.
The hotel is located on a total of 16 acres in the Carnegie Center.
There are currently 207 Hyatt hotels and resorts around the world, managed by two separate groups of companies Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Hyatt International Corp.
Hyatt Hotels Corp. and its subsidiaries operate, lease and franchise 123 hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Subsidiaries of Hyatt International Corp. operate 61 hotels and 23 resorts in 39 countries, with an additional 16 hotels under development.