Bayland Hyatt Regency opens its doors
May 19, 2023
The much-anticipated Hyatt Regency Baytown-Houston hotel and convention center is now open for business.
Many dignitaries gathered for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the hotel’s soft opening. The event was held Thursday under a pleasant blue sky with very few clouds.
Alexander Dantes, Hyatt Regency Baytown-Houston general manager, spoke to the crowd.
“I’ve been on this project since July and to see where it has come from today. I know a lot of work has been done, and a lot of work my team has done, and I hope you are happy with the product, and we are happy to be a part of the community,” Dantes said. “Welcome to the Hyatt Regency Baytown-Houston.”
Dantes’ words were met with applause from the crowd.
Developer Garfield Public/Private engaged with BOKA Powell, an architecture, interior design, planning and strategic services firm, and design-builder DPR Construction to deliver a 208-room Hyatt Regency hotel and conference center on Bayland Island. In addition, Looney & Associates served as the project’s interior designer.
“We are proud of our dream,” Dantes said. “The entire team came together in a phenomenal way and allowed this hotel to open. We are appreciative of everyone’s work to make the hotel come to life.”
Ripton Melhado, Hyatt Hotels Corporation senior vice president, said he was proud of the accomplishment.
“We look forward to showcasing Hyatt Regency global brand… as we offer a full range of amenities and services right here in Baytown-Houston,” Melhado said.
Melhado thanked Dantes and his team for bringing the hotel to life. He also thanked B.J. Simon with the Baytown/West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation and his team for helping them reach the goal of opening the hotel.
Raymond Garfield, Garfield Public/Private chair, thanked the City of Baytown, as well as Baytown Mayor Brandon Capetillo and former Mayor Stephen DonCarlos, for their support of the project.
“This is not an overnight success, but a long-term success,” Garfield said. “We are really excited to be here and thrilled with the product. I know it is going to be a great success.”
Mayor Capetillo said he had to pinch himself when he woke up that morning to realize the hotel/convention center was no longer a dream but a reality. “I’d like to tell you the story that it was easy. That we decided on an idea, picked out a design, architect and contractor, and it was built with no bumps in the road. But that is not the story,” Capetillo said.
Capetillo said the hotel/convention center dream started in the 1990s with then-Mayor Pete Alfaro, who was on hand for the ceremony.
“He recognized the need of Baytown, even in the 1990s, to provide a beautiful convention center so we could have gatherings and nice ballrooms. We needed this for a long time,” Capetillo said.
Capetillo also gave credit to DonCarlos and former Mayor Calvin Mundinger.
“In about 2015, we made a decision that we needed to pursue this again since there was a need there for our community and certainly for the region,” Capetillo said.
After working with some other hotel brands, Capetillo said the city finally decided to settle with Hyatt.
“Everybody has a path. God gives us a path, and even our city has a path that God has provided for us, and that is what took place,” Capetillo said. “We invested in an elevated product. A lot of the time, people say why can’t Baytown get something nice? Well, this is nice.”
Capetillo also thanked Victor Brownlees, the city’s finance director, for being solution-driven with the project.
After the speeches, there was a champagne toast in the hotel’s divisible 12,000-square-foot main ballroom, putting a proper cap on an enjoyable morning.
“This is taking us into the future,” Tracey Wheeler, Baytown Chamber of Commerce president, said. “It is not thinking small but thinking big and moving forward and that is what we need to be thinking about. This place brings us into a new era. It is not something we have had in the community and we should be very proud.”
Former Baytown City Manager Rick Davis dropped in to join the festivities.
“This facility turned out far better than I thought it would turn out,” Davis said. “In fact, I think that it not only surpasses our wildest imaginations, but it provides something for citizens in Baytown that they can point to for decades to come. It is the image of Baytown. It is now a destination for this level of meetings and accommodations.”
The hotel is Baytown’s only full-service waterfront hotel, with 208 modern guestrooms and over 18,000 square feet of versatile meeting and event space. Located near the Houston Ship Channel entranceway and 20 minutes away from Houston destinations, such as NASA’s Space Center Houston and the Kemah Boardwalk, the hotel provides a good starting point for anyone interested in exploring the area. It is also an easy drive to the nearby Baytown Nature Center, where you can enjoy bird watching, fishing, and hikes through the local marshland.
Aside from having 208 rooms, including seven suites, in the seven-story hotel, there is a 1,125-square-foot Presidential Suite with waterfront views and modern amenities.
The hotel boasts contemporary accommodations with natural wood accents and tall windows with views of the Houston Ship Channel, adjacent marina and iconic Fred Hartman suspension bridge. They also provide plenty of natural light.
There are plenty of food options at the hotel. There is the Dining Anchor & Hearth Woodfired Kitchen, the hotel’s full-service restaurant, which features an exposed kitchen with classic American dishes and lots of breakfast, lunch and dinner choices. In the Bayland Lounge, the hotel’s open-concept lobby bar, help yourself to some creative cocktails, bar bites and look out one of the huge windows to see one of the nation’s busiest shipping channels. In addition, the hotel features a 24-hour market with a variety of to-go snacks and drinks, so you will not go hungry or thirsty.
If you want to host a meeting at the hotel, the 12,000-square-foot ballroom can hold up to 1,200 attendees, making it perfect for conferences, galas or weddings. There is a total of 18,000 square feet of meeting space, so if you need smaller accommodations, the hotel has what you need.
If you like to stay healthy while at the hotel, try the 24-hour fitness center, which features state-of-the-art cardio machines, free weights and modern equipment. There is also an impressive lounge pool and the hotel is dog-friendly, with a 48-hour reservation notice required.
For the latest on the hotel or to make a reservation, visit hyattregency.com.