We recently had the opportunity to stay at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa, a beautiful oasis located in the heart of the Coachella Valley in Southern California. This stunning property boasts 530 guest rooms (including 39 suites and 43 villas) and suites spread across 45 acres of lush desert landscaping and world-class amenities. Let’s dive into the details!
Booking Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
Hyatt Regency Indian Wells is a Category 5 Hyatt hotel, so for our 3-night stay, we redeemed 69,000 Hyatt points (23k points per night for a Standard Room). The cash rate would have been around $2,058.66, meaning we got a solid value of 2.98 cents per point. 💸
Also, please remember that you don’t pay daily resort fees on your stays when booking on points (in this case, it’s a daily resort fee of $45).
Everything you need to know about booking Hyatt hotels with Points
Now, to get those Hyatt points, we transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards earned with our Chase cards to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.
Remember, you need one of the premium Chase cards (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Preferred) to transfer to Hyatt.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
You can earn a signup bonus of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards Points when you signup for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card and spend $4,000 in the first three months of card membership. This bonus alone is worth at least $1,500 in travel rewards when transferred to travel partners such as Hyatt!
REWARDS RATE
1x-5x
BONUS VALUE
$1,500
SIGN-UP BONUS
75,000 points
ANNUAL FEE
$95
Chase Ink Business Preferred
You can earn a signup bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you get the Chase Ink Business Preferred card and spend $8,000 within the first three months. This valuable bonus is worth around $1,000 in cash back or $2,000 in travel when you redeem through Chase or transfer points to airline and hotel partners.
REWARDS RATE
1x-3x
BONUS VALUE
$2,000
SIGN-UP BONUS
100,000 points
ANNUAL FEE
$95
Chase Ink Business Cash
You can earn a signup bonus of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you get the Chase Ink Business Cash card and spend $6,000 within the first six months. This valuable bonus is worth around $750 in cash back or at least $1,500 in travel when you redeem through Chase or transfer points to airline and hotel partners.
REWARDS RATE
1x-5x
BONUS VALUE
$1,500
SIGN-UP BONUS
75,000 points
ANNUAL FEE
$0
💡 Good to know
Keep in mind that Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa will become Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas in September 2024 after a $64 million renovation. The rebrand will bring a new level of luxury with redesigned guest rooms, an enhanced lobby, upgraded accommodations, two new dining concepts, and a redesigned pool complex.
Check-in
Upon arrival, we left our rental with the valet, and later, we were warmly greeted by the friendly staff, who offered our girls some plush toys.
💡 Good to know
Hyatt Regency Indian Wells is located within 30 minutes ride from Palm Springs International Airport.
At check-in, the clerk informed us that, as Globalists, we were upgraded to a room with two King Beds overlooking the pool area. We noticed that they also had a One-King Bed with Bunk Beds Family Room available for our dates, so we wondered if we could switch to that one instead so the girls would not have to share the bed! And they happily agreed to give us another room!
This time, we did not redeem our Hyatt Suite Upgrade Award since it was only a 3-night stay, but if you hold one of those and want to secure a Suite for your stay, make sure to redeem it in advance!
Note that since 2024, Hyatt Suite Upgrade Awards can be gifted to someone else directly from your World of Hyatt account online or using the Hyatt mobile app.
Hyatt Suite Upgrade Awards: A guide for World of Hyatt members [2024 update]
Parking at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
The overnight parking prices are shown in the picture above. This fee was waived for us as Globalists.
1 King Bed with Bunk Beds Family Room at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
Our Room was spacious (all the Standard Rooms at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells are 550 sq. ft.) and featured 1 King Bed, bunk beds, a sitting area, and a balcony.
To be honest, this is the first time we have stayed in a room with bunk beds, and it was perfect for our girls!
The bathroom had a deep soaking tub and a separate shower cabin.
Dining options at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
Hyatt Regency Indian Wells has several excellent dining options right on the property.
💡 Good to know
While Standard guest rooms, suites, and public spaces, as well as the pool complex, have been completed. The restaurants at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells are still undergoing enhancements (dated to be done by September 2024).
Breakfast at Lantana
We took advantage of the complimentary Globalist breakfast buffet for the 4 of us here each morning (you could also opt for the Citrus Marketplace and Café daily credit). The hotel offered a spread of hot items, pastries, fresh fruit, and more. The made-to-order omelets were a hit!
As mentioned above, the hotel is still working on its restaurant enhancements. So breakfast was served in a conference room upstairs, and there were some long waiting times (the staff did their best nonetheless to accommodate everyone). I assume this should not be an issue when the work is completed in a few months!
Citrus Marketplace and Café
Citrus Marketplace and Cafe at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa offers specialty deli items, gift shop items, fresh citrus grown on the resort grounds, a coffee bar, a selection of teas, sandwiches, and a seating area.
Lunch by the pool at Roadrunner Cafe
This café is conveniently located next to the main pool and offers a variety of food options.
Dinner at Agave Sunset
Agave Sunset restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and offers both indoor and outdoor dining options. Here are some pictures from a couple of dinners we enjoyed there.
💡 Good to know
A pleasant surprise was that Hyatt Regency Indian Wells offered a complimentary dinner buffet for kids under 5 and older kiddos could enjoy it for $18!
Amenities at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
Now, Hyatt Regency Indian Wells has an impressive water park! The HyTides Plunge is home to the tallest waterslides in the desert, featuring two 30-foot slides, a separate “baby” waterslide, a 450-foot lazy river, a splash pad, and seven (including an adult-only pool) expansive pools.
Our girls had a blast there and did not want to leave!
💡 Good to know
Guests must be 48” for HyTides and 42” for Lil Lizard to slide!
Activities at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
Tennis & Pickleball Facilities
The Indian Wells tennis area has two hard-surface courts and four hard-surface Pickleball courts available on a first-come, first-served basis. Equipment is provided at the courts.
Indian Wells Golf Resort’s Shots in the Night
Experience Shots in the Night, your ultimate Glow Golf adventure! Enjoy a driving range with LED-charged golf balls and huge LED inflatable targets that light up when hit. The golf resort features unique putting green games, light shows, music, TV screens, and a food truck serving snacks and drinks. Fun for all ages and skill levels.
Kid’s activities
Our daughters really enjoyed a glow-in-the-dark dance party with free glow sticks, headbands, a DJ, and a movie night the following evening! The morning magic show was also a huge hit!
Area activities
While the resort had more than enough to keep us entertained, we also ventured out a bit to explore the surrounding Palm Springs area. Things you can do in the Palm Springs area:
- Enjoy the world-class golf courses right down the road.
- Venture on hiking trails in the nearby canyons and mountains.
- Go upscale shopping and dining in downtown Palm Springs (30 min drive).
- Take a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park (1 hr drive).
Top family-friendly things to do in Palm Springs, California
Bottom line
Overall, we had a great stay at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells. With its breathtaking desert setting, spacious accommodations, great dining, and top-notch amenities like pools, waterslides, and this resort makes for an unforgettable family getaway.
Whether you’re a Hyatt loyalist like us or just looking for a stunning desert retreat, Indian Wells should be on your list.
On Points With Kids Summary
We redeemed 69,000 Hyatt points for three nights at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells. The cash rate for our stay was $2,058.66, which equals 2.98 cents per point, an outstanding value!
You can apply for the following credit cards to earn Hyatt points that can be redeemed at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card application (Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to the World of Hyatt program)
- Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card application
- Chase Ink Preferred Credit Card application
