4 Day Sprint
Product Designer
Emily Baggarly
Belinda Lee
Zeenat Javaid
Amanda Nepo
Alex Wan
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
How can the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach turn 26 acres of forgotten amenities into experiences people come back for?
4 days. 5 teams. 1 challenge: improving the guest experience at Hyatt Regency through design. I was on the Amenities & Space Activations team. Our job was to reimagine how guests and locals discover, book and use the property’s spaces. We worked alongside the F&B, Local Attractions team and other teams involved in the PPR.
How can the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach turn 26 acres of forgotten amenities into experiences people come back for?
4 days. 5 teams. 1 challenge: improving the guest experience at Hyatt Regency through design. I was on the Amenities & Space Activations team. Our job was to reimagine how guests and locals discover, book and use the property’s spaces. We worked alongside the F&B, Local Attractions team and other teams involved in the PPR.
The amenities weren’t the problem. Nobody could see them, and nobody owned them.
We benchmarked the Hyatt against local rivals (Hilton, Renaissance), aspirational resorts (Omni Asheville, Two Bunch Palms) and substitutes like ClassPass and ResortPass. We also walked the property as a guest.
A great amenity is…
Visible
Guests know it exists before they arrive
Bookable
It takes a few taps, not a phone call to the lobby
Alive
It’s programmed with people and events, not left empty
A guest who wants to play pickleball has to find a paper map, gets lost on the way, gets sent back to the lobby and never finds a restroom along the way. The 26 acres feel like a maze, and whole spaces sit unused.
Introducing Newporter26: 26 acres of elevated recreation
Instead of fixing amenities one by one, we gave them one brand. Newporter26 is a sub-brand of the Hyatt that brings marketing, management and bookings together, so every space has a name, a home and a way in.
Discover and book in one place
I designed the Newporter26 booking platform, where guests browse every activity and reserve it in a few taps. It carries across Instagram, a redesigned concierge desk and QR cards around the property.
Find your way (and a bench, and a restroom)
New signage, extra public restrooms and benches along the paths make the grounds easy to walk. We worked with F&B to add refreshment points along the way.
Turn empty rooms into experiences
A tenant program invites local instructors, clubs and performers to run their events on the property. With the Local Attractions team, we tested it by hosting a real magic show in the wine cellar.
A spa worth staying for
The Hyatt was the only resort nearby without a full-service spa. We scouted vendors, chose a partner and designed the spa from floor plan to booking flow.
Newporter26 won Best Design..
Hyatt leadership and the property’s owners backed the concept and handed our team the keys to control the Newporter website URL and its social media page.
Want to learn more?
There’s a lot more in the full 141-slide deck, including experience maps, social content and the spa buildout. Reach me at ssud@usc.edu and I’ll walk you through it.