Review: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Suite

Nearly tried to eat my screen!
Fantastic property, and amazing report, as always.
Cheers!

did you ever close the curtain for the bathroom

Just curious as to why you hardly review boutique hotels?

Seems like it's nothing but Hyatt's and Westin's

Looks nice! I suppose I don't really get "evening lounge" offerings most places. It's good for a snack, but I'd never want to use it instead of dinner. I travel to see the sights and to enjoy good food - where I'm traveling! That's part of the appeal of the travel itself for me. Breakfast is obviously nice.

I agree that the GH Hong Kong is a great hotel and that you got a tremendous value. Cash and Points plus DSU is a no-brainer in a city as pricey as HKG can often be.

But I also believe the GH Hong Kong is a bit disappointing in some ways. Even the suites, which certainly are spacious, are not as luxurious as you'd expect based on the rates. That breakfast certainly suggests luxury; many other amenities and elements just feel like this is a very nice but much larger Hyatt property IMO.

For value, there is no question the GH delivers. For luxury, though, this is a property and city where I think Hyatt fails to quite hit the bar. The IC nails it on view and location, service and food much like the GH, but its rooms/suites do feel more dated--yet the IC is substantially cheaper. I find the IC to be more luxurious all-around than the GH--and with some of the best views in the city. I still think the RC would be the unqualified winner in the loyalty point hotel group in terms of true luxury in HKG, however--even given its more distant location. The RC has style, glam, incredible views, amazing service, and great food/beverage too...and when you can get it for less than the GH, it may be the better steal for a luxury stay.

Good review, thanks. I do find it quite amusing that a hotel that charges so much for a night still charges for minor treats out of the snack/minibar.

What did you think about the service though? I found it to be quite disappointing and not to the level of GHs.

Sounds like a yummy stay at the Grand Hyatt. HK hotels tends to be expensive most of the year and I'm not sure why. Would you one day use your SPG points and review the W Hotel Hong Kong? It looks fantastic!
I'm planning to make a trip to HK and I'm deciding if I want the Sheraton HK or at the W Hotel HK

Sounds amazing! That said - I belive that the finest hotel in the world, by a decent margin, is the Mandarin Oriental at 5 Connaught in HK.

I don't think this is a "points/status" hotel, rather you get what you pay for the best location in HK and arguably best city hotel in the world.

How easy is it to access the subway from the hotel? Thought of staying here, but instead chose the Conrad for ease of access.

Great review Ben - love this hotel! I'm wondering whether you ever take videos and would consider using those in the reviews. Sometimes seeing a space in a walkthrough is really helpful and sometimes better than just pictures. Just a thought...safe travels!

@Euro - the Conrad and the hotels right there by Admiralty are much easier access to the subway than the Grand Hyatt. I have stayed at both places before

Having just stayed at this property and the Hyatt Regency in Kowloon, I must say the HR is the obvious winner for vacationers. You can't walk to almost anything from the GH but the HR is smack in the middle of the action. We weren't in a suite at the HR but the room was very nice. The renovation at the GH itself was extremely distracting as was the construction next door... Which btw is a new subway station.

@Bill: I stayed at the W before. Nice property but like the GH, not very well situated. Sheraton is a vastly superior location.

I just stayed at GH, Conrad and Hyatt Regency TST on a trip about 5 weeks ago. Your GH Suite seems to only be marginally bigger than the standard room and being on a low floor, the view is not as good as the standard room (I was on the 21st floor directly facing the bay and convention center). I did not experience the Grand Club, but from the pics, it seems to be better than the Conrad's offerings, which I did try. Although I thought this was the nicest and most modern hotel of the 3 and also had the best views, I would not stay here again simply because you have to walk 10-15 minutes to get to the MTR with multiple sky bridges. Personally liked the HR TST because of easy access to MTR and food and shopping options in the immediate vicinity even though it was the least luxurious. Also loved the 4G phone as well.

Nice review! 🙂
I've stayed at the Upper House and the Icon Hotel. Both are really great hotels!
This Grand Hyatt looks really nice as well!

Great review.

I've never been disappointed by the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.

The rooms are always of great standard but what differentiates is the staff interaction at every point. The staff are genuinely proactive, friendly and helpful and are what makes this property special, in my view.

The free-flow champagne all day is also most welcome !

Wow, I was just there last week. Used points and cash and the Diamond suite upgrade as well. Also had a grand suite. Had no idea you could have breakfast in the restaurant. Darn.

Ben - are you being paid by Hyatt for these reviews? I posted some negative comments on the hotel as compared to Marriotts and it appears these were deleted.

@adam

Why does it matter if he closed the bathroom curtain or not?

Lucky was that Indian food in the breakfast buffet? Looked like naan and the traditional Indian condiments (chutney, raita, etc)

@Bill

Thanks for the IC comparison

Lucky, could you compare the IC to the GH as well? I have two free night Crete to us up at an IC. For $80/night, I can upgrade to a deluxe harbor view ( my Ambassador status doesn't count on award stays) or do points and cash and use a DSU (I'm a new Diamond) . While normally lounge counts for me, I'm gonna do a splurge dinner so evening lounge isn't too important). I love suites and views. Leaning towards the IC because it seems like the best place to use them before they expire, but if the GH blows away the IC (suite vs deluxe harborview) then I might reconsider. ((I DSUs that I get now can't be used for stays after 2/17, I'll have more than I can use)

@Allen - I agree that the Grand Hyatt location is not the best. It is a long walk to the MTR. Also, if you take the Airport Express from to Hong Kong Station, there is no free shuttle service direct to the Grand Hyatt. The shuttle goes to the convention center, which is a short walk, but you have to go out to the street and walk down the block - hence no Bell service.

Lounge looks nice - but looks like standard breakfast food. So I the restaurant gives you a better option.

By comparison - for the same price range - the JW Marriott has a super lounge, with food mid-day as well, eggs to order from a counter bar (as well as buffet) plus many options - more like the restaurant. And the MTR is an inside walk through the downstairs shopping mall from the JW. And great dinner food.

The Grand Hyatt is pretty much a convention hotel - similar to the Renaissance on the other side of the convention center. While nice, I would not call the Grand Hyatt luxury in terms of Luxury hotels in Hong Kong.

Ruinart champagne is the real deal. Otherwise, i cannot see why it shld be priced so high; 5000hkd for base room is quite ridiculous. Better off staying elsewhere for better value. Just the room itself cannot justify 5000hkd.
Keep the Ruinart flowing.

This is a very nice hotel with exemplary service but the location is an issue unless you are there for a convention. Even the Star Ferry, which should be an easy walk, is difficult to access due to the construction.

I much prefer the location of both Conrad and HR TST.

Lucky, the Airport Express is 24 minutes..runs every 10 minutes....and there's a free shuttle from the Airport Express Station in Central to the Grand Hyatt. Just sayin'.

Wow, guess I'm in the minority here. I find the building ugly for hk and the interior way over the top. Scratch this one from the list for my trip in May. Stayed at IC in past, other than the size of the hotel, I loved the pool and location.

Looks like an excellent property. Got Hyatt to match my status with Hitlon, but only got Platinum so I'd never get a room like that.

Just stayed in the Conrad in August and I have to say I was a little disappointed. I've come to expect Conrads to be the modern and luxurious brand from Hilton after my stays in New York and Dubai. The one in HK just seemed dated tbh.

Maybe on my next trip to HK in July I'll consider a Hyatt property just to give it a try for a night. Grand Hyatt looks terrific but from what I've read now is a little ways from all the action.

Hey Ben

Thanks for the write-up but this might be one of those few times that I would differ from you.
No doubt GH looks great, but from the photos and the facts presented:

[] the 'grand' suite looks small. Ever tried the boutique 'Lanson Place'? (and no, I am not being paid for this) Their rooms are just as big with a bit lesser of the top-end frou-frou luxuries, but at a third of the price
[] breakfast spread looks great, but is quite comparable to those of other premier HK properties e.g. W
[] for that price, you could get a similar or larger suite at the Four Seasons e.g. 1BR apartment. Facilities and location at FS are superior by a notch

Anyway, just my SPG point's worth....

@Lucky, excellent, thorough review - thank you. all things considered, which would you recommend, GH or HR TST assuming both had points+cash availability and I could apply DSUs? Thanks!

If I can weigh-in as a CST - Certified Small Timer - the Hyatt Sha Tin is probably the best value in Hong Kong. It's a 5-star hotel with a great pool and an iffy location in the New Territories. Current rates are about 1100 HKD on advance-purchase. To give some context, that's $195 Cdn, $142 US, and 93 GBP.
My wife and I spent a week there in November, lounging at the pool in the mornings and venturing out in the afternoons. It's a 30-second walk from University station on the MTR.

Two caveats: there are few restaurants around, so you're reliant on the hotel's restaurants unless you're eating before you return. And, the MTR line inexplicably requires a transfer to reach Kowloon, and two transfers to reach Hong Kong. Not ideal, but I'm happy for a longer commute with $300 a day savings.

One final point: we loved HK, but the island itself isn't pedestrian-friendly in the harbour area. There are many places where one can't cross the street at street level - so expect lots of stairs up and down to get around.

I recently stayed in room 1910, and I would have to agree with most parts of your review. The suite is very nice but the design is a bit...boring. I would echo many of the commenters' sentiments about the location. It is a convention hotel and the nearest MTR is about a 10 minute walk at Wan Chai. Next time I'll try HR TST.

Yes! These are the reviews I was waiting for. Great writeup Ben. Does anyone have any suggestions for sights/restaurants on HKG Island. Yes, I know the peak tram but what else?

Does Hyatt still do Diamond matches for top tier status at brands other than Starwood? I'd Love Hyatt Diamond since HHonors Diamond is great until you realize it's 80k points for a single night in HKG.

For Hong Kong, I prefer MO which never fails to deliver and it is much closer to the mtr. But I can never resist the food at Tiffin (Grand Hyatt) especially the AMAZING icecream bar 😀

I'm currently staying in the same exact suite - 1410 🙂

Love the hotel and lounge. The phone is an awesome amenity. I love being connected everywhere I go.

Just stayed at this hotel and have a couple of updates to add for what it's worth. My welcome letter actually says "Complimentary 3 pieces of laundry/pressing per day" instead of Ben's letter for 1 free suit. That is a fantastic upgrade to this benefit. Had I known in advance I would have packed an even lighter version of my carry-on. We definitely took advantage of that benefit quite a bit over our stay.
The second thing is based on what I've read online, the construction project is not a high-rise. It's some sort of traffic bypass. So the hotel shouldn't lose the harbor view once it's completed.