As reported by Hotelier Middle East, some major changes are expected at the Park Hyatt Dubai — whether they’re good or bad depends on how much you’re willing to pay.
In this post:
Park Hyatt Dubai becomes Dubai Creek Resort
The Park Hyatt Dubai is located on Dubai Creek, on the same property as the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Despite their proximity, historically the hotel has operated separately from the rest of the complex. That will finally be changing, as the two are merging, and hoping to form one of the hottest lifestyle destinations in Dubai. The hotel will be known as Park Hyatt Dubai Creek Resort, so it’s basically taking the branding of both former businesses (and will continue to be managed by Hyatt).
Not only will this involve a full renovation (which I’ll talk more about below), but it will involve adding all kinds of amenities that will hopefully make the Dubai Creek Resort more of a destination, even for locals. The biggest focus will be more food & beverage outlets, which makes sense, since restaurants are really what make a hotel in Dubai a destination (especially since alcohol is only served at restaurants that are part of hotels).
The Park Hyatt recently had success with the opening of Twiggy by La Cantine, so the goal is to work on similar collaborations for more dining options.
Park Hyatt Dubai undergoing full renovation
The Park Hyatt Dubai opened back in 2005, and it’s certainly starting to show its age, as it hasn’t undergone a full refresh since opening. That will finally be changing. The Park Hyatt Dubai is expected to undergo a major refresh:
- Roughly half of the property will be renovated in 2022
- The other half of the property will be renovated in 2023
It’s expected that almost the entire interior of the hotel will be renovated, ranging from the guest rooms, to the lobbies, to the other outlets. Meanwhile not many changes are expected to the exterior, which is still in good shape. It’s also stated that the charm, nature, and DNA of the hotel shouldn’t change with these renovations.
As it’s described, hotel management hopes that after these changes, the Park Hyatt Dubai will be able to compete with “the big boys” in Dubai. It’s stated that average rates right now are in the range of AED1,000 to AED1,200, but the hotel’s GM states that “room rates are going to increase big time,” because the hotel is “making a big investment that has to be recovered.”
The hope is that in high season (from November through March), rates could range between AED2,500 and AED3,000. The hotel might be optimistic here — only time will tell.
My take on Park Hyatt Dubai changes
I really like the Park Hyatt Dubai, and it’s typically my go-to hotel when in Dubai:
- It’s great for a quick stopover, since it’s so close to the airport
- I love how peaceful the hotel is, as Dubai Creek is such a lovely place to be; you really feel like you’re removed from the hustle-and-bustle of Dubai
- I love that it’s a Hyatt, given that World of Hyatt is such a great loyalty program
Where does that leave me on these changes? While I suppose I’m not excited about rates going up (though I could always redeem points), I am excited about these changes otherwise:
- The rooms at the Park Hyatt could use a refresh, so it’s great that we can expect that in the next couple of years
- The Park Hyatt has done a great job adding new food & beverage outlets, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next
Personally I think this change will be successful. Dubai Creek is such an underrated destination in terms of its views and general peacefulness, and I’m sure a lot of restaurants could do pretty well there.
Bottom line
The Park Hyatt Dubai will be undergoing some major changes. The hotel will be fully renovated in the next couple of years, and on top of that the property is merging with the nearby golf club and marina, to form the Park Hyatt Dubai Creek Resort. With this, we should expect the area to become even more of a destination, hopefully with more popular food & beverage outlets.
While I’m not looking forward to rates increasing, otherwise I like these changes.
What do you make of the changes coming to the Park Hyatt Dubai?
(Tip of the hat to Mark)
My husband and I spent three nights at the Park Hyatt Dubai in mid-March, 2021, prior to leaving on a cruise (which was cancelled after we boarded the ship, due to Covid). We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Park Hyatt and really had no complaints at all. Perhaps some of the décor was slightly dated, but not every property has to be just-renovated in order to enjoy one's stay. Certainly everything in our room...
My husband and I spent three nights at the Park Hyatt Dubai in mid-March, 2021, prior to leaving on a cruise (which was cancelled after we boarded the ship, due to Covid). We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Park Hyatt and really had no complaints at all. Perhaps some of the décor was slightly dated, but not every property has to be just-renovated in order to enjoy one's stay. Certainly everything in our room worked perfectly. We found service throughout the property to be very attentive and friendly. The fellows by the Creek-bordered infinity pool were very pro-active when it came to reserving lounge chairs for us near our room and providing ice water, towels, etc. We look forward to returning. My photos of the hotel and grounds can be seen here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSdajzi
Glad that others also think this hotel is at best unimpressive. I gave it a try when it was <$150 this spring, and quickly moved hotels.
Like someone said Hyatt has done a great job at keeping loyalists from even looking at other, most often better options.
Literally just had three nights there last week. Wasn't impressed. Service was lacking. TV didn't work had to call for repairs. Concierge didn't seem to have a clue what was opened and what was closed. The breakfast was decent with the eggs benedict but kinda weird that they serve one mini pancake at a time when you ask for pancakes. Waitress never brought me the bacon I ordered. When asked if I wanted more coffee...
Literally just had three nights there last week. Wasn't impressed. Service was lacking. TV didn't work had to call for repairs. Concierge didn't seem to have a clue what was opened and what was closed. The breakfast was decent with the eggs benedict but kinda weird that they serve one mini pancake at a time when you ask for pancakes. Waitress never brought me the bacon I ordered. When asked if I wanted more coffee I said no and yet someone else brought another coffee a minute later. They have signs up for lounges that are closed, so you spend time walking around looking for the lounge and then have to go to the front desk to find out that it has been closed down. There is a golf cart that runs people down to the gate and then if you walk 5-10 minutes in the heat you can get to the subway, so basically cabs are the way to go. I ate at Twiggy. The food was good but extremely overpriced and has a snooty vibe to the place. Property is soo spread out there is a ton of walking to get anywhere. Have stayed at several Park Hyatts that were miles better than this.
PH Milan is evidently also undergoing a massive renovation this year. My reservation for December was unceremoniously cancelled with no rebooking offered due to renovations. I'd love to know what the new PH Milan will look like / what the planned renovations are. Can you find out?
I've got a trip planned to Dubai in mid March 2022 and was thinking of this location. Now a little uneasy as I would not want to be in the midst of a major renovation with a certainty of things / areas to be shut down, along with noise. Any idea of WHEN the renovations start in 2022??
Location, location, location. No one is going to pay AES 3000 (USD 800) to stay at DUBAY CREEK.
Hyatt really gets it right as a brand.
Charging high prices for a substandard hotel and making people believe it's worth it there.
This hotel is barely worth $150 in a city where there are dozens of true 5* options.
Kudos to Hyatt for creating brand where medicrocity still gets you high prices.
$150 is what they were charging earlier this month when I was in Dubai and I passed because I thought it was overpriced.
Yea the PH Dubai is most certainly not a real five star property. It is four stars at best. Although in fairness I felt that way about a lot of Dubai. It pretends to be five stars but everything felt four stars, so maybe the property fits right in with the city.
Just not the right area for super premium prices. Who wants to pay AED 3,000 for Dubai Creek…
I am a regular guest at the hotel, and honestly the property is amazing no doubt. But I have some issues:
1) Staff: Both Ends of the spectrum from very nice to awful.
2) Rates: The Lowest I booked the hotel for is 800 Dirhams (Approx $225) and the highest 2000 Dirhams (Approx $520). The Rates are not low by any means, especially when you look at the excess capacity of hotel rooms...
I am a regular guest at the hotel, and honestly the property is amazing no doubt. But I have some issues:
1) Staff: Both Ends of the spectrum from very nice to awful.
2) Rates: The Lowest I booked the hotel for is 800 Dirhams (Approx $225) and the highest 2000 Dirhams (Approx $520). The Rates are not low by any means, especially when you look at the excess capacity of hotel rooms in Dubai and all the new properties coming in. They already have a good margin above the 5* Resort/Hotel Segment. If they are trying to increase the prices, good luck. I will definitely not be coming back.
3) F&B Outlets: I usually book a room including breakfast which is at the French Restaurant, but I faced this issue over the last few weeks, I come in for breakfast and voila the Breakfast area is full. Why? The Hotel allows non-guests to come in which shouldn’t be an issue but when capacity is limited and guests already pre-paid? I have to go to the reception and argue only to be told “Next time call and book a time slot for breakfast the night before, which is ….
4) Swiggy by La Cantine, Hahaha. They cater to the adult pool (Lagoon), Just take a look at the pool menu. There is no usual pool side items on the menu like Nachos, Fries, etc.. But they do have Sushi ! And of course it’s very overpriced. Painfully Overpriced not the regular hotel mark-up.
5) If the hotel wants to add more outlets that follow this pricing strategy, again Good Luck. I can say this with confidence, the client base will diminish.
The typical client base is wealthy, Yes. Not Denying this. But they are also “Old-Timers” They are very regular customers whether to stay, dine or drink. They will definitely not be happy when they jack-up already above average prices for a similar property. Again consider there are a lot of alternatives, it’s not the same 2005 Dubai where supply was limited.
Finally, the Rooms, I would say I really like them, Well maintained to say the least.
The pricing part is the one that really bugs me, of course they must’ve done their research, but no. They dont seem to understand their customer base. I’ll leave it at that.
The cost of the renovations to be born by the guest. Really? Isn’t the resort fee they charge enough? Or should they add a new charge above the current rates, “Renovation Charge”.
Seems like they want to maintain the same margins, so the price increase is to cover the cost. Simple as that.
Twiggy*
If I continue my rant about the pricing.
What do they mean by the “Big Boys” here? Match the prices of Al Maha Resort?
Look at the other big brands in Dubai like W The Palm, Sofitel the Palm, Armani Dubai, Four Seasons Jumeirah.
Park Hyatt’s prices are already very similar if not higher on weekends when I check.
Keep in mind, if you drive 200km to the North...
Twiggy*
If I continue my rant about the pricing.
What do they mean by the “Big Boys” here? Match the prices of Al Maha Resort?
Look at the other big brands in Dubai like W The Palm, Sofitel the Palm, Armani Dubai, Four Seasons Jumeirah.
Park Hyatt’s prices are already very similar if not higher on weekends when I check.
Keep in mind, if you drive 200km to the North you have 5* Properties at the beach, with plenty of restaurants and bars onsite that are cheaper, but let’s stick to the city of Dubai to keep it fair.