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.
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)
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