After a significant delay, the Park Hyatt Auckland has finally opened its doors… too bad most of us won’t be able to visit anytime soon, as New Zealand’s borders are oh-so-closed.
In this post:
Park Hyatt Auckland finally opens
Park Hyatt is one of my favorite hotel brands, and we’ve seen some noticeable property openings in the past year, including the Park Hyatt Kyoto and Park Hyatt Niseko. I can’t wait to visit both of those properties once Japan opens its borders and it’s practical to visit.
Another property I’ve been anticipating is the Park Hyatt Auckland. New Zealand is a gorgeous country, and Auckland is a city that historically hasn’t had many great luxury hotels.
In 2014 I wrote about how the Park Hyatt Auckland was supposed to open in 2017, though the hotel had significant delays. Well, the Park Hyatt Auckland finally had its grand opening this week, though all things considered it couldn’t have come at a worse time, given that New Zealand is closed to the outside world. Well, I guess that’s one way to have a soft opening and ease into operations.
In September 2019 the hotel started accepting reservations as of March 2020, though there had been a few more delays after that. As the hotel described the situation in an email to guests who had their reservations cancelled:
Over the past weeks, there have been some significant changes in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a lockdown of all non-essential businesses for an extended period commencing in late March.
I am sure you can understand that these unforeseen factors have had a large impact on our construction as well as any other part of our economy and as a result of that, we are no longer confident that we will be able to meet our anticipated opening date in June 2020.
At this stage we are unaware when exactly we are able to resume the final stages of the construction, however we are confident to accept reservations from September 2020 onwards.
Below are a few details about what we can expect from the new Park Hyatt…
Redeeming points at the Park Hyatt Auckland
The Park Hyatt Auckland is a Category 5 World of Hyatt property. This means that a free night costs 20,000 points (Hyatt’s most expensive Category 7 properties cost 30,000 points per night, by comparison).
If you’re looking to earn World of Hyatt points you can redeem towards a stay here, the good news is that points are pretty easy to come by.
In addition to being able to earn World of Hyatt points with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review), you can also transfer over points from Ultimate Rewards.
- Earn 4x Points at Hyatt Properties
- Free Night Every Year
- Complimentary Discoverist Status
- $95
- Earn 4x Points at Hyatt Properties
- Complimentary Discoverist Status
- Gift Discoverist Status up to 5 Employees
- $199
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel purchases
- $95
- 3x points on Travel after the $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 3x points on Dining
- $300 Travel Credit
- $550
- Earn 3x points on travel
- Earn 3x points on shipping purchases
- Cell Phone Protection
- $95
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Car Rental Coverage
- Extended Warranty Protection
- $0
- Earn 5% Cash Back at office supply stores
- Earn 5% Cash Back on internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines
- Car Rental Coverage
- $0
- Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
- Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
- Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
- $0
See this post for everything you need to know about earning Hyatt points with credit cards.
Cash rates at the Park Hyatt Auckland
Paid rates at the Park Hyatt Auckland have come down significantly since coronavirus closed New Zealand’s borders, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. While the hotel first had entry level rates of 595NZD, entry level rates are now 405NZD, or around 275USD.
For those looking to use a Globalist Suite Upgrade, it looks like the standard suite here would be a Park Suite, which is advertised as being 71 square meters, or about 765 square feet.
If you are booking a paid rate I would recommend booking through Hyatt Privé so you can receive benefits like free breakfast, a room upgrade, a $100 property credit, and more.
Park Hyatt Auckland facts & pictures
The Park Hyatt Auckland is located right on the waterfront. It has 195 guest rooms, four restaurants and bars, a spa, a 25-meter infinity pool, and a fitness center.
Here are some pictures that the hotel has shared so far:
Park Hyatt Auckland bottom line
The Park Hyatt Auckland has finally opened its doors, only a few years behind schedule. Unfortunately given coronavirus and New Zealand’s closed borders, it’ll likely be a while before us non-Kiwis are able to visit.
This looks to be a very nice property, and at Category 5 it should also be a pretty good use of points long-term.
I look forward to checking out the Park Hyatt Auckland, and more importantly to explore more parts of New Zealand, once things start to normalize and New Zealand’s borders open.
So, who’s going to be the first person to check out the new Park Hyatt Auckland?
Couldn't they at least share actual pictures instead of computer-generated models?
This property is also bookable via Amex Platinum's Fine Hotels & Resorts for those who don't want to go via Hyatt Privé.
Crazy. I had my award booked for next week.
Stupid pandemic.
Settling for WA Maldives in 2 weeks instead.
I was supposed to go there this weekend. Sadly even us Aussies can’t go.
The George (CAT 4) in Christchurch is a good use for certificates. Rates are normally around $400NZD. Eichardt’s Private Hotel though Category 8 is a very expensive hotel in Queenstown and would be where I would steer my points to good use. Rates are well over $1,000NZD when they are even open for bookings. Even a good use of purchased points. Ben has to stay there (Park Hyatt) as that’s his job, but I personally...
The George (CAT 4) in Christchurch is a good use for certificates. Rates are normally around $400NZD. Eichardt’s Private Hotel though Category 8 is a very expensive hotel in Queenstown and would be where I would steer my points to good use. Rates are well over $1,000NZD when they are even open for bookings. Even a good use of purchased points. Ben has to stay there (Park Hyatt) as that’s his job, but I personally steer clear of Auckland. Not a lot of points hotels in Auckland so good to know what it offers compared to the Marriott. The Holiday in is by the airport.
I’m planning to start new job in NZ next month. Waiting for visa approval, Maybe I’ll have a chance to check it out!
What a horrible time to be opening up a new luxury hotel.