Hong Kong is my favorite city in the world, and over the years I’ve visited it dozens of times. There’s something about the vibe of the city that energizes me, unlike anywhere else I’ve traveled to.
In Hong Kong I tend to have a few hotels I go back to every time. Over the years I’ve reviewed quite a few, including the following:
- Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui
- Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
- Conrad Hong Kong
- Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Sha Tin
- InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
- InterContinental Hong Kong
- Marriott SkyCity Hong Kong
Ironically enough I’ve actually not really checked out the Hyatt and Starwood options thoroughly, despite those being my two primary hotel loyalty programs.
This time around I decided to stay at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which is objectively the best Hyatt property in Hong Kong. While Grand Hyatts are of varying quality, this is considered to be one of the flagship international Grand Hyatt properties, and the prices reflect that — rates are consistently ~$400+ per night.
The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is a Category 6 Gold Passport property, making a free night redemption 25,000 points per night.
I didn’t want to spend $400+ for the night and also didn’t want to redeem 25,000 points, but fortunately the hotel had Points + Cash availability. That made the cost of my one night stay 12,500 Gold Passport points plus $150.
Category 6 Points + Cash redemptions are among my favorite values, especially in relation to the cost of an outright points stay. Keep in mind that Points + Cash bookings qualify for stay credits and Diamond Suite Upgrade Awards. While I didn’t redeem a suite upgrade in this case, I did like getting a stay credit and having it qualify towards Hyatt’s first quarter promotion.
Anyway, I apologize in advance that this review won’t be that detailed, since I literally got to the hotel at night, ended up going out pretty late, slept for four hours, had a busy morning, and then rushed to the airport. So I didn’t have a chance to check out the pool, gym, etc.
The Grand Hyatt is located on Hong Kong Island (as opposed to the Hyatt Regency in Kowloon, which is across Victoria Harbor), right along the waterfront.
As I entered the lobby I immediately could see why this would be considered one of Grand Hyatt’s flagship international properties, given that the lobby was… grand!
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong lobby
It was one of the most gorgeous and elegant Hyatt lobbies I’ve seen.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong lobby
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong lobby
The check-in process was efficient, and within minutes I was given keys to my Grand Harbour King Room. I was also given a sheet explaining the features of the Grand Club, which I had access to thanks to my Diamond status.
I took the elevator up to the 25th floor, where my room was located.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong hallway
I was assigned room 2513, which was located down the hallway and on the right.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong room entrance
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong floorplan
The room itself was a great size for a “standard” hotel room in Hong Kong. And while the public facilities feel very in line with what you’d expect from the Grand Hyatt brand, the rooms feel very Park Hyatt-like.
Once I entered the room, the bathroom was located to the right and luggage storage and a closet were located to the left.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room entrance
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room entrance
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room suitcase storage
The room featured a king size bed which faced a flat screen TV.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room
The bed was on the firm side, though still comfortable, in my opinion.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room bed
The room was separated from the bathroom by a glass shield, though fortunately there were privacy curtains that could be lowered. That’s the best of both worlds, as far as I’m concerned. It makes the room feel bigger, though at the same time nothing is worse than a room with a glass shield and no privacy curtains.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room TV
In the back right corner of the room by the window was a chair with ottoman.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room chair & ottoman
Then in the back left corner of the room was a dining table with two chairs. The dining table seemed to be there in place of a desk, which I sort of didn’t mind. It’s not often you otherwise see a legitimate dining table in a standard room.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room table
The room boasted amazing views of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The Hong Kong skyline never gets old for me.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room view
While I ultimately prefer the views of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon over the views of Kowloon from Hong Kong Island, this was still pretty awesome.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room view
Then to the left of the TV was a Nespresso machine and the minibar.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room Nespresso machine
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room minibar
The bathroom was well appointed as well, with a sink in the center.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room bathroom
Then to the left was a bathtub, close to the bed.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room bathtub
And to the right was a walk-in shower with both a ceiling-mounted showerhead as well as a handheld one.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room shower
Then there was a toilet with a separate door (maybe it’s just me, but I do really appreciate that).
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room toilet
At this point I was loving the room, and was saying “goodness, this might as well be a Park Hyatt.”
And then I saw the toiletries. They were June Jacobs branded.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Harbour King Room June Jacobs toiletries
Now I realize that’s pretty “brand standard” for some Grand Hyatts, which is largely the case because Grand Hyatt lacks an identity, and has properties ranging from $80 per night airport hotels to $400+ per night city hotels.
But offering June Jacobs toiletries in a hotel of this caliber/price point is roughly the equivalent of serving Duc de Paris champagne in first class… and surely no airline would ever do that! You’d think they could at least offer a decent line of toiletries.
As far as the club lounge goes, it’s located on the 30th and 31st floor. The main lounge reception is located on the 30th floor, and then you can take the rather grand-looking staircase up to the 31st floor, where most of the seating is located.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club
The lounge is gorgeous and has panoramic views of the harbor and Hong Kong Island. After checking in and catching up on a few emails I figured I’d take a quick look at the lounge, so walked up there at around 11PM. I was sad I had missed the evening spread, since I have heard this is one of the best Hyatt club lounges out there.
The first thing I noticed is that while they didn’t have food anywhere, they did have champagne available, so I grabbed a glass. And then I noticed a few friends seated in the lounge, by chance. So we sat down and talked for a bit (and drank a couple of bottles of champagne, of course).
And then this weird Indonesian guy came up to us. He said he was very “lonely,” so he asked if he could take a picture with us. Sure… I guess? After he took it I asked out of curiosity what he was doing with it, and he said “I am in Hong Kong alone, I make my ex-wife very jealous with this. She famous actress.”
He actually turned out to be quite amusing, though I’m still confused about what happened there. Or why he was in Hong Kong. Or how he’d make his ex-wife jealous by being with a bunch of aviation geeks on Valentine’s Day. I started to think about it less a few glasses of champagne in. And then he started smoking in the lounge, even though it’s non-smoking. And then I left.
In the morning I quickly checked out the breakfast buffet, which was impressive for a club lounge. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast spread
In addition to the buffet there was a small menu of Chinese options.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Club breakfast menu
It’s worth noting that the club lounge seems to now be closed for the next 10 months, and has been relocated to the 5th floor, at least per the Grand Hyatt’s website:
*From 23 February 2015, Grand Club lounge will be closed for renovation for approximately 10 months. During the period, the lounge will be relocated to 5th floor. The business lounge will be managed by the Grand Club team with the same offerings where complimentary breakfast, evening cocktails will be served. The one-hour complimentary use of a meeting room, subject to availability, will be moved to the Business Centre meeting room.
After breakfast and showering I was off, sad that I didn’t get to enjoy more of the hotel.
The last highlight of my stay was at check-out. The guy checking out next to me just threw the biggest temper tantrum because apparently he phoned down to have his bag picked up, and no one showed up within five minutes. He then threw his sunglasses on the counter to express his disappointed (fortunately his Louis Vuittons stayed on), and insisted he wouldn’t be paying for his stay.
His hands then flailed up as he said “I had to carry my bag down on my own.” He pointed at his bag… which was a carry-on.
Alrighty then!
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong bottom line
Ultimately this was just a really quick stay, though based on what I saw I was impressed by the Grand Hyatt. The public facilities really capture what you’d expect from a “Grand” Hyatt, while the rooms are near Park Hyatt quality, minus the toiletries.
The club lounge breakfast spread was great, and based on what I’ve heard the evening spread is even more impressive, so I’m sad I missed it.
There’s no denying this property is a step above the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui. The rooms are marginally nicer while the club lounge is significantly better in terms of the offerings. The one advantage of the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui is that you get a complimentary smartphone for the duration of your stay, so you don’t need data locally.
The other major consideration is that this property is on Hong Kong Island while the other property is in Kowloon. So I’ll copy what I wrote about Hong Kong Island vs. Kowloon in my last trip report below.
But all things considered the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is at the top of my list of properties to return to in Hong Kong.
Should you stay on Hong Kong Island or in Kowloon?
One question I’m often asked is whether I prefer staying on Hong Kong Island or in Kowloon. For those of you not familiar with Hong Kong geography, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are separated by Victoria Harbour, so it’s a quick 10 minute ferry or subway ride to get between the two.
The Hyatt Regency is in Kowloon, while the Grand Hyatt is on Hong Kong Island.
Which location do I prefer? To be honest, I don’t really have a strong opinion one way or another. There are pros and cons to each.
Pros to Hong Kong Island:
- It’s much cleaner, and there’s more high end shopping
- It’s closer to Stanley Market and Victoria Peak
- A lot of Hong Kong’s top restaurants are on the Island
Pros to Kowloon:
- It has a much more “local” feel, as it’s where most locals live (while Central/Hong Kong Island would be more the equivalent of the financial district)
- It has views of Hong Kong Island, which really are the best views there are
- It’s closer to the Ladies Market and airport
- It’s generally more pedestrian friendly — while Hong Kong Island is pretty centralized, it’s surprisingly pedestrian unfriendly
So there really are pros and cons to both, and since it’s just 10 minutes to get between the two, I don’t really have a preference as to which “side” I stay on.
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