I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Dubai more than a handful of times before, though have only reviewed it twice. I first reviewed it in 2011 when I stayed in a Park Deluxe Room, and then briefly reviewed it during a quick overnight in Dubai where I stayed in a Park Suite.
While I’d like to review some new hotels in Dubai, in this case I didn’t want to “experiment,” since I wanted to be sure my dad had as smooth of an experience as possible.
In this case I booked the Park Hyatt using Points + Cash. The Park Hyatt Dubai is a Category 5 Gold Passport property, and had Points + Cash availability for our three night stay. That made the cost 10,000 Gold Passport points plus $125 per night. The best part about Points + Cash rates is that they count as revenue stays, so are eligible for Diamond Suite Upgrade Awards. I actually used one of my Diamond Suite Upgrade Awards expiring in February 2014, since I booked the stay really early last year, and they let you book them for a stay after the expiration date, as long as there’s upgrade availability.
Anyway, our Emirates chauffeur drove us to the Park Hyatt. The first thing I love about the Park Hyatt is that it’s only about a 10 minute drive from Dubai International Airport, so it’s especially convenient for a quick overnight.
It’s in the Dubai Creek area, which I love. It’s only about a 15 minute drive from the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, but you really feel so removed from everything. It really doesn’t feel like a city hotel, but rather more like a secluded resort. You basically get the best of both worlds.
Anyway, upon pulling up on the rather impressive driveway we were greeted by the bellmen, who helped us with our bags. The exterior looks very Moroccan, a theme which continues throughout the hotel.
Park Hyatt Dubai exterior
Park Hyatt Dubai exterior
The reception area is in an octagonal shape, and we were quickly helped by the friendly associate, who then escorted us to our room.
Park Hyatt Dubai lobby
The hotel is really spread out. There are only five floors of rooms, so the hotel’s footprint is quite large. There are four wings, and frankly the hotel is a bit of a maze. If you’re in one of the “far” wings, it can take a day just to figure out how to walk to reception without getting lost.
Park Hyatt Dubai hallway
To access our wing we had to pass through the lobby bar, and then use the indoor bridge, which goes over the garden.
Park Hyatt Dubai lobby lounge
Park Hyatt Dubai lobby lounge
Park Hyatt Dubai lobby lounge
Park Hyatt Dubai garden
The lobby is actually on the third floor, so we only had to take the elevator up two levels to the fifth floor.
Park Hyatt Dubai hallway
We were assigned room 3503, a Park King Suite in the third wing and on the fifth floor.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite entrance
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite entrance
This was a “true” suite, in the sense that it had a fully separated living area and bedroom. The living room was large, and featured a couch and two chairs facing a flat screen TV.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite living room
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite living room
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite living room
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite living room TV
On the living room table was a welcome fruit plate.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite welcome fruit plate
Then in the corner was a large desk area.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite living room desk
Behind the desk was the Nespresso coffee machine, minibar, and a few bottles of water.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite coffee machine
The minibar was well stocked, with soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor, and snacks.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite minibar
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite minibar
Then next to that was a welcome gift, consisting of a bottle of red wine, some nuts, and packaged candy bars. I believe this is a standard offering for suites. I always find the packaged chocolate bars to be especially funny (and rather practical when I have jetlag cravings).
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite welcome amenity
Behind the desk was the guest bathroom, consisting of a toilet and sink.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite half bath
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite half bath
Then a sliding door led into the bedroom, which featured a king size bed, flat screen TV, and chair. The bed is firm but comfortable. We had also ordered a rollaway bed, which was placed in the living room.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bedroom
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bedroom
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bedroom
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bedroom
The bathroom was sort of “exposed” in the sense that it was behind the bed without any separation.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bedroom
The bathroom featured double sinks, a soaking tub, a large walk-in shower, and a partitioned off toilet and bidet.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bathroom
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bathtub
The shower was nice, though I found the temperature control to be pretty challenging. It was nearly rocket science to get it to the right temperature. There was maybe a one millimeter range of pleasant temperatures when turning the dial.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite shower
The hotel seems to have recently downgraded their bath amenities, because they had some no name toiletries. Years ago I had Blaise Mautin, most recently I had Le Labo, and now they have hotel branded ones.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite toiletries
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite bathroom
Then between the bedroom and bathroom was a large closet area.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite closet
The room featured two small balconies. The one by the bedroom wasn’t furnished, while the one by the living room was.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite balcony
I love the views from the Park Hyatt, as the hotel overlooks Dubai Creek. It’s super relaxing — there are some nice yachts, you see the occasional sea plane because the sightseeing tours leave from the Creek, and then in the distance you see the Dubai skyline, including the Burj Khalifa.
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite view
Park Hyatt Dubai Park Suite view
All-in-all I thought the suite was gorgeous. It was huge and well appointed. That being said, the rooms are a bit on the tired/dated side. Not seriously so, but they could use an update in the next couple of years. Then again, unlike properties such as the Park Hyatt Sydney, I don’t consider the Park Hyatt Dubai to be a “true” five star hotel. I’d say it’s more in the 4-4.5 star range.
We had breakfast every morning at Cafe Arabesuqe, which was included as a Diamond member. Breakfast is served daily from 6:30AM till 11AM, and we had breakfast right as they opened every morning. It’s a nice restaurant, and I especially love the patio area.
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque
For whatever reason I spent much of my summer in the Middle East, when it was excruciatingly hot. Being there a time of year where temperatures are actually pleasant was so nice.
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque patio
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque patio
At Cafe Arabesque there’s an an extensive buffet, and then on top of that you can order items off the a la carte menu, which is included in the buffet price.
The breakfast menu read as follows:
The breakfast spread was awesome, and consisted of fruit, cold cuts, veggies, cheese, all kinds of ridiculously tasty pastries, muffins, croissants, etc.
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
I love Arabic food, so mostly just had tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., for breakfast.
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
Then there were a few hot dishes, though I’m not much for hot food in the morning.
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast spread
I only ordered something off the menu once. I ordered the “menemen,” which sounded much more harmless in writing than when I tried to say it out loud.
Park Hyatt Dubai Cafe Arabesque breakfast menemen
The only disappointing part of the breakfast experience was the service. I’d order a coffee and finish it before I got my first plate of food, but was never offered a refill. Instead they’d just remove the cup or leave it there sitting empty. Truly puzzling, though not as puzzling as the fact that I received an email during my stay apologizing for the service at breakfast, despite the fact that I hadn’t complained about it at the time. And the service was equally bad each morning, so it wasn’t a one off.
In terms of the hotel’s other facilities, the grounds are stunning, and there are about a hundred nice spots from which you can work on a laptop outdoors (which I love to do, weather permitting).
Park Hyatt Dubai garden
Park Hyatt Dubai garden
Park Hyatt Dubai garden
The hotel does have a decent size pool which is consistently full. It’s a nice area for lounging, and service around the pool is quite attentive.
Park Hyatt Dubai pool
Next to the pool is the gym, which is large and well equipped.
Park Hyatt Dubai gym
Park Hyatt Dubai gym
Park Hyatt Dubai gym
Park Hyatt Dubai gym
Other than at breakfast, service at the hotel was generally attentive. Everyone we interacted with was friendly.
The last day our flight left at 3AM, so we only wanted to check out at around 9PM or so. I asked what the options were for extending the stay with a day rate. Ultimately I could extend check-out until 9PM at a cost of 800AED (~$220), which came with two drinks at the Terrace Bar (which we didn’t use) and an airport transfer (which we didn’t need, since Emirates was picking us up). That’s not cheap, but ultimately it was worth the price to me so we could be well rested and enjoy the rest of the trip.
Park Hyatt Dubai bottom line
I continue to be a big fan of the Park Hyatt Dubai. It’s a fantastic option if you just have a quick overnight in Dubai given its proximity to the airport, but has even been my “go to” option for longer stays. I’d definitely return, though my next few visits to Dubai I’d like to check out some new properties. For example, while I’ve done the Park Hyatt over a handful of times, I’ve yet to stay at the Grand Hyatt, which is less than 10 minutes away.
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