Review: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Hong Kong was the last stop on our trip and it was a pretty great way to end it. We arrived at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong just before midnight and as soon as our van door opened, a bellman rushed over to help with our bags and another person came over to welcome us and walk us towards reception.

The lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is truly stunning – a bit dated, but certainly grand, especially at night.

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Grand Hyatt Hong Kong check-in

I had booked two standard rooms: One under my brother’s account using his points and the other was in my name, using Points + Cash.

I was in the midst of the Hyatt Diamond Fast Track Challenge and this four night stay would have gotten me a third of the way through. 

This is where it became evident how our previous stay at the Conrad Bali spoiled us because as soon as we walked into the room, my brother – who is very low-maintenance – goes, “Wow, this room is kind of small.”

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Deluxe Harbour room

The view was very nice and the room reminded me of the Opera View Room at the Park Hyatt Sydney. The closet space, however, was very limited even though each of us had just one bag. We made it work that day, but we needed a bit more space along with club lounge access for everyone.

The next morning I called the front desk to amend our reservation. As a lowly Platinum member, I wasn’t eligible for club lounge access and was told it would cost an extra $180 per night.

Instead, I moved my reservation to my brother’s account and used a Diamond Suite Night Award to upgrade to a Grand Suite, which had opened up for the rest of our stay. This way, everyone would have club lounge access.

The agent not only took care of all this, but she offered us a second room closer to the suite. After breakfast that morning, we grabbed our still-packed bags and moved.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Suite

Moving to the Grand Suite was a good call because it gave us a lot more storage space. And after long days of sightseeing, we often found ourselves congregating around the living room.

I found the rooms at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong to be on the small side, but the space was well utilized. One thing that definitely gave both the standard room and the suite a bigger appearance were the mirrors placed on the walls by the windows. 

The Grand Suite featured floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the harbour. Despite the construction work on the harbour, the noise level was minimal. I can’t even point to an instance where we actually noticed it.

Grand Suite living room

The Grand Suite consisted of a living room, bedroom, and bathroom. The living room had a small table as well as a couch. A Nespresso machine was placed on a shelf across from the table.

Power outlets were plentiful and I was pleased to see not one but two adapters tucked away in a black box – I’d brought two with me already, but you can never have too many when you’re traveling with a group.

Grand Suite bedroom

Next to the couch was a doorway leading into the bedroom, which was very minimally decorated. A TV was mounted across from the King bed and to the right was the mirrored sliding door leading to the closet and bathroom.

Grand Suite bathroom

The bathroom had a large tub and separate shower. If you find the trend of exposed bathrooms annoying, you’ll be pleased to know there is an electronic shade that can be drawn for privacy.

The drawers under the sink were well stocked with essentials like toothbrushes and razors.

Across from the sink was another large wooden sliding door separating it from the hallway. A large mirror was attached to the other side of the door facing the hallway, which again helped with making the space seem larger.

Grand Suite bathroom #2

Opposite the mirrored door was another one leading to a separate toilet and sink. The space was literally the size of an airplane bathroom, though with infinitely better fixtures and decor. 

 

Complimentary smartphones at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Recently, the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong began offering guests complimentary smartphones with unlimited data. This wasn’t the case when we stayed at the hotel, but it didn’t make a difference since we all had T-mobile, which got us unlimited international data anyway.

For the record, it worked amazingly well. We constantly used it for directions, to look up restaurant reviews and there were zero speed complaints.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand Deluxe City view

The Deluxe Harbour View Room was two doors down from the Grand Suite and had a partial view of the harbour. It wasn’t as nice as the view in the first room we had, but then again we spent very little time in the room so it made no difference.

Space wasn’t an issue this time around since we stored our bags in the suite. The bathroom also seemed much more spacious than the one in first room we stayed in.

Unlike the previous room, this one had a King bed as opposed to two twins. However, we ended up getting an extra bed for my brother to use in the suite living room. This worked out great and everyone was comfortable.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Grand club lounge

At the time of our stay, the Grand Club Lounge was being renovated, so a temporary lounge was set up on a different floor. There were two spaces allocated to the lounge: A larger room containing the buffet, and a smaller adjacent conference room.

The spread was pretty extensive. Guests also had the option to order additional breakfast items off a menu. Pretty much every morning I had scrambled eggs with cheese and chicken sausage on the side, which was always good. There were also lots of fruits, breads, pastries and an Asian breakfast station.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong club lounge evening spread

The evening spread was equally impressive, with at least two hot options, lots of cheese and desserts, and plenty of snacks to choose from. 

The incident with the snooty producer at the lounge

On the first morning, a British man was sitting in the lounge, feeding his son and talking on the phone about a movie he was producing. He spent a good hour on the phone, talking to his broker, various investors, and basically sharing his entire financial portfolio with everyone in the lounge. He wasn’t loud by any means, but it was noticeable since there were so few people in the room.

Eventually his wife arrived, at which point he hung up the phone. Another British man sitting nearby folded his newspaper, calmly walked over, and proceeded to lecture him on cell phone etiquette: “I’ve been sitting here for an hour and I now know all of your business and how much money you earn. Next time, have your conversation outside. Nobody wants to hear your business while they’re trying to enjoy their breakfast.”

A club lounge attendant noticed the scene and, in the most polite and graceful way imaginable, escorted him towards the door. He was done ranting anyway and walked out without resistance. The couple didn’t utter another word the entire time. The next morning I saw the man sitting in the adjacent conference room, resuming his phone conversation without an audience.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong service

The staff at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong was top notch. Everyone from the bellman to the club lounge staff and random employees wandering were nothing short of friendly and professional.

The club lounge manager always made the rounds at breakfast, chatting with people, asking how their stay was and offering up suggestions for things to do. They were all incredibly polished, professional but very personable.

Housekeeping was really great and our rooms were always spotless (not always the case everywhere we stayed). I kept leaving tips on the nightstand along with a note specifying who it was for, but the staff never picked it up.

On our last night, I called the front desk to ask if they had any rubbing alcohol. The agent appeared concerned and asked if we needed first aid. I told her that wasn’t necessary, as my teenage sister was just combating a zit. She said she’d send someone up with some rubber alcohol packets and a bandaid.

Five minutes later, the night manager and another employee showed up with a huge first aid kit, asking if everything was ok. I explained the scenario and apologized that they all came up for that. Despite the trivial nature of the call, they both appeared very concerned. After giving my sister a few packets of alcohol-soaked towelettes and bandaids, they both handed me their business cards and asked me to call if I had any other concerns. 

Final thoughts on the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

We had a great stay at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms are comfortable (if a little small) and the staff is awesome.

That being said, I think next time I’ll give the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui a try. We ended up spending a great deal of time in Kowloon anyway and with the convenience of the Star Ferry, it’s a good option…and 10,000 points cheaper.

If you want a nice hotel on the harbour, the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is a great choice.

Stories from my trip to Asia

• How I booked a $90,000 trip to Singapore, Bali, and Hong Kong for less than $1,500 out of pocket
• Cathay Pacific business class lounge SFO
• Cathay Pacific business class SFO-HKG
• Cathay Pacific business class HKG-SIN
• Dragonair business class lounge Hong Kong Airport
• Grand Hyatt Singapore review
• Garuda Indonesia economy class Singapore to Bali
• Villa Bulung Daya in Antap, Bali review
• Conrad Bali Penthouse suite review
• Conrad Bali pool suite review
• Cathay Pacific economy class Bali to Hong Kong
• Cathay Pacific The Pier first class lounge at Hong Kong Airport
• Cathay Pacific first class Hong Kong to San Francisco