During my time in the UAE, I had planned to spend two nights in Abu Dhabi at the Park Hyatt, though after my Arrival credit cards were shut down, that was no longer possible. So I opted for the Hyatt Capital Gate, which I’ve always wanted to check out due to the building’s interesting architecture.
It also helped that the hotel was just 12,000 points per night or ~$200. I booked one room on points and the second room on the paid rate in order to apply a suite upgrade award.
Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi location
The Hyatt Capital Gate is located about 15 minutes from the airport, in a developing area of the city. It’s pretty far from everything and since there is no Lyft, Uber or other rideshare apps your only options for getting around are cabs. Cabs are dirt cheap, but hailing one isn’t always convenient.
There’s not a whole lot to see and do in Abu Dhabi anyway, so this isn’t really a concern. The only time you do want to leave the place is to eat because basically everything at this hotel costs an arm and two legs.
At $12 a glass for a mint lemonade, you’ll never complain about $5 lattes again. A dry prime beef burger with a handful of lettuce on the side? $25. The wait time was also ridiculously long. By the way, if you want to try the mint lemonade, I found a recipe online that tastes exactly like the drink served at the Hyatt Capital Gate. It’s absolutely delicious (though loaded with sugar) and very refreshing during the summer.
In the evenings, we sat out on the patio to enjoy the views. Apparently Abu Dhabi’s ruler has a house on the strip nearby and occasionally you can see a helicopter land nearby, signaling that he’s home.
Hyatt Capital Gate building and lobby
The Hyatt Capital Gate is one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever seen. It’s absolutely gorgeous from every angle. I arrived before my mom did and she had our passports, so we couldn’t check in. Instead, we hung out in the lower lobby for a while, which has these ridiculously comfortable (odd looking) couches.
The Hyatt Capital Gate hotel lobby is located on the 18th floor and while it’s fairly small, it’s absolutely stunning. I’m personally obsessed with the floors, which I learned were Serpeggiante marble. There was a tray of complimentary dates laid out at all times and the seating area was just the coziest place to hang out and read or work.
The staff was really nice and accommodating. Since we had a late flight, I asked if they could extend late checkout. The agent asked me what time I needed and I asked what the latest available time was. His response? “Ma’am, you’re a Diamond member so whatever you want is ok.”
At check-in, I was upgraded from a Capital Suite to an Executive Suite, which was going for $545 per night at the time. It was just about the most beautiful hotel suite I’ve ever seen. Possibly nicer than the Grand Suite at the Grand Hyatt Singapore.
We grabbed our stuff and headed to the elevators, with the front desk agent sprinting ahead to press the button for us. An odd thing I noticed about the hallway carpets: They made a weird noise when you walked on them, as if there was plastic underneath.
Hyatt Capital Gate Executive Suite
I was pretty blown away when I walked into the Executive Suite. The circular entryway branched off into the bathroom, master bedroom, living room, kitchenette, and adjacent standard room.
The living room looked unreal, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and gorgeous light fixtures. This was the first time I’d seen a room look more beautiful in person than on the hotel website.
The living room ended up being the perfect place to entertain my cousin, who we learned was in town on her way to Amsterdam, staying less than a mile away. Her kids had a total blast in the suite.
The master bedroom was just as impressive, with a massive bathroom to boot. You’ll want to draw the blinds if you’re enjoying a soak in the huge tub. Otherwise, you might have an awkward encounter with one of the window washers who jump around with harnesses every morning.
I don’t know what it was about power outlets on this trip, but once again the ones in the master bedroom didn’t work. The blow dryer also kept turning off after a minute of use, which made getting ready in the morning a real hassle.
The wifi was 2-bars slow. Not great when there’s not a ton of other stuff to do in this neck of the woods but surf the web. We were given adjacent rooms, which gave our shared space an apartment style feel…
Standard room at Hyatt Capital Gate
The standard room at the Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is anything but. Seriously, if I could live in this room forever, I would be a happy camper. The decor was sleek, modern, yet warm.
The standard room was outfitted with a built-in closet unit, offering tons of places to store your belongings. There was also an espresso machine with complimentary coffee and tea provisions. The colorful espresso cups were an artful touch.
The television displayed the hotel’s WhatsApp number, encouraging guests to use it for any requests. It’s always a good sign, in terms of customer service, when hotels embrace technology and social media to improve the guest experience.
The bathroom had the same earthy tones, not to mention large bath tub and separate shower, as the master bath.
The towel rack was a nice, simply feature that not enough hotel rooms make available. The Portico amenities were the best – you gotta love the clean, fresh smell of their shower gel. And the box it came in was pretty damn classy.
Breakfast at 18 Degrees
Diamond members were served complimentary breakfast at the 18 Degrees restaurant. The restaurant was lovely – bright and airy, with a nice spread of very good quality food. It was nice to be able to have veal sausage and bacon with my eggs every morning – something that isn’t possible for me stateside since most breakfast meats tend to be pork based.
There was a large selection of pastries, fruits, juices, and yogurt every morning.
In addition, there was a chef on hand who would prepare eggs or omelette on demand.
The food was really great, though the service was excruciatingly slow. That was fine during breakfast, but when we were waiting for a quick bite, it became downright unbearable.
Final thoughts on Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi
The Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is a really gorgeous hotel and perfect for anyone who wants something outside of the norm. The location isn’t super convenient, but getting around is cheap and fairly easy via cabs. As a Category 3 Hyatt property, it’s a great place to redeem the annual free night from the Chase Hyatt Visa.
Have you ever stayed at the Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi? What was your impression of the hotel?
