Hyatt Gold Passport - Best Hyatt in SouthEast Asia/China

I would like to see if there is a consensus among readers/posters here as to the best Hyatt in SouthEast Asia/China. For me, service considerations are far, far less important than location, view and amenities available at the property. [i.e. I don't need my bottom kissed to have a nice stay. So, I'd rather have a spectacular view from my room than "over the top service". IF I had to make a trade-off.]

I have platinum status [from the Chase card] so no expectation of upgrades and the like.

I have read several threads on the best Hyatt in the world. These threads usually mention PH Paris, PH Buenos Aires, and PH Tokyo among others. I want to limit this thread to Hyatt hotels in SouthEast Asia/China only. This would be for a truly once in a life time trip [really one time only] with a loved one.

What are your recommendations?

Guess it depends on your expectations for the location and view. City or beach destinations are quite different?

I would be interested in both beach and city destinations anywhere in the areas specified. The only limitations are that the travel in question will occur in early to mid September and the locations are limited to Southeast Asia and China.

I'd think you should stick only to Park Hyatts then, with exception of Hyatt Regency Kyoto maybe.
Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, Shanghai, Ningbo, Saigon would be really a dream trip, in June 2013, there will be Park Hyatt Siem Reap too.

EDIT: sorry, forgot you wanted to stick to South-East Asia and China. Well scratch 3 first of my list then and add Park Hyatt Beijing and Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, which opens in Sept 2012.

I had done a reply yesterday but when I submitted it the page went to the fill in your name and password page ! ... I did take a long time to write and forgot to save a copy ...

Anyhow ..here goes ...


I agree 100% with your preference for location and product being a priority and service although important is 2nd if not 3rd ( after facilities ) . Of course I don't mean bad , ungracious service but competent and " get what you need , when you need " type of environment which i find less oppressive and more enjoyable ...


China Hyatts.

Beijing : like Park Beijing but prefer Grand Beijing for it's convenience - ESP for tourists . Excellent properties with PH having an edge , product and service wise ( more personal ) but GH will be undergoing a rooms re do ... and service is good & efficient .

Shanghai : huge choice here , all excellent but recommend Park and Andaz , of course depends on your needs and more suited location . There is Bund & the Grand.

Hong Kong: can't go wrong with Grand and Regency TST - both clubs are excellent with the Grand having one of the best lounges in the world , at least within Hyatt. The HR in Sha Tin is also very good.

Macau : Grand is all round excellent.

Shenzhen : Grand is all round excellent with great service to boot ! - a stunning hyatt

Ningbo : not fully opened when I stayed but , I love it ! ESP design wise .

Hangzhou : good, well located property but don't bother with club category


South East Asia :

Singapore : for me I still go back to the Grand despite other new and very good properties there.

Bangkok : Grand is excellent , stayed 2 weeks ago , but wait fir redo of rooms to complete .

Hua Hin, Thailand : Regency - go for the club category

Indonesia : Grand & Bali Hyatt and the latter is the more special property for me ... A Bali icon

Kuala Lumpur : be the first to try if you must , when it opens but ild rather wait for at least 3 -6 months after .


OTHERS

Tokyo : can't go wrong with Grand , excellent club and excellent generally .Don't bother with Park unless you must try the hype ... And have lots Of time ....if you need to be in the Shinjuku area, go for the Regency at club category .

Kyoto : regency is good BUT with small rooms - and low ceiling.

Osaka : not well located for my purposes .

Fukuoka : good solid Grand , don't bother with Regency ESP which is designed by some architect which unfortunately has tiny furniture and dark and cramp rooms !

Hakone : needs some up grading touches but not so special that warrants a visit .


Seoul : just go for the Park , it's almost perfect .


Do let us know your experiences !

PH Shanghai is definitely up there for rooms with a view (up until the Burj Khalifa it was the tallest building in the world and as far as I am aware it is still the tallest hotel in the world)! Also the room decor is great and the bathroom/shower/toilet are amazing. Basic rooms are huge ;)

Also after the hustle and bustle of Shanghai you could quickly get over to the PH Ningbo to relax at the lake with stunning views (haven't been to this property so only commenting on pics I have seen on the website)

The PH Beijing is quite but for me it isn't as nice as PH Shanghai and the views aren't anywhere near as good. Location isn't too good for tourism either. BUT as a city Beijing is 10x more interesting than Shanghai and there is so much more to do so it is definitely worth the consideration!

GH Hong Kong is also a great property and if you get the right room then you will have a fantastic view over the harbour ^ Hong Kong is also my favourite city in the world so it is a huge recommendation from me.

You can combine a short trip to GH Macau with the HK trip too. Great to see the historical parts of the city for a day and good for some evening entertainment (I would recommend going to see the House of Dancing Water show if it is still going)^

I had done a reply yesterday but when I submitted it the page went to the fill in your name and password page ! ... I did take a long time to write and forgot to save a copy ...

Anyhow ..here goes ...


I agree 100% with your preference for location and product being a priority and service although important is 2nd if not 3rd ( after facilities ) . Of course I don't mean bad , ungracious service but competent and " get what you need , when you need " type of environment which i find less oppressive and more enjoyable ...


-- SNIP -- !

Thank you for the time and effort evidenced in your reply [and for doing it twice].

Yes, I agree about 'competent, timely and relevant' service. Actually, for me, the best service is service that you don't even notice because things are "just right".

Anyway, I will definitely report back on which properties I utilize and my experience with them.

I have previously stayed at the GH Erawan so probably won't be staying there again on this trip since they are undergoing renovation. I am considering the WGS or SGS as alternatives but am open to suggestions.

I have also stayed at the HR Hua Hin. It was a very nice facility. My gf and I particularly enjoyed the pool. We didn't try the restaurants as we wanted to eat more "local" so we always went off-campus for our meals. Sadly, we still ended up eating at places that really didn't seem like where the local Thais would frequent, but the food was mostly good.

I am sorry to read that the GH Beijing is undergoing renovation because I had read that it is to be preferred over the PH Beijing for doing tourist stuff. But maybe it won't be so bad.

I find your recommendations for Shanghai to be quite interesting. I had read a lot of reviews that highly recommend the PH for the views of the Bund. Although I did read one review that said the PH is not worth it for the views due to the pollution in Shanghai and the fact that the Bund buildings are not always lit at night. That same review also said that it might be interesting to sleep above the clouds for some.

For some reason I keep thinking there is a PH in Hong Kong but I know there isn't. I have read only good things about the GH Hong Kong and I am thinking that is where I will use my two free nights from the Hyatt credit card. Unless someone has a better use for them in the region. [i.e. not Paris as I won't be going there before they expire]

I have read and heard some good things about the GH Bali and GH Tokyo.

I haven't read much about the PH Saigon but my gf seems to think that it is not one of Hyatt's better properties in the region. Any thoughts on that?

PH Shanghai is definitely up there for rooms with a view (up until the Burj Khalifa it was the tallest building in the world and as far as I am aware it is still the tallest hotel in the world)! Also the room decor is great and the bathroom/shower/toilet are amazing. Basic rooms are huge ;)

Also after the hustle and bustle of Shanghai you could quickly get over to the PH Ningbo to relax at the lake with stunning views (haven't been to this property so only commenting on pics I have seen on the website)

The PH Beijing is quite but for me it isn't as nice as PH Shanghai and the views aren't anywhere near as good. Location isn't too good for tourism either. BUT as a city Beijing is 10x more interesting than Shanghai and there is so much more to do so it is definitely worth the consideration!

GH Hong Kong is also a great property and if you get the right room then you will have a fantastic view over the harbour ^ Hong Kong is also my favourite city in the world so it is a huge recommendation from me.

You can combine a short trip to GH Macau with the HK trip too. Great to see the historical parts of the city for a day and good for some evening entertainment (I would recommend going to see the House of Dancing Water show if it is still going)^


Thanks for the recommendations. I didn't even know about the House of Dancing Water show. I will definitely see if I can find out about it and if it still exists. I also like the recommendations about visiting Shanghai and Ningbo and the HK/Macau combination.

PH Shanghai is definitely up there for rooms with a view (up until the Burj Khalifa it was the tallest building in the world and as far as I am aware it is still the tallest hotel in the world)! Also the room decor is great and the bathroom/shower/toilet are amazing. Basic rooms are huge ;)....

Nope, the PH Shanghai is the second tallest hotel in the world ever since the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong opened up.

Just stayed at the Hyatt Regency TST for 4 nights. Beautiful hotel in a best location and great view of the Harbour!

The other question is do you have enough points for a suite upgrade?

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That is the view from a suite at the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai. I also like the location, which is a 10 min walk from the Bund. You won't get this view in a regular room. I haven't tried the other shanghai properties yet but look forward to my Park Hyatt Stay.

Beijing I would pick Park Hyatt for the view too (no pics cause I forgot my cam! :(), but I used a suite upgrade too.

Hangzhou is also nice, but it isn't a city view but the view of west lake.

Hong Kong HRTST & GHHK both have great views, if you are facing the harbor (will post pic when I find them).

I didn't get that great a view when I stayed in: Macau, Bangkok, Bali(s), Singapore, or Jakarta.

Bandung if you stay on a high floor has a view, but I didn't particularly find it fantastic (thus no pic).

I don't think much of the View of the Park Hyatt Saigon because it isn't a very tall hotel, so you don't have much of a view.

I have previously stayed at the GH Erawan so probably won't be staying there again on this trip since they are undergoing renovation. I am considering the WGS or SGS as alternatives but am open to suggestions.


I'm originally Thai and go to BKK a couple of times a year (usually stay at "home"). Have stayed at both the GH and SGS (which gets much better reviews in the Starwood forum than the WGS with a very small premium in cost). Property wise, I would say that the SGS is better than the GH (I'm Hyatt Diamond and Starwood Platinum). However, the GH's location is somewhat better right at one of the major intersections (both surface roads and the SkyTrain) with a lot of the shopping centers of Bangkok within a couple of blocks. SGS is on the SkyTrain (right at a stop) but is a few stops away from the one that services the GH.

Re long post - it's a long and blustery and very wet long weekend here in Sydney so I have a bit f time !! ;)

...."I am sorry to read that the GH Beijing is undergoing renovation because I had read that it is to be preferred over the PH Beijing for doing tourist stuff. But maybe it won't be so ....."

Well it's a planned redo of rooms and the rooms although not great are fine - not sure when redo will start.

If you decide on the PH do request for the rooms with the forbidden city views ....and there are more blue sky days in Beijing than you are led to think !

In any case the distance betwn the PH & GH can easily be reached on the #1 bus westwards from PH , along Jianguomen & Changan avenues :cool:


Shanghai:

PH is virtually across the rd from The GH , I must admit I find the club here one of the most animated and atmospheric and almost glamourous ! More like a buzzy restaurant ! Vs the stately GH hkg which although very good is less animated .

But PH certainly has the personal feel & touch befitting a quintessential Park . ...
You get Bund views ( with or without lights !) from the 3 Hyatts but overall for the upgrade this would be the property to go for .( or ningbo too )

The other question is do you have enough points for a suite upgrade?

-- SNIP --



Unfortunately for me, I don't have any real status [platinum] in the Hyatt program and I only have about 50K points or so [wasn't able to get any points from the getaway america sale], therefore I don't think I have any real chance for upgrades. I will have to pay for any suites/views that I get.

I'm originally Thai and go to BKK a couple of times a year (usually stay at "home"). Have stayed at both the GH and SGS (which gets much better reviews in the Starwood forum than the WGS with a very small premium in cost). Property wise, I would say that the SGS is better than the GH (I'm Hyatt Diamond and Starwood Platinum).

-- SNIP --



Thanks for the input. I will definitely be looking into the SGS.


-- SNIP --

If you decide on the PH do request for the rooms with the forbidden city views ....and there are more blue sky days in Beijing than you are led to think !

-- SNIP --


Shanghai:

PH is virtually across the rd from The GH , I must admit I find the club here one of the most animated and atmospheric and almost glamourous ! More like a buzzy restaurant ! Vs the stately GH hkg which although very good is less animated .

But PH certainly has the personal feel & touch befitting a quintessential Park . ...
You get Bund views ( with or without lights !) from the 3 Hyatts but overall for the upgrade this would be the property to go for .( or ningbo too )

Thanks for the advice. I will request for the views of the Forbidden City. But once again I have essentially no status so not sure if they will honor that request without an additional payment. I also appreciate the insights into the Shanghai Hyatts.

Unfortunately for me, I don't have any real status [platinum] in the Hyatt program and I only have about 50K points or so [wasn't able to get any points from the getaway america sale], therefore I don't think I have any real chance for upgrades. I will have to pay for any suites/views that I get.

6K points at the Hyatt daily rate gets you 4 nights in a the entry level suite. If you choose the correct hotels, you are more than likely to get a great view with the suites.

" Thanks for the advice. I will request for the views of the Forbidden City. But once again I have essentially no status so not sure if they will honor that request without an additional payment. I also appreciate the insights into ..."


Unless upgraded it may not be so critical for the Forbidden City Palace view , which you can get in the restaurants , in any case .... . This is a direct west facing view, so bring your shades ...!!

IMO a suite is not crucial at the PH bej , in fact I much prefer their "normal Deluxe category " rooms .

Missed out Saigon PH.

Not the best PH , but it's probably considered the top ptty there .

My theory with award nights is to use them where you can get the best bang for your buck, so the more expensive places and pay cash at the cheaper ones.

Within the last year, I've stayed at the PH Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the GH in Beijing and Shanghai, and the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai. I will be staying at the Andaz in Shanghai this weekend. And planning on the GH Bali in July,so I can't comment on those two yet.

Though I haven't stayed at the GH HK, I recently saw the rooms and thought they were outdated,and if you don't have a harbour view room, may not be as worth it. Maybe the room I saw was pre-renovation. They also had a mountain facing room, or whatever it is called, a room that doesnt face the water. The rooms at both the PH Beijing and SH are huge, modern and very sleek looking.

I personally like the PH Beijing a little more than SH, just because they seem more genuine and much nicer. The people at the PH SH are a little cold and standoff-ish. But if you decide not to stay at the PH SH, go check out the views from the hotel. Don't pay the 100RMB fee to go to the observatory on the 103st floor, just go to the bar at the Park Hyatt on the 101st floor, get a drink for 60RMB and take in the views.

I think the GH Beijing is a good place to stay if you're doing the tourist thing, but the PH is just as fine. You can take subway line 1 four stops to Wangfujing and 5 to Tiananmen Square. Or cab it. The PH is literally on top of line 1. From the GH Beijing you can walk or take subway line 1 stop. I think the GH Beijing is alright, nothing special, rooms feel a little outdated and small, but not as out dated as the GH Shanghai, where they still have tube TV's...Also the GH Beijing is HUGE, lots of people and lots of conventions.

The location of the GH and PH Shanghai isn't the best for touristing around either, a lot of what you will wnat to see is in Puxi and the Bund, where as the PH and GH are across the river in Pudong. There isn't much to do there, but you can taxi or take a 2 kuai boat ride across the river. Or take the subway, which is not near any of the hotels except the Andaz.

I didnt know the GH Beijing was doing renovations, I didn't hear or see them last week during my stay.

You can also get pretty good views at the PH Beijing. But if the pollution is really bad, in either city, you may not have nice views.

If you are deciding purely for the views, then maybe the PH Shanghai would be the best. Or a harbour view room at the GH HK.

Here is a pretty good deal on the PH SH, not sure if it goes through your dates...http://www.jetsetter.com/hotels/china/shanghai/2940/park-hyatt-shanghai?nm=serp&cl=2&ca=view-more

Hyatt on the Bund is new and nice, but also very big, I liked it though, but the rooms are on the smaller side I felt like. They upgraded us to a Bund View room because of my plat status.

If you can run to it, I recommend the Barai in Hua Hin. Great room, private area near beach, great service, and you get food in MacFarlane House (full review on request).