Hyatt Regency Phuket REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jan 9, 2014, 5:12 am
#16
Original Poster
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Thanks for the review. Rather disappointed in its content though, as I was really interested in the room with private pool until seeing your picture. It's probably for the best that I didn't get to see the ones you took out...
By the way, there appear to be some plans that have yet to be advertised, but show up if you enter them directly into the Corporate or Group Code Area:
28294: Explore Package: Daily breakfast: Phuket Fantasia per person per stay : Tax excluded - Breakfast is for registered adults in the room - Valid 7 days a week - Destination inclusion is per stay
28297: Romance Package: Breakfast daily: Bottle of sparkling wine per stay : One cake per stay - Breakfast each morning is valid at hotel restaurant or in room dining - Breakfast is for registered adults in the room - 2 night minimum length of stay
Romance Package is only available for two adults.
Also, be aware that this hotel does not have voltage converters, so if you're bringing a laptop or something else that you will need to charge, BYO.
By the way, there appear to be some plans that have yet to be advertised, but show up if you enter them directly into the Corporate or Group Code Area:
28294: Explore Package: Daily breakfast: Phuket Fantasia per person per stay : Tax excluded - Breakfast is for registered adults in the room - Valid 7 days a week - Destination inclusion is per stay
28297: Romance Package: Breakfast daily: Bottle of sparkling wine per stay : One cake per stay - Breakfast each morning is valid at hotel restaurant or in room dining - Breakfast is for registered adults in the room - 2 night minimum length of stay
Romance Package is only available for two adults.
Also, be aware that this hotel does not have voltage converters, so if you're bringing a laptop or something else that you will need to charge, BYO.
http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/specials/...ferId=53436780
Jan 9, 2014, 5:19 am
#17
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Avis PC, Marriott Gold
Posts: 56
Hyatt Regency Phuket REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
I'm also staying here currently. I agree they staff is very friendly and offers help. The management is proactively looking for feedback and discussion. I took a taxi here and it cost 650 baht. I will post some pictures and my review soon.
Jan 9, 2014, 11:48 pm
#18
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Germany
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The GM came up to us today and we had a very friendly conversation. I felt a bit bad about it because it apparently made some waves (not the mouse, which is dead, but the post 
).
I also didn't want anyone to get in trouble because they accidentally led us to a room that was still being worked on, so I removed the pic of the broken loo as well - stuff happens and I think these two pics gave a worse impression of the hotel than it deserves.
We are quite enjoying our stay, despite some service hiccups.
Again, everyone is very friendly, from service employees to management, and that does make a big difference.
I fully understand that it is not an easy job to open a hotel here, with all the dealings with authorities and land owners, etc. etc., and management has to work with what they have, they can't "make a beach" right in front of the hotel and if it's steep, it's steep.
But I did have the impression that the GM is sincerely committed to making things work, especially for Diamond members, and is taking the feedback seriously. And they are trying to find a solution regarding the beach (I guess a shuttle to some nice beach nearby.) Let's see what the resort comes up with in the near future. Maybe they will even respond here?
I do think that the hotel should not be a cat. 4, e.g. compared to the hotels in Bali. Even with cash and points, it feels like a lot of points for this property.
But as I said, we are having a good time at this hotel - the point of my posts was not to complain or be overly critical, just to give fellow Flyertalkers an idea of how the property compares to some of the other options we have.
Going to the happy hour in a few minutes!
).I also didn't want anyone to get in trouble because they accidentally led us to a room that was still being worked on, so I removed the pic of the broken loo as well - stuff happens and I think these two pics gave a worse impression of the hotel than it deserves.
We are quite enjoying our stay, despite some service hiccups.
Again, everyone is very friendly, from service employees to management, and that does make a big difference.
I fully understand that it is not an easy job to open a hotel here, with all the dealings with authorities and land owners, etc. etc., and management has to work with what they have, they can't "make a beach" right in front of the hotel and if it's steep, it's steep.
But I did have the impression that the GM is sincerely committed to making things work, especially for Diamond members, and is taking the feedback seriously. And they are trying to find a solution regarding the beach (I guess a shuttle to some nice beach nearby.) Let's see what the resort comes up with in the near future. Maybe they will even respond here?
I do think that the hotel should not be a cat. 4, e.g. compared to the hotels in Bali. Even with cash and points, it feels like a lot of points for this property.
But as I said, we are having a good time at this hotel - the point of my posts was not to complain or be overly critical, just to give fellow Flyertalkers an idea of how the property compares to some of the other options we have.
Going to the happy hour in a few minutes!
Thanks for the honest report. I was too excited about visiting this property but will wait to see how things pan out. A shame.
I also think you are being very fair to the property.
Jan 10, 2014, 12:19 am
#19
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The taxi mafia in Phuket unfortunately rules the house so these prices are no surprising.
Jan 10, 2014, 1:34 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Agree that first pictures look disappointing. However, the plunge pool reminds me a little of Park Hyatt Maldives (i.e. more an outdoor soaking area).
Sill think it is reasonable if basic diamond upgrade is to a pool room, but who knows if this will happen.
Sill think it is reasonable if basic diamond upgrade is to a pool room, but who knows if this will happen.
Jan 11, 2014, 9:13 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: BCT. Formerly known as attorney28
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[I just wrote an epically long review only to get some idiotic message about some expired token and it was all gone. Grrrrrmpf. I'll try to re-type it from memory. By the way, I forgot to take a picture of the room - apologies for that.]
So we checked out today.
Overall, after the initial hiccups, we ended up really enjoying our stay, because of the positives this hotel offers:
1) The infinity pool is really nice. We spent some time there every day. They have nice cabanas and sun loungers around the pool
2) The Regency Club, with the smaller infinity pool and the cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is a relaxing place, and if you want to get a bit of work done, you can do it from there.
3) Most importantly, I am convinced that the GM, Mr. Keith Massey, and his team, will make the best out of the hard product he has been given.
After our initial critical feedback, Mr. Massey approached us personally and, rather than being defensive, like one sometimes sees it in hotel management's reactions to criticism, was very friendly and open about things.
Every single point I raised in the previous posts was addressed, with great attention to detail:
- Mr. Massey and his team (Director of Rooms and Director of Marketing) showed a lot of presence around the hotel (at breakfast, at the happy hour), often personally offering to take people on buggy rides up to their room or to the Regency Club. They were approachable and Mr. Massey gave good advice about beaches/beach clubs and restaurants in the area. This personal touch alone made a big difference already, similar to the "old school" approach of Mr. Chapman at the Sheraton Sukhumvit in Bangkok.
- The "bushes" around our little plunge pool were mostly removed so that we could actually see the ocean from our room. The leaves in the plunge pool were removed. The somewhat annoying constant "fountain noise" from water constantly flowing into the plunge pool was turned off.
- We did get several towels per person in the room.
- The cleaners came while we were at breakfast, rather than in the afternoon when we would come back from the pool.
- Even the water pressure in the shower was fixed.
Moreover, although I said I do not want or need any compensation for the somewhat more severe service hiccups at the beginning of the stay, we were surprised at check-out with the fact that Mr. Massey had comped us the first two nights of our four-night stay. Not only that, we were also told that all the points for our stay (cash and points) were returned (they haven't shown up in the account yet, but we'll see - maybe that's Hyatt IT?). While this was already much more generous than anything I would have expected, Mr. Massey also gifted us the transfer back to the airport in the hotel limousine.
And on top of all that, we returned on the last evening of our stay to our room and found a bottle of Moët & Chandon in an ice cooler in our room, along with a very kind personal note from Mr. Massey, mentioning our feedback.
I found this to be a really classy response to comments of mine on Flyertalk which, while meant in a constructive way, were somewhat critical - my girlfriend (who is not on Flyertalk, but saw me posting) had already told me off that she wanted me to stop because she was embarrassed.
Based on the way Mr. Massey handled this and his presence in the hotel, I think he will make the best of what he has to work with. I have a feeling Mr. Massey will take care of Goldpassport Diamond guests, too. He is aware of Flyertalk.
While they cannot easily "fix" the non-usable beach in front of the property, I was told that they are in negotiations with beach club owners at nearby beaches to find an arrangement for the hotel guests - I think they might offer a shuttle service in the near future. Based on Mr. Massey's recommendation, my girlfriend and I took a taxi to Surin Beach and went to a beach club called Zazanga. While almost all the people there seemed to be from one certain Eastern European country and we had to pay for sun loungers, the sand and the water there were really nice, and we saw an amazing sunset.
There are also a few restaurants within walking distance (up the hill, 10-15 minutes - be careful, no sidewalk - you might want to take a tuk-tuk or something). We went to a restaurant called Silk (not cheap) in the very luxurious Andara resort and we quite liked it.
In summary, while this hotel (in my opinion) maybe shouldn't be cat. 4, while they might want to revise the description for that room ("pool and jacuzzi") on the website, and while it is not in the middle of the action (we were quite happy about that, actually - glad that the guests at the hotel were very different from the crowds we saw at Phuket airport - we never went to Patpong or Phuket Town), we ended up quite enjoying our stay - because of the great pool, the relaxing Regency Club and a GM who seems to totally "get it".
If you go there with the right level of expectation and manage to get a good rate, I think you can have a very good time. And if you decide to walk up to your room each time instead of taking one of the always offered buggy rides, you get a pretty good workout in addition for free
.
So we checked out today.
Overall, after the initial hiccups, we ended up really enjoying our stay, because of the positives this hotel offers:
1) The infinity pool is really nice. We spent some time there every day. They have nice cabanas and sun loungers around the pool
2) The Regency Club, with the smaller infinity pool and the cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is a relaxing place, and if you want to get a bit of work done, you can do it from there.
3) Most importantly, I am convinced that the GM, Mr. Keith Massey, and his team, will make the best out of the hard product he has been given.
After our initial critical feedback, Mr. Massey approached us personally and, rather than being defensive, like one sometimes sees it in hotel management's reactions to criticism, was very friendly and open about things.
Every single point I raised in the previous posts was addressed, with great attention to detail:
- Mr. Massey and his team (Director of Rooms and Director of Marketing) showed a lot of presence around the hotel (at breakfast, at the happy hour), often personally offering to take people on buggy rides up to their room or to the Regency Club. They were approachable and Mr. Massey gave good advice about beaches/beach clubs and restaurants in the area. This personal touch alone made a big difference already, similar to the "old school" approach of Mr. Chapman at the Sheraton Sukhumvit in Bangkok.
- The "bushes" around our little plunge pool were mostly removed so that we could actually see the ocean from our room. The leaves in the plunge pool were removed. The somewhat annoying constant "fountain noise" from water constantly flowing into the plunge pool was turned off.
- We did get several towels per person in the room.
- The cleaners came while we were at breakfast, rather than in the afternoon when we would come back from the pool.
- Even the water pressure in the shower was fixed.
Moreover, although I said I do not want or need any compensation for the somewhat more severe service hiccups at the beginning of the stay, we were surprised at check-out with the fact that Mr. Massey had comped us the first two nights of our four-night stay. Not only that, we were also told that all the points for our stay (cash and points) were returned (they haven't shown up in the account yet, but we'll see - maybe that's Hyatt IT?). While this was already much more generous than anything I would have expected, Mr. Massey also gifted us the transfer back to the airport in the hotel limousine.
And on top of all that, we returned on the last evening of our stay to our room and found a bottle of Moët & Chandon in an ice cooler in our room, along with a very kind personal note from Mr. Massey, mentioning our feedback.
I found this to be a really classy response to comments of mine on Flyertalk which, while meant in a constructive way, were somewhat critical - my girlfriend (who is not on Flyertalk, but saw me posting) had already told me off that she wanted me to stop because she was embarrassed.
Based on the way Mr. Massey handled this and his presence in the hotel, I think he will make the best of what he has to work with. I have a feeling Mr. Massey will take care of Goldpassport Diamond guests, too. He is aware of Flyertalk.
While they cannot easily "fix" the non-usable beach in front of the property, I was told that they are in negotiations with beach club owners at nearby beaches to find an arrangement for the hotel guests - I think they might offer a shuttle service in the near future. Based on Mr. Massey's recommendation, my girlfriend and I took a taxi to Surin Beach and went to a beach club called Zazanga. While almost all the people there seemed to be from one certain Eastern European country and we had to pay for sun loungers, the sand and the water there were really nice, and we saw an amazing sunset.
There are also a few restaurants within walking distance (up the hill, 10-15 minutes - be careful, no sidewalk - you might want to take a tuk-tuk or something). We went to a restaurant called Silk (not cheap) in the very luxurious Andara resort and we quite liked it.
In summary, while this hotel (in my opinion) maybe shouldn't be cat. 4, while they might want to revise the description for that room ("pool and jacuzzi") on the website, and while it is not in the middle of the action (we were quite happy about that, actually - glad that the guests at the hotel were very different from the crowds we saw at Phuket airport - we never went to Patpong or Phuket Town), we ended up quite enjoying our stay - because of the great pool, the relaxing Regency Club and a GM who seems to totally "get it".
If you go there with the right level of expectation and manage to get a good rate, I think you can have a very good time. And if you decide to walk up to your room each time instead of taking one of the always offered buggy rides, you get a pretty good workout in addition for free
.
Jan 11, 2014, 4:43 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP (OWE), VA PLAT, EY GLD, SPG PLAT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton DIA, Hertz PC
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I find the back button restores your draft copy.
Interesting review. There are some like is who avoid Patong like the plague and just want to relax and it's a positive development that there are new resorts to cater for this.
Interesting review. There are some like is who avoid Patong like the plague and just want to relax and it's a positive development that there are new resorts to cater for this.
Jan 11, 2014, 8:29 pm
#24
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Join Date: Nov 2002
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I think that the property is having the same rate issue as GH KUL. The rates were really high at first, but then steadily came down. This hotel should be in the $100 range.
Jan 12, 2014, 12:20 am
#25
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
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We went to see Simon's cabaret one night and as we got to Patong the Westin's driver asked us if we wanted to walk around. I opened the car window, saw people being tattooed in the open markets which I consider disgustingly unhygienic, and lots of bogans of many nationalities. I closed the window and politely said no.
I think the HR Phuket, Westin and other hotels that are from the "action" are more likely to attract a higher class/upscale tourist.
We are returning to HKT in February, and we are never really the couple to just stay on property, but that's precisely what we do when we come. We tend to add one or two Asian capital cities to the vacation as well.
Jan 12, 2014, 7:04 am
#26
Moderator: GLBT Travelers & Hyatt Gold Passport
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: CVG
Posts: 15,300
Off topic for the thread but the demographics of tourists to the Beaches in Thailand are shifting. My aunt owns and runs the Royal Cliff in Pattaya which is located away from the main town. In recent years, Russians predominate but recently it's been shifting to Koreans.
Jan 12, 2014, 8:07 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
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Off topic for the thread but the demographics of tourists to the Beaches in Thailand are shifting. My aunt owns and runs the Royal Cliff in Pattaya which is located away from the main town. In recent years, Russians predominate but recently it's been shifting to Koreans.
(just kidding...).
Last edited by Football Fan; Jan 13, 2014 at 3:22 am
Jan 12, 2014, 8:21 am
#28
Join Date: May 2013
Location: South Texas
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Glob, AA EXP, Marriott Tit
Posts: 277
2) The Regency Club, with the smaller infinity pool and the cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is a relaxing place, and if you want to get a bit of work done, you can do it from there.
Does the Regency Club offer continental breakfast and snacks/sodas throughout the day or only the evening cocktail hour? I have a club room booked in March but might want to explore other rates that include breakfast for 2 if the club does not have a breakfast. Ritz clubs have been very good about having breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, evening appetizers and even dessert. I am not sure about Hyatt though as I have not used many of their clubs.
Does the Regency Club offer continental breakfast and snacks/sodas throughout the day or only the evening cocktail hour? I have a club room booked in March but might want to explore other rates that include breakfast for 2 if the club does not have a breakfast. Ritz clubs have been very good about having breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, evening appetizers and even dessert. I am not sure about Hyatt though as I have not used many of their clubs.
Jan 12, 2014, 6:22 pm
#29
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Avis PC, Marriott Gold
Posts: 56
Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort
16/12 Moo 6 Kamala, TH 83150
RecommendedLiked: LocationServiceFoodAmenitiesRoom
Diamond member Ocean View King Room Hyatt Phuket (8 Photos)
Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort
Check In
I arrived via taxi (650 baht) in the late evening where a host met me as the taxi pulled up. I was then escorted to the lobby and sat down for check in where they provided me a cold beverage and a cool towel. I checked in and was assigned an Ocean View King Room and was told as a Diamond member I can eat breakfast either at the restaurant or at the Regency Club. I was told no rooms were available to upgrade. The layout and pictures is exactly what you see on their website for the base room.
Diamond Amenity:
Here is a picture of the amenity: Which includes fruit, dried fruit, candy and a bottle of Evian water.
Pool
I agree that the best features are the infinity pools with the main pool incredibly large and the club pool with great views of the bay. The downside of the main pool is the location of the street directly in front of it where the occasional truck or bus can be heard and seen as it passes by.
Dining
Breakfast: I had breakfast both at the club and restaurant, both offer a breakfast buffet. The food was good and any made to order dishes such as omelets or pancakes were brought to your table so I did not have to stand and wait. Pools: I agree that the best features are the infinity pools with the main pool incredibly large and the club pool with great views of the bay. The downside of the main pool is the location of the street directly in front of it where the occasional truck or bus can be heard and seen as it passes by.
Sunset Grille:
This restaurant is open only for dinner and is located at the top of the resort which offers great views of the ocean. There are a set of stairs you will need to use to enter the restaurant.
My food here was really good. Some areas of the restaurant does need more lighting. Where I sat the waiter used a small flashlight so I could see the menu without straining.
Price: Since the hotel just opened I agree it should be priced lower or offer a restaurant credit until they are fully operational as the price is similar to other hotels in the area.
Room
After my second night I spoke to the room manager and requested a room change to see if a room with a private pool had become available. After checking I was switched to a room with a pool. The pool has two jets at one end and is approximately 2 to 3 feet deep.
There are many different types of rooms here from looking at the resort. Some offer greater privacy such as the corner rooms which are set back from the center rooms so that the balcony offers the greatest privacy. Balcony Privacy: The balconies offer different degrees of privacy as seen here:
You can clearly see into the next's room balcony and the room after.
I mentioned this and they are looking into a resolution as I was not the only guest to comment on this.
Jan 12, 2014, 6:25 pm
#30
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Avis PC, Marriott Gold
Posts: 56
2) The Regency Club, with the smaller infinity pool and the cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is a relaxing place, and if you want to get a bit of work done, you can do it from there.
Does the Regency Club offer continental breakfast and snacks/sodas throughout the day or only the evening cocktail hour? I have a club room booked in March but might want to explore other rates that include breakfast for 2 if the club does not have a breakfast. Ritz clubs have been very good about having breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, evening appetizers and even dessert. I am not sure about Hyatt though as I have not used many of their clubs.
Does the Regency Club offer continental breakfast and snacks/sodas throughout the day or only the evening cocktail hour? I have a club room booked in March but might want to explore other rates that include breakfast for 2 if the club does not have a breakfast. Ritz clubs have been very good about having breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, evening appetizers and even dessert. I am not sure about Hyatt though as I have not used many of their clubs.