Pickles

The Grace is indeed a very nice place. It is small (more cozy than small, I'd say), the rooms are well appointed and spacious, and the service is great. They have a complimentary car service, which takes you anywhere on a 15 km radius of the hotel, which is very convenient (my office is a five minute drive from there). I'd even say this place is better overall than the Nellie (sorry B Watson).

In other matters, the GM of the PH called me and I have a meeting with him later today. Will let you know how it turns out...

[This message has been edited by Pickles (edited 01-14-2003).]

Toby on the road

Pickles, what happened - did you get to speak to the GM ? -> what was the outcome ?
normaly the Hyatt Gm's are good receptive guys ... i had a problem once at the BA Park, and the GM a was on the ball - acted quickly - and did all the right things , and this made me return for all my stays in BA

let us know !
cheers
best wishes to all
Toby on the road

kv99

Except Juergen Wolter at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Pickles

An update. The GM of the PHJ did contact me, and I met him over drinks at the lobby of the PHJ. He was particularly sad/upset that I was staying at the Grace (which was the reaction I was expecting, and the right one, I believe). It was clear he was under some pressure from the head office to resolve the situation. He was friendly and apologetic, and since I had left them an out of GP points as compensation, our "negotiations" headed in that direction quickly. We settled on enough GP points for a stay at a GP Level 4 hotel for four nights. I'm sure I could have gotten more, but I wasn't in the mood to crucify anybody. I thought that was fair, and I consider the matter closed.

I also got a nice letter from him confirming this, and "the next time you are in Johannesburg, call me directly to make your booking", which I might consider if it is sweet enough.

Jac747

Has anyone stayed at this hotel and if so, what are your comments? I know it is attached to some sort of shopping mall and in a suburb of Johannesburg. Thanks in advance.

number_6

Do a search and you will find lots of comments (mostly negative, including some attrociously bad customer service). Location is good but hotel is probably the worst Park Hyatt in the world and 2 stars below the local competition.

Pickles

Skip this dump. Stay at the Grace (which I thought was excellent), just down the street, if location is important to you.

stimpy

I haven't tried the PH there, but in nearby Sandton, the Hilton is very, very good. Great location too!

Pickles

It is a trap. Skip it. Stay at the Grace, just a short walk away. You should check the archives for postings from me on this hotel.

RayinMaui

Pickles,

I'm also planning on staying there, in May.

Why don't you like it?

Thanks in advance,

Ray

P.S. I searched but couldn't find anything.

[This message has been edited by RayinMaui (edited Mar 02, 2004).]

RayinMaui

Pickles, thanks for the information.

Funny enough, but with millions of travel miles, J'Burg is the only place where I've had something stolen from my room.

Pickles

Same here. I don't think it is a coincidence.

thezipper

Before I say anything I want to give a big THANK YOU to :-: Julia :-: for all her help and responding to my many e-mails while I was there... had it not been for her, I would have received NO GoldPassport benefits at this property.

It is a shame this property has such a bad reputation for customer service, but having experienced it, I can understand why. Although there was a big problem with GP benefits, which after a time got sorted out, I received NO personal contact from anyone at the property until I was getting a copy of my bill the day before check-out. This after a week of being there and the problems associated with my stay, I felt messages left under my door were just a little to impersonal.

A few other items to note:

A) If you have a laptop larger than 12" in length, it won't fit in the in-room safe... after the Pickles fiasco you would think this would be rectified.

B) F&B outlets are VERY slow... 45 min for a toasted sandwich is norm.

C) The TV is quite small, fit's in half the armoir in the room

D) The shower leaks into the wall, soaking the carpet inside the room (this happened in two seperate rooms I was in)

E) Broadband available on the Regency Club floors for approx $12 per day.

F) Mall is conveniently located right behind the property

G) Health Club is nice, but in a seperate building

H) GP Members are suppose to get morning coffee delivered... so ask for the door tag if they don't leave one at turndown.

Will have pics posted later...

dcadude

One other question...what's the best option for airport-hotel transfer?

pdb

After reading Pickles' post regarding a laptop stolen from his room, I approached last week's 4-day stay at the PHJ with a certain degree of trepidation. Surprisingly, using a little ingenuity, the in-room safe actually accomodated our two 14" laptops when wedged in at an upward angle and supported by other items underneath; however, this left little room for my large wallet/credit card organizer which I was finally able to cram in on its side--prior to insertion of the laptops. So, in and out of the safe went those laptops during the stay.

Unfortunately, upon departure, we forgot to remove my large wallet, standing on its side against the right edge of the safe, hidden from plain sight. This went unnoticed, as I had my tickets, passport and most frequently used credit cards with me in my pocket. Upon return to the US on 31-May (after being in HKG for a few days), I couldn't locate the wallet, but was so jet lagged (and in possession of my most frequently used credit cards) that I didn't have much cause for concern; however, the next afternoon I received a telephone call from one of my credit card companies advising something about a notification from the PHJ.

I won't describe, here, my initial panic and what I thought had happened, but I quickly called (it was 10pm there) and was notified that it had indeed been found in the safe by the housekeeper who had turned it over intact to the chief of security who, with the asst. manager, had been trying to locate me through a couple of the credit card companies (there were more than a half dozen credit cards in addition to driver's licenses, numerous identity and membership cards, and more than a thousand dollars in US banknotes). All are in process of being returned and I cannot thank the staff enough.

Aside from that, the facilities were great: ample fitness center and rooftop poo (open at 5:30am--great for insomnia), nicely catered RC (albeit 2 soft drink limit) with 24-hour free WI FI. Rooms on the 8th/9th RC floors were modern and bathrooms sizeable, although the TV was not very big. In-room broadband available for about $12/day. The bar/restaurant at the lobby entrance was always crowded. I would certainly recommend this hotel.