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Park Hyatt Washington D.C. REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

Park Hyatt Washington D.C. REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

Old Aug 18, 2014, 12:33 pm
  #451  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: DCA IAD BWI
Programs: AS MVP, Hyatt Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Global Entry, Hertz 5*
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Great stay report, FlyingDoctorWu!

Just spent a night in the same Ambassador suite (rev+DSU) last night, and it was not just great... it was beyond great.

Checked in at 4 p.m. Sunday, room wasn't ready, so front desk called up to get that fixed right away. In meantime, I was offered a diamond amenity, and I chose the Red (VA) wine and got both the fruit and the cheese platters, due to the delay. Otherwise, Diamond benefits were laid out and clearly presented.

Upon entry in room, everyone was exactly as FlyingDoctorWu described. I suspect the DSU upgrade got me the Ambassador because I had recently stayed in some nice Grand Hyatts regularly, in addition to my last minute-booking via Hyatt.com (I had dinner reservations at the Blue Duck Inn Sunday night, and figured a mini-staycation in DC could be good, booked last Monday).

The bathroom was slender but sizable, and featured four (4!) faucets or showerheads. If you are a clean freak, this is the place for you. Televisions (both) were on a soft music background scenes (NYC, mountains, beaches, etc.) set to repeat, and the channel selections were on a sheet of paper under the clicker. Not sure if I'm just an audio-moron, but the sleek B&O speaker system was difficult to use, and when it was on, had some slight static. Couldn't find an instruction booklet for that, so it remained off.

During stay, asked for a complimentary shoe shine for my partner and it was promptly handled, in addition, some friends came over to chat, and a coffee cup was accidentally broken- called and they had no problems sending someone over to clean up (our reservation was about to start, otherwise I would have taken care of it myself). Breakfast was in-room, thanks to Diamond breakfast, delivered promptly at 0630 AM with a smile. The crab omelet and short rib hash were wonderful.

Sadly, work beckoned, and we were checked out quickly and professionally by a concierge in (what must have been) a bespoke suit, with a slightly British accent. Quite charming.

My first PH experience, it was sublime. I'm sure it won't be the last!

-AD
airbornedaddy is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 5:05 pm
  #452  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NJ
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Posts: 255
Hyatt Announces Sale of Park Hyatt Washington

Just received this in my daily feed from WSJ.

http://newsroom.hyatt.com/10-2-14-Hy...att-Washington
totmode is offline  
Old Oct 4, 2014, 11:39 am
  #453  
dw
 
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Originally Posted by totmode
Just received this in my daily feed from WSJ.

http://newsroom.hyatt.com/10-2-14-Hy...att-Washington
New owner will be putting in 5.5 MM of capital expenditures, which is good news. I love this property, but the renovation was almost a decade ago (wow, time flies!) and the rooms could definitely use a light refresh. (I've noticed that in some of the rooms, the wood has started chipping and/or peeling, especially the desks.)
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Old Nov 1, 2014, 10:44 pm
  #454  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Seattle, WA
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Anyone staying at the PH DC tonight? There was some sort of fire emergency at 12:30am and the entire hotel was evacuated for ~30 minutes. People were exceedingly upset and the hotel management didn't explain anything to anyone while we were all waiting outside in the cold. This was also the second "fire emergency" today, the other happening at 6pm this evening.

What would be appropriate to ask for in this situation as far as recompense goes? I'm sure management is going to offer something but want to make sure we're not letting them off too easy.
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Old Nov 2, 2014, 6:33 am
  #455  
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 321
Originally Posted by nabilm92
Anyone staying at the PH DC tonight? There was some sort of fire emergency at 12:30am and the entire hotel was evacuated for ~30 minutes. People were exceedingly upset and the hotel management didn't explain anything to anyone while we were all waiting outside in the cold. This was also the second "fire emergency" today, the other happening at 6pm this evening.

What would be appropriate to ask for in this situation as far as recompense goes? I'm sure management is going to offer something but want to make sure we're not letting them off too easy.
I have been evacuated from hotel rooms in the middle of the night a couple of times over the years and was not offered compensation in either case.
If the hotel is somehow at fault, e.g. the alarm malfunctioned, perhaps they will offer something. Also, don't be surprised if the morning front desk staff gives you a blank stare if you bring this up--they most likely came on duty after the incident, and the previous staff may not have seen fit to tell them about it.
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Old Nov 2, 2014, 10:31 am
  #456  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Originally Posted by nabilm92
Anyone staying at the PH DC tonight? There was some sort of fire emergency at 12:30am and the entire hotel was evacuated for ~30 minutes. People were exceedingly upset and the hotel management didn't explain anything to anyone while we were all waiting outside in the cold. This was also the second "fire emergency" today, the other happening at 6pm this evening.

What would be appropriate to ask for in this situation as far as recompense goes? I'm sure management is going to offer something but want to make sure we're not letting them off too easy.
I had a terrible stay at PH DC a few days ago and I will just add parts of my trip advisor review that may pertain to this

"There was a clear electric problem in room 928. Only one set of commands on the wall controlled the lights and the lights would blink every minute. Clearly something was wrong. In my home I was always told it was necessary to monitor any bad connection as this could be a source of real problems. This problem was reported four times to the front desk (also because it is unpleasant to have all lights blink in a room) but this was never addressed."
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Old Nov 2, 2014, 2:57 pm
  #457  
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Originally Posted by nabilm92
Anyone staying at the PH DC tonight? There was some sort of fire emergency at 12:30am and the entire hotel was evacuated for ~30 minutes. People were exceedingly upset and the hotel management didn't explain anything to anyone while we were all waiting outside in the cold. This was also the second "fire emergency" today, the other happening at 6pm this evening.

What would be appropriate to ask for in this situation as far as recompense goes? I'm sure management is going to offer something but want to make sure we're not letting them off too easy.
Yes - my wife and I were there last night. Three different staff gave us three different answers: 1) small fire in a kitchen vent fan 2) small fire in the laundry and 3) "nothing happened - just a false alarm". The last response was most certainly either from someone clueless or an outright lie - there were, by my count, no less than 7 DC firetrucks on the scene and a ladder truck dispatched its ladder all the way up to the roof.

I suspect it was some sort of grease fire in the exhaust from the kitchen. I noticed a distinct greasy bacon odor in the hallway of the ninth floor in late afternoon which on retrospect I think may have been evidence that the exhaust flue from the kitchen was somehow clogged up.

My wife was not pleased about having to evacuate down 9 flights twice in one evening, especially the second time after midnight when she was already in night clothes.

The thing that struck me most about the late night evacuation was how utterly clueless and out-of-control the staff seemed. Most of the front desk staff looked like deer caught in the headlights. There was only one person behind the desk who seemed like he was in any way in control, and I don't think he was even formally on duty because he was not dressed up and his arm was in a sling.

The security guys appeared to be doing nothing more than standing around talking amongst themselves. The evacuation was chaotic - numerous young children obviously awoken from sleep, scared and crying; crowds milling about in the lobby impeding those trying to exist from the stairwells; numerous young teenagers from a Bat Mitzvah party being held in the banquet hall wandering around in front of the hotel without shoes or jackets on a cold night, with no evidence of anyone on the staff seeming to notice or care.

On a more amusing side note, there was one middle-aged guy parading around the lobby wearing only a loosely tied hotel bathrobe who seemed quite pleased to be offering glimpses of his not-so-impressive body to anyone who cared to look his way.

All in all a surprising service fail from this hotel. As my wife said to front desk staff on checkout today - we're not complaining about being told to evacuate - crap happens, afterall, but we were quite disappointed by the response (or lack thereof) of the staff on duty to a situation that clearly had a lot of guests inconvenienced, confused over what to do, and in some cases in tears.

Needless to say there was no offer of any sort of concession this morning in spite of the double evacuation inconvenience. Not even an acknowledgment that there had been any problems until we specifically raised the issue at checkout.
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Old Nov 3, 2014, 4:42 am
  #458  
 
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I was also there. Luckily we were out for the second evacuation and were returning just a few minutes before everyone went back inside. We couldn't believe that it happened twice. I asked in the morning and was told that there was a fire on the roof, caused by grease that caught fire in the kitchen exhaust fan.
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Old Nov 3, 2014, 8:42 am
  #459  
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The casually dressed staff member could have been some sort of manager who lived/was nearby and came over when he noticed the problem or was called by someone.

I would have expected a front desk manager or supervisor to have been on duty during the first fire emergency but perhaps only a night auditor in charge at 12:30 am with most or all guests for the night already checked in by then. If the bar was still open at that hour, there should have been a F&B assistant manager or someone similar on the premises also, but at most hotels the F&B side doesn't deal with general customer service issues very much.
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 6:24 pm
  #460  
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 352
Headed to DC with wife and 2 young kids in tow.

The Park Parlor suite looks like it would work nicely, but booking via FHR or Hyatt.com produces a maximum occupancy of 3 error.

Think I'll run into any problems at check-in? I will need a rollaway and crib.
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 6:40 pm
  #461  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chicago
Posts: 425
Originally Posted by TraveltheWorld
Headed to DC with wife and 2 young kids in tow.

The Park Parlor suite looks like it would work nicely, but booking via FHR or Hyatt.com produces a maximum occupancy of 3 error.

Think I'll run into any problems at check-in? I will need a rollaway and crib.
Fire code may allow either a rollaway or crib but not both. I'd call ahead of booking in order to avoid disappointment at check-in.
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 7:42 pm
  #462  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Midwest
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Originally Posted by TraveltheWorld
Headed to DC with wife and 2 young kids in tow.

The Park Parlor suite looks like it would work nicely, but booking via FHR or Hyatt.com produces a maximum occupancy of 3 error.

Think I'll run into any problems at check-in? I will need a rollaway and crib.
I have stayed there several times with a family of 4 (kids 5 &6). No problem. Occupancy is less of an issue in the US (I have stayed at least 25-30 different US hotels with my family of 4), but is strict in Asia (for kids >12) and Europe. I would book as 3 and call the hotel/customer service to change to 4 only if the breakfast benefit is an issue (hyatt diamond breakfast apply to registered guest.) I even had one front desk agent tell me they did not care how many kids were in the suite. There is just a limit on 1 rollaway.

FYI: breakfast buffet might be a better deal for you since it's free for kids under a certain age-please inquire if interested.

The following thread may be helpful to you in the future since it summarizes such questions for your family and hopefully you would be able to share your experience in the WIKI: Hyatt information for families
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 8:12 pm
  #463  
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Join Date: Mar 2004
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Originally Posted by TraveltheWorld
Headed to DC with wife and 2 young kids in tow.

The Park Parlor suite looks like it would work nicely, but booking via FHR or Hyatt.com produces a maximum occupancy of 3 error.

Think I'll run into any problems at check-in? I will need a rollaway and crib.
If you're considering a revenue booking, consider a Virtuoso booking.. last I booked it was an upgrade confirmed at booking... the Park Parlor would book into a Park suite... or book the park suite because the park exec suite is quite a nice option for families...

FDW
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Old Dec 2, 2014, 9:41 pm
  #464  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
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Change in Diamond Suite Upgrade Category?

Wondering if anyone here has had a recent (i.e. last week to month) attempt at using a Diamond Suite Upgrade certificate. I just tried earlier this evening, and was told by the Hyatt Diamond line CSR that the certificate can only be used to book into a Park Suite, which is not available on my desired dates. I have stayed multiple times at the PH Washington, and I do recall a period in 2011-2012ish that they downgraded the upgrade cert to the Park Suite, but on my last stay in 2013 it was back to the Park Executive Suite. Any first hand experience would be helpful. I'm going to try to contact the hotel during business hours tomorrow, will update the board as to what I hear.
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Old Dec 3, 2014, 4:03 pm
  #465  
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Originally Posted by DCA-Flyer
Wondering if anyone here has had a recent (i.e. last week to month) attempt at using a Diamond Suite Upgrade certificate. I just tried earlier this evening, and was told by the Hyatt Diamond line CSR that the certificate can only be used to book into a Park Suite, which is not available on my desired dates. I have stayed multiple times at the PH Washington, and I do recall a period in 2011-2012ish that they downgraded the upgrade cert to the Park Suite, but on my last stay in 2013 it was back to the Park Executive Suite. Any first hand experience would be helpful. I'm going to try to contact the hotel during business hours tomorrow, will update the board as to what I hear.
Just called and used one. Afraid it's for a park suite. Indeed in the past its been for a park exec. Major downer because there seem to be fewer park suites than park exec.

Fdw
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