Aug 29, 2023, 5:07 am
Grand Hyatt Fukuoka REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Apr 15, 2012, 5:32 am
#61
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Osaka
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, UA
Posts: 3,158
The Ikkyu night is probably the problem re suite upgrade eligibility. The Japanese hotels tend to do everything by the book, so they are not likely to make an exception at the property level. You could try contacting the US customer service department, but even then the third party booking for one night might still be a problem.
Since you technically have multiple, consecutive reservations one thing you could do is apply upgrades only to the directly booked nights, and then hope that the hotel blocks you in the same suite for the entire stay (although if they do not, you will have to change rooms during your stay).
As a Diamond you will get club access, unless the hotel restricts club access due to high occupancy. Some properties do limit club access in such cases, but at GH Fukuoka I have stayed over holidays when the hotel has been sold out and have never had a problem.
Since you technically have multiple, consecutive reservations one thing you could do is apply upgrades only to the directly booked nights, and then hope that the hotel blocks you in the same suite for the entire stay (although if they do not, you will have to change rooms during your stay).
As a Diamond you will get club access, unless the hotel restricts club access due to high occupancy. Some properties do limit club access in such cases, but at GH Fukuoka I have stayed over holidays when the hotel has been sold out and have never had a problem.
I'll give it a rest and inquire at check-in, but have little hope for the suite. Not that big of a problem as long as we get club access. I must sound quite paranoid about club access here, but I've had a poor batting record with Hilton Gold and have been really looking forward to a big improvement with Hyatt Diamond.
Probably the biggest thing is that I pitched the benefits, especially the guaranteed RC access pretty hard to my wife in convincing her that we could do 25 stays (we're leisure travelers only) with Hyatt this year. I dread hearing "I told you so".
Apr 15, 2012, 6:31 am
#62
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Planet Earth
Programs: | *G | STE | HGP ♦ | SPG Au | MR Au
Posts: 3,772
The Ikkyu night is probably the problem re suite upgrade eligibility. The Japanese hotels tend to do everything by the book, so they are not likely to make an exception at the property level. You could try contacting the US customer service department, but even then the third party booking for one night might still be a problem.
Since you technically have multiple, consecutive reservations one thing you could do is apply upgrades only to the directly booked nights, and then hope that the hotel blocks you in the same suite for the entire stay (although if they do not, you will have to change rooms during your stay).
As a Diamond you will get club access, unless the hotel restricts club access due to high occupancy. Some properties do limit club access in such cases, but at GH Fukuoka I have stayed over holidays when the hotel has been sold out and have never had a problem.
Since you technically have multiple, consecutive reservations one thing you could do is apply upgrades only to the directly booked nights, and then hope that the hotel blocks you in the same suite for the entire stay (although if they do not, you will have to change rooms during your stay).
As a Diamond you will get club access, unless the hotel restricts club access due to high occupancy. Some properties do limit club access in such cases, but at GH Fukuoka I have stayed over holidays when the hotel has been sold out and have never had a problem.
I'm not so sure that the Ikkyu booking is the problem. It is the exact "Grand Queen Special" booked through Hyatt.com, and all the wording is exactly from the GH's own independent website (which no longer exists; I wonder if that is a Hyatt policy to get hotel's to get rid of their own websites; Kyoto HR went last year, and Osaka HR went last month). After emailing GP, response received from Hyatt Guest Relations was that the rate was eligible, but there was no availability. Sounds a bit fishy; someone is definitely dissembling a bit.
I'll give it a rest and inquire at check-in, but have little hope for the suite. Not that big of a problem as long as we get club access. I must sound quite paranoid about club access here, but I've had a poor batting record with Hilton Gold and have been really looking forward to a big improvement with Hyatt Diamond.
Probably the biggest thing is that I pitched the benefits, especially the guaranteed RC access pretty hard to my wife in convincing her that we could do 25 stays (we're leisure travelers only) with Hyatt this year. I dread hearing "I told you so".
I'll give it a rest and inquire at check-in, but have little hope for the suite. Not that big of a problem as long as we get club access. I must sound quite paranoid about club access here, but I've had a poor batting record with Hilton Gold and have been really looking forward to a big improvement with Hyatt Diamond.
Probably the biggest thing is that I pitched the benefits, especially the guaranteed RC access pretty hard to my wife in convincing her that we could do 25 stays (we're leisure travelers only) with Hyatt this year. I dread hearing "I told you so".
I will also re-iterate my earlier comments about the club access and agree with Mike. I have not had any issue thus far accessing the club lounge as a Diamond member. Moreover, I always get 4 pm late checkout as a Diamond in Japan, while it is more hit and miss outside Japan. If they do deny you the use of the club, just contact Gold Passport Concierge here.
Last edited by DHalltheway; Apr 15, 2012 at 6:43 am
Apr 16, 2012, 8:51 am
#63
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Osaka
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, UA
Posts: 3,158
Thanks DH and Mike for the encouragement. We've been interested in this hotel since it opened, but there was always some other place to go rather than Fukuoka. Finally going this year.
Jun 16, 2012, 12:26 pm
#64
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
I had a two night stay at the GH Fukuoka less than a month ago and since there seems to be little recent information about this hotel here, thought I'd post some thoughts about my stay. Keep in mind that I have no status within GP and redeemed points for the stay. Apologies in advance if I don't use the correct lingo.
1) I felt that the hotel looked a bit dated, as did the neighbouring Canal City complex, which is obviously not Hyatt's fault. It felt very mid-90s in there and there were little things that were off, such as one of shelves in the shower having a chip and the sink, made of some clear material, that definitely showed its age via stains that had built up over the years.
2) Service was very, very good. Very friendly staff, good command of the English language, unlike a previous review from 2010. Very thorough when showing me around the room and explaining how everything worked when I first arrived.
3) Grand Club Lounge also looked a bit dated, especially those sofas. However, the food and champagne was quite enjoyable.
4) Location was quite good. Not too far of a walk to the closest subway station, Gion, and easy to walk into the Tenjin area of Fukuoka. Also, Nakasu was fun to walk through on a Friday night and most importantly, the hotel was close to a lot of Yatai.
I would probably look to not redeem points here in the future without a thorough renovation, even though the stay was still enjoyable. In my experiences in other cities I visited on my trip (Kagoshima & Osaka), it was easy to get a much cheaper room at a very nice and modern hotel. I would assume this would be the case in Fukuoka, also. Sure the GH room was quite big but it's not like I did anything with the extra space.
Finally, some pictures:
Bed and seating area, Club King room. The television, fridge, etc. were to the left in this photo.
Shower and tub.
Shower accessories. I know some of you care about this stuff. I'm not classy enough to know the difference between good and bad.
Day time view of Nakasu & central Fukuoka.
Grand Club Lounge
Smoked salmon & smoked duck
Assorted foods
Hotel exterior
A few more photos, mainly of the food/drinks at the Grand Club Lounge available here.
1) I felt that the hotel looked a bit dated, as did the neighbouring Canal City complex, which is obviously not Hyatt's fault. It felt very mid-90s in there and there were little things that were off, such as one of shelves in the shower having a chip and the sink, made of some clear material, that definitely showed its age via stains that had built up over the years.
2) Service was very, very good. Very friendly staff, good command of the English language, unlike a previous review from 2010. Very thorough when showing me around the room and explaining how everything worked when I first arrived.
3) Grand Club Lounge also looked a bit dated, especially those sofas. However, the food and champagne was quite enjoyable.
4) Location was quite good. Not too far of a walk to the closest subway station, Gion, and easy to walk into the Tenjin area of Fukuoka. Also, Nakasu was fun to walk through on a Friday night and most importantly, the hotel was close to a lot of Yatai.
I would probably look to not redeem points here in the future without a thorough renovation, even though the stay was still enjoyable. In my experiences in other cities I visited on my trip (Kagoshima & Osaka), it was easy to get a much cheaper room at a very nice and modern hotel. I would assume this would be the case in Fukuoka, also. Sure the GH room was quite big but it's not like I did anything with the extra space.
Finally, some pictures:
Bed and seating area, Club King room. The television, fridge, etc. were to the left in this photo.
Shower and tub.
Shower accessories. I know some of you care about this stuff. I'm not classy enough to know the difference between good and bad.
Day time view of Nakasu & central Fukuoka.
Grand Club Lounge
Smoked salmon & smoked duck
Assorted foods
Hotel exterior
A few more photos, mainly of the food/drinks at the Grand Club Lounge available here.
Jun 16, 2012, 3:47 pm
#65
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Planet Earth
Programs: | *G | STE | HGP ♦ | SPG Au | MR Au
Posts: 3,772
I would probably look to not redeem points here in the future without a thorough renovation, even though the stay was still enjoyable. In my experiences in other cities I visited on my trip (Kagoshima & Osaka), it was easy to get a much cheaper room at a very nice and modern hotel. I would assume this would be the case in Fukuoka, also. Sure the GH room was quite big but it's not like I did anything with the extra space.
But personally, I find that it isn't very expensive @ under 20K yen per night before taxes for most nights I have stayed there (perks of free lounge access are worth it to me). I am not sure when you stayed, but apart from the Golden week (when the rate ballooned to over 35K yen per night) and some holidays I won't redeem points at this location.
Jun 16, 2012, 6:29 pm
#66
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
But personally, I find that it isn't very expensive @ under 20K yen per night before taxes for most nights I have stayed there (perks of free lounge access are worth it to me). I am not sure when you stayed, but apart from the Golden week (when the rate ballooned to over 35K yen per night) and some holidays I won't redeem points at this location.
Jun 18, 2012, 12:26 pm
#67
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,745
This is one of those hotels where there is a signifcant difference between the rate for one vs two people. The rate jumps 6,000 yen. I was hoping to pay and use a suite upgrade cert, but 12K points/night might be the compelling choice.
Jun 18, 2012, 8:19 pm
#68
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Baltimore, MD
Programs: Hilton, United, Delta, Hyatt, YMCA
Posts: 242
Get the Japanese Suite if you can
we stayed here for 4 nights in winter, as the introduction to Japan.
We loved every moment of it. Japanese suite Japanese Garden and with Nesspresso Coffee and access to the Stone bath. Oh well! Next we moved to Hilton SeaHawk and stay 5 more nights. I would come back anytime to Japan. I loved it.
We loved every moment of it. Japanese suite Japanese Garden and with Nesspresso Coffee and access to the Stone bath. Oh well! Next we moved to Hilton SeaHawk and stay 5 more nights. I would come back anytime to Japan. I loved it.
Jun 18, 2012, 10:59 pm
#69
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
The Executive Suite Twin category is very spacious and has great views of the canal, but the smaller suite categories typically used for suite upgrades are less impressive. In my opinion it is worth getting a suite if one will be spending time in the room, especially with double occupancy or for the business traveler, as there are proper sitting areas and desks in the suites. If one will not be spending much time in the room and extra space is less important, I would be reluctant to pay a premium to get a suite.
Jun 19, 2012, 8:30 am
#70
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,745
In my opinion it is worth getting a suite if one will be spending time in the room, especially with double occupancy or for the business traveler, as there are proper sitting areas and desks in the suites. If one will not be spending much time in the room and extra space is less important, I would be reluctant to pay a premium to get a suite.
Nov 12, 2012, 5:26 am
#71
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,854
This is my second night of three at the GH Fukuoka. Got upgraded to a suite which, based on the floor map, looks to be neither the smallest nor the largest category suite. It has a bedroom, a somewhat oddly shaped but reasonably large sitting room, a main bathroom and a guest bathroom. One closet near the entry and another near the master bath.
No wi-fi when I got here, so they brought up a router which required considerable fussing with to make work. When it finally did, the signal didn't reach the bedroom and was only usable in the sitting room.
The club breakfast this morning was nothing special, offering only one pre-made egg (scrambled) and meat (sausage) dish. Bullied them into doing some eggs to order, which they said would take 20 minutes. When our party left, they gave us all breakfast coupons for the main restaurant -- apparently they don't want to see us for a day! -- but it may well turn out to be a good idea.
Service in general is impersonal and they appear to forget to do things. Also there is a bit of a cost-accountant mentality: they left some candy in the room in a jar and it contained exactly one piece of each type per person. They obviously knew I didn't need the calories!
The desk clerk said at check-in that they were going to give us a bottle of champagne, which would have been a nice touch if it had actually appeared.
I can't get any English language TV stations, although they claim to have 2 (CNN and Discovery). I probably can't figure out the remote.
I would definitely stay here again but not have any sense of excitement about the idea. I would be much happier if the service issues were fixed, and what decent hotel doesn't have fully workable wif-fi by now? However by all accounts, the GH is the best hotel in town.
The location is a decent walk from any subway station but in a nice shopping mall with a very good selection of shops and restaurants.
No wi-fi when I got here, so they brought up a router which required considerable fussing with to make work. When it finally did, the signal didn't reach the bedroom and was only usable in the sitting room.
The club breakfast this morning was nothing special, offering only one pre-made egg (scrambled) and meat (sausage) dish. Bullied them into doing some eggs to order, which they said would take 20 minutes. When our party left, they gave us all breakfast coupons for the main restaurant -- apparently they don't want to see us for a day! -- but it may well turn out to be a good idea.
Service in general is impersonal and they appear to forget to do things. Also there is a bit of a cost-accountant mentality: they left some candy in the room in a jar and it contained exactly one piece of each type per person. They obviously knew I didn't need the calories!
The desk clerk said at check-in that they were going to give us a bottle of champagne, which would have been a nice touch if it had actually appeared.
I can't get any English language TV stations, although they claim to have 2 (CNN and Discovery). I probably can't figure out the remote.
I would definitely stay here again but not have any sense of excitement about the idea. I would be much happier if the service issues were fixed, and what decent hotel doesn't have fully workable wif-fi by now? However by all accounts, the GH is the best hotel in town.
The location is a decent walk from any subway station but in a nice shopping mall with a very good selection of shops and restaurants.
Nov 12, 2012, 3:45 pm
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
I would definitely stay here again but not have any sense of excitement about the idea. I would be much happier if the service issues were fixed, and what decent hotel doesn't have fully workable wif-fi by now? However by all accounts, the GH is the best hotel in town.
The location is a decent walk from any subway station but in a nice shopping mall with a very good selection of shops and restaurants.
The location is a decent walk from any subway station but in a nice shopping mall with a very good selection of shops and restaurants.
Nov 12, 2012, 4:13 pm
#74
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,854
Where I am coming from is that this is quite an acceptable hotel, and presumably, given there is general agreement that this is the best in town, everything else would be worse. But it does not meet the service standards that I have experienced at other Hyatts in Japan. If compared to US Grand Hyatts, however, it would still shine, so I am applying tougher standards than I would in many other countries.
Nov 12, 2012, 4:16 pm
#75
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,854
Last night we got back from a longish trip to Mt. Aso too late to try any place so we bento'ed it on the shinkansen, which for some unknown reason, I really enjoy doing.