Hyatt Kuantan - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jan 31, 2001, 5:56 am
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: LH SEN, SPG Gold(SCI Gold), Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold
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Hyatt Kuantan - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Anybody stayed at the Hyatt Kuantan recently ? What happened to the construction (was supposed to become a Sheraton) next to it ?
Jan 31, 2001, 7:26 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Tokyo/Saint Louis/Kuantan
Posts: 46
The Sheraton is abandoned.
I just booked my boss into Regency Club at $96/night with a seaview room. This isn't the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, but the staff is friendly and prices are low. Weather's OK but it can rain almost every day in this season. Don't feed the monkeys and don't leave your balcony doors open.
I just booked my boss into Regency Club at $96/night with a seaview room. This isn't the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, but the staff is friendly and prices are low. Weather's OK but it can rain almost every day in this season. Don't feed the monkeys and don't leave your balcony doors open.
Jan 31, 2001, 5:27 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: MKE
Programs: DL Platinum; Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,119
Just stayed there last week. The Sheraton is still just an abandoned hulk with armed guards within. Since I stayed there last year they have apparently finished remodeling the rooms -- the new bathrooms are a major improvement. A nice place, particularly for the price. Saw more monkeys than ever before -- and yes as previous poster mentioned don't leave the windows open with room unattended.
Mar 16, 2002, 4:22 am
#5
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Location: SEA(sia)
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Hyatt Kuantan - When an Upgrade is a Downgrade
Just returned from an unpleasant stay at the Hyatt Regency Kuantan.
I booked a Seaview room and under a certain promotion, I was supposed to get a room upgrade. I was upgraded to Regency Club but the "upgraded" room faces a staircase and side wall of another block,and not the sea!
My request to the Front Office Manager for a Regency Club Seaview room was turned down with the excuse that it was fully sold . When I told her that the Hyatt website clearly indicated that Regency Club Seaview rooms are still available, she actually said that the "staircase view" room is sold as a Seaview room !!!!
I dont mind not being upgraded but not to be treated like an ignorant fool expecting me to believe that a Staircase view room is actually a Seaview room !!
No point arguing with her, and I decided not to be "upgraded" as I dont want to face an old concrete staircase. My standard Seaview room has a panoramic view of the South China Sea but is small and run down with very basic furnishings,more like a 3 star resort.
Packed my bags the next morning and checked-out one day early with a complain note to the GM ,and never to step foot into another Hyatt.
I booked a Seaview room and under a certain promotion, I was supposed to get a room upgrade. I was upgraded to Regency Club but the "upgraded" room faces a staircase and side wall of another block,and not the sea!
My request to the Front Office Manager for a Regency Club Seaview room was turned down with the excuse that it was fully sold . When I told her that the Hyatt website clearly indicated that Regency Club Seaview rooms are still available, she actually said that the "staircase view" room is sold as a Seaview room !!!!
I dont mind not being upgraded but not to be treated like an ignorant fool expecting me to believe that a Staircase view room is actually a Seaview room !!
No point arguing with her, and I decided not to be "upgraded" as I dont want to face an old concrete staircase. My standard Seaview room has a panoramic view of the South China Sea but is small and run down with very basic furnishings,more like a 3 star resort.
Packed my bags the next morning and checked-out one day early with a complain note to the GM ,and never to step foot into another Hyatt.
Mar 16, 2002, 4:51 pm
#6
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: MKE
Programs: DL Platinum; Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,119
This was not my experience. I stayed there last year (my 4th visit) and found the room I was given, tho small, had recently been renovated with an excellent bathroom and new furniture. It was sea view, not RC, but since I am diamond thye did give me access. Obviously they must have some "new" and "old" rooms. The rates are probably the cheapest resort rates of any Hyatt in the world.
Mar 16, 2002, 9:22 pm
#7
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trd,
Are you sure you stayed at the Hyatt Kuantan? the one that badly needs a coat of paint on the exterior,aging lobby and corridors, musky lifts and over-crowded pools with sreaming kids and adults in their pyjamas !!!! Well , theres only one Hyatt in Kuantan and I guess "one mans meat is another mans poison" .
I believe the room you stayed is a RC room since the conceirge informed me that the RC rooms are newer, slightly bigger and has a seperate shower.(At least the Concierge is more sincere in giving proper information compared to the Front Office Manager who seems to enjoy deceiving guests even on room types and availability !)
While I agree that this is perhaps the cheapest Hyatt resort in the world, the question is whether it deserves to be a Hyatt in the first place.
Secondly, it is by no means cheap for such a run down property in Malaysia. Although I dont expect "Datai" standards I would expect a lot more from a Hyatt. There are so many 4/5 star resorts in Malaysia offering far superior accomodations for so much less.
At USD66 for a standard seaview room at Hyatt Kuantan, you can get better deals even in Bali. The Sheraton Nusa Indah Bali is only going for USD60 and the adjoining award winning Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua for USD95 (both Garden views and there are very few seaview rooms there).The level of service at Sheraton Laguna is truly exceptional and deserves the world no 14 ranking by Traveller Conde Nast.
I believe you are from the US and am indeed surprised that you travelled all the way here and stayed at this property 4 times!
I suggest that on your next vacation to Malaysia you should stay at Sheraton Perdana Langkawi (just a little more expensive than Hyatt Kuantan but is absolutely fabulous) or the Pangkor Laut Resort ( a private island that Joan Collins recently stayed for her Honeymoon). If you are willing to splash a little, go for the Datai in Langkawi with its beautiful beaches and rain forest settings. I believe all these resorts currently offer incredible deals with low occupancies affecting this region.
Are you sure you stayed at the Hyatt Kuantan? the one that badly needs a coat of paint on the exterior,aging lobby and corridors, musky lifts and over-crowded pools with sreaming kids and adults in their pyjamas !!!! Well , theres only one Hyatt in Kuantan and I guess "one mans meat is another mans poison" .
I believe the room you stayed is a RC room since the conceirge informed me that the RC rooms are newer, slightly bigger and has a seperate shower.(At least the Concierge is more sincere in giving proper information compared to the Front Office Manager who seems to enjoy deceiving guests even on room types and availability !)
While I agree that this is perhaps the cheapest Hyatt resort in the world, the question is whether it deserves to be a Hyatt in the first place.
Secondly, it is by no means cheap for such a run down property in Malaysia. Although I dont expect "Datai" standards I would expect a lot more from a Hyatt. There are so many 4/5 star resorts in Malaysia offering far superior accomodations for so much less.
At USD66 for a standard seaview room at Hyatt Kuantan, you can get better deals even in Bali. The Sheraton Nusa Indah Bali is only going for USD60 and the adjoining award winning Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua for USD95 (both Garden views and there are very few seaview rooms there).The level of service at Sheraton Laguna is truly exceptional and deserves the world no 14 ranking by Traveller Conde Nast.
I believe you are from the US and am indeed surprised that you travelled all the way here and stayed at this property 4 times!
I suggest that on your next vacation to Malaysia you should stay at Sheraton Perdana Langkawi (just a little more expensive than Hyatt Kuantan but is absolutely fabulous) or the Pangkor Laut Resort ( a private island that Joan Collins recently stayed for her Honeymoon). If you are willing to splash a little, go for the Datai in Langkawi with its beautiful beaches and rain forest settings. I believe all these resorts currently offer incredible deals with low occupancies affecting this region.
Mar 17, 2002, 11:34 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: MKE
Programs: DL Platinum; Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,119
Last year I was in a third floor seaview room, in the building just north of the RC building (not the RC building). I was pleasantly surprised because my previous visits I had had a room such as you described. BTW I will briefly be in KL and KK(to visit a friend) again this August on my round about routing with a free FC ticket on MH with Northwest miles to New Zealand.
Mar 21, 2002, 5:00 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: skudai, Johor
Posts: 417
I think its a good deal for the price, I prefer it to WestCoast side, nicer coastline. All Hyatt's in Malaysia need updates, but with such low rates its hard I think to pay for it, the JB Hyatt is only a few years old, was so nice when it opened, but look now !
Jul 6, 2006, 8:59 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco
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Bump...
The suite upgrade here seems like a great deal to me, and we're considering a stay in mid-August if the upgrade request gets approved by the hotel. (Apparently this is a manual process, and, based on previous reports from this hotel, I am not optimistic that they will approved. But I digress...)
Any recent experiences? The pictures on the webpage make it look like they sassed up the place a bit from the last time I looked a year or so ago...
The suite upgrade here seems like a great deal to me, and we're considering a stay in mid-August if the upgrade request gets approved by the hotel. (Apparently this is a manual process, and, based on previous reports from this hotel, I am not optimistic that they will approved. But I digress...)
Any recent experiences? The pictures on the webpage make it look like they sassed up the place a bit from the last time I looked a year or so ago...
Jul 7, 2006, 7:30 am
#11
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: LH SEN, SPG Gold(SCI Gold), Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold
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We stayed at the Kuantan Hyatt a few years ago and found it reasonable.
Btw. what happened to the unfinished hotel complex next to it, which was planned to be a Sheraton?
Btw. what happened to the unfinished hotel complex next to it, which was planned to be a Sheraton?
Jul 7, 2006, 8:16 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,530
The Kuantan Hyatt is "just OK". The location is great but the building is tired and badly in need of an update. However, it is hard to beat the rates (I paid $63 last year). My only complaint was that it was a battle to get upgraded to the RC. My RC room was not a seaview.
My advice .. don't expect toom much. Kuantane, unlike Bali, is a resort that caters to local families.
My advice .. don't expect toom much. Kuantane, unlike Bali, is a resort that caters to local families.
Jul 10, 2006, 7:53 pm
#13
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4 1/2 years on, and I have yet to step foot in another Hyatt property ..............
It has been bought by the Berjaya group, unlikely to be a Sheraton since this group manages all their properties.
Originally Posted by peter42
Btw. what happened to the unfinished hotel complex next to it, which was planned to be a Sheraton?
Nov 16, 2006, 4:05 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL DM, 1MM AA PLT 2MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, and...Smiles Diamante
Posts: 2,783
A late report from a trip in August...
This hotel is a dump and a half:
-rooms were bleak
-employees seemed downright grim
-service (other than the housekeeping) was excrutiatingly slow and inattentive
-restaurant offerings were poor and uninspired
-the "low end Euro package traveler" scene was not a plus in my book,
-RC snacks were remnicscent of high school cafeteria food (e.g., chicken nuggets), and,
-public areas were tired.
I understand that some renovations are underway, the suite upgrades are a good deal, and the hotel is inexpensive, but I wouldn't go back for half the price. The whole experience just felt cheap.
The deal sealer was the lousy treatment we received throughout the stay, and particularly annoying was the incredibly cold service my (gay) partner received. He's Filipino, but the staff were convinced that he was "pretending to not be Malaysian." It got old and awkward very fast.
We recognize that the east coast of Malaysia is very conservative and were 100% discrete during our stay -- for all staff knew, we could be two friends on vacation. (Trust me -- I am overly sensitive the regional cultural norms.) Nevertheless, we got plenty of weird looks during our stay.
On the streets of Kuantan -- if you want to stare, that's fine by me.
In an international hotel -- unacceptable.
Despite some other service deficiencies, our stay up the road at Tanjong Jara had none of the awkwardness of the stay at the Hyatt -- so I don't know if one can blame it on the culture...it sounds like more of a training issue to me.
This hotel is a dump and a half:
-rooms were bleak
-employees seemed downright grim
-service (other than the housekeeping) was excrutiatingly slow and inattentive
-restaurant offerings were poor and uninspired
-the "low end Euro package traveler" scene was not a plus in my book,
-RC snacks were remnicscent of high school cafeteria food (e.g., chicken nuggets), and,
-public areas were tired.
I understand that some renovations are underway, the suite upgrades are a good deal, and the hotel is inexpensive, but I wouldn't go back for half the price. The whole experience just felt cheap.
The deal sealer was the lousy treatment we received throughout the stay, and particularly annoying was the incredibly cold service my (gay) partner received. He's Filipino, but the staff were convinced that he was "pretending to not be Malaysian." It got old and awkward very fast.
We recognize that the east coast of Malaysia is very conservative and were 100% discrete during our stay -- for all staff knew, we could be two friends on vacation. (Trust me -- I am overly sensitive the regional cultural norms.) Nevertheless, we got plenty of weird looks during our stay.
On the streets of Kuantan -- if you want to stare, that's fine by me.
In an international hotel -- unacceptable.
Despite some other service deficiencies, our stay up the road at Tanjong Jara had none of the awkwardness of the stay at the Hyatt -- so I don't know if one can blame it on the culture...it sounds like more of a training issue to me.