Trip Report: Park Hyatt Buenos Aires

Park Hyatt Buenos Aires Palacio Duhau:

Room type: “Park Deluxe Suite”

4 night stay

Hyatt Diamond Member

We had an incredible stay at this property.  This is our 2nd visit to Buenos Aires (having stayed at the Four Seasons last time).  The team at the hotel is fantastic and each staff member truly cares.  Everyone from the GM, Director of Operations, Front Desk Manager, Assistant Front Desk Manager, and our Butler would check on us to ensure everything was to our satisfaction.  This is how every hotel should be run and others can learn from this property and the GM/his entire team.  It is so refreshing when you see true hospitality at a hotel. 

We stayed in the newer Tower side and were in a “Park Deluxe Suite” which had a fabulous terrace.  Room #1307.  We originally used a DSU (Diamond Suite Upgrade) that booked into a “Park Suite”.  We were further upgraded into this “Park Deluxe Suite” that overlooked the Posadas Street side.  The terrace was great, although we were only able to use it one of the days as it rained the rest.  It had a separate bedroom, a guest bathroom, dining table, etc.   See below for pictures of the suite. 

One nit – wish there was a larger sofa so that 2 people could relax and read/watch TV at the same time – it was a bit tight. 

The concierge team here is very responsive and would respond with answers/replies immediately.  They really have their act together and are very helpful.  Many thanks to Jesica who took good care of us.

Breakfast as a Diamond member is included and can either be taken right downstairs in the Gioia restaurant (which is the Italian restaurant at night in the Tower) or you can walk over to the Palace side and have breakfast in Piano Nobile. 

Gioia breakfast is a buffet and then you can also order eggs made to order.  The buffet is fairly extensive, fruits, breads, meats/cheeses, cereals, etc.  The entire breakfast was comped and we never saw a charge.  We did leave 100 pesos each morning on the table as a tip.  This breakfast area gets more crowded as there are more rooms on the Tower side. 

Piano Nobile breakfast is somewhat a la carte and we actually preferred eating here instead.  The room is just stunning and the setting much more quiet and subdued.  In contrast to Gioia, there were only 2-3 other tables occupied when we visited.  See pictures below.  While you do order the same “buffet” as in Gioia, there is no buffet set up in the room.  Instead, they bring you items by course.  First, they bring out a pastry tray for the table.  Then they bring out a fruit course, which was nicely cut and delicious.  You can order yogurt with this and they will bring it out to eat with your fruit.  For the next course, you get your made to order eggs.  I found the eggs here to be much better than Gioia for whatever reason and my wife also agreed.  Overall not as much food, but more than plenty for a filling breakfast and no need to overdo it with an all you can eat buffet!

Oak Bar – The hotel’s bar has great cocktails and light snacks. They seem to attract a good crowd, without being overly noisy or crowded. Our only complaint as non-smokers was that the room was very smoky, but this is not uncommon in Buenos Aires.

Duhau Restaurant – The restaurant was probably our only somewhat subpar experience at the hotel. We actually changed our dinner plans for our last evening as we heard that the steaks at Duhau were incredible. While the food was good, it wasn’t outstanding enough to wow us.  Perhaps it was just an off night as others love the steaks here. The interior décor feels a bit more dated than the rest of the property.  The wine/cheese bar area looks great, but was always empty.  I think more people go to Oak Bar, but wish this wine bar area got more use.

The Gym is open all hours and is equipped with Technogym equipment, 3 treadmills, weight machines, and dumbbells.  Enough for a good workout while traveling.  There is also bottled water and energy drinks in a refrigerator here, as well as towels.  The men’s locker room is somewhat small and has a sauna, but no steam room for which I was hoping.

Masters of Food and Wine Experience:

During our stay, the hotel was hosting one of the Park Hyatt signature events – Masters of Food and Wine.  This was the Chef’s Masters Experience.  I’ve always wanted to attend one of these, so we purchased tickets for Friday night and the event was held from 7pm-11pm.  It was scheduled to be held outside in the garden, but due to rain, they moved everything to various venues throughout the hotel.  It was a fun evening, with chefs from around the world hosting different stations of food, as well as various wineries sampling their wines.  There was food galore and the event spanned the tunnel connecting the Tower to the Palace, the entire Gioia restaurant, the upper level meeting rooms, etc.  They also had the most amazing macaron section with hundreds of macarons to be eaten (which wasn’t hard!).

Suggestion for Improvement:

One suggestion for an improvement in the rooms is to add more towel holders in the bathrooms.  We found spots to hang towels was lacking. 

It was a pleasure meeting the GM, Philippe, at the property during our stay.  I also interacted with him over email before our stay and I just knew, based on his responses, that this property had their act together.  And, after staying there, I can say they definitely do!  Philippe is a true customer service oriented GM and cares so much about his guests.  One of the top GMs I’ve met.

The Director of Operations, Robert, and the Front Desk Manager, Alejandro, all made it a point to find me and meet me in person.  And they ensured everything during our stay was perfect.  Always checking in and following up during the stay. Having so many members of the team genuinely care for the in house guests is such a great and unique aspect of this hotel.

One example of the great, proactive service – my wife was departing on a different flight and headed to the domestic airport via taxi from the hotel.  As I walked her down and said goodbye, I noticed the bellman writing down the taxi’s license number and keeping it on record as her taxi drove off. Another was me telling them that I liked the treat in the car service - the chef then personally delivered the recipe with full details and colorings as well!

I flew Delta One to/from Buenos Aires, connecting in Atlanta.  It was fine enough, but wish there were some better 3 class options for the long journey.

We booked our car service through the hotel and it is extremely professional.  They contract with a company that exclusively does Park Hyatt jobs, I believe.    On arrival at EZE, the driver was waiting with a Park Hyatt sign and escorted us out to the car, a Mercedes E Class.  In the car was bottled water and Park Hyatt branded towelettes.  Also there was a gift bag waiting for me and in it was body lotion (same as in the bathrooms) and the most delicious mini Alfajores de maicena – a very nice touch.  Other hotels should take note to have a welcome treat waiting for guests in the car.  We book many car services through hotels and very rarely is there something waiting for us in the vehicle (other than water and maybe a hot towel). Little details like this show you how well run the hotel is. The rate from EZE to the hotel through the concierge is $120 US Dollars.  As soon as the car pulled up to the hotel, our butler for our star was waiting and whisked us straight to the suite for check-in.  Another great touch. 

The other “remise” (hired driver) the hotel recommends is Manuel Tienda Leon and they have a transportation desk after baggage claim at EZE airport.  The rate from EZE to the hotel is 690 pesos (about $50 US Dollars).  Not as luxurious as booking through the concierge, but a decent option as well.

There is a Amex Centurion Lounge in EZE airport and this is better than the other business class lounge to which most airlines will give you access.   These two lounges are right across from each other, but the Centurion Lounge is much newer and the food options better.  I do find it odd that Amex doesn’t mention their international Centurion lounges very well, but only hypes up their domestic US Centurion lounges.  This lounge at EZE was great.

We attended the Philharmonic at the Teatro Colon Opera House and it was very nice!  Would recommend to see if a show/performance is happening during your visit.  Last time, we attended the Opera.

Restaurants:

iLatina: By far our best meal in Buenos Aires was at iLatina.  They do 2 seatings each evening and it is worth going here one night.  We also did the wine pairings.   Being from NYC and loving food, this restaurant surpassed all expectations.

Floreria Atlantico: After the Philharmonic, we went for a light dinner and drinks. Though more a bar than restaurant, the food was very good, and they have an excellent bar program. We enjoyed the creative cocktails. Mine was very light and refreshing and served with a mini-fan, which was kind of amusing. It has a fun, funky, somewhat “underground” vibe, and overall, was a great choice.

Pizza: Buenos Aires is known for having great pizza, and we sampled two different restaurants, on different ends of the spectrum. One was Cosi Mi Piace, a relatively new entrant into the Palermo dining scene. It is Roman-style pizza, and the co-owners have each spent a good deal of time in Rome (and in Roman-style restaurants in NYC, such as Marta) perfecting their craft. It was fun and modern, and we thought the pizza was quite good. We also tried El Cuartito, which has a reputation as one of the oldest and best pizzerias in the city. It’s a very traditional, bustling, family-friendly environment, one where they move you in and out quickly. We had heard nothing but good things about the pizza but were pretty disappointed – it may be that we didn’t order correctly. Both pizzas were very thick with cheese, and the one that we got with red sauce had barely any sauce at all, so nothing to help cut the cheesy doughiness of the rest of the pizza.

Burgers: During an afternoon of shopping in Palermo, we ducked into Burger Joint to split a quick burger and fries. It’s a cool and casual place, and both the burger and fries were excellent.

Cooking Class: Tierra Negra

We did their Empanada cooking class and Manuel and Veronica were great hosts at their home.  There was only 1 other couple and we really enjoyed our cooking class where we learned to make empanadas, dulce de leche, flan, and then also did a wine tasting.  It was great to hear about their experience and get a true understanding of the food and culture from locals.

http://www.tierranegragourmet.com/

Overall the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires is such a well-run property in a beautiful palace setting.  Management and all the staff truly care and go out of their way.  A must visit if staying in Buenos Aires.

Delta Sky Club and Delta One (Business Class):

Hotel Car Service and Park Deluxe Suite:

Master Bathroom and Bedroom:

Guest Bathroom:

Hotel:

Breakfast:

Chefs Masters Event:

Oak Bar and around the hotel:

Around town:

iLatina Dinner:

Centurion Lounge at EZE Airport: