Originally Posted by
dajoip
My wife and I have an overnight layover scheduled here on our way to Hawaii for our upcoming anniversary (flying AA).
Happy anniversary!
I'm a new, first-time Diamond member this year and I'm actually pretty excited about being able to check this property out (considering I'll be staying at the Andaz Maui and Grand Hyatt Kauai for the following 9 days!).
You'll love the Hyatt Diamond experience.
I do have a couple questions I was hoping could be answered:
1. Because this is an overnight layover (>12 hrs), I believe we'll have to retrieve our checked bag from security and then re-check it in the AM before our departing flight. Will the logistics of both the retrieval in the PM and re-checking in the AM be at all difficult given the setup of the hotel and security?
First, I am not aware of any "12 hour rule". I'd certainly ask the airline to check the bag all the way through. If you do need to claim the bag, you'll need to go to the the baggage claim (on the 1st floor) on arrival. If you arrive in terminal D then you're all set: The GH is connected to the terminal. If you arrive at some other terminal, then you'll need to use the Terminal Link (van) to get to the hotel. Signs are plentiful.
On departure, take the luggage to the nearest AA ticket counter (no matter which terminal your flight departs from). Once inside security, take the Skylink to your desired terminal.
2. I have an AMEX Platinum card, and it looks like the Centurion Lounge is quite close (how close?). There are obviously glowing reviews of this hotel's restaurant and Diamond breakfast, but if I have access to both, which would be my best option in the AM?
I'm thinking "the GH, by a mile".
3. Finally, our departure the following morning is at ~11 AM, so I took the liberty of scheduling my Global Entry interview for 8 AM. Can anyone provide some insight as to the proximity of the GE office (D21/22 - Arrival Level) to the GH (D22 - Departure Level), and what process I'll have to go through to get there in the AM, and then back?
The hotel is attached to terminal D. The GE office is outside of security. At 8 am, you'll walk from the hotel to the attached terminal. Perhaps the lines won't be long at that hour: I had an 11 am appointment, heard my named called around 1:25 pm and got outta there at 1:40 pm. After you leave the GE office, you'll take an escalator up to departures level to go through security and catch your flight.
In years past, you could check in (and check your luggage) at the Grand Hyatt . I don't know if this is still offered ; it's been a while since I traveled through there with checked bags.