My husband and I spent four nights at the GH Rio in late June. We used a DSU and had a lovely suite with a lagoon view on the 6th floor (633)

What was absolutely amazing to me was the wonderful staff at this hotel. I have stayed at many Hyatts and received great service but this is the best customer service I have ever received. Patricia Gomes, manager of the club, runs a club where everyone is friendly and provides great service and really spoiled us. Some examples of terrific staff (say hi to them for me) include Maikel in the lounge who makes a great Caipirinha, as well as Ivanna; Sara in the Tano Italian restaurant, and Daphne, Renata and Letiticia from the concierge desk did a marvelous job in assisting us in planning activities. Ms Gomes constantly surprised us with little extras--gifts in our room, ability to try buffet breakfast in Tano and complimentary cocktails in the Canto bar to try their Caipirinhas. All staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Finally on our last day, we got a late checkout and about five of the staff, joined by the General Manager Christophe Lorvo, came to say goodbye as we waited for our uber to the airport--Patricia had a few good-bye gifts for us too.

A few words about the hotel. The hotel opened in March 2016 and everything was in great shape. There is an outdoor swimming pool that is a bit shallow for my taste but it is a lovely area. Hyatt provides beach service at the beach across the road. Lounges, umbrellas, towels and water are all provided. Everyone we talked to said the water is so much cleaner than at the Ipanema or Copacabana beaches; the beach was very clean as well.
The spa area was nice if a bit small; we enjoyed aromatica messages in the couples message room. The gym was large with very nice equipment. We ate one breakfast and one lunch at Tano, the Italian restaurant and one lunch at Canto the Brazilian restaurant., Sara who works at Tano was a delight and surprised us with some drinks she invented herself including the "Please don't go"

Barra da Tijuca--Barra is pronounced Baha and it is one of the beach areas outside of Rio and a main Olympic venue with 8 Olympic stadiums. A metro will be open for the Olympics and that will be a big improvement in the transportation situation. Traffic is extremely heavy particularly due to the confluence of mountains and beaches which limit roads. Would recommend Uber for local short rides and as noted in another post, Executivo bus for going downtown if the metro does not meet your needs.

Activities
We booked a driver and car before our trip and he picked us up at the Hyatt and we were driven to catch the tram to Christ the Redeemer and the cable car to Sugar Loaf. We also drove through Santa Teresa, stopping to see various sights including the Selaron steps and lunch.
The concierge booked a former history teacher to give us a 4 hour walking tour of Rio, he met us at the bus terminal when we arrived on the Executivo bus. This was a great tour and he tailors it to meet your needs in addition to covering the history of the major sites. We asked to go shopping at SAARA a shopping area in the downtown to get official Olympic shirts and his ability to talk to the shop owners was very helpful as English is limited.

We took the hotel car from the airport to hotel but when we left we took Uber (informally, off the books) from a driver we used to see the Olympic stadium.

We had a wonderful time in Rio;if we are there again we would not hesitate to stay at the Grand Hyatt Rio.