Here now on a staycation and I have to say the place has seen a significant downgrade despite the renovations.

Temporary issues:

• The hotel kind of lied when it said its renovation period would be from July to December 2021. There were delays, of course, and the work on the areas they listed took until April, but what they failed to mention is the renovation was being done in stages. For an indefinite amount of time the Grand Club is being blended with the Fountain Lounge in the lobby. The new lobby area is beautiful, but the lack of a dedicated club space means check-in happens at the front desk for everyone and the cocktail hour snacks and drinks are ordered from a limited menu. This I can forgive since the club is being remodeled.
• Club Oasis pool area, a previous highlight of the property, is indefinitely closed and it's unclear whether this is due to more renovation or other reasons. The hotel's website says this is due to pandemic restrictions, but the whole lower area is inaccessible which suggests something else is going on.
• Possibly related to the above, the fitness center has been moved to the underground level, same as the shops, and is open from 7 am to 10 pm. I can't recall if the previous iteration of the gym was 24 hours, but let's assume it wasn't. Even so, this is a big letdown. The Grand Hyatt's gym was well-equipped with barbells, squat racks, benches, cardio equipment and machines for every conceivable part of the body. They have purchased new equipment but the selection is now very anemic; just the standard dumbbells, a couple barbells and a scattershot selection of weight and cardio machines. A significant step backward, but hopefully there will be more equipment in a bigger space at a later date.
• Made in China has been part of this "new phase" of renovations for months, so anyone looking to take advantage of the restaurant spend promotion at a very good option for Peking duck and other delicacies will be out of luck. I highly doubt it will be open before December considering how long the other facelift took.

Non-temporary issues:

• Breakfast is served at The Balcony, the hotel's all-day Italian buffet. The Market Cafe here was a real winner in the past, particularly the heaping bowls of (at least what appeared to be) house-made yogurt and granola in ample portions. Now we're down to the standard accoutrements (All-Bran doesn't satisfy the way that granola did) and the single-serving cups you see in so many other places. Lots of other things missing that were here before that have turned this breakfast into same-old same-old when it comes to Hyatts in China, not bad by any stretch but not exemplary. Whether that's due to the ongoing renovations limiting kitchen options or an overall cost-cutting measure I don't know, but I was looking forward to indulging at breakfast here and will instead be mixing my sad little bowl of store-bought yogurt with All-Bran and raisins before getting on with my day.
• I was given a suite in the east wing, which was not part of the renovation and as such carried that same tired style. I have not seen what rooms in the west wing look like so cannot comment on whether the revamp reached the rooms there or the hotel had to scale back its ambitions.

Service is still fine, practically everything is replacement-level for a Grand Hyatt in China, but as someone who lives here there isn't much to compel me as this negates the biggest thing this hotel has going for it: The location.

The rates this weekend were reasonable, which is part of why I booked it instead of the Hyatt Regency Wangjing (my traditional go-to for full-service staycations as it resides firmly at the ideal intersection of quality and cost), but I also wanted to evaluate the property when the renovation period had supposedly finished. Disappointed to find it had not, and the things I enjoyed most about it are now dust in the wind.