Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Grand Hyatt Berlin, and I think it's a good hotel. However, there were issues with pre-stay sentiment due to a poorly-worded upgrade email and a subsequent failure to deliver the promised replacement benefit (yes, I didn't ask for it, but if you're going to promise something, you should deliver). I find it ironic that the stay would have been better had they not said anything at all. I'll detail that before hopping into my pros, cons, and photos - again, this is a nice hotel with a good offering, and I think most would be happy here.

Email Saga:

I received the following from the GH the afternoon before my arrival day:

Thank you for your reservation at Grand Hyatt Berlin. We are happy to welcome you soon. I would love to inform you that unfortunately we do not have a Globalist suite upgrade available anymore to allocate, but I would love to ask you if there is anything else we could prepare or arrange to value your Globalist status with us? For example could we offer you a drink in our bar, offer the minibar for free or offer complimentary parking? Please let me know if I could do anything to make your stay even more comfortable for you. May we ask as well what type of welcome amenity we may arrange in your room, would you prefer something sweet, savory or fruity? We are happy to welcome you and if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. In case you could give us an arrival time, we would appreciate it.

After checking online and seeing that Junior Suites were still being sold, I responded an hour later with:

Thanks for reaching out! If a suite or other upgraded room happens to open up before arrival, I壇 love to be included for consideration, but in case not, I値l never say no to a drink at the bar. As for treats, I値l always pick something sweet! I知 staying at the Westin tonight, so I値l likely walk over and perhaps arrive around 2 PM. On Wednesday morning, my train to Hamburg departs around 10:30 AM, so I値l have no need for late checkout.

The next morning, I received the following reply (after seeing this, I did check and see that Junior Suites were no longer being sold):

At the moment unfortunately the suite situation did not change, but I have upgraded you to one of our bigger Deluxe rooms with the access to our Grand Club lounge on the 7th floor of course. My colleagues will hand out a voucher for you at time of check in, so that you will be flexible in regards to your drinks. As well we are trying our best to have the room ready at 2pm latest. At the moment the room is still checked in, but I will cross my fingers that the other guest will check out early.

I know some on this forum will disagree with me, but my problems with this exchange, besides the poor translation of "love to inform you", are that 1) it creates a lack of excitement for the stay before it even happens and 2) the supposed "drink voucher" never appeared. Nothing was mentioned at check-in or otherwise, and I didn't want to pull a "you promised a drink voucher" at the front desk as I'm sure the FDA would have thought I was being entitled. Plus, I don't need any more notes in my Hyatt profile to get me on any bad lists.

Pros:

• Was upgraded to a Deluxe King, which was the highest category available online on the day of arrival
• The room is pleasantly designed and reminds me a lot of a cross between the Andaz Fifth Avenue (overall aesthetics), Park Hyatt Tokyo (bedside furniture), and Grand Hyatt DFW (bathroom counters)
• The bed was very comfortable - lovely plush covers (great to see in a Hyatt), just-right mattress, plush pillows
• Shower pressure was very nice and strong + the shower is massive and has full glass (so it still gets steamy)
• Very large walk-in closet
• Desk chair was comfortable
• Despite the missing "drink coupon," the mentioned sweets from the email chain were in my room - some interesting chocolate truffles coated with (some good, some a tad too sour) flavor powders + a chocolate caramel crunch bar I'm keeping as a souvenir
• Grand Club (7th floor) is interesting
  • Afternoon tea is only for 1 hour, but the desserts are massive - full slices of tiramisu and several other dessert choices
  • Evening service did not have any desserts, and I didn't try any of the appetizers (so I can't comment)
  • No breakfast service in the lounge
• Breakfast is only served in Vox (restaurant on ground floor) and starts at 7 AM - not in the lounge or the other restaurant (despite it having breakfast hours)
  • Crispy bacon
  • Made-to-order eggs from the server includes Eggs royale, benedicts, omelets, etc (yummy) - scrambled on buffet
  • Cappuccinos were pretty good
  • Pancakes were fluffy (though a tad savory since they were some sort of brown wheat mix vs. buttermilk)
• 110 V shaver / toothbrush outlet in the bathroom - major win!

Cons:

• Room stayed pretty warm - despite turning the climate control all the way to cold - I had to open the windows overnight and keep the shades open (which meant the sun woke me up far too early)
• No Internet connectivity options on the TV
• Courtyard view is not very private as you could see into my bathroom and bed from the elevator lobby across the courtyard

Notes:

• Somewhat odd interaction at check-in - generally friendly agent asked about my trip so far - I mentioned I had been to Frankfurt - he asked where I stayed, and I replied the Marriott and Westin - he mentioned "oh, so you didn't get to take advantage of your Globalist status?" - I laughed it off and mentioned that I have a lot of statuses to balance - though, later, I looked and there aren't any full-service Hyatt options in Frankfurt - just a Hyatt Place and Hyatt House (where Globalist benefits don't apply for the most part)

Overall, I thought this was a good use of a Cat 4 certificate, and I think many folks would be happy to stay here.

Photos: