Forever in Seattle

I prefer the Grand Hyatt, nicer rooms and view (as long as you don't get the I5 side looking into the apartment block, along with the noise from the Motorway). I like the corner suites, which they usually upgrade me to.

But the breakfast (poached eggs in my case) in Urbane when staying at Olive 8 I do enjoy.

jsnearline

Any recent feedback about how these properties compare? I stayed at both back in 2011-12 and liked each for different reasons. I thought the GH was ideal for a solo trip and the Olive 8 was great for a stay with my family. Doing a solo trip next month and it's a bit of a coin toss right now.

Jerryf08

My gf and I stayed at both of them about a week ago. First we stayed 2 nights at olive 8. The hotel itself is nice but I had to get a new card key 3 times in order for my room to finally open -.- we just had an ok view on 11th floor. Had a bit of the city and then an apartment complex right in front of us. As far as views are concerned the grand hyatt is better. The main positive regarding olive 8 is the free full breakfast plate for diamond members. After that we stayed 1 night at GH. We were on 24th floor with a fairly nice view. I liked that it had a big 50"TV, and the room was slightly bigger. The biggest downfall was that the AC wasn't working.. We called front desk who sent someone. He changed the filter gave us a huge fan, and manually changed the temp to 60. Having a fan for a $300 room isn't an ideal condition though but it was enough to get us to sleep. The next morning sure enough the AC still wasn't working.Called front desk again to inform them, fortunately we had to check out early. They gave me a full refund for the room and offered to pay the drinks we got at the grand club but I said the drink portion wasn't necessary. Later that day I received an email from the manager apologizing for incident which I did appreciate. Overall if it wasn't for the AC issue, I would prefer GH over O8. The positive for O8 is the full breakfast.

jkjetsetters

We will be in Seattle for my husband's work conference from Saturday, January 2nd, 2016 to Friday, January 8th. We want to stay at either the Hyatt Olive 8 or the Grand Hyatt, and use a Diamond Suite Upgrade. I've read through both hotel review threads & the confirmed DSU thread, as well as TripAdvisor. At one point or another during my research I've sold myself on one property, but then something sways me to the other one (total over-thinker here). Neither FT thread has many recent reviews, so I'm hoping a couple people might chime in here. It'll only be our second stay as Diamonds & second DSU use (1st of both is next week), so I'm just not really sure what to go for.

Things I'm curious about:
-Better room overall

-Work space: I'll be working remotely the whole week so I need a comfortable work space. Is either hotel's suite better than the other, or your standard desk area? The separate office in the Governor's suite at Olive 8 looks nice, but I don't necessarily need that much space.

-Is Wi-Fi noticeably better at either hotel?

-Are the rooms at one hotel any quieter than the other? I'm a light sleeper & also appreciate the quiet while working.

-At the GH, the lounge is your only option for breakfast, correct? Reviews make it sound pretty crappy, while reviews for Urbane's breakfast at Olive 8 sound pretty appealing. (con is a sit down meal would take longer)

-Other food options: Since I'll be working from the hotel, some days I may not have time to leave the property for lunch. Which offers more/better overall food options?

-Does Olive 8 really only have 37" TVs, even in suites? Not a big deal but I do sometimes watch TV in the background while working.

-Not that we expect or need to get upgraded to a nicer suite than the base level DSU one, but it seems like people have better odds of being upgraded at the GH, any experiences with that?

Thanks in advance, any & all thoughts are appreciated!

tom911

This is from my 16th floor suite at Olive 8 in 2013:





The desk area had lots of room, though no TV around it. It would be behind you to the left in the living room area, so really not in the best position to watch from the desk itself.

The suites I've had at Grand Hyatt over the years tend to have small desks in the bedroom with an adjoining TV on top of a stand. Here's a photo from 2010, and my last stay with a setup like this was in 2012. Don't know if it's changed since. My last stay in 2014 I didn't have a suite.



I've always enjoyed the breakfast at Olive 8 and the desk setup may be more to your liking there, but don't know how many types of suites they have. More photos in the Hyatt gallery linked below.

Scottrick

It's kind of a toss up. I'm not in love with either hotel, and I've stayed at each a couple times despite living in the city. But to answer your question, I'd pick the Olive8.

Olive8 has a better suite. Assuming you get one. I think the GH has more of them.

Not an issue.

Not an issue, though my opinion is the crowd at the Olive8 is a little rowdier in the public spaces. The GH has more floors, so maybe that makes it easier to assign a quiet floor.

The GH breakfast was good at one time. I'm no longer happy with it. Urbane is fine. Good considering it's free, though as a local I don't eat there. The service is fast enough.

They are across the street from each other. Urbane serves lunch. The GH doesn't actually have a restaurant, but there are several independent restaurants in the same building.

If you have time to go downstairs to the restaurant then you have time to walk one block and find something better. Pacific Place would have the most quick dining options. I view this as a question about who has better room service. I can't answer that question, but I will say that the GH has a great cheese spread for its welcome amenity.

I never paid attention. I'm not sure the GH has TVs that are any bigger.

I have gotten a few complimentary upgrades at the GH. No complimentary upgrades at the Olive8. Also, the GH is more likely to offer a view because the Olive8 is surrounded by office towers.

I haven't gotten a room better than a base suite at either hotel.

travelinjoe

Recently stayed at the GH. Lovely hotel with awesome service.
Room was great for my stay and the hotel staff was excellent.

I was in town for work so had dinner and breakfast meetings out of the hotel but the club level at the GH was great and a nice way to get a quick water / coffee / drink when needed.

SanDiego1K

View is better at Grand Hyatt. I like being able to see the water and water traffic.

tom911

Definitely a better view at Grand Hyatt if you get a water-facing suite.

Single_Flyer

This may help:

http://singleflyer.com/2015/04/02/gr...tt-or-olive-8/

Forever in Seattle

I have spent a lot of time in both hotels, including the Olive 8 a few days ago.

Best room - Hmm, standard rooms I would say the GH.
Corner suites they are about the same, with the GH makes use the entry foyer to make a mini office with a work desk, TV and couch, but the result is bedroom is small. You also (usually get, but the fitout for the bathroom various on the floors, and because they converted bigger suites to smaller rooms years ago according to the working there since year dot maintence bloke) get bath and shower. O8 Corner suites are more roomy.
Never had any of the bigger suites in the GH, but looking at the floor maps, they always seem to be on the East/I-5 side of the building, which I dislike.
O8 Presidential Suite - fantasic

Work space - Standard room about the same, GH Pudget Sound side has a great view which makes it a nice place to work, which as an elite they usually would give you, and as a Diamond one of the top floors and with the bay view is pretty much a certainty. Higher rooms about the same in both hotels.

Wifi - GH was worse in my experience, often playing up so having to use 4G. When they changed to free wifi it did get worse, and they had no authentication setup for high speed access. My last stay was late spring so this may be improved.
O8 I found it better, fast, and setup so you can play or get complimentary high speed access.

Noise - GH, if you are on the I-5 side the road noise in the middle of the night I intrusive once the rest of the city background noise has died down, so need ear plugs. Pugit Sound side I find better, but I wouldn't say dead quiet as it is in a noisy part of town.
Across the road from the 08, on the Olive and 8th corner they have just started work on a new building the size of a city block, currently at the foundation digging phase, but that is going to go on for some time, and they were working 24 hours last week.

Breakfast - GH, ok, gets dull fast. O8 Urbane - an old menu is on the hotel website, just a few things different than currently served. Some people the the past said you can get you Diamond breakfast served in your room, but I have never asked so can't confirm.
http://olive8.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/Urbane.html

Other food - Urbane is open all day. Nothing much in the GC during the day apart from fruit or some buscuits or alike they put out. There is a Ruth's Chris in the ground level in the GH, some Asian food place too. Otherwise there is many food options within 2 blocks walk of both hotels as others have said.

TV - 37' in the O8? Posted your question on Tuesday I could have measured it! The GH TV system was anology and poor quality but they replace all that at the start of the year, so both properites have digital TV with a good EPG setup.

DSU - not sure, both hotels do take care if you are a known regular. I have stayed at the GH more, and usually get upgraded to a corner suite.

Both are good options, and you won't go wrong with which ever one you pick. If you want Rooms/view and the free evening snacks and cheap drinks in the GC go for the GH (but as I said not sure you get the bay view with the higher Suites, call and check). Good breakfast, got for the O8. I like the crew who run the Urbane, and more socialable place than the GC, since it is a bar/resturant. But there is nothing stopping you walk over the road and having a drink there if you are at the GH.

ahcjar103

i live 8 blocks from both hotels and frequent each a handful of times a year (i'll be at o8 twice in the next week). both are great properties.

o8 is a newer, more contemporary building, and such the architecture and furnishings reflect that. the grand, while older, is still a great building that i would say is finished in "northwest" fashion. i like both.

like others have said they're within a block from each other, and the location is right in the middle of the retail core downtown, meaning there are food options all around, both in the immediately 1-2 block vicinity, and those within a 10 minute walk such as rn74 and quinn's.

traditionally the grand will upgrade diamonds to suites without a dsu as long as there is space. o8 i've been 50/50 on suites without dsu. exec suites at the grand have a small kitchen area. luxury king (suite) at o8 is a bit wider in the main area. GH has better views on the water-facing side.

the lounge food at the grand is fairly standard GH fare. bagels, lox, fruit, a couple hot dishes, etc in the morning. salads, grilled vegetables, finger foods, and a couple hot dishes in the evening. obviously no lounge at urbane, but breakfast is great and IME nothing ever appears on the bill.

most everything else has been repeated, and feel free to PM with any other questions.

jkjetsetters

Very cool & helpful chart, thanks!

jkjetsetters

Thanks for all of the helpful info, right now I'm leaning towards the GH, as it's a tad cheaper with AAA rate, has views, and the lounge access for drinks/snacks during the day would be nice for me while working. Thanks again!

evergrn

I don't have much experience with Hyatt in the US. So maybe I'm misunderstanding the GH concept in the US. But to be honest, I was surprised by the lack of common amenities at GH Seattle. Based on my experiences in HKG, Tokyo and San Diego, I always thought GH brand stood for higher-end with impressive lobbies, greater variety of services and common amenities (compared to, say, HR). At GH Seattle, the lobby area is small with limited staff and really nothing there, no breakfast buffet, not even a swimming pool. Decided to settle for the jacuzzi, but headed down to the jacuzzi/sauna area only to find it jampacked with people. Our room was on the small side and the only thing it had a leg up on your average HR was probably the bathroom.

I would say the room is overall slightly better than HR Bellevue just because of the bathroom design (but I'd say inferior to some of the Regencies I've stayed at like Gainey Ranch). But HR Bellevue has a grand, vibrant atrium-style lobby, nice buffet, pool and a larger gym. On the other hand, GH Seattle felt like just a nice place to sleep/work at.