Highlands Inn - Hyatt Carmel REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jul 12, 2021, 10:44 pm
#661
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,428
Many oddities starting at checkin. Quite disappointed overall as we enjoyed this property as one of our favorites when we lived in the bay area back in 2000 to 2005.
I'll describe more but am very interested if any other globists haven't received welcome cards at the hotel. The reason I ask is our suite upgrade landed us in a 'town house' with very poor views and a message on the phone that they no longer have the slippers available that we requested but will try to provide the other items. My hunch is our room could have been reassigned from a guest who checked in earlier and didn't like the room and we ended up with theirs since we checked-in mid evening. That would explain no welcome letter in the room. We did receive them at two other hyatts we stayed at in the last couple weeks.
At checkin there is a plexiglass window that is quite a bit larger than most hotels we have been at making it hard to hear the receptionist. They were sitting in a chair toward the wall and about 2 feet back. When I mentioned it was hard to hear them with the loud wedding party in the lounge they made no attempt to move closer or speak louder. I ended up having to bend down to put my ear near an opening at the bottom of the plexiglass. Then a couple minutes later a somewhat louder person comes up and interrupts asking for help in the middle of our checkin. The attendant went over to the side to help them... very odd as I've never had a checkin interrupted. It was only about 3 minutes since our checkin started. The person said they checked in online and just needed their keys. Still took half the time of our overall checkin. Both my wife and I are globalist.
I'll update the post with additional details/issues after checkout. They said the GM would contact me but we are now at day 3 of a 5 day stay and nada..Even potential safety issues that are raised with a broken fireplace door seem to be ignored.
I'll describe more but am very interested if any other globists haven't received welcome cards at the hotel. The reason I ask is our suite upgrade landed us in a 'town house' with very poor views and a message on the phone that they no longer have the slippers available that we requested but will try to provide the other items. My hunch is our room could have been reassigned from a guest who checked in earlier and didn't like the room and we ended up with theirs since we checked-in mid evening. That would explain no welcome letter in the room. We did receive them at two other hyatts we stayed at in the last couple weeks.
At checkin there is a plexiglass window that is quite a bit larger than most hotels we have been at making it hard to hear the receptionist. They were sitting in a chair toward the wall and about 2 feet back. When I mentioned it was hard to hear them with the loud wedding party in the lounge they made no attempt to move closer or speak louder. I ended up having to bend down to put my ear near an opening at the bottom of the plexiglass. Then a couple minutes later a somewhat louder person comes up and interrupts asking for help in the middle of our checkin. The attendant went over to the side to help them... very odd as I've never had a checkin interrupted. It was only about 3 minutes since our checkin started. The person said they checked in online and just needed their keys. Still took half the time of our overall checkin. Both my wife and I are globalist.
I'll update the post with additional details/issues after checkout. They said the GM would contact me but we are now at day 3 of a 5 day stay and nada..Even potential safety issues that are raised with a broken fireplace door seem to be ignored.
Jul 12, 2021, 11:13 pm
#662
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSP
Programs: Delta Diamond; Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 103
Many oddities starting at checkin. Quite disappointed overall as we enjoyed this property as one of our favorites when we lived in the bay area back in 2000 to 2005.
I'll describe more but am very interested if any other globists haven't received welcome cards at the hotel. The reason I ask is our suite upgrade landed us in a 'town house' with very poor views and a message on the phone that they no longer have the slippers available that we requested but will try to provide the other items. My hunch is our room could have been reassigned from a guest who checked in earlier and didn't like the room and we ended up with theirs since we checked-in mid evening. That would explain no welcome letter in the room. We did receive them at two other hyatts we stayed at in the last couple weeks.
At checkin there is a plexiglass window that is quite a bit larger than most hotels we have been at making it hard to hear the receptionist. They were sitting in a chair toward the wall and about 2 feet back. When I mentioned it was hard to hear them with the loud wedding party in the lounge they made no attempt to move closer or speak louder. I ended up having to bend down to put my ear near an opening at the bottom of the plexiglass. Then a couple minutes later a somewhat louder person comes up and interrupts asking for help in the middle of our checkin. The attendant went over to the side to help them... very odd as I've never had a checkin interrupted. It was only about 3 minutes since our checkin started. The person said they checked in online and just needed their keys. Still took half the time of our overall checkin. Both my wife and I are globalist.
I'll update the post with additional details/issues after checkout. They said the GM would contact me but we are now at day 3 of a 5 day stay and nada..Even potential safety issues that are raised with a broken fireplace door seem to be ignored.
I'll describe more but am very interested if any other globists haven't received welcome cards at the hotel. The reason I ask is our suite upgrade landed us in a 'town house' with very poor views and a message on the phone that they no longer have the slippers available that we requested but will try to provide the other items. My hunch is our room could have been reassigned from a guest who checked in earlier and didn't like the room and we ended up with theirs since we checked-in mid evening. That would explain no welcome letter in the room. We did receive them at two other hyatts we stayed at in the last couple weeks.
At checkin there is a plexiglass window that is quite a bit larger than most hotels we have been at making it hard to hear the receptionist. They were sitting in a chair toward the wall and about 2 feet back. When I mentioned it was hard to hear them with the loud wedding party in the lounge they made no attempt to move closer or speak louder. I ended up having to bend down to put my ear near an opening at the bottom of the plexiglass. Then a couple minutes later a somewhat louder person comes up and interrupts asking for help in the middle of our checkin. The attendant went over to the side to help them... very odd as I've never had a checkin interrupted. It was only about 3 minutes since our checkin started. The person said they checked in online and just needed their keys. Still took half the time of our overall checkin. Both my wife and I are globalist.
I'll update the post with additional details/issues after checkout. They said the GM would contact me but we are now at day 3 of a 5 day stay and nada..Even potential safety issues that are raised with a broken fireplace door seem to be ignored.
I asked for either of us to be moved rooms but they weren't willing or able to. Giving it a day to decide what I want to do at this point.
Jul 13, 2021, 11:05 am
#663
Join Date: May 2004
Programs: Various Programs of Interest & LT Collector.
Posts: 1,483
Sorry to hear that. Reading through replies it feels like the GM may prioritize cash room over elites and points/awards.
The GM replies to most trip advisor reviews so one item to make a point is negative reviews providing the issues experiemced. Mine will include the GM seeming to spend considerable time replying to TA reviews over helping people who have issues during their stay.
The GM replies to most trip advisor reviews so one item to make a point is negative reviews providing the issues experiemced. Mine will include the GM seeming to spend considerable time replying to TA reviews over helping people who have issues during their stay.
I checked in today and had used points for an upgrade to the Townhouse but they didn't have it available for us. I'm pretty annoyed as my in-laws are also staying in a King Ocean View and now have a huge hike up to our room and my mother-in-law is very limited with her knees. We still received a great room, but it wasn't the Townhouse.
I asked for either of us to be moved rooms but they weren't willing or able to. Giving it a day to decide what I want to do at this point.
I asked for either of us to be moved rooms but they weren't willing or able to. Giving it a day to decide what I want to do at this point.
Last edited by TravelGuy1965; Jul 13, 2021 at 11:15 am
Jul 14, 2021, 2:48 am
#664
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 72
I've stayed here once a few years ago when it was a Category 6 hotel. I don't think I'll ever stay here again. If I'm ever in the area, I will opt for Carmel Valley Ranch or Ventana instead. I've stayed in all 3 of them.
If Ventana is a 10/10 property, then I would rate Carmel Valley Ranch a 9/10 and this property would be a 3/10.
If Ventana is a 10/10 property, then I would rate Carmel Valley Ranch a 9/10 and this property would be a 3/10.
Jul 18, 2021, 4:55 pm
#665
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSP
Programs: Delta Diamond; Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 103
Sorry to hear that. Reading through replies it feels like the GM may prioritize cash room over elites and points/awards.
The GM replies to most trip advisor reviews so one item to make a point is negative reviews providing the issues experiemced. Mine will include the GM seeming to spend considerable time replying to TA reviews over helping people who have issues during their stay.
The GM replies to most trip advisor reviews so one item to make a point is negative reviews providing the issues experiemced. Mine will include the GM seeming to spend considerable time replying to TA reviews over helping people who have issues during their stay.
Overall I still love this place after coming here for many years. The rooms are outdated, but the views are amazing and the wood burning fireplaces on the cool evenings and mornings are special. With Ventana right down the road, if it is just my wife and I we will always go there, but with the kids we will go back to Carmel Highlands.
Aug 7, 2021, 8:38 am
#666
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,428
Am staying at the property now. We have been staying here at least once a year for about 10-15 years. While we had a poor experience last year, this stay has proved to be excellent. I contacted the GM about a week before our arrival and requested a suite within a specific range of room numbers. He promptly responded and we did get one of our desired rooms. A bottle of wine was in our room on arrival. This property consists of about 48 hotel units and around 100 timeshares. As I recall, the town would not allow 100% timeshares. From what I have researched, the property appears to be owned by Marriott but operated by Hyatt. We're in an Oceanview Townhouse Spa Suite. The rooms and suites are not Four Seasons quality but the prices are Four Seasons prices. This is an old property that has chosen to keep a rather contemporary rustic style. The suites are very clean and comfortable but the furnishings are of mediocre quality. There is a full kitchen including full sized refrigerator, microwave, and a four burner stove with oven. These units would be unsuitable for the handicapped as it's a 2 story unit with very steep stairs down to the bedroom. The views are wonderful, although some units have much better views than others. Some of the basic rooms are alongside the road into the property and would be subject to noise. Globalists do have complimentary breakfast in the restaurant overlooking the ocean and can choose anything on the excellent menu, the Point Lobos being my favorite dish. Overall, a good stay and a responsive GM .
Aug 7, 2021, 6:49 pm
#667
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 392
Thanks JIMCHI for taking the time to report back while on-property! Remind me what's the desirable block of rooms to request again please? I'm thinking of heading up in a couple weeks especially now that Point Lobos is open (which it wasn't last summer when we were in the area). Are you on a points stay and put in for an suite upgrade using TSU?
Aug 8, 2021, 6:30 pm
#669
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 392
Thank you JIMCHI ! Are TSU's still booking into the Townhouse suites then? How many nights are you doing this time around? Kind of a bummer that the restaurant isn't open for dinner yet but I guess it forces you out to explore the nearby restaurants off property!
Aug 8, 2021, 6:43 pm
#670
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,428
Thank you JIMCHI ! Are TSU's still booking into the Townhouse suites then? How many nights are you doing this time around? Kind of a bummer that the restaurant isn't open for dinner yet but I guess it forces you out to explore the nearby restaurants off property!
Aug 20, 2021, 11:04 am
#672
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,428
JIMCHI and others - the website says the Sunset Lounge is open daily from 4-10 for drinks and light bites... was it open during your visit? It would be nice to have somewhere on property to get a drink and small snacks in the evening!
Sep 8, 2021, 11:14 pm
#673
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: SFO, SJC, OAK
Programs: Globalist, Diamond via Aspire
Posts: 113
Spent one night at this property and will revisit in the near future.
Planed our long weekend for Tahoe but the fire made things impossible. Canceled Tahoe and could only find Carmel Highlands were available on 9/5-6. Booked the basic ocean view room and GOH another for our friends' family.
Checkin was easy and quick. Hotel is fully booked so no upgrade. We asked for rollaway beds and they sent each of us a full size airbed which is very comfy.
Our ubereat driver gave up our order after being stuck on the road for 1 hour so we decided to have an early dinner at the lounge(Sunset?). Service was nice but a bit slow. Burger, chowder, calamari were all good, fries not much. The view was great. Had breakfast at California Market. Point Lobos and Omelette were delicious. The side dungeness crab was fresh and sweet. I think the food is better(fancier) compared to CVR. Again, the view is 10/10.
Room is small for a family of 4 but we were given two connecting rooms so 4 kids having much larger space to play around. Pool is OK. Hot tub was dirty so we didn't try.
I set my expectation kinda low before I went and the experience there was actually pretty good.
Planed our long weekend for Tahoe but the fire made things impossible. Canceled Tahoe and could only find Carmel Highlands were available on 9/5-6. Booked the basic ocean view room and GOH another for our friends' family.
Checkin was easy and quick. Hotel is fully booked so no upgrade. We asked for rollaway beds and they sent each of us a full size airbed which is very comfy.
Our ubereat driver gave up our order after being stuck on the road for 1 hour so we decided to have an early dinner at the lounge(Sunset?). Service was nice but a bit slow. Burger, chowder, calamari were all good, fries not much. The view was great. Had breakfast at California Market. Point Lobos and Omelette were delicious. The side dungeness crab was fresh and sweet. I think the food is better(fancier) compared to CVR. Again, the view is 10/10.
Room is small for a family of 4 but we were given two connecting rooms so 4 kids having much larger space to play around. Pool is OK. Hot tub was dirty so we didn't try.
I set my expectation kinda low before I went and the experience there was actually pretty good.
Sep 25, 2021, 1:16 pm
#674
formerly a193991
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Zulu Romeo Hotel
Programs: Hyatt LT Globalist; LX SEN (*A Gold), AA LTG, SBB-CFF-FFS First Class GA
Posts: 4,579
I made the reservation about 8 months ago so I can't vouch for what a TSU offers now. The TSU';s always have put us in a townhouse spa suite in years past as well. We stayed 3 nights. We had an outstanding dinner at Anton & Michel in Carmel. The Chart House in Monterey was very good also and has ocean views.
thanks for all your reports. So TSU can be used at this property, in spite of the „Residence Club“ in the name? I have written to MHC to apply a TSU. Will see what she comes back with.
I booked a King Bed Ocean View standard room. From the pictures on the website view looks great. Is theTownhouse Spa Suite even better from a „view“ perspective? I presume the official suite name is „Ocean View Townhouse Spa Suite“, correct?
Thanks
Sep 25, 2021, 4:23 pm
#675
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,428
thanks for all your reports. So TSU can be used at this property, in spite of the „Residence Club“ in the name? I have written to MHC to apply a TSU. Will see what she comes back with.
I booked a King Bed Ocean View standard room. From the pictures on the website view looks great. Is theTownhouse Spa Suite even better from a „view“ perspective? I presume the official suite name is „Ocean View Townhouse Spa Suite“, correct?
Thanks
I booked a King Bed Ocean View standard room. From the pictures on the website view looks great. Is theTownhouse Spa Suite even better from a „view“ perspective? I presume the official suite name is „Ocean View Townhouse Spa Suite“, correct?
Thanks