WilcoRoger

I stayed at the Regency in April. Friendly staff, rooms are OK, but not exciting. As others said, the Park is next door, basically on the same property.

As we were on a sporting event, the location was extraordinary, 5 min's walk to the main sports hall.

Other - Baku (or AZ) is not really a tourist destination, but once you are there, make sure you have some time to explore) There are a lot of oil-/gasmen in town.

365RoadWarrior

All opinions welcome here! Thank you.

Five night trip to Baku. Will be staying at PH or HR as a Diamond with wife. Perceived luxury*, location and fitness center matter, though it sounds like the latter two issues are not a factor here. So, is Ms. 365** likely to have a "dazzling" experience at the PH to justify extra 25% on rate? She does like Regency Clubs, provided they're not smoky or full of unruly kids.



* Overall, we're HR kinda people, but she's been dazzled by a couple of Le Meridiens and Andaz West Hollywood (for it's trendiness/edge/novelty). No regrets on the upcharge for those experiences. You only live once, eh?

** She's worth it, but I don't want to look like an overpaying fool.

365RoadWarrior

Presently wrapping up a week at the Park Hyatt. Attentive service, acceptable lounge (at the Park), clean, comfortable rooms. Some nice "details" and design touches, but overall, little to make a guast say "wow". Gym is nice, though hours are restricted. Just a bit of the "developing world" peeks through in showers that run hot and cold and HVAC and phone "challenges". But overall, if you've got lots of money, you won't go far wrong here.

-Heathcliff-

Trying to book the PH for May 25-27, 2012, but both Baku properties seem unavailable that weekend - despite booking guarantee.

This is likely due to the Eurovision Song Contest finals taking place in Baku at that time, which Hyatt probably deems one of those periods of "extraordinary room demand" that override the booking guarantee - precisely when one would actually need it!

I'm wondering if this only affects us lowly Platinum elites or if Diamonds are affected as well?

timo469

I was just in Baku for business and stayed 5 nights in a park suite. I felt the Park Hyatt rooms really need a refreshing, and the regency lounge was extremely smokey. The breakfast selection was very poor and as a Diamond you only have the choice of having it in the lounge. I requested an exception, and was allowed to have my diamond breakfast in the restaurant. The best part of the park hyatt is the staff, they are all extremely friendly and helpful. Our local business partners suggested staying at the Hilton, Marriott, or Four Seasons, once they open. All of these hotels will be by the coast and are supposed to be very nice.

Cheers,

Timo

travelkid

How did you end up? Both hotels have rooms now.

Jeeves

Can someone explain this commercial I saw the other day about Baku. Having never been there, I don't understand the message. Thanks.

jarusoba

They have the ambition of becoming the Dubai of the Caspian Sea.

But it's far from it.

First, they have to get rid of the horrible visa requirement to visit.

youhavebeenupgraded

Stayed with 6 000 Points in a Park Suite at the Park Hyatt. Here some pictures:

Park Suite:
http://youhavebeenupgraded.blogspot....yatt-baku.html

The Regency Club at the Park Hyatt:
http://youhavebeenupgraded.blogspot....tt-baku-2.html

The public pool (=club oasis) at the Park Hyatt:
http://youhavebeenupgraded.blogspot....tt-baku-3.html

mecabq

Just came from here, and this must be the worst Park Hyatt in the system.

It's really a mystery why this property exists. I didn't see the rooms at the adjacent Hyatt Regency, but the Park feels like a Regency. The rooms feel dated and not distinctive at all. The amenities are minimal -- the complex's main bar (Beluga) is in the Regency (the Park has a small bar area in the lobby, and there is another basic pub in the Regency), breakfast is poor, and, most notably, the service is nonexistent. The front desk staff is basically friendly and articulate in English, but not very polished and not able to do much. There is a "Regency Club" on the seventh floor, but it seems to have closed. Each hotel has an outdoor pool, which seem interchangeable. The bathroom in my suite was large and pretty nice, with Blaise Mautin toiletries and a separate walk-in shower.

I asked the front desk if they could suggest a café with qalyan within walking distance while I was waiting for my room, but they couldn't. There is no concierge; the front desk provided a laughable map (the old city was just a tiny speck, like a Rorschach blot, with no street names identified). I asked for a restaurant recommendation, and they named one of the most famous touristy ones, which ended up being pretty good, but they couldn't tell me where in the old city it was (the front desk guy said that he didn't know -- "even I couldn't locate it," he shrugged), even though it has a street address as I discovered later. We went through a rigamarole when I checked in to request a morning newspaper, but it never arrived.

I should summarize by saying that I had no major problem with the Park Hyatt; rather, it just lacks the character and service level that one would expect. It would be an average developing-country five-star Regency. I wandered through the Regency and asked a few questions of the staff, and they seemed better than those at the Park.

Service standards in Baku aren't great, though, in contrast, the service at the Four Seasons is wholly consistent with that brand. Plus the rooms and location (for most purposes) of the FS are much better. (The only advantage I can see of the Park over the Four Seasons besides Gold Passport and price -- it was 40% less this trip -- is that it has an outdoor pool, though the spa and indoor pool at the FS are beautiful.)

By the way, Baku was definitely worthwhile for a visit. The old city and upscale parts of town are worth seeing, and the local life is interesting. Plus there is the ribald nightlife and dodgy neighborhoods that you'd expect. (You can wander downhill from the Hyatts toward the city center on a main boulevard that is away from the glitz of the Caspian waterfront area.) I quite enjoyed the city overall. The architecture is beautiful, and the more upscale areas have a decidedly European, yet exotic, feel. There are many very attractive parks, loaded with flowers, fountains, cafes, and kiosks selling newspapers, for example. Although the density of upscale hotels and restaurants is lower than, for example, Abu Dhabi, Baku seems to have a relative sophistication about it that combines with the less-developed parts to make it a fun stop.

P.S. I also tried the Jumeirah Bilgeh, about half an hour outside town near the airport, for a day trip (you can pay about EUR 30 to use the beach) and, although the service was very poor, this hotel has a decent beach and lots of amenities, including a small water park, nightclub, and several restaurants, including a steakhouse on a pier over the water.

+1 on the visa. I think that they could be on their way to a Dubai-like setting, but with much more authenticity and history, though it seems that the corruption (according to news reports) and police-state feel are major impediments.

MatthewLAX

My recent stay was quite different--I thought the staff was extremely polished.

Here is my review of the Park Hyatt Baku.

I was upgraded to an Executive Suite (did not even ask and was not using a suite cert) and found the property very nice. It was eerily empty...I saw very few guests my entire stay. The lounge was closed, probably due to low season but breakfast was good both at Mezzo on the Park Hyatt side or The Grill on the Regency side.

roland_wa

There is no Park Hyatt anymore. Just a Hyatt Regency. I think they merged the PH with the HR.

rwm818

Any recent reports on this property? Might be going there in the near future...

retirementdreams

trying again....any recent stays here??

solewalker

I stayed in Aug/Sep (can't remember) on a paid rate as a globalist. It's about 2 miles from downtown - walkable, but Uber also drops you off for $1.

I got upgraded to a lovely suite on the club level, and given a welcome amenity of fruit, box of chocolates. There might or might not have been wine (I'm allergic to alcohol, so I don't generally notice if there's wine or not).

The grounds of the hotel are lovely - nice pool (probably won't be able to use at this time?), very large gym.

Breakfast is served at the restaurant, and food is good, as is staff.

Very friendly staff.