Anlun

Here now for one last night and this place is a ghost town. Basically just my wife and I, and maybe 4 other couples. We had full buffet breakfast the first two nights but today they closed the buffet due to low occupancy and let us order two dishes a la carte each instead of one. Was upgraded from Sea view room to park view suite originally, but due to occupance, it looks like we are getting upgraded to the Nevis suite. Weather was great over all. Nice breeze and sunny, although today has been spot raining. Overall experience has been ...interesting. I'm not sure who this hotel is planning on catering to. Hard product is good but already showing signs of wear (white couches are never a good idea at beaches), and there is ongoing construction. Soft product still needs work.

I'll update once I'm back with a better review and some pics.

shakim

I booked for end if Oct in June 26. The $300 per person credit was valid for bookings made until June 30.

however, now my reservation for Oct says $300 per room! Anyone seeing this??

lotrbfme

Where do you see that? Did you get a confirmation email? Did you book using prive?

shakim

I booked using Prestige in June when they were able to do Prive and their 4th night free. They have the original confirmation email since their email goes in all bookings done by them. I asked hotel to send me a confirmation after applying a suite upgrade which is when I noticed this. I checked with Twitter and they said $300. So I've conrtacted hotel and GM>

ronbo83

shakim

Ah great to know! Yeah original confirmation email went to Aspire (vendor) but i'll see if hotel honors it. I mean, they kinda have to, don't they? Worst case, I'll contact aspire and ask them forward me the original email.

Julie17

We're headed here in November, booked under the 4th night free promo when the credit was $300 per person. Two questions:

1. For those that have visited, is 4 nights enough? Ideally I would like to stay a little longer, but that would require the kids missing school, and doesn't stack as nicely with the promo. We're coming from the East Coast so not worried about a long journey, but I just wonder if we'll feel like we really needed another day or two to make the most of it.

2. Someone upthread said the credits could offset the room rate if they exceed your incidentals. Has anyone who booked through Citi Prestige had their final bill come out to less than the total rate quoted by Citi because of the credits, and if so did you still get the full 4th night statement credit Citi originally quoted? I'm not sure we can spend $1200 on meals (2 adults, 2 children), etc. in 4 days, although maybe I'm wrong based on the menu prices :-)

Anlun

My wife and I are from the east coast, and we got back recently. Four days is more than enough. To be fair, we did not head to Nevis, and mostly just relaxed, but you should be satisfied with the amount of your stay.

Bullet review here:

• We were upgraded from Parkview room to Parkview suite initially, but on the third day we asked, and were upgraded to Nevis suite.
• Honestly, the Nevis suite does not justify its cost (we didn't pay but just noting). The view is basically identical to Parkview suite. The way I think it works is the buildings are three floors, with a room on the first, a Parkview suite on the second, and the Nevis at the top. I believe the sea view suite buildings are closer to the ocean, but there is no point in those either. The views are great in the Parkview. I'm not sure if it's okay to post my Instagram (where I compare Nevis vs. Parkview suites), but if it is, I can post. The room layout in the Park view is also larger than Nevis, but Nevis has a plunge pool. Also, A/C in the Nevis suite was poor, and the room was consistently warm. Labo toiletries in the room were nice.
• The place was basically deserted while we were there. First two days had maybe 20 people, but by day 3, there were just 8 people. Not couples, people.
• You would think this means better service, but no. The problem we found with the hotel is that they take off-peak to mean semi-closed. We had to play restaurant bingo each night, because there would only be one of the three restaurants open on each day. Want to eat at the fine dining option on Friday? Sorry closed, you can only eat at the seafood casual restaurant. This was constant. Construction was ongoing, and some architectural features seemed turned off. For example, I think there is a small stream that is meant to run from the spa area to the bottom of the resort, but it looked to be turned off. In addition, although we had full buffet breakfast (you can order one item a la carte as well) on the first two days, by the third day they closed the buffet due to low occupancy and allowed each person to order two items a la carte. This didn't bother us too much, but it was annoying as the buffet was very hearty and impressive. The hotel also doesn't make an effort to advertise its events or use its space. There was apparently a manager's hour when we arrived, where guests could mingle with free drinks and snacks, but no one told us until we stumbled upon it right before it closed. The hotel has a large event area that was never used, despite the manager's night (it was held in a corner by the gift shop).
• Service needs improvement, but it's already been said. Basically, if you ask, it will get done (eventually), but don't expect any anticipatory water refills.
• Food was exorbitantly expensive. We're from NYC, have stayed in high end island hotels before, and we both thought this was absurd. We would end up spending roughly 180-200 USD easy with the taxes and tip after every meal. We generally ate a very heavy breakfast (comped, but man is it expensive as well), skipped lunch, and just had dinner. It was still not enough for the 700 USD credit to cover our meal. The food while hearty, did not justify the cost. Also if eating at the high end restaurant, DO NOT order the chocolate bomb dessert. I believe the description of the item involved chocolate, pistachio, and ice cream, but all we tasted was the absurd amount of flaming rum that was poured on top. Ruined the dish entirely.
• Massages at the Miraval were subpar and overpriced. The spa is nice but there is too much wasted space. 30% off offer no longer exists, Offer is now book a 50 minute massage and it will be upgraded to 80.
• Beach has been spoken about enough, but it's as stated. A ton of seaweed (which is an ongoing issue throughout the Caribbean and Florida I believe), and the water churned. We went snorkeling and in the area, but didn't see any fish, and the waves were a little rough for paddle boarding.
• We typically relaxed in the main pool area, which was entirely empty while we were there.
• Overall, it was a quiet stay that we would probably not do again, and mainly pulled the trigger due to the credit and upgrades. The hotel is nice but I wouldn't consider it luxury by any stretch. Hard product is nice, not great, and service can use work.

lotrbfme

Wow, seems like nothing have changed since the last time I went in January. I am going back in October mostly because of the $700 deal. I think that if they keep being so mediocre the prices would always stay at $200 per night. I was coming back because the Rooms director asked me to give them another chance and he was going to personally make sure everything was great when I went back. So I emailed him and surprise... he no longer works at PH St Kitts, he was moved to PH Seoul. He copied the GM and he told me he was going to get in contact with me. Its been a month and I have sent him several emails and no response. Great GM...

thexfactor

Property sounds like a flaming disaster, Park Hyatt flag or not.

Anlun

Indeed. GM is also off-island, which was part of the issue with trying to get upgraded to Nevis Suite. GM was impossible to get a hold of. Perhaps October will better as I assume there will be more people and hopefully the seaweed issue is resolved.

I wouldn't consider it a flaming disaster but... I'm not sure who the hotel is trying to cater to. St. Kitts isn't a destination most people care to go, so the hotel is the main draw. However, the hotel doesn't seem to care about this fact, and makes no effort to make you feel like it's worth the trip (sans 700 offer).

factory81

Disappointing to hear. The government of St. Kitts supposedly is very pro-tourism industry, officials have stated that it will be a key driver in growth. The government has made mention of the fact the service industry needs more investment to mature, etc. Bloomberg makes mention of St. Kitts, and it is starting to pop up on more destination lists. Especially as the island is relatively unknown or less visited like you mention. You don't have to look far for articles about the growth in St. Kitts tourism. The Park Hyatt, more cruise ships, another luxury resort in the works.......

http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.c...nues-st-kitts/

For those who have been;

What can be done to make the Park Hyatt experience the best it can be? It seems smart to ask at check-in, when the Manager's reception is.

What can be done to have the most fun on the island in general?

Is it worth it to spend the extra money for the boat to Nevis @ the Park Hyatt vs. going to the small port down the road? The port is a 3 minute drive from the hotel, or 30 minute walk. The ride looks a little less luxurious, but way cheaper. https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...54740033863234

Do you find a vehicle to be a must have on this island? Or maybe something you can get away with for 2 days on St. Kitts, and 1 day on Nevis?

Did you rent a vehicle at the Park Hyatt? If so, how were the rates?

How convenient would it be to head in to Basseterre for food?

Are others on flyertalk booked at the Park Hyatt from Nov 23rd-29th? This is when my stay will be, and with the relatively small size of the hotel; if enough flyertalk members say they are staying during those dates, I can at least have some hope that there will be enough guests to warrant keeping the restaurants staffed, breakfast buffet open, and with it being a big holiday week, maybe the staff will be firing on all cylinders and in the swing of things?

FWIW, these are the current job postings for the PH St. Kitts...
https://search.hyatt.jobs/JobSearchResults.aspx?where=Park%20Hyatt%20St.%20K itts&what=&Category=&LangID=1

Hiring Stewarding Manager (guest satisfaction), Director of Rooms, and a trio of culinary jobs.......Wonder if those vacancies are contributing to some of the issues observed.

YoungBubbie

Schutzee

Perhaps some competition from the Ritz Carlton will force the Hyatt to up their game. The Ritz-Carlton Slated to Debut in St. Kitts | Marriott News Center

Aventine

I don't think this hotel can even find their game at the moment...