kevino

I stayed as recently as a week ago, and have stayed 4x since they reopened this year. Globalist benefits are on the decline here as management focuses on casino customers.

The lounge is open for breakfast and for happy hour from 5-7, but closes promptly at 7pm. Food at happy hour is sparse, though sometimes it's ok. Food used to be very good at happy hour with chef prepared meals. Now, it's chef prepared bite sized portions of fancy looking appetizers on small plates.

While the rates here are usually lower than the Grand Hyatt, there are other times when the rates are higher here than the Grand Hyatt. One would expect that during those times when rates are high, the lounge would be packed like it was sometimes pre-Covid. But no, the lounge is no longer packed even when the hotel is sold out. Why? It's because Globalists no longer stay here and locals now know the food doesn't warrant spending up for a club room on the weekends (when locals usually stay).

Service by staff is good in the lounge and some staff remain from before. They are doing their best presenting meager offerings with fancy names.

Most Globalists I know have already made the jump to the Grand Hyatt which is newer, fancier, with easy suite upgrades, great views, and a robust lounge.

I don't even bother to fill out the reviews on the hotel after my stays now because I know for a fact that the owners do not care.

BaconSF

A Chinese property management company took over this property a few years back and it’s been downhill since.

the club lounge used to be stocked with lots of snacks. Happy hour is still pretty good

breakfast at the restaurant by the lobby used to have a lot more selections, but now it’s only 50%

apprently most of the rooms are reserved for gamblers and only 20% of the rooms are available for booking through Hyatt/OTAs.

was a great value at category 2, but not worth category 3. Grand Hyatt in Taguig/BGC is a much better value for points

Traveling_Salamander

How easy is it to get a suite upgrade for Globalists? Potentially staying here in December/January.

kevino

No true suites at the hotel, which is why they don't allow use of suite upgrade certs. here. The Aqua Suites for sale are really junior suites (with large bathrooms) that are corner xx01 rooms.

gravii

Recently stayed here on a paid rate in the Aqua Suite. Hotel overall good with no real issues. Will need to try the Grand Hyatt next trip to compare.

Room is huge but has poor utilisation of space. I think they could have made it a true two-room suite with a little more effort in the interior design . Breakfast was only offered in the lounge and not the restaurant. Evening service was decent enough with the set menu of small plates and a few buffet options. Weird that the club lounge closes at 7pm at the same time evening service ends though. No issues with 4pm late check out.

BaconSF

Sounds like they keep cutting costs

when I first stayed here in 2018, globalists had the option to have breakfast downstairs at the restaurant. The food spread was extensive. The lounge was always stocked with snacks

then the property mgmt changed in 2020 to a Chinese company. The food spread at the restaurant was cut in half, lounge hours were shortened to 7pm (used to be 9pm).

looks like they’re no longer allowing globalists the option to have breakfast at the restaurant now? I haven’t stayed there since Hyatt increased the category from 2 to 3. It definitely does not live up to a cat 3 property

gravii

Yes I think so. On check in I was explicitly told that restaurant breakfast wasn't included in my rate, but as a Globalist I could have it in the lounge. Lounge breakfast was good for a club offering. There was an egg station with made to order dishes, but obviously far from a proper restaurant buffet.

BaconSF

Per my convo with an employee there, only 20% of the rooms are available for booking and the rest are comped rooms for gamblers at the casino. Since there are no service charge 10% for comped rooms, many employees quit

kevino

Yes, the Aqua Suite is oddly designed with some wasted space and a very big bathroom. What I don't like about it is that most months of the year it gets the afternoon sun shining directly into the room so you have to close the blinds.

I stayed a week ago. At check-in around 1:30 pm, there was a line of more than 100 people stretching from the restaurant into and around the lobby. The check-in agent said it was bc of a casino promo offering free buffet lunch to casino members. I didn't ask if I could have bf in the restaurant. It's bad if Globalists can no longer have bf there. I will say that the few times I've had bf in the restaurant over the years, each time they had to call the nearby front desk to ask if it was ok. My point in mentioning this is that although the restaurant entrance is in the lobby of the Hyatt, it is really the main restaurant for the whole COD 3 hotel complex, and considers itself as such, rather than considering itself to be a Hyatt restaurant.

gravii

Reminds me, one of the other things that I think could've been improved are the blinds/curtains. There are so many windows and the curtains are so heavy it's somewhat of annoyance to close/open (yes first world problems). Electric curtains and shades would be ideal for a room like the Aqua Suite. I noticed that the Pool Villa advertises this as a feature.

kevino

They used to have a very nice bf buffet in the lounge and just before covid started, they actually improved the lounge bf buffet by adding rice and a hot dish (in addition to the chef's made to order menu). It didn't last long though.

ElevatorEnthusiast

A couple of things:

• They continually reiterated in both the welcome email and at check-in that outside food deliveries are not allowed - I would consider this a downside in SE Asia
• They told me I could have restaurant breakfast without me prompting them - seems to differ with reports upthread

ElevatorEnthusiast

Here are my impressions of the Hyatt Regency - I liked the bed more here than the GH, but I can see why most folks would prefer the Grand Hyatt:

• App had shown upgrade to Club Access King, but I ended up in a very nice top floor corner room that the associate called a View Deluxe - it was definitely spacious
• Bed was fantastic - plush mattress, plush pillows, covers of a good thickness for SE Asia
• Shower pressure is strong and good - I used the wand head
• View leaves something to be desired due to empty fields and construction sites - based on height, you don’t really have much view potential here
• Couch and desk were comfortable
• Flowers around the pool deck of the complex were just beautiful
• Lobby, elevators, and elevator lobbies definitely have a smoke smell - I didn’t have an issue in my room or in the 7th floor Regency Club
• Check-in and checkout in Regency Club was very friendly - they really tried to find a solution to the BDO Pay issue with my Chase Visa and tap to pay - nevertheless, I ended up just using an alternate card
• 4 PM late checkout proactively offered
• Not much to see here unless you want to gamble or shop - location is somewhat limiting - preferred BGC location - Grab to Conrad / MOA area was $2.50 USD
• Good red velvet cake during afternoon snacks at the lounge
• Evening service was 5 to 7 and included samples from the casino restaurant, Red Ginger - the night I departed, it said the evening service would be items from the casino pizzeria
• While I was offered restaurant breakfast at check-in, I chose to eat in the lounge to provide a more useful review and to avoid the smoke smell on the ground floor - I thought breakfast was good - good omelet, good pancake, pastries were good, good cappuccinos made by the staff, calm and quiet around 8 AM

I wouldn’t have an issue returning if the price made sense.

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