Hyatt Grand Reserve Puerto Rico REVIEW MASTER THREAD
https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=123924
https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=123924
Thanks for posting. I typically like to include the text as well, for future reference. More than once have things changed and then the release is no longer available etc etc... hope you don't mind
I have alerted the moderators to change the title to the official hotel name, so it can be found easier.
Set on Puerto Ricos northeastern shoreline, the new hotel represents Hyatts only full-service hotel on the island
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico was designed to deliver high-touch service for a seamless, stress-free experience, said Dave Johnson, chairman and CEO at Aimbridge Hospitality. We aim to center on the guests experience and look forward to providing them with the ultimate escape.
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico
We are thrilled to announce the opening of Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico, which promises empathetic service that anticipates the needs of our global guests, said George Vizer, senior vice president, Americas franchise operations, Hyatt. With this new addition, Hyatt continues its strong brand growth in the region and introduces the Hyatt Regency brand to Puerto Rico.
Formerly known as the Gran Meli Hotel, and relaunched as The Resort at Coco Beach, a Hyatt affiliate, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico was acquired in 2019 by Monarch Alternative Capital in partnership with Royal Palm Companies and an affiliate of Aimbridge Hospitality, LLC. The resort then underwent an extensive multi-million-dollar renovation, creating 300 direct employees with 525 direct jobs upon the opening of the hotel. Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is the first entity of RPC Holdings development plans for the 946-acre peninsula, set to be renamed as Grand Reserve.
We are excited with the opening of this important hotel for Puerto Rico under the Hyatt Regency brand, said Carla Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Tourism development is a key driver of economic growth and a priority for the Government of Puerto Rico. The Island offers highly competitive incentive packages and benefits, which makes us an ideal destination for investors, developers, and hotel management leaders such as Aimbridge Hospitality. Were looking forward to all that is to come for the future of Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico.
Tucked away in the pristine tropical paradise of the northeast coast of the island, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is the closest full-service luxury resort from the San Juan International Airport. The oceanfront oasis also offers convenient access to nearby attractions such as Old San Juan, El Morro Castle, and Bio Bay Fajardo.
The new Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico joins four select-service Hyatt hotels open in Puerto Rico: Hyatt House San Juan, Hyatt Place Manati, Hyatt Place San Juan Bayamon and Hyatt Place San Juan City Center.
SUITES
Known for natural-reserve setting with bungalow-style accommodations, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico boasts 480 deluxe guest rooms, 93 deluxe suites, five club suites and one presidential suite. Each airy, expansive unit is decorated in soothing neutral shades exuding the true essence of the Caribbean elan where the earth elements of the El Yunque National Forest and unparalleled Atlantic Ocean views meet. From complimentary Wi-Fi and large flat-screen televisions to premium bath amenities and in-suite coffeemakers, guests enjoy a seamless, intuitive experience. All suites feature private balconies or terraces, and one-bedroom suites include a dining room, kitchenette, two double-beds and a cozy corner with a sleeper.
DINING
Satisfying every foodies distinct cravings, the resort offers five on-site culinary and mixology experiences including:
- Waters Edge - Caribbean- and buffet-style restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner made from local ingredients
- Prime 787 - Upscale, fine-dining environment offering prime steaks and fresh local seafood
- Nori - Asian fusion experience serving sushi, sashimi, ceviche bar and teppanyaki grill
- Pasin by Chef Myrta - Gourmet culinary experience offering Puerto Rican cuisine
- Lobby Bar - Casual bar featuring craft cocktails and live entertainment
Boasting lush landscape to create a tranquil Caribbean retreat, the hotel offers guests the opportunity to unwind at four expansive swimming pools including the largest lagoon-style pool in Puerto Rico and enjoy a swim-up bar serving cool drinks and creative cocktails as well as in-pool lounge chairs.
Amenities designed to foster an energizing resort experience include the 12,000-square-foot Rainforest Spa which is currently undergoing a $2 million renovation and set to open this winter, 24-hour fitness center, two tennis courts, and a basketball court. Guests can also spend the day on the green on one of two world-class Tom Kite-designed 18-hole championship golf courses home of the PGA Puerto Rico Open. Additionally, a dedicated concierge service provides lifestyle management, transportation, travel and vacation planning, and personalized service.
Beyond redefining the resort experience for leisure guests, the property applies the same high-touch experience for the meetings and events market, with 41,208 square feet of total function space and state-of-the-art meeting facilities all backed by a dedicated team offering planners a seamless, high-touch service for themselves and their attendees.
To celebrate the resorts opening, travelers can take advantage of a special rate offering a third night free valid through April 30, 2020. For information and reservations, visit HyattRegencyGrandReservePuertoRico.com or call 787-657-1234.
The term Hyatt is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.
https://newsroom.hyatt.com/news-releases?item=123924
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve
200 Coco Beach Blvd Highway 955-I Rio Grande, Puerto Rico US 00745
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve - Newly Opened With Potential (10 Photos)
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve
I stayed here with wife and kids, parents, and brother's family in late December. It was a mostly very good stay, though I could tell that the resort hasn't yet fully hit its stride. There was still some relatively minor work being done to the property during our stay. For example, when we pulled up, the porte cochère was being painted; the spa is still under renovation; a bar near the lobby opened during our stay; a taco truck parked near the beach opened on our last day; and a bunch of the common areas are still being painted as well. Otherwise, the resort looks to be largely finished and the hard product is generally quite nice.
I think that we only got a taste of the full range of activities/amenities that the resort will offer. One example is that on our walk out of the property on the last day I saw a group workout session happening on one of the lawns. That being said, there were some fun activities/amenities of which we were able to partake: a screening of one of The Incredibles movies for the kids one night (replete with popcorn), live music in the evening at the lobby bar, children's activities by the pool, etc.
Apologies for the annoyingly rotated pictures - if someone can explain to me how to rotate them int he review, I will do so.
Location
The resort is at the Northern tip of a peninsula that is part of the Coco Beach (now rebranded as Grand Reserve) master planned community. It's about a 30-minute drive from SJU and 10 minutes off the main road, where there are a couple dining options such as Punto Latino and El Verde BBQ (I recommend the latter).
Check In
The entrance to the hotel is beautiful. The common areas are all open air buildings with high ceilings, water with koi on either side of the walkways, nice lighting, new tile flooring, etc.
Altogether we were 6 adults and 4 children under 5. We booked 3 rooms and checked in around 2pm, after arriving via a limo van. I booked my room with points and the two other rooms via Guest of Honor. Two of the rooms were ready at check in (mine was upgraded to an oceanfront room but neither of the GOH bookings was upgraded), and the third one wasn’t ready until approximately 4:30pm. Globalist benefits seem to consist solely of the standard items: waived 18% amenity fee, Regency Club access, free parking on award stays (I had to remind them upon checkout), but no free breakfast in the restaurant.
After checking in, we were taken with our luggage by golf cart to our rooms. The bellmen were polished and friendly.
I had requested cribs in two of the rooms at the time of reservation, then again at check-in. When we got to our rooms there were no cribs. I called the front desk a couple hours later to request the cribs again. They didn’t arrive in the rooms until ~7pm, after I followed up again in the Regency Club. It ended up being fine as our babies didn’t go to sleep until later due to excitement, but it would normally be problematic for my daughter.
Room
The rooms are fairly large (as described on the website) and well-designed, with plugs by the bed, various lighting options, and storage that’s decent but unenclosed. Blackout curtains are on offset tracks, so they overlap where they meet and keep out all light, which is nice for sleeping in or midday naps. All rooms have outdoor space with seating and a small table. The oceanfront rooms have larger outdoor spaces than the garden view rooms, and I found it really nice to sit on the patio overlooking the beach. There is strangely no door handle on the outside of the patio sliders, which makes opening it to get back inside a little difficult. The 2nd floor rooms have vaulted ceilings, which I don’t normally love but for some reason here it works well. Base level rooms have just a rain shower; upgraded rooms have a shower room with freestanding tub, rain shower, and handheld sprayer. None of the bathrooms that I saw had a towel hook or rack. A pretty large oversight that I’d hope will be quickly be rectified. The AC works very well but was extremely loud when blowing (in all our rooms).
Dining
F&B on the resort was hit or miss.
Over the course of several lunches and dinners, we tried most everything at Water’s Edge, the casual breakfast, lunch, and, and dinner restaurant closest to the pool. Unfortunately the burger is the best thing on the menu, which isn’t a fantastic option if trying to eat even moderately healthily. The churrasco was pretty good as well. Despite the proximity to the sea, the seafood was a major weak point on the menu.
After settling into our rooms on the first day, we went to Water's Edge and ordered coffees and a variety of sandwiches and salads. Our server at lunch was quite grumpy, but our dinner waitress was very friendly and enthusiastic. Both instances were very slow - coffee at lunch and simple drinks at dinner took 10-15 minutes to arrive after ordering. At our second dinner at Water’s Edge, the waitress (who was very sweet) simply didn’t bring my entree. Again, it ended up fine as I finished what the kids didn’t eat and wasn’t terribly hungry to begin with.
The steakhouse, Prime 787, was closed while we were there, but it’s apparently opening again in a day or two.
We tried to eat at Nori, the Japanese restaurant on the second night but were told it was booked up, so made a reservation for the following night. I frankly went in with low expectations given our experiences at Water's Edge, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Basically everything we ordered was tasty and well-presented. The atmosphere was also significantly better than Water's Edge. Our server, Luis, was excellent - he knew the menu well, he was friendly and engaging, and he took very good care of our kids by making sure that their food came out quickly.
Water's Edge Dinner Menu
Prime 787 Menus
Nori Menus
Pool
The pool area is wonderful. It’s expansive, with nice views, lots of comfortable loungers and cabanas (which were free the first 2 days and then started to go for $100/day we were told). There is a swim-up bar, built-in water loungers, and several jacuzzis in the middle of the pool. There are a bunch of pool toys to borrow and also rent - noodles and balls seem to be free while inflatable pool toys seemed to be $10 for the day. There is sunscreen for sale.
There is not only a shallow area for kids on one end of the pool, but also an adjacent gated play area with turf, a little slide, a piece of balance equipment, a big table for art projects (there is a staff member there to help guide the kids), and a bathroom.
The pool shack where you pick up towels and borrow/rent things also has a ping pong table, large Jenga, a dominoes table, and a large Connect Four rack.
Beach
The beach is quite a bit nicer than I was expecting given some of the reviews I’d read. There are lots of palm trees, a nice stretch of sand (a little rocky) with plenty of umbrellas and loungers, and the water is very calm as there is a reef about 200 meters out. One of the employees warned that the reef is covered in sea urchins, so careful swimming out to there without decent water shoes.
Club Lounge
The Regency Club hosts the Globalist breakfast, which is a weak spread. Some pineapple, cantaloupe, a couple pastries, hard boiled eggs, some cold cuts, bagels, and toast. The "main carb" rotated each day - pancakes, waffles, french toast.
Throughout the day there are some light snacks such as mixed nuts, oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip cookies, granola bars, small boxes of breakfast cereal, and dried fruit. There is also a beer/wine honor bar. Beer is $4, wine is $8. They were policing access to the club, which is good, particularly since the footprint is pretty small.
Overall
This is a perfectly good resort to spend a few days by the pool relaxing. You don't come here specifically for the beach, but it's a nice feature to which you have access. At 12,000 points per night, it is absolutely worth it.
I'm not crazy about the location because while there are good things to see and do -- the El Yunque rainforest would be tops -- the problem is that Puerto Rican roads are poor, so you can only really go to the rain forest early in the morning or late in the afternoon (and hope it doesn't rain in the afternoon). There's a modest restaurant scene and some places you might like to go, like the Luquillo kiosks, are difficult to park at. There's nothing within a few kilometers of the hotel. The Regency lounge, while poor compared to other Hyatt lounges, is useful for a free breakfast (modest as HP12C describes) and for the 5 to 7 hors d'oeuvres (edible). If you go somewhere for a nice lunch, this can be enough food for the day. The resort food, as is typical, looks overpriced for what it is, but when WoH starts selling credits for less money in 2020, that value equation could change, especially since there are no real restaurants within 20 minutes of your room (it takes more than 5 minutes to walk to your car). Speaking of cars, free stays in the upgraded room gets you free parking, which is nice since the parking fee is certainly a "gotcha" charge in the middle of nowhere.
On a positive note, I'm liking the evening hors d'oeuvres more. They mix it up every night and, if they have stuff you like (there are only a few items) you can certainly make a light dinner out of it. They serve a couple desserts every evening, and the pastry chef is talented. If you have a car and lounge access, the cost-effective strategy (especially for a family stay) is to go out for a nice lunch and otherwise eat the lounge food. BTW, I would definitely bring booze with me to the resort (you get a fridge in your room). You don't really need any snacks because of the lounge.
Personally, I'm hoping the W-A EL Conquistador is fully reopened by the time of my next stay. That was the best hotel in the area, and I suspect that will again be the case (at least if they get their private island reopened).
The property is unfinished, spa is temporarily located in several guest rooms in one of the buildings. A large portion of the property is behind a construction fence, still being renovated. Beachfront bungalows with private pools seem to not be in service either (or not all of them anyways), judging by chained-up gates. Work appears to still be going on on parts of the beach further from the lobby too.
The rooms have been completely rebuilt from the Melia days. The decor is very modern and stark. No doors on the closet, and sliding bathroom door that's near impossible to lock/unlock. Balcony door with no outside handles as others have mentioned, but there's a towel hook inside the large walk-in shower.
A decent spread at the club from 5-7, definitely enough for a light dinner. Beer and wine honors bar. No hard liquor.
The beach definitely looks better than I remember at the Melia, the main pool is the same, very large and plenty of loungers. Cabanas are free - first come first served, at least by the club pool.
There's potential, but it's not there yet... Still, at 12000 points, it's a decent proposition once the service improves.
A decent spread at the club from 5-7, definitely enough for a light dinner. Beer and wine honors bar. No hard liquor.
The lack of free booze in the lounge during the evening happy hour surprises me. This is, after all, Puerto Rico. I would think they could at least offer some rum punch like they do at check in. Heck, it might cost less than those little bottles of Perrier they provide (when they don't run out). Of course, free alcohol would make the lounge even more popular! BTW, the cheap Chilean wine they're serving from the honor bar at $8 seems wrong.
The lack of free booze in the lounge during the evening happy hour surprises me. This is, after all, Puerto Rico. I would think they could at least offer some rum punch like they do at check in. Heck, it might cost less than those little bottles of Perrier they provide (when they don't run out). Of course, free alcohol would make the lounge even more popular! BTW, the cheap Chilean wine they're serving from the honor bar at $8 seems wrong.
There's a separate building to the left of the lobby that is condos/timeshare units, and it's not a part of Hyatt Residence Club at least yet.
Here's the map of the resort - Spa is in B16.
Resort map
They are definitely trying to maximize the "captive audience" profits. For example, the main (Water's Edge) restaurant only offers an expensive buffet for dinner, with nothing reasonably priced available after 5 or so. A car (or club access in a pinch) is an absolute must if staying here. Room service is appalling.
Just came back from the NYE festivities that we thankfully decided not to pay for. They were charging $175 per person for a dinner buffet, open bar, and a DJ. What a ripoff - Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen puts on a crazy NYE show for $60 per person...
I would definitely give them some time to work out the service kinks (service recovery has been pretty lackluster too). No GM visible or available on property - very strange to me for a newly opened resort. Major pushback from staff when asking about speaking with him.
Any other Flyertalkers here this week?
There's a separate building to the left of the lobby that is condos/timeshare units, and it's not a part of Hyatt Residence Club at least yet.
Here's the map of the resort - Spa is in B16.
They are definitely trying to maximize the "captive audience" profits. For example, the main (Water's Edge) restaurant only offers an expensive buffet for dinner, with nothing reasonably priced available after 5 or so. A car (or club access in a pinch) is an absolute must if staying here. Room service is appalling.
Just came back from the NYE festivities that we thankfully decided not to pay for. They were charging $175 per person for a dinner buffet, open bar, and a DJ. What a ripoff - Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen puts on a crazy NYE show for $60 per person...
I would definitely give them some time to work out the service kinks (service recovery has been pretty lackluster too). No GM visible or available on property - very strange to me for a newly opened resort. Major pushback from staff when asking about speaking with him.
Any other Flyertalkers here this week?
I was surprised the NYE party was priced so expensively, but the resort does seem to be attracting a high-end crowd. I've moved to the Caribe Hilton and, even though the Holiday room prices are about the same as the Hyatt, the clientele looks slightly less well-heeled (not everyone is in designer clothes and looks like they have a personal trainer -- yes I'm exaggerating). The Hyatt staff is SLIGHTLY more attentive and friendlier than the Hilton staff, but the service levels on Puerto Rico are not high (dining outside your resort can be an endurance contest). BTW, I am certain you could not have gotten your "money's worth" at a $175 party at the Hyatt!
BTW, as a Hyatt Explorist and a Hilton Diamond, I so far think the newly-reopened Caribe is currently a better "points vacation" (the Caribe is currently 50K Honors points). Even though it's in the city the Caribe is more relaxing. The grounds are prettier and the beach is so much better. They gave me a room with a nice ocean view. You have old San Juan with stuff to do a few minutes away by Uber, and the hotel has this upscale mall with several restaurants (at normal prices) across the street. So no need to rent a car and also pay a silly gotcha parking fee during your stay (although the Hyatt will waive that fee for upgraded award stays if you ask). I think the Uber fare from the airport to the Caribe was something like 12 bucks. I think the Hyatt is going to have to up their game if they're going to fill their large, not-very-exciting, not-very-well-located resort.
The kids have been enjoying the pool quite a bit though, so there's a positive! And even at 100% capacity, no problems getting loungers.