Grand Hyatt Hangzhou REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jul 1, 2009, 7:24 pm
#46
Join Date: May 2009
Location: China
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Gold
Posts: 27
Jul 2, 2009, 12:34 am
#47
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SEA
Programs: SPG Lifetime PP ; Hyatt Globalist ; Nexus
Posts: 950
Huh 
Are you a Diamond? If you are, you should write to
[email protected]
A Diamond is entitled to Club level room when it's available. If it's not, you should still get breakfast plus 2500 points.
Are you a Diamond? If you are, you should write to
[email protected]
A Diamond is entitled to Club level room when it's available. If it's not, you should still get breakfast plus 2500 points.
Feb 22, 2010, 8:20 pm
#48
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,756
Are diamonds getting lake view club level rooms these days?
How much would it cost to book a car/driver from Shanghai? If I go by train (more likely), will the hotel in Shanghai (Park Hyatt Shanghai) be able to book my train ticket?
How much would it cost to book a car/driver from Shanghai? If I go by train (more likely), will the hotel in Shanghai (Park Hyatt Shanghai) be able to book my train ticket?
Mar 5, 2010, 3:15 pm
#49
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,756
We lack recent reviews of this property. I've just reread the entire thread. The first year, folks were euphoric about the property. Then the Regency Club opened, and folks complained of small rooms with no lake view as well as poor food offerings in the lounge. Now, it's 2010, and I've consistently been getting amazing service wherever I stay at Hyatt. What is the story here? And specifically, can I as a diamond expect a lake view room with club access?
I also wonder about the train station in Shanghai for trips to and from Hangzhou. An early report speaks of two stations, one the Shanghai rail station, and the other an urban station. The person goes on to report all the steps and the lack of a taxi rank. That sounds like exactly the station I came to from Suzhou 3 or 4 years ago. It really was difficult to go up and down many many steps, and then near impossible to get a taxi. Further reports speak of this station as being the one that the D Express trains use. Is the station still as bad?
Are there any excellent food outlets in the hotel, or is it better to eat offsite?
I also wonder about the train station in Shanghai for trips to and from Hangzhou. An early report speaks of two stations, one the Shanghai rail station, and the other an urban station. The person goes on to report all the steps and the lack of a taxi rank. That sounds like exactly the station I came to from Suzhou 3 or 4 years ago. It really was difficult to go up and down many many steps, and then near impossible to get a taxi. Further reports speak of this station as being the one that the D Express trains use. Is the station still as bad?
Are there any excellent food outlets in the hotel, or is it better to eat offsite?
Last edited by SanDiego1K; Mar 5, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Mar 5, 2010, 11:58 pm
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
The hotel in Shanghai can certainly book your train ticket- they will probably ask you to pay cash to the concierge, and a small service charge (i.e. 50 RMB total). You may also want to check if the hotel in Hangzhou can meet you at the train platform if you decide to go that route.
Mar 28, 2010, 9:05 am
#51
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,756
We arrived at the Hangzhou Airport, and took a taxi to the hotel. It cost 90 Y and took about 40 minutes. We crossed the river, drove thru the town, and to the road along the lake. The hotel is 8 stories high and quite a long structure facing the lake.
This is a very pleasant time of year to be in Hangzhou. We were told that the hotel is very popular for getaways from area cities. It was certainly very busy when we arrived, with inviting lobby areas to sit and have a drink or something from the pastry shop. On realizing we are diamonds, we were escorted from the front desk to the Regency Club to check in. There is a very efficient team working there who really know what they are doing. I asked about a lake view room. The agent searched and found one. She said I had hit the sweet spot, as the lake view rooms were sold out prior and succeeding nights. Our room is in the middle of the 8th floor, with a wonderful view over the lake.
The room itself is a typically sized hotel room with bed, desk with chairs on both sides, and a comfortable chair with foot stool. We asked for a DVD player and one was quickly brought. There is a nice wet room in the bathroom with the glass enclosure around the shower area with the tub behind it.
The Club is comfortable and intimate. It was quite busy tonight. Evening appetizers were interesting and appealing, with both some dim sums, cheese and crackers, and small appetizer portions of salmon, shrimp, and beef. There were also some tiny desserts. There is one computer for guest use. Internet is free for everyone in the hotel.
We needed train tickets purchased for our trip to Shanghai. For a service charge of 30 Y per ticket plus the taxi fee, the hotel sent someone to the train station to buy our tickets. It cost us a total of 238Y for two tickets that would have been 68 x 2 if we had gone ourselves. We were grateful to have the service, and felt it well worth the price.
The diamond amenity was a tin of three cookies that were also available in the lounge as well as a bowl of 4 pieces of fruit.
We ate in the Chinese restaurant and thought it very well done. The food was largely Suzhou and Hangzhou specialties with which we are not familiar. We had some hits and some misses, but still very much recommend it.
This is a very pleasant time of year to be in Hangzhou. We were told that the hotel is very popular for getaways from area cities. It was certainly very busy when we arrived, with inviting lobby areas to sit and have a drink or something from the pastry shop. On realizing we are diamonds, we were escorted from the front desk to the Regency Club to check in. There is a very efficient team working there who really know what they are doing. I asked about a lake view room. The agent searched and found one. She said I had hit the sweet spot, as the lake view rooms were sold out prior and succeeding nights. Our room is in the middle of the 8th floor, with a wonderful view over the lake.
The room itself is a typically sized hotel room with bed, desk with chairs on both sides, and a comfortable chair with foot stool. We asked for a DVD player and one was quickly brought. There is a nice wet room in the bathroom with the glass enclosure around the shower area with the tub behind it.
The Club is comfortable and intimate. It was quite busy tonight. Evening appetizers were interesting and appealing, with both some dim sums, cheese and crackers, and small appetizer portions of salmon, shrimp, and beef. There were also some tiny desserts. There is one computer for guest use. Internet is free for everyone in the hotel.
We needed train tickets purchased for our trip to Shanghai. For a service charge of 30 Y per ticket plus the taxi fee, the hotel sent someone to the train station to buy our tickets. It cost us a total of 238Y for two tickets that would have been 68 x 2 if we had gone ourselves. We were grateful to have the service, and felt it well worth the price.
The diamond amenity was a tin of three cookies that were also available in the lounge as well as a bowl of 4 pieces of fruit.
We ate in the Chinese restaurant and thought it very well done. The food was largely Suzhou and Hangzhou specialties with which we are not familiar. We had some hits and some misses, but still very much recommend it.
Mar 29, 2010, 4:48 am
#52
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,756
Breakfast was a fairly typical lounge breakfast, perfectly adequate with a reasonable range of foods. We found no view of the lake from the lounge, but really liked the lounge terrace. It is beautifully landscaped, with several tables. There was a good view of the lake.
I highly recommend walking along the lake. You can go either direction; we chose to go to the left. The area near the hotel is more commercial, and the further you walk, the lovelier it becomes. Be sure to go as far as the West Lake Museum. There are benches on the lake bank, in some cases there are walkways that go out over the lake, there is a small island with a number of restaurants and cafes, and there are some sightseeing spots such as the villa where Chiang Kai Shek stayed on his honeymoon. Directly across from the Hyatt is a 10 minute water show choreographed to music that occurs several times a day. I think that the hotel can arrange bikes, and the flat path along the lake is ideal. There was a jitney giving rides, as well as a number of boat companies offering private and group rides. We only saw 3 or 4 other non-Asians, and none of the signs were bilingual.
We took a taxi to the Hangzhou Train Station for our trip to Shanghai. There were several hundred people squatted outside with their luggage. You go thru a ticket check to enter the building, and then baggage screening. The sitting room for our train was jammed. We were the only Caucasians out of several hundred passengers. We had assigned seats on the train which appeared to be completely full. Since I had asked about the Shanghai Train Station earlier in this thread, let me remark on it here. The Shanghai South Station is very much and well designed, no more of the dreaded steps of the old station and with a taxi queue at either end. We were off and away in a taxi in minutes after arrival. The trip was roughly 1 1/2 hours.
Summary
The more time we spent in Hangzhou the more enamored we became with the town. There is a lot to see and do that would merit a longer stay. The Hyatt is a very pleasant hotel in this enjoyable town. I do encourage anyone to book a lake view room on the 7th or 8th floor. There aren't many of them so you really can't expect an upgrade. We were lucky.
I highly recommend walking along the lake. You can go either direction; we chose to go to the left. The area near the hotel is more commercial, and the further you walk, the lovelier it becomes. Be sure to go as far as the West Lake Museum. There are benches on the lake bank, in some cases there are walkways that go out over the lake, there is a small island with a number of restaurants and cafes, and there are some sightseeing spots such as the villa where Chiang Kai Shek stayed on his honeymoon. Directly across from the Hyatt is a 10 minute water show choreographed to music that occurs several times a day. I think that the hotel can arrange bikes, and the flat path along the lake is ideal. There was a jitney giving rides, as well as a number of boat companies offering private and group rides. We only saw 3 or 4 other non-Asians, and none of the signs were bilingual.
We took a taxi to the Hangzhou Train Station for our trip to Shanghai. There were several hundred people squatted outside with their luggage. You go thru a ticket check to enter the building, and then baggage screening. The sitting room for our train was jammed. We were the only Caucasians out of several hundred passengers. We had assigned seats on the train which appeared to be completely full. Since I had asked about the Shanghai Train Station earlier in this thread, let me remark on it here. The Shanghai South Station is very much and well designed, no more of the dreaded steps of the old station and with a taxi queue at either end. We were off and away in a taxi in minutes after arrival. The trip was roughly 1 1/2 hours.
Summary
The more time we spent in Hangzhou the more enamored we became with the town. There is a lot to see and do that would merit a longer stay. The Hyatt is a very pleasant hotel in this enjoyable town. I do encourage anyone to book a lake view room on the 7th or 8th floor. There aren't many of them so you really can't expect an upgrade. We were lucky.
May 7, 2010, 2:41 am
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
Suzhou is also nice, and it can be easily done in a daytrip from Shanghai.
Oct 17, 2010, 12:50 pm
#55
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: UA GS // SPG Plat // Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 123
Breakfast was a fairly typical lounge breakfast, perfectly adequate with a reasonable range of foods. We found no view of the lake from the lounge, but really liked the lounge terrace. It is beautifully landscaped, with several tables. There was a good view of the lake.
I highly recommend walking along the lake. You can go either direction; we chose to go to the left. The area near the hotel is more commercial, and the further you walk, the lovelier it becomes. Be sure to go as far as the West Lake Museum. There are benches on the lake bank, in some cases there are walkways that go out over the lake, there is a small island with a number of restaurants and cafes, and there are some sightseeing spots such as the villa where Chiang Kai Shek stayed on his honeymoon. Directly across from the Hyatt is a 10 minute water show choreographed to music that occurs several times a day. I think that the hotel can arrange bikes, and the flat path along the lake is ideal. There was a jitney giving rides, as well as a number of boat companies offering private and group rides. We only saw 3 or 4 other non-Asians, and none of the signs were bilingual.
We took a taxi to the Hangzhou Train Station for our trip to Shanghai. There were several hundred people squatted outside with their luggage. You go thru a ticket check to enter the building, and then baggage screening. The sitting room for our train was jammed. We were the only Caucasians out of several hundred passengers. We had assigned seats on the train which appeared to be completely full. Since I had asked about the Shanghai Train Station earlier in this thread, let me remark on it here. The Shanghai South Station is very much and well designed, no more of the dreaded steps of the old station and with a taxi queue at either end. We were off and away in a taxi in minutes after arrival. The trip was roughly 1 1/2 hours.
Summary
The more time we spent in Hangzhou the more enamored we became with the town. There is a lot to see and do that would merit a longer stay. The Hyatt is a very pleasant hotel in this enjoyable town. I do encourage anyone to book a lake view room on the 7th or 8th floor. There aren't many of them so you really can't expect an upgrade. We were lucky.
I highly recommend walking along the lake. You can go either direction; we chose to go to the left. The area near the hotel is more commercial, and the further you walk, the lovelier it becomes. Be sure to go as far as the West Lake Museum. There are benches on the lake bank, in some cases there are walkways that go out over the lake, there is a small island with a number of restaurants and cafes, and there are some sightseeing spots such as the villa where Chiang Kai Shek stayed on his honeymoon. Directly across from the Hyatt is a 10 minute water show choreographed to music that occurs several times a day. I think that the hotel can arrange bikes, and the flat path along the lake is ideal. There was a jitney giving rides, as well as a number of boat companies offering private and group rides. We only saw 3 or 4 other non-Asians, and none of the signs were bilingual.
We took a taxi to the Hangzhou Train Station for our trip to Shanghai. There were several hundred people squatted outside with their luggage. You go thru a ticket check to enter the building, and then baggage screening. The sitting room for our train was jammed. We were the only Caucasians out of several hundred passengers. We had assigned seats on the train which appeared to be completely full. Since I had asked about the Shanghai Train Station earlier in this thread, let me remark on it here. The Shanghai South Station is very much and well designed, no more of the dreaded steps of the old station and with a taxi queue at either end. We were off and away in a taxi in minutes after arrival. The trip was roughly 1 1/2 hours.
Summary
The more time we spent in Hangzhou the more enamored we became with the town. There is a lot to see and do that would merit a longer stay. The Hyatt is a very pleasant hotel in this enjoyable town. I do encourage anyone to book a lake view room on the 7th or 8th floor. There aren't many of them so you really can't expect an upgrade. We were lucky.
I would only add for reference, a hired car via the hotel concierge will pick you up at HZ airport and bring you to the hotel for about US$50. There is live music in the evenings, a bit loud and off-key for my tastes but provides a nice vibrancy to the lobby.
I've also stayed at the Shangra-La here in HZ and prefer the Hyatt. The Shangra-La is an older property however the grounds are pleasant with outside dining. There is also a new Four Seasons but I have not tried it yet.
Oct 17, 2010, 11:40 pm
#56
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: UA
Posts: 255
Both Shangra-La and HR HZ are in the West Lake area, but Four Seasons is far away, which is close to Qiantang River.
Jun 29, 2011, 5:28 am
#57
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
I stayed here this week, posted some notes in this other thread here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt...tts-china.html
Overall I think SanDiego1K hits most of the points. I was pretty impressed and would go back, both the hotel and Hangzhou itself exceeded my expectations. Very good service in the Hyatt and excellent treatment in the regency club. The hotel's location is superb, the street is undergoing a massive upgrade with ultra luxury brand stores going in.
BTW, Four Seasons is really only a bit past the Shangri La and has a nice restaurant worth checking out.
Edited to add:
One more thing, the Assistant Manager of the Regency Club is a very nice guy named Bernardo from Mexico. If you stay here, track him down and he will help you with ideas for activities etc. He was really helpful and even send an email after I had checked out thanking me for coming.
Overall I think SanDiego1K hits most of the points. I was pretty impressed and would go back, both the hotel and Hangzhou itself exceeded my expectations. Very good service in the Hyatt and excellent treatment in the regency club. The hotel's location is superb, the street is undergoing a massive upgrade with ultra luxury brand stores going in.
BTW, Four Seasons is really only a bit past the Shangri La and has a nice restaurant worth checking out.
Edited to add:
One more thing, the Assistant Manager of the Regency Club is a very nice guy named Bernardo from Mexico. If you stay here, track him down and he will help you with ideas for activities etc. He was really helpful and even send an email after I had checked out thanking me for coming.
Last edited by stephem; Jul 2, 2011 at 12:06 am
Sep 27, 2013, 9:45 pm
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,439
You can get a discount on the "Stay 2 Save" rate using group code "21837" that gives a cancelable rate that is cheaper than Advance Purchase.
Minimum two night stay is required. Rate for King/Twin in December is 975.94 CNY/night using the code, compared with 1190 CNY/night without (Advance Purchase is 1120 CNY/night)
Minimum two night stay is required. Rate for King/Twin in December is 975.94 CNY/night using the code, compared with 1190 CNY/night without (Advance Purchase is 1120 CNY/night)