Grand Hyatt Hangzhou REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
 

My apologies if this has been asked but search is still down for me.

Has anyone stayed at the new Hyatt regency in Hangzhou (China)?

HR Hangzhou
 

Mad4Miles and I stayed at the new HR Hangzhou recently. I only had one night though. It is not finished yet, as the RC is not open, the pool and fitness centers were not open either. The hotel has that "new car smell" still. I was impressed with the lobby and rooms, with free wired HSI available. That will probably change once they finish though. The rooms and bath were as nice as the GH Shnaghai's, without the vertigo. As DIA's we had the full breakfast in the lobby cafe, which was great. Excellent selections of fruits, meats, cheese, made to order eggs, dim sum and just about anything you might want. The location is on the lake and we had rooms with lake views. I could see the pagoda from my room. The staff is excellent, very helpful and made a great recommendation for dinner at a local specialties place not too far from the hotel. They also helped me with arrangements for a bus trip back to PVG, including collecting my ticket on short notice and making sure the taxi driver took me to the correct "station." For about US$100, it was definitely a great value and some place I look forward to returning.

rbAA, I'm also planning a similar trip (first to Hangzhou, then to Shanghai). What's the transportation like from Hangzhou to Shanghai? Did you take the public train transport? How much did it cost? Comfortable and clean? (I've heard some nightmare experiences traveling by train in China.) Were there any other transport alternatives available?

In China, if you are going to cities/towns in the vicinity of "civilization" not reacheable by plane, the easiest is to ask the hotel concierge to arrange for a driver who will drive you back and forth. I once had to leave from Lian Yun Gang (LYG) for Shanghai and the flight was cancelled due to fog and no air service will be available for the next 2-3 days, so I hired a driver immediately for a 5 hour journey to Nanjing and took a flight from there to Shanghai (SHA) instead.....not fun, but that's all I could do....I think the fare paid was less than 600 RMB.....

Surely, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, and etc are closer than Nanjing from Shanghai so should be cheaper. I would also recommend using the same driver for the entire journey, even as far as hiring him for the entire duration....you just have to budget in lodging and meals for him as well (put him in any 2-3 star hotels) and he will pick you up at your palace every morning to go anywhere.......in this way, you get a good "pakage" deal and it's easier to negotiate the price, too.......any Taxi driver will do something like this....as a side job....

rbAA and I took the train from Shanghai railroad station to Hangzhou, the train ticket cost ~35 RMB ($4.24) and the taxi ride on both ends was ~20 RMB. Train travel time 2h10m. The train frequency is about every 1 to 2hr

I thought I would try the bus on the return. The bus from Hangzhou to Shanghai/Pudong station cost ~50 RMB with a 10 RMB cab ride back to the Grand Hyatt. Bus travel time 2h20m. The bus frequency is about every 30min.

The bus ride was unnerving. The train seemed much safer. The problem with the train is that the first train, after you arrive at the station, may not have any seats so you will be forced to take a latter train. Also be aware that in China they sell train tickets without seat assignments. You are expected to stand for the duration on the train ride. Give these two facts I would recommend that you have your hotel purchase your train tickets in advance and have them delivered to you at the hotel.

Be sure to allocate at least two full days in Hangzhou to enjoy all beautiful scenery. The best way to explore the lake is by bike.

I heard the biggest D&G and Armani shop in China will be next to the Hyatt. With Hangzhou only being 2hours away from Shanghai..its definitely worth a sidetrip

I used to be based in Shanghai and Hanghzou was my favorite city for weekends (and even day trips). My preferred method of travel is the train -- but there are two types of tickets (or there were) and not all of the trains are created equal. Make it clear you want first class tickets on the express train -- they cost a few extra dollars but you will be fine and I have never had to stand. Of course this may be hard to navigate if you don’t speak Chinese – your hotel may be able to help you. Also be aware that trains to Hangzhou leave from the SOUTH train station and not the northern one. Lastly, when I was there last (July 04) the southern train station was in a construction zone and was chaos, I expect this has been fixed. Also it does connect to the subway, which will get you right to Jin Mao/Grand Hyatt.

I have also made the trip many times by car, both driving myself, and riding with family. It can be a CRAZY drive. This depends a lot on the time of day and your luck. Early AM is best. Friday night and Sunday=BAD. However if you want to get a feel for just how strong the economic engine is there it’s a great way.

I try to avoid bus trips – typically they are packed to the gils and I have serious concerns about their safety. Which are reinforced at every rest stop where the Public Security bureau has installed large signs with very graphic photos of bus accidents in an effort to get bus drivers to driver somewhat rationally. It doesn’t seem to work.

Also note there is a direct bus from Hangzhou to PVG (and vice versa) which I haven’t taken but have put many a friend on and they have been ok. This is a better bus then the typical ones and given how far the south station is from PVG is a very good deal.

I will be staying at the Hyatt in a few a weeks and am grateful for the feedback here.

As an aside for Hyatt fans in China, be advised there is a special club at the Hyatt program in China (possibly only advertised in Chinese) that will give you discounts on food (50% off for two, 30% off for 3, 25% of for four…), a free night at each of the Hyatts in China, free cakes, and some other stuff for about 3,000 kuai. If you are spending more then a month there it can be great. The Portman Rtiz Carlton has a similar program.

There are two sets of trains that go from Hangzhou to Shanghai.

Both have sections with reserved seats.....and I recommend that you pay the marginal fare difference for it. The 'soft seat' section ( reserved) also has a separate waiting room. Otherwise, you'll be part of a cattle-like rush to the cars that aren't reserved.

One of the trainlines goes to the Shanghai main rail station. I would recommend this trainline.

The other trainline stops in Shanghai at an urban station......when you exit you have to climb a set of stairs ( up and over the adjacent rail line)....that is a very taxing climb. As I recall it, it is about 60 steps straight up ( 20 steps, a short landing, 20 steps, a short landing etc), and the same on the way down. There are hustlers there looking to help you carry your bag(s) up and down...use your judgement if you use one. There is NO taxi station at this train station....you literally have to go into the busy street to try to hail a cab. With the crush from the train also trying to hail cabs, it is quite a scene.

Having had a driver take me from Hangzhou before, I'd never do it again. The freeway is loaded with trucks, mostly unregulated, overleaded and hazards....and drivers us both shoulders as traffic lanes, cutting in and out constantly.

You will see that train transportation, while cheap, is how most of the populace travels.

"The other trainline stops in Shanghai at an urban station......when you exit you have to climb a set of stairs ( up and over the adjacent rail line)....that is a very taxing climb. As I recall it, it is about 60 steps straight up ( 20 steps, a short landing, 20 steps, a short landing etc), and the same on the way down. There are hustlers there looking to help you carry your bag(s) up and down...use your judgement if you use one. There is NO taxi station at this train station....you literally have to go into the busy street to try to hail a cab. With the crush from the train also trying to hail cabs, it is quite a scene."

That woud be the south station. I guess they have not fixed it yet. I hadn't realized the main station had a line to Hangzhou.


(yet) another point to note is that the Shanghai-Hanghzou train is much nicer than most other trains in China (the other nice lines are the HK-Shanghai-Beijing ones).

I have enjoyed a good New Year 2005 in Hyatt Regency Hangzhou.

What could I say? The best Hyatt that I have been... US, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Bali, Tokyo, and etc...

I used to stay at Grand Hyatt Shanghai and Beijing every month for 10 nites during my business trip ... even until now...

I would recommend you to stay there since the property is very nice... with lake view.

During my last stay, I was being upgraded to Room 744... the Lake View Suite Room on the 7th floor that is not opened for public yet!!! The reason is that I knew the sales agent in Grand Hyatt Shanghai that helps me to book my stays in China Hyatt properties.

The room is really fabulous with the view...!!! I am lucky to see the snowing in Hangzhou where everything is white under your eyes while shining waves in front of you from the West Lake.

Besides, I also enjoyed the New Year Buffet Dineer (RMB900/pax) with Caviar and Foe Gass (Goose Liver).

After the trip, I wrote a mail to Hyatt to compliment about my experience in Hyatt Regency Hangzhou. Their GM personally wrote a reply to me to thank for my comments. The GM invited me to stay there again with free upgrade to suite room in the regency floor.

For the trip to Hangzhou, I personally recommend you to take the cab for back and forth. I took the train back from Hangzhou to Shanghai, it was a mess, and unsafe. For your reference, I booked a cab to send me from Sheraton Suzhou to Hyatt Regency Hangzhou for only RMB300 on the 3 hours drive (less than the amount from SFO to Market Street, San Francisco)

Hope you enjoy your trip to Hangzhou...

I'm writing this from my room at Hyatt Regency Hangzhou. I would have to say that this has to be one of the nicest Hyatt REGENCIES I have been in. The feel is more of a GRAND Hyatt rather than a Regency. upon entering the main door, a lobby lounge flanks the front and sides (much like the Grand Hyatt Beijing). Check in is on the left-hand side. Service was EXCELLENT, and most staff commanded very good English.

I was escorted to my room...what a suprise. Despite paying the lowest hyatt.com rate of RMB810, I was given a room right in the centre of the semi-circular building with a view of West Lake. It was very nice watching the sunset tonight! The room is furnished with deep wood tones; walls and carpet is tan/beige color. I'd post pictures on this site if someone could teach me how!

Had dinner at the Cafe tonight. Their buffet spread was quite good, with an open kitchen preparing many of the dishes. I opted for a la carte dining, and the menu was very reasonably priced (for a five-star hotel). Food was good, and service also excellent.

The pool is finished, but was closed for mandatory maintenance (whatever that means) from 13-22 June. The gym is open, but I didn't try that yet.

The only problem I noted was that the room did not have any folder describing the various F&B outlets and other facilities in the hotel. I physically had to walk around several floors before I found out there was a health club, cafe, chinese restaurant, patisserie, lobby shop, garden terrace, etc.

Anyway, will be here until Friday, so will post again if anything important.

Hyatt Hangzhou China review
 

I just stayed at the Hyatt in Hangzhou, China (just west of Shanghai). It's a brand new property and really well layed out. It's also in a beautiful location right on West Lake (center attraction of the city).

The service was great, both the Chinese restaurant and their buffet were fantastic, and the spa services, which I rarely use, were not only affordable but truly relaxing.

let me know if you head out that way, I'll be happy to give you some tips!
If you are a non smoker, be sure to request a non smoking room and double check with you check-in. I went into a room that had been "cleaned" and there definitely was a lingering smell.

Alexandra

your review is right on, alexandra. we stayed there in october for about a week and were impressed with the hotel also--that breakfast buffet was terrific, especially if you are seated by the window and get the view of the little old ladies (and men) practicing tai chi early in the morning. you may have to ask a few times for those window tables, we were told they were unavailable at least twice when they were clearly open--we pointed it out, nicely, and were seated there without delay.

service was excellent in the restaurants, the front desk and the business center--lovely staff, we were quite happy, and the restaurant recommendations they gave us were terrific (hubby especially is picky about his food). i'd go back anytime.

I am assuming that you went there by way of Shanghai? How long of a drive/ride is Hangzhou from PVG? I may be going there in January and would like to know a bit about Hangzhou as well.

Thanx in advance!

From PVG to hangzhou, I would say it takes about good 2 hours on train. No scientifically measured but from pudong, it took us 1.5 hours on train. You have to make sure you take the express train that goes direct to hangzhou. We made the mistake of taking the long one which makes a lot of stops inbetween.

Since I was coming from Guangzhou, I decided to fly into HGH. Very small airport but large enough to handle the 757. Took a "nice" taxi (i.e. 140 RMB instead of the 80 RMB that I should have paid...no biggie) to the Hyatt. Stayed two nights (Jan 6, 7), went to Suzhou by bus (60 RMB - 2 hours) for two days of business, came back for one more night at the Hyatt (Jan 10).

Those who've said that West Lake is nice have understated it. This may be among the most romantic places I've visited in China (I will find a way to get Mrs. macj86 to come with me soon). I rented a bicycle (18 RMB) for a 1.5 hour ride around the lake and got some incredible pictures. Went to a local Chinese opera...fascinating!

The Hyatt is very nice and the RC is average (meaning very good) for an Asian "regular" Hyatt. Fitness center is acceptable (small room, just enough space, free weights, machines, treadmills, elipticals, etc... Skilled but unintrusive attendants. Great pool and spa areas. Restaurants looked pretty good (I ate breafast and one supper in the Cafe), food was better than the normal hotel food.

All-in-all, very good experience. I'll definitely stay at this property again, if given the chance.

I'm going to try the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong again in a couple of weeks...hopefully all will go well there too.

I agree, the lake is amazing indeed. It has serene peacefulness to it which I cant really describe. I heard this was a favored place by the artists and poets for thousands of years. I enjoyed it very much and was to go this weekend but had to change the plan to next weekend.

I was very satisfied with The Hyatt. The Club Level rooms were a bit small in my opinion but my SO thought it was a great size. The club offered afternoon munches and cocktails and carried the usual, water, OJ, coke, white and red wine, and some spirits. The breakfast was a bit downer though. It only served cold breakfast. Although it might be an unfare statement as I havent been to Regency and only comparing it to GH or FS. All and all, it was a thumbs up.

I've noticed the same thing regarding breakfast. Since I gots to have my protein in the morning, I usually book a "Bed and Breakfast" rate if I'm not going to stay at a GH.

(collector geek alert!) During my trek around the lake, I also found 2 starbucks locations and both had the 'coveted' Hangzhou City Mug.

Hyatt Regency Hangzhou
 

Completed a 2 night stay at the HR Hangzhou. To get there I took the express train from Shanghai which took 1 hour and 18 minutes. The "Soft Car" ticket cost 54 yuan...since I had the GH Shanghai reserve my ticket, there was an additional 30 yuan delivery fee added to the ticket. The train ride was very smooth and right on time. When we arrived at Hangzhou....there were probably 75 people in line waiting for taxi cabs. since the wait was indoors...it got pretty warm with all the body heat from all the waiting passengers. The wait was nearly 30 minutes before I got in front of the line for a cab.

When we arrived at the HR Hangzhou, the front desk clerked asked me for my GP Diamond card to prove that I was a Diamond member....this is the first time I've ever been asked for my Diamond card by a hotel.!! I told her that I did not have my card with me. She then escorted me to the Regency Club for check in. One night of my stay was GP points (12,000 points/night) and the second night was a paid night (my first for FFN - 1200 yuan). I asked for a lake view room but they told me I woulod have to pay for the upgrade...but they were willing to put me in a partial lakeview room, i.e, if you look out of the side of the window you can see some of the lake. The room was a little smaller than the room I had at the GH Shanghai. The food in the Regency Club was so, so. It did not have the variety which I found at the GH Beijing or GH Shanghai.

The biggest diappointment of this trip was during my entire stay at the HR Hangzhou it kept raining and raining. So the views of the lake were not what I've seen in pictures...and therefore did not take the boat ride of the lake (decided I did not want to get soaking wet). On the morning of my departure, when I opened my room door I found 4 towels in the hallway floor. The rain was so bad, that it leaked into the ceiling area and into the hallway. The room I was in was right below the Regency Club patio area, so I would guess there must have been some cracking of the concrete seam where the patio joins to the building.

Overall, the stay at the hotel was OK. The biggest disappointment was more due to the weather and not being able to enjoy the lake.

Stayed there when it first opened, about 2 years ago. It was very new and evn smelled new. The lounge was good, not as good as GH Shanghai (it would be unfair to hold everything up to such high standards), a couple of notches lower, but good enough.

It was the cafe food that was disappointing. Bland cooking, even of Chinese dishes.

Comment on Recent Hyatt HangZhou Stay
 

I have visited Hyatt HangZhou many times before and have been quite satisfactory, but my recent stay this past weekend was a disappointment. :td::td::td: My stay was 3 nights total, the first 2 nights were paid stay with 1400 RMB and use 6000 points to upgrades to the suite, the 3rd night is on a 12,000 point stay which can't be upgraded to a suite due to a minimum of 3 nights suite upgrade policy on point stay.

When I arrived at the hotel, I was told that the suite for the 1st night was not available. They offered me the deluxe room for the 1st night and will move me to the suite on the 2nd night, and will again have to move me to a standard room on the third night. I told them it is too much moving around and I prefer to just stay at the same room if possible. As such, I took a lower grade room (than a suite) on the first night and second night and hoping that they will just let me stay in the same room on the 3rd night. But after the 2nd night, I was told that I have to either move or pay for the 1400 to stay in the deluxe room, not to mention that there are plenty of suites and deluxe room available since the 3rd night falls on a Monday. As a long time Diamond member, I was not very happy about the treatment especially given that the hotel is widely open and available, and I will leave very early on Tuesday morning. They should just graciously let me stay in the same room and save on the house keeping from changing all the sheets. But after much haggling, I was told that I will have to folk up another 6000 points for the upgrade if I don't want to pay for the 1400 RMB for staying in the same room. I told them that this is not even a suite and I have already over paid for the first two nights, why can't they just let me stay in the room and call it even. The RC club told me I will only be able to stay in the same room if I give them 6000 pts, or they can move me to a suite if I want. They were so hang on to the revenue factor and completely ignore how to properly treat a Diamond member. At that point, I had already spent hours reasoning with at least 3 RC reps and was told that the hotel manager will contact me, but never did. I got so tired and decided that it is easier just to move, but asked at least a standard room with lake view as Diamond should be able to get the upgrade if the room was available. Then again, I was told that I will have to pay for the price differential or they can only give me a partial lake view. I got so fed up and just told them that I won't pay anything more, just give me the best room they can or I will move to another hotel...... Finally, they give me a standard room facing the back hotel apartment, NO partial lake view as they promised, and I felt been cheated.

In addition to the room fiasco, I had to also face another saga for my cashmere sweater which I had left for dry cleaning. I didn't notice there were two small holes resulted from the dry cleaning until I checked out of the hotel. Luckily, my next stay was Hyatt on the Bund in ShangHai and the staff in the Hyatt on the Bund was very helpful to contact the HangZhou Hyatt to resolve the problem. Again, I was very turned off by the slow response and reply from the HZ Hyatt; they tried every tactic to avoid the responsibility at first. At one point, I felt very insulted that not only they were not apologetic; they even implied that the holes were already there before and as if I had tried to be benefited from my misfortune. They caused me many trouble by making me take the picture, find out the manufacturer, purchase date and price of the sweater where at the end only agree to fix it. This is a new sweater and I paid well over $300 for it and I am certainly not pleased that all they agree to do is just to manually sew it. Besides, they didn't even offer to wave the cleaning charge for it after all this. Of course, they couldn't finish it while I was in China because it took them more than a day just to decide what to do. I had to give them my address for them to mail back to me afterwards. I don't hold much hope that the fix will be satisfactory, but I will wait to see before I make further comments.

I had felt very strongly about my mistreatment and the bad services at the HangZhou Hyatt, so called up Hyatt customer service. A case has been filed and Hyatt corporate will investigate this issue and get back to me within 72 hours. I thought I will share my experience here and hope something can be done to shape up the Hyatt HangZhou management so they know how to treat a loyal Diamond member properly.

Yikes, that's pretty poor. As per the T&Cs, as a Diamond you should have been upgraded to the Best Available Room (excluding Suites), so you should have gotton the Lakeview Deluxe room at no extra charge. And possibly RC access depending on if those were still available for sale...........

I was gonna recommend that you contact Hyatt C.S. about this, and then I read the end of your post and saw that you already did. Good job.......^

It's not a great hotel, but the location on the lake almost makes up for its lacks. The rooms are not great..small and quite claustrohobic. The food is pretty average, particularly in the coffee shop. But the lounge is quite comfortable and has a reasonable spread. The restaurant outside the hotel (to the right) is great...an old 3 story building with a deck overlooking the lake. I was staying there in July and a colleague with me became ill with a bad flu and couldn't fly as scheduled. the hotel was very helpful..to the extent of a young American staff member going out to buy flu medicines for her.

Response from Hyatt Concierge
 

The Hyatt customer service representitive was very responsive and helpful. After reviewing the case, the 6000 upgrade GP points were refunded due to my dissatisfaction with the service provided by the rooming staff. However, the "best available room" upgrade policy for Dimond at this Hotel was still very unclear. After a few back and forth emails exchange with the Hyatt concierge, I learned that the upgrade to either a lake view room or the deluxe room at this hotel is completely at the discretion of the hotel, which means, it doesn't follow the Hyatt T & C. In addition, there are different level of Club room at this hotel, the lake view room and deluxe room has extra cost associated, which is confusing. The non-lake view Club rooms, in my opinion, is not worth for the stay.

Please see the attached response from Hyatt concierge.

I am disappointed that Hyatt doesn't enforce consistent “best room available” policy across all sites, but it seems Hyatt doesn't have control over all international properties, which is too bad.

If any Diamond visit HZ Hyatt and got different experience, I would love to know.

I feel for you and thanks for fighting this with GP, but your experience is no exception. In my first stay at HR Hangzhou in 2005, their club lounge was still under construction. So they did put me in a lake view room and offered the free breakfast in the restaurant. In a 2nd visit a year later, the club lounge was open. Then they were only willing to put me in a regualr non-lake view room on the club floor. When I argued that this was actually a downgrade of treatment to Diamond members,they stated that's what's writeen in the T&C that a Diamond is only upgraded to the Club room. So I would have to pay the extra for a lake view room on the club floor. And I did. Similar situation in Grand Hyatt Shanghai, where a Diamond would have to pay for a bund view room because " Diamonds are only entitled to use the lounge" as per the grand club staff. This is the area SPG shines because SPG Platinum equivalent to GP Diamond are also entitled to "Best Available Room" but including the standard suites. So this is no issue in SPG. GP really should change their wordings to " Best Available Room" on the club floor. So the hotels can't get away like this but clearly violate the spirit of T&C and make Hyatt umcompetitive.

Well, that is the rules. There are a decent amount of properties that have different category Club rooms (for example many Resorts have Partial Oceanview RC or Deluxe Oceanview RC or even Mountainview RC). Any upgrade into an RC is according to their policy. And frankly, SPG's policy is fairly similar in that they can upgrade you to a Suite with no view just like Hyatt can upgrade you to an RC room with no view. It might be nice if a property such as this would give THE CUSTOMER the choice of either a "non-RC Lakeview" or else an "RC-non-view". Then at least it's up to the customer. But probably most customers would pick the RC over the view anyways or pony up a few more bucks if they want to pay for the better view. Cases like yours are how you can distinguish a property with GREAT customer service vs a property with normal customer service. There are some Hyatts I go to that will bend over backwards for you in every possible way (including upgrades). Guess what, I make sure I try to go back to those properties and stay away from properties that are complete sticklers. That's why sites such as FT and TripAdvisor are so valuable so you can find out before booking what the hotel is like.

BTW, I'm glad they refunded your 6k points, that seemed a little shady that they wanted to charge you 6k pts twice and make you go through all the room change non-sense. I've learned after about 6 trips to China in the past 5 years that many hotels in China are like that for some reason. I dunno why but that's how it is. Once you find a good hotel over there that treats you well, STICK TO IT!!!

Ditto. I've stayed several times at the Dongguan property recently and, especially during FFN, I've told that only bonus code is allowed per visit and that there is no welcome amenity bonus option.

When I mention the t's and c's to the front line employees (and the first level management), I get puzzled looks and the standard Chinese response of "really?" but no resolution.

I merely smile, call CS and have the proper bonus and FFN status handled. When I am tempted to be frustrated, especially during a long trip, I am reminded of how much better, in most cases, the customer service is in Asian properties and just enjoy my stay. It is also helpful to make small talk with the front line employees, practice my poor Cantonese and Mandarin and so on.

It is very hard for us to reserve train ticket from Shanghai to Hangzhou. The best way to go there is using plane, I belive.
But the express train is build by Japanese technology very comfortable only in first class coach.

Shanghai-Hangzhou by plane? I didn't know that such routing existed.

The point you make about lack of control of international properties is critical...and that is why Starwood will trounce Goldpassport otside the USA. Apart from one or two properties (most notably the Sheraton in Singapore), Starwood seems to consistently apply top quality benefits for platinum members...with Hyatt , outside the US, it's almost a lucky dip. You have absolutely NO IDEA of what to expect when turning up at a Hyatt in Asia/pac. As a Platinum GP ( former Diamond) it's just about nothing other than the room for which you have paid, as a Diamond it's often not more more ( again there are exceptions but few and far between in Asia)

I did not know either. A car and driver, as other posters have written, is an easy 90/120 minute option, and quite comfortable depending on the driver you choose.

The flight hasn't operated for some time. Driver is ok if the trafic is with you but can take 3 hours, but at least it's door to door. Train is ok but it goes to a fairly inconvenient Station in Shanghai and not a great option if you have much luggage

The D Trains (the fastest trains) depart and arrive at SHANGHAI SOUTH station. This is the new, circular-shaped station in the city. Actually, the location is not that inconvenient becuase it is located next to a major highway. Last time, from Hyatt on the Bund to Shanghai South Station, it took 18 minutes by taxi. I had to catch the 1:00pm D Train on a weekday, but absolutely no traffic on the roads at that time of day. The D Train from Shanghai to Hangzhou was RMB 50 one-way.

Hyatt Regency Hangzhou tips
 

I was thinking about taking a trip out to Hangzhou, but the prices for this summer are surprisingly high for a Chinese hotel (not in Shanghai/Beijing/HK). It looks to be about $200 per night! Does anybody have any tips on any way to get a better rate at this hotel? It seems like a nice hotel, but there's a new Four Points that I can get on cash + points for like $30 and minimal starpoints, makes it hard to justify paying that much. I know someone mentioned an advertisement in chinese newspapers for a Hyatt package deal (something like 3000 RMB for a night at each Hyatt in China plus some other things)... anything along those lines, or a code? Thanks in advance!

I booked this location by phone (via Hyatt 800 number in US) requesting corporate discount...and they offered a Garden Suite King (with lounge access) for only RMB1,000. This may no longer be available (we were informed upon check-in that this was less than half the normal corporate rate for the room), but worth making a call in case still in the system....

Beautiful hotel, great location, friendly staff -- but my god I hate being nickel-and-dime'd.

• 10 RMB ($1.30) to print one page
• 90 RMB ($13) for internet
• 100 RMB ($14.50) for a roll-away since the beds were TWIN rather than FULL
• No free drinks, lounge access, upgrades, diddly-squat for a Plat (I know, not Diamond, still you'd hope for something)

Having come from the St. Regis Shanghai (free everything, shockingly awesome upgrade, incredible staff, great price), it's like an expensive smack in the face.

But your being SPG Platinum and getting the benefits at the St. Regis does not equate to your being Hyatt Platinum and hoping for similar benefits at Hyatt Hangzhou. The corresponding tier at Hyatt is Diamond, as you said.

The "free everything" (internet, drinks, printing...) at the St. Regis applied to everyone, not just Plat.

The "fee for everything" (internet, drinks, printing...) at the Hyatt applies to everyone -- I asked.

The only thing I missed out on by not being Hyatt Diamond was a room upgrade.

Being a SPG Plat you could have chosen the Four Points Hangzhou.:D

Hyatt was supposed to be a nicer property. Didn't get the chance to check out the Four Points, and Hyatt was definitely a beautiful property, just reaaaally didn't appreciate the nickel-and-dime'ing.