m0hamed

I don't know what the service charge is but the rest are govt taxes and fees. I don't know why you would think you wouldn't have to pay them?

Aventine

@cruisingmickey
The service charge is a fee in lieu of tipping. I doubt it really goes to the service staff but there's no way of getting out of it. Only using a points booking would mean no taxes or charges. However, the tourism charge might still stick though.

cruisingmickey

Thanks @Aventine for the clarification. I wasn't sure if the service charge is considered a resort fee. We have those pesky destination fees in NYC so I wasn't sure if Dubai made up some other name for a resort fee. I'm okay with the fees, just wanted some clarification on what to expect. Cash is cheaper than paying with points so looks like it'll be cash for this trip. Thank you.
@m0hamed I was asking if the service charge is a resort fee. globalists get the resort/destination fees waived so i wanted some clarification if service charge is another name for resort fee. my first time to dubai/uae so i have no idea if they call resort fees something else and just need some clarification before i book so i know whether to ask for a refund like we have to do here in nyc. some of the hyatt's here charge the destination fees beforehand and you need to ask for a refund when checking out.

agjil

I read a few reviews from different websites about this hotel as I am exploring my hotel options in Dubai for this coming winter.
One common theme of the reviews was outdated rooms, although the reviews I read were mostly 2-3 years old.
Is this still the case, or was there any kind of recent renovation work done on the rooms by any chance?

morphogencc

I'm at the hotel right now. I haven't been at the hotel previously, but the hotel staff mentioned that there's been renovations and the rooms don't feel very outdated, though look pretty similar to photos from years ago. Perhaps the renovations were pretty subtle? The lagoon on the creek is a brand new feature that just opened this year.

While the hard product is great, I've been sorely disappointed by the service here. Last night I had a overly pushy server that tried to get me to order more food and alcohol constantly, and today service has been non-existent by the Lagoon. It took nearly 45 minutes for staff to deliver "nachos":



Pretty disappointing stuff from a brand like Park Hyatt; I've found the Hyatt Regency and Sheraton Grand in Dubai to have much more attentive service in the two days I've been here so far.

agjil

Thanks for sharing.
The lagoon seems pretty good, and I may end up staying here just to check it out.

bhrubin

The reason the hard product seems as dated and like the old photos and old experiences is because the “refresh” started in 2017 that ended last year really only worked on refreshing the F&B offerings and adding the $100m lagoon. The rooms and public spaces weren’t refreshed or refurbished at all,

https://www.timeoutdubai.com/hotels/...nfinity-lagoon

scented

Sorry but this is incorrect. First, it is a 100 m (=meters!) lagoon, not a $100 million (dollars) lagoon. If Al Wasl could drop $100 million on a glorified pool, they'd be positioning this property quite differently. And the rooms were also refreshed, although very carefully. The property always uses the summers to soft renovate carpets and other maintenance details and takes a few rooms out of inventory for it at a time, but they also refreshed some of the plasterwork etc. For lagoon rooms, which are former Spa rooms as some might recall, they have chosen hardwood floors over carpet, possibly due to considerations with the sand. I think most rooms now have the black wood finishes, so yes they did invest new tables etc. There are a few mock up rooms with completely different design (think lots of wood), but I am not sure when and if this design will be rolled out across the property. The problem they have is that they are no longer in the highest ends of Dubai hotels and with the dramatic drops in ADR in Dubai, it is hard to turn a profit. The entire market is suffering, especially hotels like this one, while FS, Bulgari, MO (same owner as PH), manage to get by.

vantage03

I thought it was worth posting here as it’s been a while since the hotel has been discussed and Dubai is obviously a hot tourist market right now.

I’m currently in my second week at the Park Hyatt Dubai after having stayed at the Mandarin Oriental for a week, and also the Four Seasons DIFC and Burj al Arab all in the last 2 months.

The service at the Park Hyatt Dubai is outstanding. Others in this thread didn’t have this experience so I thought it was worth pointing out.

I am Globalist so may be getting preferential attention, but I don’t really think that makes much of a difference except for front desk staff. The service at this hotel is is proactive, friendly and generous.

MO had great service (and is generally my favourite hotel chain) but I felt zero generosity from them, and it’s also literally 5-10x the price for the equivalent suite, depending on the night. MO is fantastic, but not worth that sort of crazy price differential.

Four Seasons DIFC also had great service, but is a city hotel and I wanted the lagoon/beach. While at FS DIFC we were allowed to use the facilities/beach/pools at FS Jumeriah Beach... wow I couldn’t believe how terrible both the service and the hard product at pool/beach was at FS Jumeriah Beach. Honestly appalling for the price they were charging for a basic room. At least the food and service at DIFC was good. Burj al Arab was comically expensive and absolutely terrible in almost every way, except the rooms were in good condition and fun to see something different.

Anyway, the point is that the Park Hyatt Dubai is by a mile one of the cheapest luxury hotels in Dubai at the moment. I’ve been using my suite upgrades to be in a Park Terrace Suite. Yes, the rooms feel dated, but they are well kept and the large bathroom feels modern and new. Apparently they have one suite in the new updated style and it’s down by the lagoon but specifically requested by regulars and booked out for the next month. They would have done more but occupancy has been higher than expected.

The Lagoon is excellent, great food and service and they are now being run by a beach club called Twiggy by La Cantine, and the restaurant part of the beach club is supposed to open late next week. Everyone working the lagoon beach is new and from that beach club, a number of them previously working in Mykonos. The restaurant itself looks fantastic.

The Friday bottomless brunch at the Brasserie is still probably the best in Dubai and even has a caviar station. Daily Breakfast in the same restaurant has almost anything you could want. Buffet is open but with people to serve from it for you. Gets a bit busy for my liking. Breakfast at the MO was also rammed like a zoo when I was there, so it seems to be the norm.

Loads of other F&B outlets in the hotel, most are casual and relaxed with good food. One day just for being slow to prepare the food, they insisted on giving me lunch including drinks completely for free. I didn’t complain at all and told them it was totally unnecessary as I was happy. They wouldn’t even discuss it any further and insisted it was on the house. Talk about focus on great service!

The clientele here is much more chill than what we saw at the Jumeirah Beach hotels. A lot seem to be enjoying the sports at the hotel. Also a lot of discreet locals having meetings, and expats here to play golf and tennis then spend the day.

The Academy at the country club (1min walk from hotel reception) organises tennis and golf, including coaches.. which has been just so great.

The spa also isn’t as modern and glitzy as some of the new hotels, but is still extremely nice and well maintained.

It just has a really lovely, relaxed, effortlessly chic vibe here. The sound of nature, birds, and the water from the marina is just magic. Sure, the posing and glitz of the Jumeriah Beach hotels can be fun for a few days, but for me it got too much, especially with Covid, and I couldn’t be happier here.

I booked a third week in the bottom room category just to secure a low rate, they proactively noticed and have allocated me to the same suite again without me having to use a suite upgrade.

All in all, as many locals seem to say, the Park Hyatt is still one of the best hotels in Dubai. From a value perspective, I don’t think it can really be beat either. I’d especially recommend it for WoH regulars.

THECLIPPERS

Great review! Is the minibar still complimentary and refilled each day?

steveholt

Thanks for this review. What did you think of the beach club itself? Was it obnoxious in terms of music blaring? Relaxing?

vantage03

To be honest I’m not sure as I rarely use mini bars and since I’m here for a long time have removed the sodas which I don’t drink and have replaced it with my oat milk etc.

They do come daily and refresh the big fruit platter though, it’s great.

My partner said they haven’t replenished the crisps in the mini bar this week, but that it’s for the best.. Possibly that’s slow of them.


I’m sitting here right now. To be clear, the beach club restaurant isn’t open yet as paperwork from the Government has been delayed. Likely opening Thurs 21st. They play background music now but it’s super soft, I can barely hear it. I’d actually prefer it was slightly louder.

Apparently once they open, at least on weekends, they will have a DJ in the restaurant in the afternoons so I expect we’ll hear that on the lagoon beach too.

I’ve also noticed that as of this week the team are checking room numbers when you enter the lagoon area to make sure you’re an in-house guest. I think as the vibe is more trendy than it was previously, they were getting more outside guests coming to use the beach.

stargold

Complimentary minibar for suites was removed some time back.

Agree with the positive comments, it's my favourite hotel in Dubai. One of the few that really makes you forget that you're in Dubai (in a good way).

raymondduke

I booked here 7 nights to take advantage of the current promo to get top status with Hyatt in 15 nights. I'm not sure where I'll go for the other 8; either Grand Hyatt, Andaz, or here again (Park Hyatt). So far, it's been great. I've been traveling nonstop and living/working from hotels throughout 40+ countries for the past 4-5 years. Park Hyatt is one of my favorites.

The service, attention to detail, and overall relaxed vibe are the top benefits for me. There are however some downsides. One of them is the flies. Because it's close to a lagoon (or maybe this is standard in Dubai heat), it's hard to relax for a few moments in the sun by the pool without a fly landing on you. The hotel offers a type of smoke repellent, similar to the ones they use in Cappadocia if you've ever been, but that creates a harsh smell that can be just as annoying as the flies. Not sure how to correct this problem. Maybe populate the premises with frogs?

One last note: a buddy of mine is staying at the Armani. His suite is $1,000/night. And although it is nice, I don't think it's 5x better than the rooms available at the standard rate here at Park Hyatt.

stargold

Flies is a problem that is endemic all over the UAE for some reason - you can't seem to escape it in outdoor venues most of the time.

Armani is genuinely terrible. Without a hint of exaggeration, the mattress was worse than a Four Points - it had the tell-tale slump in the middle of the two sides, and the spring density was so low I could practically feel them. The breakfast had all the ambiance of a Holiday Inn but clad in marble. And the particular staff handling my check-in had a shockingly recalcitrant attitude. It's hard for me to imagine ever setting foot in that place again.

Tip: Try the smoked salmon, which they smoke in-house and is really quite something special (at least compared to the usual breakfast buffet standard, even for 5* hotels).