Park Hyatt Washington D.C. REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
May 7, 2017, 7:08 am
#602
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 286
Was it a late breakfast? Last time we were there we went down for breakfast at 10:15 and took us a while to finish. When we checked out they had not comped breakfast. It turn out the bill had been sent from the restaurant as "lunch" instead of "breakfast". The comped it anyway.
May 7, 2017, 7:28 am
#603
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: QF, VA, AC, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 3,784
Was it a late breakfast? Last time we were there we went down for breakfast at 10:15 and took us a while to finish. When we checked out they had not comped breakfast. It turn out the bill had been sent from the restaurant as "lunch" instead of "breakfast". The comped it anyway.
May 7, 2017, 1:26 pm
#605
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 56
Nope, no they removed part of the bill, but not the whole bill. It was my 5th stay there in 6 months, never happened before. I hope it's not indicative of anything
May 7, 2017, 6:23 pm
#606
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,675
Will be back next weekend and report with any developments.
May 8, 2017, 8:02 pm
#607
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 849
Just came back from a stay this past weekend. No issues with the breakfast. Like platbrownguy above, my breakfast ranged from $80-$110 over a span of 2 days. I think it depends on who you get, and if they're knowledgeable. I asked my server just to ask since this is the first time I've been back since the program changed. I knew I shouldn't have bothered after my server stuttered and said I don't know. She came back and told us it was $32 pp because that was how much the buffet was. I said okay, and just ordered a la carte. Breakfast was pretty crowded both days, and there were a lot of servers that were pretty clueless. Service could definitely be improved.
I was upgraded to a Park Jr Suite. I was in one of the refreshed rooms. To be honest, the room was just fine the way it was. I don't think the refreshed room was anything special. It didn't do anything for me. They had a lot of Park Suites, and other suites still available for purchase both nights. They would not give me a further upgrade.
I was upgraded to a Park Jr Suite. I was in one of the refreshed rooms. To be honest, the room was just fine the way it was. I don't think the refreshed room was anything special. It didn't do anything for me. They had a lot of Park Suites, and other suites still available for purchase both nights. They would not give me a further upgrade.
May 16, 2017, 11:15 am
#608
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Delta Diamond, United IK, AA LifPLT, Hyatt Globalist, IHG PLT AMB, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton G
Posts: 1,169
I stayed for 1 night 2 people on May 14 and was told by my server that breakfast was not included for Globalist, so they did not remove it from the bill. The $108 for 2 (I note the buffet was $32 each and orange juice $10 glass - before tax and tip) was also not removed by the front desk at check-in.
When I wrote to the hotel, the following is their response, they seem to be strictly sticking to the $40 cap per person.
"Good Morning Mr. XXXXX,
Greetings from the Park Hyatt Washington.
Thank you very much for bringing to our attention the error of charging the entirety of your Globalist breakfast to you instead of the World of Hyatt. Mr. XXXX, I have made the necessary correction to your invoice in rounded up to the amount of $84.00.
Mr. XXXX, as a World of Hyatt Globalist, the breakfast credit is for registered guests included in the reservation, up to 2 adults and is calculated at a $40 value per person. This has been credited against breakfast purchases only per person with any remaining balance charged to the folio which is also attached.
I would like to Thank you for your business and your support of Park Hyatt Washington, I hope that we can welcome you back soon to the Hotel, and the Nation’s Capital. Please kindly let me know if I may be of further assistance as I remain humbly at your service.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX
XXXXXX XXXXXX
I have been a loyal fan of this hotel for many years - but this takes the cake. Moreover, the "refresh" rooms look a bit cheap in the siting room area of the Jr. Suites.
When I wrote to the hotel, the following is their response, they seem to be strictly sticking to the $40 cap per person.
"Good Morning Mr. XXXXX,
Greetings from the Park Hyatt Washington.
Thank you very much for bringing to our attention the error of charging the entirety of your Globalist breakfast to you instead of the World of Hyatt. Mr. XXXX, I have made the necessary correction to your invoice in rounded up to the amount of $84.00.
Mr. XXXX, as a World of Hyatt Globalist, the breakfast credit is for registered guests included in the reservation, up to 2 adults and is calculated at a $40 value per person. This has been credited against breakfast purchases only per person with any remaining balance charged to the folio which is also attached.
I would like to Thank you for your business and your support of Park Hyatt Washington, I hope that we can welcome you back soon to the Hotel, and the Nation’s Capital. Please kindly let me know if I may be of further assistance as I remain humbly at your service.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX
XXXXXX XXXXXX
I have been a loyal fan of this hotel for many years - but this takes the cake. Moreover, the "refresh" rooms look a bit cheap in the siting room area of the Jr. Suites.
May 16, 2017, 11:42 am
#609
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,478
And btw, juice should be included in the buffet price - what kind of garbage is that?
May 16, 2017, 1:50 pm
#610
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Midwest USA
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 591
Like you, that used to be one of my favorites. We last stayed there (me, wife and 6 year old daughter) Dec 22-24 and had room service breakfast and breakfast in the restaurant. Average total bill for those days was about $95 for the 3 of us. On checkout, there was no mention of breakfast on the bill at all! How times have changed.
May 16, 2017, 9:25 pm
#611
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,675
SethLevy, I'm saddened to hear about the trouble getting breakfast removed.
I think the issue with the servers is a known glitch -- they generally appear to be "Blue Duck" employees rather than "Park Hyatt" employees, and perhaps it's better that way. In my (many) experiences, many recounted above, I've never ever asked anyone at the restaurant about the comp benefits, and I've only ever heard misinformation or noninformation given to those who do.
The flip side has been that so far, for the most part, I've only ever heard the front desk proactively remove the breakfast charge without issue. I also stayed at the Park Hyatt this past weekend (and had breakfast on May 14 like you!), and my breakfast for two, which was $90+, was silently removed at some point (I didn't stop to check out, just got my invoice in my email later). So I don't think it's totally broken, I just think you got the short end of the stick. Unfortunately I can only see them responding to complaints by doubling down on a $ cap rather than proclaiming an open free for all... although for now I plan to keep charging whatever my guest and I happen to order, even if it reaches $110-130 some times. (When they offer crab cakes, I order two, with potatoes and poached eggs on the side to make my own sort of breakfast dish, and I'll share a pastry basket with my guest -- not hard to break $100.)
I've never done the buffet, but my presumption is that the regular juice ($6/glass) is included in the buffet but not the fancier fresh squeezed $10/glass juice. I normally have a glass or two of the $10 juice, it's really quite good (not rindy like most fresh squeezed), although I'm not sure I'd pay that much if it weren't comped.
Hopefully not!
I will say that I had an interesting experience over the weekend. First, I got an email in advance asking me any preferences or requests I had, and I responded to it with two fairly simple things (1: could I get a room that didn't have the odor of glue/solvent from the recent renovation; 2: could the temp be set to 65 when I arrived at x:00). No response, just totally ignored. What's the point of the email, I thought.
Second, I stepped out for a few hours on Saturday evening and called for turndown and retrieval of a room service tray. Came back, the room service tray had been taken but no turndown -- and the temp was back on 71 (but totally stuffy with not even the fan blowing, more importantly) instead of 65 where I'd set it!
I was at first pretty unhappy because it was late, I didn't have ice or towels, and it was too warm (and more than that, stuffy) for me to sleep. So I called and gave kind of a passive aggressive "Do you guys not offer turndown anymore?" The agent who responded was very very gracious, asked if I'd like the service, and said right away. And he personally came up and must have spent 20 minutes making everything in the room just right -- tidied everything up, drew the blinds, turned down the bed, brought me ice, poured me a glass of wine (from my bottle, it was a nice gesture), corked it and put the bottle back on the shelf, the works. He apologized for the lapse, explained there was a new communication system and that a message had simply failed to get to housekeeping, and explained that there was a heat sensor in the room that automatically turned off the AC (!) if I wasn't in the room for more than 2 hours. I thanked him, and I sent the GM a note complimenting him for the recovery, which was ample on my end.
But I'm apprehensive going forward, in part because of the weird send-an-email-and-ignore-it thing, in part because of the heat sensor (I think this is new w/ the renovation?), and in part because of the increasing frequency of reviews indicating breakfast is capped unreasonably low for the high menu prices. The hotel is one of my favorites, but it has always lacked in a couple of areas (I can't tell whether it has a real concierge, the door staff are hit and miss when I actually happen to have bags, and the car service is a unicorn). It won't take too much for me to start trying other properties instead when I feel like staying somewhere nice... it's not exactly cheap, even on a AAA rate or cash & points.
I'll be back in a couple weeks and hope things haven't slid further.
I think the issue with the servers is a known glitch -- they generally appear to be "Blue Duck" employees rather than "Park Hyatt" employees, and perhaps it's better that way. In my (many) experiences, many recounted above, I've never ever asked anyone at the restaurant about the comp benefits, and I've only ever heard misinformation or noninformation given to those who do.
The flip side has been that so far, for the most part, I've only ever heard the front desk proactively remove the breakfast charge without issue. I also stayed at the Park Hyatt this past weekend (and had breakfast on May 14 like you!), and my breakfast for two, which was $90+, was silently removed at some point (I didn't stop to check out, just got my invoice in my email later). So I don't think it's totally broken, I just think you got the short end of the stick. Unfortunately I can only see them responding to complaints by doubling down on a $ cap rather than proclaiming an open free for all... although for now I plan to keep charging whatever my guest and I happen to order, even if it reaches $110-130 some times. (When they offer crab cakes, I order two, with potatoes and poached eggs on the side to make my own sort of breakfast dish, and I'll share a pastry basket with my guest -- not hard to break $100.)
Kacee
And btw, juice should be included in the buffet price - what kind of garbage is that?
And btw, juice should be included in the buffet price - what kind of garbage is that?
Ceebee100
How times have changed.
How times have changed.
I will say that I had an interesting experience over the weekend. First, I got an email in advance asking me any preferences or requests I had, and I responded to it with two fairly simple things (1: could I get a room that didn't have the odor of glue/solvent from the recent renovation; 2: could the temp be set to 65 when I arrived at x:00). No response, just totally ignored. What's the point of the email, I thought.
Second, I stepped out for a few hours on Saturday evening and called for turndown and retrieval of a room service tray. Came back, the room service tray had been taken but no turndown -- and the temp was back on 71 (but totally stuffy with not even the fan blowing, more importantly) instead of 65 where I'd set it!
I was at first pretty unhappy because it was late, I didn't have ice or towels, and it was too warm (and more than that, stuffy) for me to sleep. So I called and gave kind of a passive aggressive "Do you guys not offer turndown anymore?" The agent who responded was very very gracious, asked if I'd like the service, and said right away. And he personally came up and must have spent 20 minutes making everything in the room just right -- tidied everything up, drew the blinds, turned down the bed, brought me ice, poured me a glass of wine (from my bottle, it was a nice gesture), corked it and put the bottle back on the shelf, the works. He apologized for the lapse, explained there was a new communication system and that a message had simply failed to get to housekeeping, and explained that there was a heat sensor in the room that automatically turned off the AC (!) if I wasn't in the room for more than 2 hours. I thanked him, and I sent the GM a note complimenting him for the recovery, which was ample on my end.
But I'm apprehensive going forward, in part because of the weird send-an-email-and-ignore-it thing, in part because of the heat sensor (I think this is new w/ the renovation?), and in part because of the increasing frequency of reviews indicating breakfast is capped unreasonably low for the high menu prices. The hotel is one of my favorites, but it has always lacked in a couple of areas (I can't tell whether it has a real concierge, the door staff are hit and miss when I actually happen to have bags, and the car service is a unicorn). It won't take too much for me to start trying other properties instead when I feel like staying somewhere nice... it's not exactly cheap, even on a AAA rate or cash & points.
I'll be back in a couple weeks and hope things haven't slid further.
May 16, 2017, 10:25 pm
#612
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Delta Diamond, United IK, AA LifPLT, Hyatt Globalist, IHG PLT AMB, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton G
Posts: 1,169
An Update
To be fair - I did send a note to the GM and my executive contact at HQ (not so much about the small overage I was charged, but more the principle). The GM responded back within an hour, with the below - I did not post his name, but easy to find. I likely will not be returning to the hotel in the future (I just think overall it it not the same place), but at least we have the hotel's version and position on breakfast.
Dear Mr. XXXXX,
Thank you for your email regarding your recent stay with us at the property. I have gone ahead and credited your credit card on file for the remaining amount of your breakfast over this most recent stay. I would like to clarify where the confusion arose, as our breakfast allowance is based off an a la carte, full American breakfast. This past weekend we ran a special buffet as part of the holiday and that triggered the overage when combined with the beverages and added gratuity as you mentioned. Although the benefit is communicated at check-in, it is very likely we did not communicate the buffet element properly as an addition.
I apologize for any confusion this may have caused and appreciate your understanding. Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you again soon when your travels bring you to our nation’s capital.
My sincere regards,
XXX
XXX XXXXXX
General Manager
____________________
Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.
1201 24th Street NW
Washington, DC, 20037, USA
Dear Mr. XXXXX,
Thank you for your email regarding your recent stay with us at the property. I have gone ahead and credited your credit card on file for the remaining amount of your breakfast over this most recent stay. I would like to clarify where the confusion arose, as our breakfast allowance is based off an a la carte, full American breakfast. This past weekend we ran a special buffet as part of the holiday and that triggered the overage when combined with the beverages and added gratuity as you mentioned. Although the benefit is communicated at check-in, it is very likely we did not communicate the buffet element properly as an addition.
I apologize for any confusion this may have caused and appreciate your understanding. Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you again soon when your travels bring you to our nation’s capital.
My sincere regards,
XXX
XXX XXXXXX
General Manager
____________________
Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.
1201 24th Street NW
Washington, DC, 20037, USA
May 16, 2017, 10:47 pm
#613
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,675
To be fair - I did send a note to the GM and my executive contact at HQ (not so much about the small overage I was charged, but more the principle). The GM responded back within an hour, with the below - I did not post his name, but easy to find. I likely will not be returning to the hotel in the future (I just think overall it it not the same place), but at least we have the hotel's version and position on breakfast.
Jun 3, 2017, 10:44 am
#614
Join Date: Jun 2015
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Delta GM, Marriott Platinum Premier
Posts: 161
Just had a stay here last weekend over Memorial Day. Overall a good stay, upgraded to a Junior Suite and enjoyed the property as usual. A slight issue with billing afterwards, someone else's dinner was charged to my card. I was also charged for valet parking even though I was a Globalist staying on points. Both of these charges were refunded. I was also charged for an "overage" from breakfast since they will only allow $40 per person and we went over by about $10. A little disappointed by the "nickel and dime" impression where as last time it was much more generous.