19103_aa

I thought I might as well, but I was told by locals and some other FTers that most of the big folks stay at the Crown Casino, as they are a major sponsor (and apparently the accomodations there are excellent).

flyer121

The Grand Hyatt is the official hotel sponsser of the 2008 Australian Open. My wife and I just returned after our second consecutive year attending this event. Many top players do however, stay at the Crown including this year:
Sharapova, Roddick, Blake, Henin, Mouresmo, Venus & Serena Williams, Gonzales, Ivanovic, Jankovic, KuznetsovaNadal and Federer (Federer stayed @ Park Hyatt in 07) all stayed at the Crown.

This year at the Grand Hyatt was:
David Ferrer, Tsonga, Youzhny, Davydenko, Shara Peer, Nieminen, Verdasco, Almagro, Safin, Hantuchova

In 06 and 07 Bagdadas stayed at the Grand Hyatt and I'm not sure about this year. The majority of the top stars seem to like the Crown. Overall the majority of the players seem to stay the Grand Hyatt.

RichardInSF

We didn't see anyone for sure at the PH which seemed to be mostly filled with Kia people (the major sponsor). Thought we saw Ivanovic, but not positive.

RandyNZ

I'm booked to stay at the PH Mel in a Club King over Easter weekend 21-24 March 2008, so am waiting with some mild trepidation, but will report back.

I was originally going to stay at the highly rated Westin, but am kinda bored with SPG, so wanted to try something different.

Now if you want something to write about, try that Hyatt Summerfield I just stayed at in downtown Scottsdale, LOL!

777 global mile hound

I think you will be highly satisfied with your room here.
Our expectations of the Park Hyatt brand is high.Many of us have seen the brand when they had a highly polished act at the top of their game not all that long ago........

Have been to both properties and will stay at the Westin Melbourne this April
The problem in the past as well as present with PH Melbourne according to reports is service and management.This is a great property hurt only by bad management.

Because it is Park Hyatt it should be held to a higher bar.
The Park Hyatt brand seems to be going through a slight decline period to be polite.There are exceptions to that obviously
It is in midlife identity crisis torn between the international side and the North American side and the very sad closure of select US properties.

It has been many many years since there was a Park Hyatt in New York though I hear Andaz is coming to NYC however that still does nothing for cities like NY,LA or San Francisco where a PH is needed to fill in the gaps

Lets hope for a more stable future.The Park Hyatt brand in its prime globally was what I looked up to as the standard of a great luxury brand.
They taught me to spend more and get a great stay/service experience back in return.I would like to see some of the old Park Hyatt touch back.........
sigh

royster747

Reading all these posts...

We have a reservation in mid-May for 5 nights at the PH Melbourne. Should I change my reservation to the Grand Hyatt?

holtju2

There is absolutely nothing grand @ Grand Hyatt Melbourne. Just stay at the Park and try to get a decent upgrade. I was banging my head to the wall after I moved from Park to Grand when I was using FFN's checking out both properties.

meducate

I will be at the Park Hyatt next week, and will be attending a conference at the Melbourne Convention Centre. Does anyone know how far the PH is from the convention centre?

RichardInSF

The main two tram lines that stop roughly in front of the hotel both go to the MCC. It's about a 15 minute ride max.

flyer121

We have stayed at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne a total of 30 nights within the last 15 months. My wife and I love this hotel. We have been to the PH, however never stayed there. The club lounge at the GH is one of the best hotel lounges we have ever been in and it continue to get better every time we are there. The evening food is so substantial you can turn it into a four course dinner. The staff are also very well trained and really go out of there way. As you can see we HIGHLY recommend the GH and the location is superior to the PH in our opinion.

pdb

I, for one, would love to hear more feedback on the GH MEL, as I've stayed at the PH only on various trips to MEL during the past decade. I was always under the impression that the GH was quite inferior, but would appreciate any recent experiences to confirm/deny that impression.

holtju2

It is inferior to PH and I quite cannot understand how someone could value GH anywhere close to PH.

flyer121

I'm obviously not sure the dates you will be going, however OFTEN the GH is more expensive than the PH. The fact that the GH is often more expensive should mean something in addition anyone has knows Melbourne would most-likely agree that the GH locations is superior.

777 global mile hound

Count me in as one who likes the Grand Hyatt better then the Park
Yes the room standard on my last visit was superior at the Park
However the outside operated fitness center is superior at the Grand as is the location of the hotel
The final deal sealer? Excellent hands on management something the Park Hyatt Hotel & Baby infirmary doesn't have.

Last but not least an outstanding group of caring attractive team members in the expanded Regency Club with superior offerings to the Park lounge. Also the Grand Hyatt lounge includes complimentary computer access
The Grand Hyatt club has always been open on my previous visits.

With regard to pricing other then the usual supply and demand at work Melbourne got more expensive because of the shrinking dollar combined with rising room rates in the area not as affected in business patterns as other regions.
ADR on average in Melbourne rose last year.
Most hotel companies raised catgories in 2008
Last but not least plain old overpricing at work as well

My next stay is in April. As a man of my word I will not be staying at the Park the food and service levels were atrocious.I wil report and update if my opinions stays consistent.I will be armed with other other area experiences to compare.InterContinental has a luxury hotel on the way as well in the works.Unfortunately it won't be open in time.

I will give Park Hyatt Mel another chance in the future provided the GM moves on to other pursuits in the future. My revenue is going to the Grand Hyatt and other area competitors next month.
Can not wait to be back in one of my favorite cities in the world ^
Cheers Happy travels all

meducate

Based on many of these posts I am considering switching from the PH to the GH for my stay next week. 2 questions:

1. Is the GH closer to the convention centre than the PH?
2. What impact does the ongoing renovations make on the club level?

Thanks!