Gold Passport Concierge

Dear FlyerTalk Members:

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of the Flyertalkers that attended the Hyatt Gold Passport event at Andaz West Hollywood last Thursday. It was wonderful to meet so many of you in person and listen to your feedback about all things Hyatt. We are thrilled with your comments about the event.

I would also like to thank you for your candid feedback about your Andaz experience. While we are certainly delighted that there are many positive comments, we have certainly taken note of the opportunities to improve. This type of feedback is SO valuable to us, and we appreciate you sharing it.

We are totally committed to building our new brand on warm, friendly service and exceptional experiences laced with a sense of fun! We will not be satisfied until this is achieved. We look forward to welcoming you back to Andaz West Hollywood to experience the hotel again in the near future. I am sure you won’t be disappointed!

Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] if you wish to share any further comments or if I can help in any way.

Warm regards,

Jonathan Frolich
Director of Operations, Andaz

peteropny

I'm not sure why no glasses in the bathroom is a trend but we were at Encore (Wynn) LAS about a month ago and there weren't any in the huge bathroom either . The Gateway Sheraton LAX had the disposable small plastic ones that were wrapped (a bit tacky - perhaps not so much for that airport property but certainly for more upscale ones). I'm wondering if its a matter of liability (some hotel somewhere got sued when a guest broke a glass and cut themselves). If that's the case, perhaps some acrylic glasses in the bathrooms would be appropriate (think summer outdoor ones which can look much like glass ones). Not having them in the bathroom is just silly - most people use a glass when brushing their teeth.

Ducatibiker

There is only one reason to visit the hotel: Sebastien Archambault and his French/Californian dishes. His second from Toulouse is also worth following. It is missing a good chef patissier who masters pure chocolate.
Try the restaurant for lunch. The evening is extremely noisy – sorry – maybe I should have written ‘ it has a special vibe....’.

By the way Andaz was the title of Hindi movies in 1949 and 1971...would love to see them to understand better the concept of 'style' à la Hindi

777 global mile hound

As a long time poster here I have observed you are one that clearly knows their food and beverage.^
Thanks for the kind words about Sebastien Archambault.
I had the pleasure of dining there at Andaz and meeting him or one of the other head chefs.
Couldn’t agree more about Andaz needing a patissier. Not so worried here about good chocolate I can get that anywhere and typically carry my stash with me of either domestic or imported wherever I travel.

Regarding dining at Andaz

The dinner rolls were outstanding but probably baked out of house
(That’s what was shared with me)No objections as long as it is good
However in the morning at breakfast what was served was a commercial and embarrassing fare that was unacceptable for a Hyatt Regency let alone a new brand like Andaz.
Muffins and pastry were of less quality then that of a warehouse club like Sams or Costco. Simply pathetic. I would lose that supplier quicker then I could say Mondrian lets head across the street for breakfast.Lets hope that isn't the kitchens baking talent

I left breakfast after Andaz and went to the exceptional Clementine on Santa Monica Blvd to recuperate from the lousy experience. It was fantastic or a morning breakfast in heaven.Unfortunately I can not move my Andaz guest room there.What should Andaz come up with?

There should be excellent house made granola like Hyatt Grand Champions
above average muffins like most Hyatts (Mission Bay for example or something better) exceptional fresh baked flaky Danish pastry.Great freshly squeezed sweet not bitter OJ like Park Hyatt Philadelphia

I am not expecting Grand Hyatt Tokyo's world class Almond croissants or sliced fruit with three fruit sauces. However why not?And if they could bring in that great kind of quality that would bring me to the hotel with or without a stay each and every time and encourage me to return to look forward to a great morning breakfast
Grand Hyatt Tokyo does all food and beverage with world class delivery
Why shouldn't we get half that quality as paying guests?

Right now Andax breakfast has me on the must avoid list.
I wouldn’t take the elevator down to the lobby floor unless peer pressure made me do it. The W in Westwood puts out a superior breakfast and there are hundreds if not thousands of restaurants and hotels that do so all over LA. I kept feeling sorry for the other diners that spent a lot of money to get poor quality. I expect that at a Holiday Inn not Andaz a much trumped up new Hyatt brand

I agree that Sebastien Archambault is a great talent but I and others who have dined there are confused by the menu that borders more on gimmick/trendiness.IMO I believe there is a middle ground without sacrificing the concept.
I like the mix and match customize and optimize idea however I don’t think most of the main choices excel. Servers lack clarity of how things are prepared though they are very friendly high spirited and attractive.

Unfortunately everything is subjective and at the end of the day the Los Angles area is bombarded with some of nation’s best choices
Perhaps I am just not getting it. Find it hard not to pick one of the many guaranteed winners when I am lucky to be in Los Angeles area for such a short time. I am a very simple diner. Simple things brilliantly executed rock my world.What items at lunch or dinner were stand outs?

I might try lunch again however I see no reason to return to breakfast presently and dinner is dark,loud and I am unable to read my newspaper.It isn't working for me.Hopefully they find the right guests they are seeking its a beautiful space......

peteropny

I normally don't do Hotel Breakfasts either but since I've been Hyatt Diamond, I usually do have breakfast in the hotel when at a Hyatt. Without that "credit", hotel breakfasts are usually very much overpriced and not that good - there are of course some stellar exceptions to this "rule" - PH Paris, PH Chicago, PH DC, and former PH LA (I still miss the Seafood Benedict) come to mind.

777 global mile hound

I too miss the PH days of LA and SF however it was very nice to get them back in other programs where I am also a top tier member.Its interesting to note that in both those properties some of the Hyatt service culture still remains

I normally do not go to breakfast for free, with a credit or to pay if I know it to be sub par in advance
My expectation is higher if I earn my status by paying and staying to reach top tier status. There should be some added value. However quality is expected within a brand like the Hyatt family of Hotels where for decades they have proved that food and beverage typically does differentiate them from other hospitality companies .For that matter they do it very well at many destinations

All meals are so good at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo its worth a trip back just to dine. Though there are a number of great properties in Tokyo I would return to the Grand because I doubt anyone does it better. I know where to get a lower cost higher value room in a luxury hotel. Which is why hotels including Andaz need to pay attention to the total experience...........Details
They have a very nice product

Firewind

I had a wonderful stay, in all respects.

Not questioning or challenging anyone else, but mine was ta.

777 global mile hound

Glad to hear it.
A lot depends on weekdays,weekend (the party animal set)
What team members are on and even what status you are with GP
No one mentions a word about Diamond benefits at check in on either of my stays.When questioned I got varying answers.
Valet parking took over 30 minutes when calling down from the room.
As with all hotel stays results will vary.
There are some great folks at Andaz and when they are in synch there is no reason why one can't have a ^ stay

Firewind

Um..... OK, put this solidly in the "ignorance is bliss" category, but when I asked if there were "any special arrangements for Diamonds?" I was told, "No, sorry." I said, "OK," and left it at that. There were?

777 global mile hound

Certainly not here to rain on your parade.
A good stay is still a good stay
These are just some of the problems that Andaz is facing and in this case related to a lack of GP training.
It is very disappointing based on the amount of talent on board that is working there.
IMO those who aren’t GP members may fare slightly better in this hotel as the expectation will be lower

First let me say that according to my conversations with the good folks in Omaha in GP the property does participate in the Diamond welcome amenity bonus.It took an agent to recofirm with a supervisor
Second the property should try to upgrade to best available room
Some folks have been fortunate to get suite upgrades.I personally prefer the regular rooms only because they are typically somewhat quieter.
Of course that is not a guarantee of one as it is not a benefit of GP until more recently and that is with an eligible rate and the new electronic upgrade system.

At breakfast there is some form of dollar amount with regard to credit that should be applied at check out. I had to plead with them to find out about the perk at check in and at both stays.There are some lead agents that do know what is currently being offered to elites
The Andaz breakfast was removed at check out only to be re-billed after check out as a lunch.

When I called the hotel I was put on hold for ten minutes and then sent thankfully to the Hyatt call center that deals with billing concerns in Oklahoma (not a bad idea when the service team is so dysfunctional at times) the very nice agent in the call center told me I had charged lunch

Both stays where the breakfast was taken was put through as a lunch charge.
Hope no evil intent Though I had fruit, muffins and Danish which I didn't eat as explained in my earlier post.
No big worries just bumps in the road that have to get worked out.
It is my hope the folks at Andaz will hear us and work on the details we take the time to share.......The hotel does have a lot to offer in an amazing vibrant location

Firewind

Ah. OK, I thought the comped valet parking and ($23) comped breakfast were in conjunction with the event. So the Diamond Reservation notation did invoke Diamond privileges.

777 global mile hound

To be clear and as I understand it
Parking normally 28.00 dollars was a one time good will gesture based on the wonderful event
Breakfast was your Diamond benefit based on your loyalty to Hyatt GP explained or not before during or at check out

peteropny

But they claim that Andaz is not part of Hyatt

Its really interesting to hear other comments - valet parking was always prompt the 3x I took "my" car out.

777 global mile hound

Looks like Marriott has done a great job then with Andaz
I had two bad run ins with Valet Parking all the rest were satsifactory no problems as expected.
It is an outside contractor and one team member in particular was not professional, fairly rude and impatient upon arrival.
I am not referring to the night of the event when all inside and out were inspired,outstanding and helpful.
It is a tight driveway so if a guest is slow getting out of the car I can understand the problem.
The driveway and Sunset Blvd can easily back up with just a few cars

ricepaddy2

Recently reported Priceline winning bids of $100 for Andaz WeHo. Guess business ain't so great these days.