platbrownguy

No way. The food is a nice perk to have when it's free, but not worth the upcharge. The property is good about offering upsales if you're after it though -- for example, you should be able to buy up to a harbour view suite, if available, for whatever the difference is between base rate and that suite.

Stgermainparis

baser1000

I’m really torn about Hyatt lodging for my upcoming October six-night Hong Kong stay and I’m looking for strong opinions on which Hyatt to stay in, please!

I’m a Globalist so I’ll have lounge access. Price isn’t a strong factor. I’m using points and a suite upgrade, so I’m looking at a high floor Harbor View Suite at the Hyatt Regency or a Grand Executive Harbor Suite at the Grand Hyatt (this is a premium suite but I’ll try to coordinate this room in advance like I did last time.)

I’m traveling from CA with my 74-year-old mother, who is fine walking. This trip is strictly vacation to explore the city. We’ll also do a day trip to Macau. We have no major plans for this trip except to sightsee, explore local reasonably priced food, and walk around…and we will take public transit most of the time. We also plan to relax at the hotel lounge and pool.

I’m seriously torn between these two property locations, despite reading reviews about both. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt for 3 nights in 2016 and I was blown away by the room, view, lounge, and pool. At the time, I was traveling with a friend my age so our longer walk to transit wasn’t a factor. This factor is what led me to consider the Hyatt Regency TST for my mom, though. I've never stayed here and I've never been to that area....my time there was limited last time because I got sick.

I really do value the hotel room, view, and amenities like the lounge at the Grand Hyatt, but I also want convenance for my mom since we'll be walking around a lot exploring. Is either the Grand Hyatt or Hyatt Regency TST truly a better property to stay at this time with my mom while touring the city? Will I regret staying at the Hyatt Regency TST after experiencing and loving the Grand Hyatt?

I’ll be on top of replies and I appreciate them all…this topic means a lot to me and I want this to be an incredible experience for my mother.

I’m posting this in the reviews for both the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency TST but let me know if there’s a more appropriate place to put it.

itrvl

I have stayed at both--and had Diamond status when I was at the Grand Hyatt. It was tremendous and a fantastic stay as you know. However, the past 2 times I've been to Hong Kong, I've stayed at the Hyatt TST. I only have Discoverist status, and used points but did not get a Club room. From a convenience standpoint, the Hyatt TST is fantastic. The MTR station is in the mall downstairs, and there are all sorts of places to eat within a quick walk. While the hotel is fine, it won't blow you out of the water. But for me, traveling alone and in a "standard" room, the Hyatt TST has more than suited my needs. Since I don't get lounge access, I appreciate the convenience of having restaurants not only in the mall below the hotel, but in the very immediate vicinity. It's a tough call!!

baser1000

This is exactly what makes it such a tough decision!!

itrvl

Yep! Also, two visits ago, I split my stay between the Hotel Indigo (which is in Wan Chai but up 4 or 5 blocks from the Hyatt/Convention Center complex) and the Hyatt TST. I loved the Indigo. I have learned that when I am traveling and relying on walking and public transit, I really prefer a hotel in the "middle of the action". I stayed at the Hilton in Amsterdam in February. It was in a lovely neighborhood and a very nice hotel, but just too far to walk out for a quick bite in the evening.

tom911

Clearly the Grand Hyatt is going to have the better room and lounge experience (I've stayed there and had friends stay there once while I was over at TST). I find there's just a lot more of what I want to do accessible by foot via the huge underground maze connected to the shopping mall adjoining Hyatt TST (and there's an excellent supermarket in that mall if you want to bring anything back to your room). I'm thinking of easy access to the evening light show when you exit near the Intercontinental, as well as places like the Star Ferry, Museum of Art, Kowloon Park and Nathan Road, all walkable underground in air conditioning. If you want to go to any of the night markets around Mong Kok, you're closer on this side of the harbor, too. Now, it will take a little longer to get over to the Peak Tram, but about the same time to get to Central if you're taking any of the ferries or the bus to Stanley. Probably best to sort out "where" you want to go while in Hong Kong as a deciding factor.

.I have some Hyatt TST property photos HERE.

Kacee

That's just a regency suite, and I wouldn't want to share it with my mother.

You can make arguments either way on which property location is better for your situation. I'm not sure there's a clear winner. End of the day, would you rather be in Kowloon or Central?

Have you done a Macau day trip before? It's exhausting, involves standing in lengthy, chaotic immigration lines, and is IMO completely not worth it. The only reason to go to Macao IMO is if you like casinos. It's otherwise a pit.

Aventine

Kacee is right. Better to skip or make it 2 days if you really want to see a Chinese Las Vegas.

platbrownguy

+1, although if you are going to do it, you might:
-look into Premier Grand Class for a more comfortable ferry trip: https://www.turbojet.com.hk/en/premi...r-jetfoil.aspx (I've done the ferry every which way on the various boats, and I find the upcharge for premier grand class well worth it, though you have to know where to find things like the lounges at the ferry terminals, and you have to know to reserve the (very hit-or-miss) meal and free transport in advance -- might be more trouble than it's worth for a single roundtrip). I will say that once when they swapped boats to one that didn't have premier grand class, they put us (wife and self) into a vip cabin at no extra charge, that was a fun time!
-get e-channel at HKG if there's not a wait (assuming you and mother are both eligible) -- makes the immigration at ferry terminal way less of a risk
-try not to pack too much into the day in Macau. it never ceases to amaze me how long it can take to go relatively short distances by taxi, shuttle, whatever

Stgermainparis

Kacee

+1
I had a terrible time just getting back to the ferry because there was a taxi shortage. I eventually took the free shuttle from one of the hotels (Sofitel, IIRC).

I did pay up for the premier service on the ferry, and the lounge in Macao - though extremely bare bones - was a huge upgrade over the terminal itself.

platbrownguy

I imagine mother doesn't want to pack up and move, but if that's wrong, I second the idea of splitting it up. The walkability of TST really is fun, and the mall downstairs is enjoyable. The grocery store (also mentioned above) has lots of take-away options (especially little containers of sushi, sashimi, etc., that seemed fresh and relatively inexpensive). I would do TST first, then after tiring yourselves out a bit, go to the GH where you might want to spend more time relaxing in the hotel.

MSPeconomist

Since you mention an elderly mother and wanting to use the swimming pool, there are a couple things about HR TST you should know:

The outdoor pool (on a deck at about the tenth floor) is shared with an apartment/condo building that seems to take some of the hotel's building. They also have some sort of recreation club facilities not available to hotel guests. The hotel changing rooms are separate and require walking around the building to access, on the far side of the deck with the pool and spa. I suspect that the recreation club changing facilities are much nicer.

When I looked, the pool seemed to be filled with families, including lots of kids, from the recreation club.

Perhaps more importantly for your mother, the only way to access the pool is through a long steep narrow staircase (it has the ambience of a not very new or nice fire escape stairwell).
Hotel elevators do not stop on the pool deck floor.

ADDED: My room (good view and high floor but no upgrade as a Globalist staying three nights) had a bit of a musty smell at times and seemed very humid. Clothing got damp and would not dry.

jpdx

I don't think the poster's mother has severe mobility challenges, but just in case: I visited HK several times with a friend in a wheelchair, and the HR staff got us to the pool level. This was a few years ago, so I don't remember the exact mechanics -- may have involved going downstairs and heading up one of the residential elevators.

If mobility impairment is an issue, it's important to note that HK can be rather challenging due to lack of elevators, narrow sidewalks, and overall geography (lots of people and hills). The HR has accessible rooms and one accessible Regency suite -- these are fairly well designed, which cannot be taken for granted in HK hotels. (For instance, the W, IC, and GH were much worse). Also, the HR location is by far the best for walking/rolling around and access to the MTR (keep in mind that many stations, including TST, are huge and confusing, so it's important to look at the maps to locate elevator access, or to ask the Hyatt staff to show you the options).