Jul 13, 2023, 4:40 am
Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa - Amphur Cha-Am, Thailand [Master Thread]
Aug 10, 2016, 10:08 pm
#334
Moderator: Mileage Run, InterContinental Hotels
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5,916
We spent six nights in Hua Hin, and I wanted to post a comparison of Sheraton and Hyatt.
In summary, Sheraton is a much, much better option for those who have top tier status in both chains.
We received a very warm welcome at the Sheraton; were ushered to the club, given arrival drinks and cold towel, and then walked to the room by the club manager. Received an upgrade (as Plat) to an oceanfront suite, which is much nicer than I expected. About 1100sqft, well-appointed, good furnishings, great view (although oceanfront is a bit of an exaggeration; I’d say, ocean view). Nice welcome note accompanied by fruits and macaroons.
The club benefit is excellent. Evening canapes are a bit limited, but they have a bar with a good selection of spirits, and will prepare mixed drinks. There’s a menu you can order from all day, plus a selection of soft drinks and unhealthy snacks. Breakfast is served at the restaurant (full buffet). It’s above average in selection and quality; really rather impressive for a Sheraton.
The Hyatt, in contrast, was a disappointment. I had applied a Diamond Suite Upgrade, which books into a small, dark, depressing no-view suite. You walk into a living room that’s mostly devoid of furniture, and then an adjacent room that, I imagine, is exactly the same layout as a standard room at the property. It’s maybe 35sqm (350sqft), and lacks the design features usually associated with a suite, like a larger bathroom. Our room was located as far as possible from the club lounge, on the ground floor, with a direct view of the property’s hot tub (which means that people in the hot tub can see into the room). I asked for a room on a higher floor, and apparently, this suite type only exists on the ground floor. There is an option to buy up to a (presumably) better suite, for which we were quoted a reasonable THB1100; pointlessly quoted, I should add, seeing that no such suites were available. There are higher suite types (also not available for our entire stay), but the pricing gets a bit silly. I don’t think we spent any time in the sparsely furnished living room, so essentially what our suite upgrade got us was a depressing, noisy, poorly located standard room.
The Hyatt club lounge is fully outside, but the brief bursts of rain were managed well by the staff, and there weren’t many mosquitos (I have no idea if this is so year-round). The evening spread is slightly better than what the Sheraton puts out, but still marginal by Asian standards. Like other Hyatts in SE Asia, there’s no menu of mixed drinks, and limited availability of mixers, so you’ll be hard pressed to get anything more sophisticated than rum and coke. Most people seemed to drink beer or wine. I’m not sure about the breakfast benefit for Diamonds. The welcome letter only mentioned breakfast in the club lounge (which looked adequate); my rate included the full buffet breakfast. This was, like the Sheraton’s breakfast, above average.
In terms of layout and hardware, it’s tough to pick a winner. The Sheraton is typical for Hua Hin – very long and narrow layout, with rooms on either side, pool/restaurants in the middle, and fairly minimal beach frontage. The pools are large and lovely, but feel a bit plain. The Hyatt is more spread out, and occupies much more beachfront. There’s a water slide, and a meandering lazy river, with lots of palm trees. It’s hard to say which pool I liked better, but I suspect for many with kids, the Hyatt will be preferable.
In terms of location, neither hotel is ideal. They’re about 10 minutes from the center of Hua Hin, the Sheraton to the North, the Hyatt to the South. Both provide a shuttle, although the Sheraton’s seems more frequent and announced more prominently. I think the Hyatt has the edge here, on account of having some basic amenities nearby (7/11 just outside, Cicada market on Fri/Sat/Sun). The Market Village mall is also close, and even central Hua Hin is walkable (it took us about 45 minutes on the beach; note that depending on the tide, there may be no beach to walk on, and you wouldn’t want to walk along the busy road). At the Sheraton, you’re dependent on the shuttle or taxis; it wouldn’t be a fun trip even on a tuk-tuk.
The stays were in early August, which I’d think of as low season for Hua Hin; however, for our dates, both hotels were completely sold out due to some large groups buying up almost all rooms. There was an interesting difference in how this was handled; at the Sheraton, my heart sank when we were shown to our suite and saw that they were setting up a banquet on the lawn. We had immediate flashbacks to the bad karaoke we heard all night long at Westin Bali a few years ago. But, the Sheraton handled this extremely well; there was audible music until 9pm, after that, quiet. The group also had their meals apart from regular guests, so there was minimal interference. The Hyatt also had a large group, but it was handled poorly; there was audible noise from the stage they had set up, and breakfast was overrun, leading to waits and lots of empty dishes on the buffet. One morning, we were advised that a backup buffet had been set up in the conference hall, yet when we got there, they were busy and told us to go back to the restaurant.
Due the hotels being so busy, I was never able to find the super-low rates 3rdworldresident quoted; my BRGs for both hotels were in the THB2400++ range. I kept checking back, but the rates inched up to THB6000-8000; the Sheraton even showed sold out. I’ve encountered a number of Asian chain hotels where paying low rates correlates with poor treatment, but I would say that although I must have been one of the lowest paying guests, the Sheraton gave me excellent treatment. At the Hyatt it’s hard to tell; from reports, what I received seemed in line with other Diamond guests, but the staff seemed indifferent and perhaps overwhelmed by the onslaught of guests.
If we went back, there’s no doubt that we’d pick the Sheraton. The staff are outstanding, the suite is 10 times better than the standard Hyatt suite, and the club is slightly ahead. The Sheraton has relatively few suites (12 total, including 8 oceanfront, 2 pool access, and 2 pool view), and of course with the SPG system, you can’t be certain of receiving a suite until 5 days prior to arrival. That said, unless you’re traveling with a large family and need the extra space afforded by the Hyatt suite (thanks to the sparse furnishing of the living room, there’s ample space for extra beds), I’d roll the dice on the Sheraton. I think for a couple, even the Sheraton standard room (50sqm) would be preferable to the Hyatt DSU suite.
There are, of course, other hotels worth considering in Hua Hin: For those with IC RA status, Intercontinental Hua Hin is a top notch option that provides great suite upgrades, and is located closer to central Hua Hin than either Hyatt or Sheraton. I wish I had managed to stay at Sheraton Villas, but my SO was unwilling to switch hotels every other night. We stayed there a couple of times when it was Six Senses, and at THB5000/night, it can’t be a bad option considering that’s less than what the Hyatt would cost if one paid the upcharge to avoid the awful suite we had.
Finally, a word regarding transportation. We took the bus from BKK to the Dusit Thani, and then a hotel “taxi” to the Sheraton. Duration of the bus trip was about 3 ½ hours, and four minutes for the car; cost THB269 and THB200, respectively. The bus is a comfortable (2x1 seating with great legroom, think domestic First) and fairly safe option, and only takes marginally longer than a car. Trip from Sheraton to Hyatt takes about 20 minutes, and costs THB400. There were no Ubers around the Sheraton when we left, but we later caught some in central Hua Hin.
In summary, Sheraton is a much, much better option for those who have top tier status in both chains.
We received a very warm welcome at the Sheraton; were ushered to the club, given arrival drinks and cold towel, and then walked to the room by the club manager. Received an upgrade (as Plat) to an oceanfront suite, which is much nicer than I expected. About 1100sqft, well-appointed, good furnishings, great view (although oceanfront is a bit of an exaggeration; I’d say, ocean view). Nice welcome note accompanied by fruits and macaroons.
The club benefit is excellent. Evening canapes are a bit limited, but they have a bar with a good selection of spirits, and will prepare mixed drinks. There’s a menu you can order from all day, plus a selection of soft drinks and unhealthy snacks. Breakfast is served at the restaurant (full buffet). It’s above average in selection and quality; really rather impressive for a Sheraton.
The Hyatt, in contrast, was a disappointment. I had applied a Diamond Suite Upgrade, which books into a small, dark, depressing no-view suite. You walk into a living room that’s mostly devoid of furniture, and then an adjacent room that, I imagine, is exactly the same layout as a standard room at the property. It’s maybe 35sqm (350sqft), and lacks the design features usually associated with a suite, like a larger bathroom. Our room was located as far as possible from the club lounge, on the ground floor, with a direct view of the property’s hot tub (which means that people in the hot tub can see into the room). I asked for a room on a higher floor, and apparently, this suite type only exists on the ground floor. There is an option to buy up to a (presumably) better suite, for which we were quoted a reasonable THB1100; pointlessly quoted, I should add, seeing that no such suites were available. There are higher suite types (also not available for our entire stay), but the pricing gets a bit silly. I don’t think we spent any time in the sparsely furnished living room, so essentially what our suite upgrade got us was a depressing, noisy, poorly located standard room.
The Hyatt club lounge is fully outside, but the brief bursts of rain were managed well by the staff, and there weren’t many mosquitos (I have no idea if this is so year-round). The evening spread is slightly better than what the Sheraton puts out, but still marginal by Asian standards. Like other Hyatts in SE Asia, there’s no menu of mixed drinks, and limited availability of mixers, so you’ll be hard pressed to get anything more sophisticated than rum and coke. Most people seemed to drink beer or wine. I’m not sure about the breakfast benefit for Diamonds. The welcome letter only mentioned breakfast in the club lounge (which looked adequate); my rate included the full buffet breakfast. This was, like the Sheraton’s breakfast, above average.
In terms of layout and hardware, it’s tough to pick a winner. The Sheraton is typical for Hua Hin – very long and narrow layout, with rooms on either side, pool/restaurants in the middle, and fairly minimal beach frontage. The pools are large and lovely, but feel a bit plain. The Hyatt is more spread out, and occupies much more beachfront. There’s a water slide, and a meandering lazy river, with lots of palm trees. It’s hard to say which pool I liked better, but I suspect for many with kids, the Hyatt will be preferable.
In terms of location, neither hotel is ideal. They’re about 10 minutes from the center of Hua Hin, the Sheraton to the North, the Hyatt to the South. Both provide a shuttle, although the Sheraton’s seems more frequent and announced more prominently. I think the Hyatt has the edge here, on account of having some basic amenities nearby (7/11 just outside, Cicada market on Fri/Sat/Sun). The Market Village mall is also close, and even central Hua Hin is walkable (it took us about 45 minutes on the beach; note that depending on the tide, there may be no beach to walk on, and you wouldn’t want to walk along the busy road). At the Sheraton, you’re dependent on the shuttle or taxis; it wouldn’t be a fun trip even on a tuk-tuk.
The stays were in early August, which I’d think of as low season for Hua Hin; however, for our dates, both hotels were completely sold out due to some large groups buying up almost all rooms. There was an interesting difference in how this was handled; at the Sheraton, my heart sank when we were shown to our suite and saw that they were setting up a banquet on the lawn. We had immediate flashbacks to the bad karaoke we heard all night long at Westin Bali a few years ago. But, the Sheraton handled this extremely well; there was audible music until 9pm, after that, quiet. The group also had their meals apart from regular guests, so there was minimal interference. The Hyatt also had a large group, but it was handled poorly; there was audible noise from the stage they had set up, and breakfast was overrun, leading to waits and lots of empty dishes on the buffet. One morning, we were advised that a backup buffet had been set up in the conference hall, yet when we got there, they were busy and told us to go back to the restaurant.
Due the hotels being so busy, I was never able to find the super-low rates 3rdworldresident quoted; my BRGs for both hotels were in the THB2400++ range. I kept checking back, but the rates inched up to THB6000-8000; the Sheraton even showed sold out. I’ve encountered a number of Asian chain hotels where paying low rates correlates with poor treatment, but I would say that although I must have been one of the lowest paying guests, the Sheraton gave me excellent treatment. At the Hyatt it’s hard to tell; from reports, what I received seemed in line with other Diamond guests, but the staff seemed indifferent and perhaps overwhelmed by the onslaught of guests.
If we went back, there’s no doubt that we’d pick the Sheraton. The staff are outstanding, the suite is 10 times better than the standard Hyatt suite, and the club is slightly ahead. The Sheraton has relatively few suites (12 total, including 8 oceanfront, 2 pool access, and 2 pool view), and of course with the SPG system, you can’t be certain of receiving a suite until 5 days prior to arrival. That said, unless you’re traveling with a large family and need the extra space afforded by the Hyatt suite (thanks to the sparse furnishing of the living room, there’s ample space for extra beds), I’d roll the dice on the Sheraton. I think for a couple, even the Sheraton standard room (50sqm) would be preferable to the Hyatt DSU suite.
There are, of course, other hotels worth considering in Hua Hin: For those with IC RA status, Intercontinental Hua Hin is a top notch option that provides great suite upgrades, and is located closer to central Hua Hin than either Hyatt or Sheraton. I wish I had managed to stay at Sheraton Villas, but my SO was unwilling to switch hotels every other night. We stayed there a couple of times when it was Six Senses, and at THB5000/night, it can’t be a bad option considering that’s less than what the Hyatt would cost if one paid the upcharge to avoid the awful suite we had.
Finally, a word regarding transportation. We took the bus from BKK to the Dusit Thani, and then a hotel “taxi” to the Sheraton. Duration of the bus trip was about 3 ½ hours, and four minutes for the car; cost THB269 and THB200, respectively. The bus is a comfortable (2x1 seating with great legroom, think domestic First) and fairly safe option, and only takes marginally longer than a car. Trip from Sheraton to Hyatt takes about 20 minutes, and costs THB400. There were no Ubers around the Sheraton when we left, but we later caught some in central Hua Hin.
Aug 10, 2016, 10:50 pm
#335
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,833
You don't think 2400 baht is a good price??? VBG
I stayed at the Hyatt once when I had top tier status and although the beach was nicer I agree with your comments (altho it sounds like the evening cocktails/snacks have gone downhill) This was a few years ago.
I found Cicada at that time very touristy and overpriced I understand it has gotten larger (but maybe not better???) since then. All this was a few years ago and I have never gone back.
OTOH I have stayed at Sheraton HH more times than I can count (last a few months ago) and they truly go out of their way for Platinums!! While I don't care much for the caloric snacks offered during the day - lots of people do and the ability to order from a (short) menu during the day is very exceptional!
If you're adventurous and/or don't have much luggage the bus will drop you off OUTSIDE the Dusit (but strangely they won't stop 2 minutes earlier to stop outside the Sheraton where you can ask for a buggy to meet you to avoid the walk through the condo's of 10 or so minutes). The walk is not pleasant if it is extremely hot or raining
Again, if you are adventurous there is a local market every day about a 10 minutes walk - but across the main road so you have to be careful!
There is also a 7/11 about 5 minutes on the same side (as well as a local restaurant just next to the Sheraton close to road) A cart on request will drive you to the road for either trip
Well I guess it's obvious which hotel I prefer
I stayed at the Hyatt once when I had top tier status and although the beach was nicer I agree with your comments (altho it sounds like the evening cocktails/snacks have gone downhill) This was a few years ago.
I found Cicada at that time very touristy and overpriced I understand it has gotten larger (but maybe not better???) since then. All this was a few years ago and I have never gone back.
OTOH I have stayed at Sheraton HH more times than I can count (last a few months ago) and they truly go out of their way for Platinums!! While I don't care much for the caloric snacks offered during the day - lots of people do and the ability to order from a (short) menu during the day is very exceptional!
If you're adventurous and/or don't have much luggage the bus will drop you off OUTSIDE the Dusit (but strangely they won't stop 2 minutes earlier to stop outside the Sheraton where you can ask for a buggy to meet you to avoid the walk through the condo's of 10 or so minutes). The walk is not pleasant if it is extremely hot or raining
Again, if you are adventurous there is a local market every day about a 10 minutes walk - but across the main road so you have to be careful!
There is also a 7/11 about 5 minutes on the same side (as well as a local restaurant just next to the Sheraton close to road) A cart on request will drive you to the road for either trip
Well I guess it's obvious which hotel I prefer
Aug 10, 2016, 11:20 pm
#336
Moderator: Mileage Run, InterContinental Hotels
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5,916
I felt like I was stealing. That said, I saw rates of 2200 in September on SPG.com, which probably means that the place can be BRGed under 2000.
Cicada was very touristy and pricey, but I found it more charming than the markets downtown. The food was poor and prices outrageous.
Cicada was very touristy and pricey, but I found it more charming than the markets downtown. The food was poor and prices outrageous.
Aug 10, 2016, 11:33 pm
#337
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,833
Well, if you're comparing Cicada to the downtown markets (which used to be interesting but now I find merely loud, obnoxious, overpriced and utterly without redemption) - okay. I used to spend time in town, and even enjoyed some of the food at the night market but now I don't even bother to go there anymore (well, the evidence says lots of people don't agree with me).
I'm so glad I got to experience Hua Hin before it became what it is today!
I'm so glad I got to experience Hua Hin before it became what it is today!
Aug 12, 2016, 7:00 am
#338
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SNA/LAX
Programs: Hertz PC, Hilton DMD, IHG Spire Amb, Bonvoy Titanium Elite & WoH Globalist
Posts: 8,076
Aug 13, 2016, 8:19 am
#339
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,512
Now, this is the deal I got!! Don't think it will ever be beat
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...class-act.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...class-act.html
Aug 13, 2016, 10:02 am
#340
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SNA/LAX
Programs: Hertz PC, Hilton DMD, IHG Spire Amb, Bonvoy Titanium Elite & WoH Globalist
Posts: 8,076
Now, this is the deal I got!! Don't think it will ever be beat
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...class-act.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...class-act.html
Aug 13, 2016, 10:32 am
#341
Moderator, El Al and Marriott Bonvoy, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ*G, Mar LTT, Hyatt Glb, AA LTG, LY, HH, IC, BA, DL, UA SLV
Posts: 12,018
Jan 1, 2017, 5:35 am
#344
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Sunshine Coast Australia
Programs: Plat QFF, Gold AA, Silverseas Venetian.
Posts: 53
We are thinking of having 6 days here in July '17 but a huge wedding like what has been described here would give me the horrors !! I have looked extensively at their website but cant find any list of booked weddings - can someone please post a link !!! thanks
Jan 1, 2017, 6:20 am
#345
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,755
I've never heard of a hotel posting such a list; but an email to the Concierge or GM might yield the information. There was a corporate event when I was there a few years ago, -- I, too, would not visit this hotel again if there's an event scheduled to coincide with my stay.