Park Hyatt Zanzibar = Good Service and Spacious Suite With Some Issues

We stayed at the lone Park Hyatt in all of Africa during our stay in Zanzibar.  Not having many reference points it’s hard to judge by local standards but I can say the hotel was on average in line with the brand but not in all aspects.  

I did not use a Globalist Suite Upgrade because I thought my chances were decent to get a complimentary suite upgrade at check-in.  We arrived early morning and were told we could have a suite but none were ready so we were invited to have breakfast while waiting.  After breakfast the suite was still not ready so we were given keys to a standard room so that our daughter could nap after having travelled during the night.  

The temporary room they gave us was actually an ADA room with the toilet and the shower being in one big open space.  Otherwise the room was fine and had some local touches although not as many as the suite we had later.

We moved to a suite around 5pm which was later than what they seemed to imply when we arrived at the hotel but since our daughter had a long nap in the afternoon it was no big deal.  The suite was very spacious (100 sqm), had 1.5 bath, a nice terrace overlooking the beach and seaviews, and had good quality of materials for example the floor tiles.  However there were some aspects lacking considering the PH brand, notably soundproofing was very poor due to thin windows so we could hear everything going on outside the hotel including calls for prayer at 5am.  Soundproofing from the inside was also weak and we could easily hear doors closing.  Thankfully because our suite was at the end of a hallway the noise was more muted when being in the bedroom.  The sofa in the living room did not look very clean so we avoided it and on our first day the water flow in the suite was intermittent and would stop at regular intervals making a shower somewhat tedious.  However once I mentioned the problem to staff the next morning, they fixed the issue while housekeeping cleaned the room.

Bathroom toiletries were Le Labo Bergamote 22 as expected and were refilled regularly by housekeeping which did a good job exactly at the time we requested every day.

The breakfast buffet was good but one would have to like coconut because many dishes had some variation of a coconut sauce, including beans, sweet potatoes, bananas, and pumpkin; it was a lot of dishes with coconut. I did enjoy the coconut water every morning though.  What lacked in this breakfast to be truly Park Hyatt standards was some kind of a la carte menu, which there was none if not counting made to order eggs which is a given.

The restaurant was in an attractive venue with seating both indoors and outdoors above the beach.  

Similar to the restaurant, the hotel common areas looked great and I liked the historical nature of the hotel which used to be the palace for the Sultanate of Oman (the old wing of the hotel).  They later built a more modern wing where our suite was located.  The bar of the hotel was inviting, the library was quiet, and the high ceilings with sky lights near reception were impressive.  

Service was generally a strength at the hotel with various staff remembering our names and being very friendly when we walked by reception and at the front door.  They were also more proactive than most hotels in suggesting half day tours from the hotel and talking about the history of Zanzibar and the various sites to visit, compared to other PHs some of which tend to be more reactive.  

Wifi worked with speed of 45 Mbps but there were some minor interruptions.

Overall I found this PH to be good but short of being great, although considering the lack of local alternatives from international hotel chains (there are a couple of Double Tree hotels), I would return with no hesitation and I can recommend it.