January 16, 2016

Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport 
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

The cab from Singapore's Changi Airport took around 20 minutes with just light traffic.  We arrived at the Grand Hyatt just before 8AM.  We've previously been to Singapore a couple of times staying at the Conrad near Marina Bay both times.  We were eager to check out a different part of the city and the Grand Hyatt fit the bill.  Located on Orchard Road, there's amazing shopping right out the front door.  And the Singapore Botanical Gardens are about a 20 minute walk from the hotel so the location is ideal.

Grand Hyatt Singapore

I had booked the room using Hyatt Gold Passport points and booked us into a club room for some added comfort.  At 8AM, I figured we'd be dropping our bags and head out to get some fresh air and food until our room was ready.  We were both pleasantly surprised to learn that we had been upgraded to a club level suite and our room was ready!  We've had good luck checking in extremely early to Grand Hyatt's in Asia.

Grand Hyatt Singapore in the spirit


We made our way up to the 30th floor and entered the room.  While the hotel is in need of a renovation, the room was extremely spacious and nicely appointed.

Entrance to Grand Hyatt Singapore
Upon entering the main room, there was a weird wet bar type setup on the right, a working desk, couch, and television.

Grand Hyatt Singapore Suite

The bedroom was pretty standard.

Bedroom

The bathroom was decked out in green stone which we both thought was pretty unique.  There was both a bathtub and a standup shower.




After unpacking and cleaning up from the redeye, we headed up to the club (on the 31st floor) for some breakfast.  

While there were some decent food on offer in the mornings and evenings, bar service was only available between 6 and 8pm and the lounge essentially closed after that.  In addition, the club tended to get a bit crowded at peak times so go early if you want a quieter experience.  So the extra 7,000 points per night likely wasn't worth it although we did get upgraded to a suite...which likely wouldn't have happened had we not upgraded.






We didn't spend a ton of time in the hotel in places other than our room or the club lounge.  I hear there's a nice outdoor pool and that the hotel's restaurant (Straits Kitchen) is actually very good.  We spent our days walking around the city, shopping, and of course eating.  We had an excellent Thanksgiving dinner at FOC (Spanish tapas) which I would highly recommend.

Almost December - ready for Christmas!

The two days flew by and soon enough, it was time to head home.  We checked out of the hotel early Sunday morning with no charges on our bill.  One of the perks of the miles and points game. We grabbed a cab to Changi and arrived at the First Class check-in facility well before our flight.  I'm going to add a bonus trip report segment on Changi since there is so much fun stuff to see/do. I'll cover that after the Private Room segment.

Final Thoughts:

Singapore is a somewhat tricky hotel market.  Many of the upper upscale brands (i.e. Grand Hyatt, Conrad) are tired and in need of renovation.  We both enjoyed the location of the Grand Hyatt and would definitely return if the price (either cash or points) was right.  

St. Regis Singapore

We walked by the St. Regis which I would like to check out as it's in a bit quieter location still close to Orchard Road.  The Grand Hyatt's location is spot on though - right on Orchard Road and a 3 minute walk from the MRT.

No comments:

Post a Comment