How do Hyatt treat you as an Elite?

[Berlin]

Property: Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Germany
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King
Received: Very nice corner King room with great views

Stayed here just earlier this week, maybe our 3rd or 4th stay at this property. Overall, really nice hotel still with excellent service at reception and especially the bar.

The club lounge is a bit disappointing but what many might not know, you’re actually allowed to use the space by the bar and, in Summer and better even, the outside terrace. You can also order real local Duesseldorf Alt Bier at the bar on the house if you have club access which we absolutely love love love. Give me several rounds of free Alt Bier over some wraps and salads any day!

As Globalists, we got a nice room on a high floor which great views of the city and the Rhein-Kirmes (large fair ground with rides and rollercoasters) that’s currently one which we thoroughly enjoyed. Actually- while no suite upgrades were available this time, we almost enjoyed this “standard” King corner room with a view more.

Only disappointment, and it is a big one, was the housekeeping service which was totally not up to scratch. Never had any issues like this at this property before but somehow whoever was going out room was either badly trained or outright lazy. We had a nicely written card on the bed asking (in German and English) for fresh sheets as we sweated a lot during the Summer weather and while the card was gone in the evening, we clearly just got the old sheets again. We also were silly and had some cookies in the morning and all the crumbs wrote still there even! Likewise, our red wine glasses had clearly been flushed out under water and returned to the shelf, stains still all over it and water glasses even had fatty finger prints all over. Yikes.

So yes, overall pleasant as ever and we surely will return next time in Dusseldorf but the housekeeping service was a real fail this time around.

 

[Gold Member]

Only disappointment, and it is a big one, was the housekeeping service which was totally not up to scratch. Never had any issues like this at this property before but somehow whoever was going out room was either badly trained or outright lazy. We had a nicely written card on the bed asking (in German and English) for fresh sheets as we sweated a lot during the Summer weather and while the card was gone in the evening, we clearly just got the old sheets again. We also were silly and had some cookies in the morning and all the crumbs wrote still there even! Likewise, our red wine glasses had clearly been flushed out under water and returned to the shelf, stains still all over it and water glasses even had fatty finger prints all over. Yikes.

That just sounds like most properties post-Covid trying to cut down on housekeeping expenses by demanding more of their staff within less time.

Was the sweat in bed due to insufficiently cold air conditioning and therefore sleeping unbearably hot? Or dare I ask, just from day activities and not showering before bed? Assuming the former, did you approach them about it, and what was their response?

 

[Berlin]

That just sounds like most properties post-Covid trying to cut down on housekeeping expenses by demanding more of their staff within less time.

Was the sweat in bed due to insufficiently cold air conditioning and therefore sleeping unbearably hot? Or dare I ask, just from day activities and not showering before bed? Assuming the former, did you approach them about it, and what was their response?

Yes, it was the former. And complaints about air conditioning seem to be responded to in one or two ways in Germany (and most of Europe in general): A. Complete shoulder shrug and pretend that it all runs fine (this is how the Dusseldorf Hyatt but also the one in Berlin treat it) or, worse even and particularly prominent in Germany, B. A lengthy preach on the implications of CO2 emissions and how you can save the polar bears by sweating all night in your room. In other words, I regret each time even attempting to complain as it never leads to an attempt to fix, let alone providing you with an apology and/or other remedy.

 

[Berlin]

Property: Grand Hyatt Berlin, Germany
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King
Received: Standard King, high floor. €30 voucher to make up for the lack of suite upgrades

And speaking of air conditioning, here we go again: We used to really love this property, one of our favourite Hyatts anywhere. Unfortunately, things seem to have gone severely downhill since our last stay about a year ago.

Received the quite standard email a few days ahead that no suite upgrades would be available. No issue there, property was really full this weekend and last year they had upgraded us- nothing one can ever expect and they even offered us a €30 F&B voucher instead which is better than most other properties would do to compensate. The standard rooms are actually big enough themselves, something that we’ve always appreciated here. However, applying stinge measures to the air conditioning is not a good look. Very common in Europe in general but never an issue here in the past, the aircon is set to full cooling on the dial in the room, but does nothing more than a faint fizzle so we sweated like pigs every single night. Yes, it was rather hot during our stay but last year was even more so and we did not have any issues. Asking at reception was met with the usual disregard and just confirming that “everything is running as expected” which is also the answer you always seem to get on this issue in Europe and especially in Germany. The property has also added some really awful rubber toppers on the mattress which in combination just turns the entire room into a sweat box. Not good enough, Hyatt.

The executive lounge was just okay, while technically on the highest floor, they strangely managed to make it feel really dark and claustrophobic with windows only onto the inner courtyard and very dark and uninviting furniture with decade old pictures of movie stars on the wall. Food offerings are very very limited and the place is generally overfilled- on Saturday night we had to stand awkwardly (!!!) in the middle of the lounge and so did other guests. That did not feel very executive.

Finally, the generally nice roof top pool with nice outside sun loungers is getting totally spoilt by hoards of outside guests hawking the place. This is one of my pet hates and was a problem already last year: Not only is the property selling gym and spa membership passes to random locals which is annoying enough, they also offer day memberships via a strange voucher system to total strangers. No idea where they come from, some German equivalent to Groupon or similar dodgy site I am assuming. As a result you always have to queue up for ages as a hotel guest just to use the pool for a quick splash, then in front of you there are masses of cheap tourists (usually from Bavaria or Saxony for whatever reason) with their monster back packs in tow, who somehow got a day spa voucher for the Hyatt pool while otherwise staying at some rotten hostel for a fraction of the price. How these people behave in and around the pool is easy to guess. This drives me mad each and every time and is clearly just a money grab with total disregard to the full paying hotel guests.

Finally- the breakfast, oh what a mess! This was one of the highlights of this property and now turned into the total opposite. Two staff members half way attentive with the others doing everything to avoid any work. Management busy with the blue screens of death on their computers and unable to help the situation at all. On the weekends, breakfast is technically running till 12 but beware you come in the last 90 minutes as most items won’t be replenished anymore. First morning they had run out of buns and eggs so you could only order the latter from the waiter which sounds good in theory but unfortunately it takes about half an hour for any egg dishes to arrive and that is once you’ve managed to get the attention of a waiter and they hit your order correctly which turned out to be a challenge. Strangely, they had three to four people in the kitchen at all times but they managed to cook less omelettes and scrambles than some single chef kitchens do in other, better managed properties. They used to have a larger selection of normal buffet items, but a lot have been taken away and replaced by a useless oversized “Vegan corner” which takes up about a third of the entire breakfast space. As per usual, no one ever touches any of the chemical-loaded plastic food there besides the fruit selection but hey, we’re hip and “on trend”, jaaa! We noticed on day two that every second table had a complaint for something going wrong and the overall rather useless staff just gave the typical “Meh, so sorry” response without addressing any of the problems.

All in all, as guests who stay here pretty much every year, we were rather disappointed. And that makes me sad, this hotel can be fantastic (and has been in the past). The air conditioning needs urgent work as a bad sleep just ruins an entire stay and management has to get the breakfast and spa situation under control. It’s otherwise a shame as the property itself is great and in a really good location for tourist activities and business needs alike and in great condition for a property that opened in the late 90s. I’m really hoping the hotel reads this and takes action on these points as I would hate to stay elsewhere in Berlin next time around.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

Property: Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Germany
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King
Received: Very nice corner King room with great views

Stayed here just earlier this week, maybe our 3rd or 4th stay at this property. Overall, really nice hotel still with excellent service at reception and especially the bar.

The club lounge is a bit disappointing but what many might not know, you’re actually allowed to use the space by the bar and, in Summer and better even, the outside terrace. You can also order real local Duesseldorf Alt Bier at the bar on the house if you have club access which we absolutely love love love. Give me several rounds of free Alt Bier over some wraps and salads any day!

As Globalists, we got a nice room on a high floor which great views of the city and the Rhein-Kirmes (large fair ground with rides and rollercoasters) that’s currently one which we thoroughly enjoyed. Actually- while no suite upgrades were available this time, we almost enjoyed this “standard” King corner room with a view more.

Only disappointment, and it is a big one, was the housekeeping service which was totally not up to scratch. Never had any issues like this at this property before but somehow whoever was going out room was either badly trained or outright lazy. We had a nicely written card on the bed asking (in German and English) for fresh sheets as we sweated a lot during the Summer weather and while the card was gone in the evening, we clearly just got the old sheets again. We also were silly and had some cookies in the morning and all the crumbs wrote still there even! Likewise, our red wine glasses had clearly been flushed out under water and returned to the shelf, stains still all over it and water glasses even had fatty finger prints all over. Yikes.

So yes, overall pleasant as ever and we surely will return next time in Dusseldorf but the housekeeping service was a real fail this time around.

I have found memories staying at Hyatt Dusseldorf several years ago - was a Diamond then so used DSU to stay in a suite, having also used a BRG claim which meant I had the suite with breakfast and club access for 120 euros a night.


The breakfast was exceptional for a European hotel, although I felt sorry for the old German lady on the egg station who was being incessantly hassled by some rude Middle Eastern guests who seemed to talk to her like she was a mere slave.

On a more positive note, the indoor heated pool was nice and the steam room seemed to always have attractive young females sitting naked in there, as is the custom in that part of Europe.

 

[MrJetset]

BER doesn’t have a PH, do you mean GH?

We had an excellent stay but booked a suite in advance. Review on FT.

 

[Berlin]

BER doesn’t have a PH, do you mean GH?

We had an excellent stay but booked a suite in advance. Review on FT.

Oh sorry, of course I meant to say Grand Hyatt. We used to only have excellent stays here in the past as well, even more disappointing that this time was a real mess. I ended up complaining at the front desk and got a bottle of free (proper French) champagne as an apology which was a nice gesture though I’d much rather see them fix the air conditioning and get their staffing and training in order.

Will no doubt stay again next year around the same time so keen to see if anything has improved again to how it used to be in previous years.

 

[Berlin]

Property: Me and All hotel Kiel, Germany Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard room
Received: Still small but best room in the house

After it was announced just a few weeks ago that this former budget subsidiary of Lindner Hotels had now been fully purchased by Hyatt and is meant to be rolled out more widely and even outside Germany, I got really excited and simply had to give it a try during our current Europe trip.

The Me and All in Kiel happened to be close enough to a few places I hadn’t seen since childhood so it provided a convenient base, even though the city itself has nothing much to offer (and is, sorry Kiel, one of the ugliest German cities I can think of). The Me and All chain is aimed at a hipster, younger budget crowd and often gets compared to the likes of Moxxy and Aloft. After our stay, I can happily say that it’s actually better than both of those.





Design-wise, the property was VERY modern, sometimes a big cringe worthy so bit that is something you find at Moxxy or even W as well. Style-wise, the closest I can think of would be Tommy in Austin, Texas which is also in the Hyatt portfolio and actually very similar in terms of design and perceived quirkiness of the tiny rooms. Actually- if Hyatt really wanted to roll out Me and All beyond Europe, it would be super easy to slap this name on the Tommy and claim it’s the first M&A in the US. What was nice is that the M&A was actually much smarter designed than the Tommy and made really clever use of the space inside the rooms. Yes the rooms are small but they are well designed so it doesn’t feel so. It’s still a small room but a bit bigger also than your typical Moxxy and the design much easier on the eye also than the cookie cutter everywhere the exact same as Aloft. Actually, they included a lot of “locally inspired” design elements- here in Kiel up at the Baltic Sea, it was a lot of seafarer and ocean kind of themes (I have to think of the Hyatt Centric in Long Beach, CA which is quite similar to this). So I’d prefer this over many of the other small hotel chains in this price group.





Service was always super dooper friendly though not necessarily always the most efficient. We were very happily greeted and acknowledged as a Globalist and received one of the best rooms in the house (away from the noise train tracks in the back, on the highest floor and with great views of the water inlet). We had a small issue with the parking lot constantly being full (34 spots for about 160 rooms tends to do this!) but contacted the My Hyatt concierge to help us secure a spot for our rewards stay as a Globalist. This was quickly sorted and it turned out that the property never ever had a Globalist asking for their free parking on an award stay before, which I found rather cute. Everyone was super apologetic as a result and even left us a nice block of German chocolate with an apology in the room on the second day which was better “Service recovery” than most Grand or Park Hyatts would do. We also had to chase our 3 qualifying nights with Hyatt which I am sure the property also simply did not know about but again, our my Hyatt concierge solved this very quickly for us so no biggie.



Other than this, the breakfast buffet was surprisingly generous and providing lots of choice and the room good enough for our short stay. The bed was actually okay, better then some higher class hotels on our Europe trip and while aircon was not running well enough (as per usual in Germany) at least there was an aircon at all which is better then some other hotels.

So all in all, really nice for the rate. Would I personally rather see Hyatt roll out Andaz or at least Hyatt Centric properties all across Europe? Sure. Is the whole “Gen z” design with free table tennis and a barber shop in the lounge area of the hotel (!) a good idea? Meh.


Guests were mostly 50+ year grumpy Germans who only stay here because it’s relatively cheap but then again, Germans are known for being rather stingy, especially when it comes to enjoying life or, heaven forbid, having fun so this style of property suits (I’m allowed to say these things as I was born here and still hold a German backup passport besides my Aussie one). But given this is what Hyatt intends to roll out more widely and considering the chain has plenty of white spots still on the map here in Europe, I’ll be quite happy to stay in more of these going forward and understand the decision for Hyatt to snap up this brand for development. It gives them access to a “younger” budget brand that has way more personality than many other such hotel brands.

 

[Berlin]

Property: Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, China
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King room
Received: Rather small King room on a mid level floor, apparently the water views count as an “upgrade” but I can’t imagine how there could be anything worse tbh

We are usually big fans of the Centric brand and some of their properties (Melbourne Australia, Montevideo Uruguay and even Long Beach California come to mind) as they tend to have a cool and upbeat vibe that is meant to target a younger and/or trendy audience. We were therefore so excited to stay here in Hong Kong but unfortunately, this concept does not work at all in this specific property which left us rather disappointed.

First of all, this is clearly not a real Hyatt Centric and I believe it originally opened as a different brand. This is the case for the aforementioned property in Long Beach as well but there a pretty good attempt was made to “centrify” the property which has not happened here in HKG. They’ve added ONE single centric branded onto the bed head mirror but other than that, the entire property could be a tired old Hyatt Regency or worse. Actually that’s an insult to most Regencies: There is no cool design whatsoever, only bland grey and beige carpets and hallways. I can’t even really describe how awful and boring the decor is- quite exactly the opposite of how the Centric brand sells itself. Faux marble and grey tones everywhere, not even a token attempt to add some proper arts or colour accents to it. The hotel also offers the tiniest of rooms and bathrooms that are even smaller so that it would be an insult at a Novotel. Add to this un-labeled and un-branded bathroom amenities (shampoo is seriously labeled “One”, conditioner “Two” and so on) and you feel truly like in penny-pinching family hotel.

Which leads me to what we found the worst part: As a result of this hotel being so bland and situated in one of the least desirable neighbourhoods of Hong Kong (far away from everything, only overfilled and old-fashioned public transportation available and truly horrific public amenities and crumbling infrastructure nearby), it simply gets frequented as “the cheap Hyatt”. So, the fancy hip lifestyle Centric advertisement video that’s running on endless loop in the lounge is out the window and in come the misbehaved boring families with their screeching kids and babies in tow- mind you, not a single family or screaming child in the entire video so this brand is obviously not made for them. But alas, at this property there is hardly anyone staying but families and hence, all the atmosphere/coolness/desirability that the Centric properties we love usually have, is nowhere to be seen here. The Hyatt branding advertises Centric as a “Gen Z” lifestyle brand but proper Gen Z could never afford it and “cool” (uncomfortable cough) Millennials like us should avoid it at all cost as it is the very opposite of cool (and if we think it’s uncool, then it’s REALLY uncool!).

The property is oddly spread over two towers with the slowest elevators ever but the worst example of being void of any type of coolness or at least atmosphere is the rooftop pool: It has waaaay too few lounge chairs available, there are screaming toddlers and badly behaved kids everywhere with entitled parents who of course could not be bothered to look after their offspring. Despite the pool rules, staff is too shy to enforce anything so you have messy jumps,sprinkling water and noise everywhere. If you can get a deck chair at all (and there are deck chair hawks on the hunt pretty much constantly), the chair mattress is most likely soaked with water. No one bothers to wipe up the floor with a squeaky thing either but staff rather chit chats all day with their fellow staff members, so there’s water all over the deck and simply nothing gets ever done.

We found the breakfast to be a similarly messy affair but at least there’s quite a bit of choice, the breakfast actually was the highlight of the property. Elsewhere across the hotel, the staff were rather blasse and as Globalists, we got the same tiny King room as everyone (I believe there’s only 10 suites or so in the entire property so good luck with ever getting upgraded) but at least we could see the river. However, we were given level 11 out of 23 (twice, as there are the two towers) so being a Globalist means as much to this property as staying at a Hyatt Centric. Nothing at all.

Finally, this Centric is the only one I know of with an Executive lounge which sounds good in theory but is a rather sad place in practice. “Posh” piano music (it’s 2024 for Pete’s sake) and the space is way too small and hence so overcrowded that the hotel needs to tell guests to queue up in time for the 5:30 “coughtail hour” as you might otherwise be denied a seat. The food is all pretty average and certainly nothing to write home about. Again there are loads of screaming kids all around turning the atmosphere into a day care centre instead of an exclusive refuge. The worst aspect is the alcohol choice which is certainly no “coughtails”but rather cheap no name brand liquors and equally dirt cheap bottom shelf Australian wines on offer, the kind of plonk no Australian would ever consider touching. If you want a headache next morning- this is the place to go!

So- very disappointing through and through, bereft of any soul and really nothing positive to say about this so-called Hyatt “Centric” other than the variety at the breakfast buffet. It’s a Centric only in name and if anything, it is seriously damaging to this brand.

 

[Bjet]

Status: N/A
Property: Hyatt Place - Montreal downtown

https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-place/en-US/yulzm-hyatt-place-montreal-downtown

Room booked: Two Queen bed - tour organised for one night
Received: Two Queen bed - tour organised for one night
Nice hotel, very friendly staff, interior looks modern and new, comfy bed, and free wifi.
No free bottle of water and snacks but has a coffee machine with free four pods and tea bags inside the room.
Free hot and fresh tea and coffee in the lobby (early in the morning only).
Not familiar with Montreal streets but it’s closer to McDonalds, supermarket and Starbucks.

 

[Berlin]

Property: Grand Hyatt Dubai
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Skyline view King
Received: Upgrade to a Specialty one Bedroom Skyline view suite
Free breakfast buffet and evening dinner buffet with free flowing drinks every night, late check out at 5pm

What an amazing stay I had at the Grand Hyatt Dubai! The property might be a bit older than some of the posher hotels in Dubai but recent room renovations and the quality of staff more than make up the that!

I had arrived really early in the morning and despite me communicating via email with the hotel beforehand, 6am was just a little bit too early even for this property. The lovely check in lady, however, was super apologetic about it and offered me to partake in the breakfast buffet that morning already which would start at 7am. She neither had to be apologetic nor did she have to offer me breakfast on the morning of my arrival but she did. And while many hotels would now let me sit in the lobby lounge and forget my presence, not so here: Once it turned 7, before I could even ask for breakfast, my lovely check in lady appeared at my seat and offered me your escort me down to the buffet. Maybe half an hour later, the Hyatt app on my phone went off to inform me that my room was ready. So just before 8 I was up in my room.

And what an amazing room it was! They had upgraded me from my skyline King not only to the standard suite which is a “Garden view Suite” but rather to their premium “Skyline view Suite” which was not only massive in size but also offered amazing views of Downtown Dubai and the famous Burj Khalifa. Stunning, especially at sunset! The suite was quite obviously so freshly renovated throughout and it felt like a brand new hotel. Needless to say, that all the interior fittings were of the highest quality and the bed was super blissfully. I was travelling by myself and felt it was almost a waste but hey, I don’t say no if a property properly values my loyalty as a Globalist!





Speaking of- the benefits as a Globalist were overall just amazing. I got free breakfast which was a huge buffet with everything you can imagine, from freshly prepared omelettes (with “chicken ham”, no less…) to properly made French Crêpes. They also had various Arabic and Indian choices with the latter generally the tastiest choice here in Dubai if you can stomach savoury spicy stuff for breakfast. Which brings me to the even better benefit, the free full Dinner buffet! I had free access to this every evening from 6-8 and it included free pour alcohol even. It was a bit busy messy as many non-Globalists had booked a half board rate so you had to share the space with multigenerational Indian families and German tourists who, in true style, pile up their food as if there’s no tomorrow. But the Choice of food was pretty amazing, from mixed grill to everyone’s favourite chips and fried chicken, to dishes like Beef Bourguignon. And of course, any salad and Middle Eastern dips you could ask for, a seemingly endless selection of deserts and, like for breakfast my favourite, a huge selection of authentic Indian dishes. For the drinks, it was the cheapest of cheapest Australian plonk wine which I can wholeheartedly recommend to avoid (I learnt my lesson- gosh, the headache next morning!) but luckily they also had Heineken and non-alcoholic options. And as buffers, the food was plentiful but maybe not exactly 5 Star quality but hey, I got it for free and it solved the dinner issue for my entire stay which I found pretty neat.

Check out on the last day for my 2am flight out of Dubai was granted for 5pm without issues and I enjoyed my afternoons by the pool despite the current construction of a full water park. Yes, that’s right, the hotel will be getting a full sized water park next year which pretty amazing full sized slides from what I could see so I surely will come back in a year or two to check this out. Nothing more fun than a 50 year old grown man shooting of a water slide, at least that’s what I am thinking ;-)

All in all, an amazing stay in a breathtaking property. Oh- I almost forgot, without having to ask for it, everyone gets a full turndown service in the evening with proper clean, towel replacement and, yay, fresh bed linens. No nonsense sleep in your sweaty bedsheets until the third night of your stay nonsense in this amazing property! And they even had fresh flowers in my suite which hit replaced twice during my 3 day stay, likewise plenty of free water, coffee and even fresh fruit on request. Just all amazing, I cannot recommend this property enough!

 

[Berlin]

Property: Hyatt Place Orlando i-Drive/ convention center
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King
Received: Standard King with large sofa bed

I cannot recommend this place highly enough! There’s plenty of hotels in Orlando that used to be posh and are now crumbling apart at the seams but this Hyatt Place here is the exact opposite as they’ve done a stellar job with their recent renovation. Now finished, the property looks and feels like one of the newer Hyatt Places out there and the staff is just so lovely, I could not fail them!

My stay went off to a good start when I was offered an early check in free of charge as a Hyatt Globalist member. Arriving just shortly past noon all the way from Dubai, my room was not quite ready but the lovely check in lady assured me that I’d receive the first available. She also acknowledged my Hyatt status and proactively offered me daily housekeeping and 4pm late check out. On that note: Standard housekeeping for non-members is a ridiculous “only every four night” policy which is an industry wide problem here in the US and completely outrageous if you ask me. If the hotel industry is looking for a sure fire way to make people book a cheaper accommodation like Air BnB or similar, taking away these little benefits like daily housekeeping that should differentiate a hotel from those, is the solution to total industry meltdown. But again, this seems to be a problem beyond this individual property so I won’t hold it against them and it just shows once again why I value my Hyatt Globalist status so much!

Speaking of- I received my room only about 10 minutes after arriving and it was only on a lower floor which is a bit of a shame but hey, I arrived 3 hours before usual check in so no complaints. Other than that, the staff made me feel truly special and said check in lady made a real effort to greet me by name (and it’s a rather complicated name for an English speaker so she did particularly well!) every single time she saw me which I found just phenomenal! We’re talking Hyatt Place here, most Park Hyatts don’t manage (or bother) to do this!

The room was larger than I was expecting with a very generous sofa area, a small but welcome work desk and even a small kitchenette area with fridge, coffee maker and microwave even. I did not need the latter but it will be quite useful for some people I can imagine! Bathroom was okay enough and I was pleased that it was a walk in shower rather one of those awful showers over a bathtub that you get far too often in similar hotels here in the US (in the worst cases equipped with a mildly sticky plastic shower curtain- yikes!). Nothing of this here and you could tell throughout that the renovation was just recent and very thorough: New faux wooden floor boards? Tick. New carpets? Tick. Bathroom sink? Air con? All new. The bed was a bit too soft and plastic-y for my liking but not the worst I’ve ever had and again, I am lowering my expectations as this is just a Hyatt Place. My very favourite thing of the entire property though was the little swimming pool out the back as it had proper, refreshing cold water which is such a rarity here in North America. It was zero heated, just the way I like it and so much better than many much higher classed hotels that have lukewarm swimming pools, sometimes even with milky water in it (Thompson Austin- I am looking at you!). Not here: Crisp and clear and properly refreshing which also had the added benefit that families with their screaming children would only disrupt my quiet time for short bursts at a time. Excellent in my books! ;-)

Any real complaints? Breakfast was a bit too early finishing at 9 on weekdays and generally tasteless but at least they swapped around the variety of items- one day it was sausage links that will cover your sodium intake for the entire week in one go, the next day it was bland and soggy Canadian bacon. Sweet option one day was French toast and then the next pancakes. So again, good enough for a place of this category and to my surprise the coffee (given it’s American drip filter, granted) was rather strong and tasty instead of the watery “unlimited” stuff you’d get at your IHOP or similar.

Leaves the really weird air conditioning: It was a new unit but one of those old-fashioned box in the room kind of things which blew fairly decent cold air and wasn’t too noisy. But strangely, it was operated via a motion sensor system so whenever you were out and about, it would blow cold air but when you most needed, sleeping, it would stop as soon as you stop moving. And of course, you are also guaranteed to arrive to a steamingly hot room every night when you get home- a nice cold room to come home to after a busy day being yet another of those hotel amenities that I typically value a lot. So yes, this should be fixed somehow as I woke up in sweat several times during my nights here as that thing was simply not going at all until I stepped up and waved my hands at the motion sensor. Quite odd, if you ask me.

Finally: Location. Ideal for Universal or Seaworld and the Orlando Icon with all the associated attractions is just a 5 minute walk up the road. Plenty of dinner options, there’s a Denny’s just across the parking lot but then also plenty of non-chain restaurants which I did not try but there was an Italian, steakhouse and a Mexican all in immediate proximity and probably plenty of others as well. The location will be particularly convenient for the new Universal park opening next year which is literally just down the road. Not quite walking distance but one thing I‘ve learnt with Orlando is that you really don’t need a car as Lyfts and Ubers are both easily available and affordable to get around. I used to always rent a car here because well, it’s America, right? But with theme parks price gouging for parking like nothing and cars via app being so accessible, it’s actually not worth it anymore in my opinion. On my last day here, I even went over to Tampa for Bush Gardens and guess what- they offer a very convenient free shuttle bus which happens to leave right up at the Icon which is a 5 minute stroll from the hotel. How easy is that!

 

[Berlin]

Property: Dream Hotel Hollywood by Hyatt
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King
Received: Utilised Suite Upgrade Award to upgrade room to a suite

I really wish I could write a more positive review as I had an an amazing stay here about a year ago but unfortunately, there were some serious service issues which should not happen at a hotel in this category and at this price point. While the hard product is still really posh, service levels just badly need improvement.

I reserved a standard King room and applied a Hyatt Suite upgrade certificate to my 4 nights stay. On arrival, I realised that they had assigned me a really strange room- it’s technically classified as a “specialty suite” so a class higher from what I had upgraded to with my certificate. However, if someone really wanted the proper separate bedroom suite, they’d be disappointed: This one is called a “studio suite” which really is just a fancy name for a rather large corner room. This worked almost better for me as I was travelling by myself and it’s definitely a very posh room with all around windows looking at Hollywood. But it’s still strange to “upgrade” me to this as I could very well demand a “proper” suite and it’s arguable which one is better. But hey, the hard product ie actually what I still liked about this property.



It’s service which is the issue throughout and that started at check in already: I arrived at a very messy time around 10pm on a Friday night and the property likes making a buck both ways with its actually guests and externals so they were hosting a loud and messy Halloween party at the pool deck. So imagine dozens of dressed up drunk and most likely stoned (it’s California after all, as evident from the pot smell in pretty much every corner of the property) twens while I am slogging my three heavy suitcases up to reception. Fine, I expected nothing else on a Friday. But the real problem was with the check in crew. Three guys, mostly just observing the scene and chit chatting, gave me a less than warm welcome, rattling down the meaningless “Thank for being a Hyatt Globalist” spill and confirming my late check out but then COMPLETELY ignore me having to somehow bring up all my luggage to the room. I proceeded to grab myself one of those trolleys even and the guys at receptions clearly noticed this but did anyone offer me a hand or, shock horror, even offered me to bring up the luggage to the room? Nah. Could not be bothered, too much chit chatting to do and clearly purposely avoiding eye contact to not having to offer any assistance. Horrible, really.

And this as a theme that then continued throughout my stay. Service at breakfast (which in itself is still rather nice and a great Globalist benefit) was lacklustre at the least with several incorrect orders taken and making me wait for aaaages for the coffee, then the second correct coffee, then the food and finally getting he the cheque to sign. How often I heard a dishonest “Sorry for that!” from the mostly badly trained and/or completely disengaged staff I can’t count anymore. Cade in point, on the first morning, I had left my room around 9am switching the green “Please clean my room” light on. The housekeeping lady was literally two rooms down in the hallway at the then, saw me leaving and even somehow managed to clean the room opposite of mine which also had the green light on so she must have seen my light. But alas, I come back over 4 hours later after some relaxing time by the rooftop pool ready for an afternoon nap but nope, room not done. This is one of my absolute hotel pet hates and in this case it was very evident that staff could simply not be bothered. I call housekeeping to complain but the lady on the phone is clearly not keen to hear about it and just tells me that her staff is on “lunch break right now” so that I will have to wait a while. Of course that lazy housekeeper is on break now pretty much destroying my carefully planned afternoon. Again, no real apology or proper reaction even to the issue. Very annoying and simply not good enough.

Comparing the Dream to the Andaz in WeHo is interesting: I’ve stayed several times at both properties so would think I have a good perspective to compare the both: The Andaz is in a better area of town in my opinion, the surrounding areas of the Dream/Thompson/W hotels are pretty dodgy. Hardly any place in the world I can think of where rich and poor are in such close proximity.

At the Dream, I like the hard product better than the Andaz which is in bad need for a renovation unfortunately. The pool deck at the Dream is lovely and you can have a fabulous breakfast up on the same level with perfect views of the Hollywood sign- beats the gloomy downstairs cafe at the Andaz by miles.






However, service is significantly better at the Andaz in my opinion- very hit and miss here at the Dream. But for my booking dates, the Andaz was about $100 a night more expensive which I would say is definitely not worth it while rooms have still not been renovated.

 

[Berlin]

Property: Hyatt Place Melbourne Essendon Fields
Tier: Globalist
Booked: Standard King
Received: Huge Double Queen room with deluxe bathroom

Had to stay overnight between flights and decided to give the Hyatt Place close to the airport a try. Turned out to be a really nice, very modern Hyatt place hotel which I would highly recommend. I’m aware that technically Hyatt Place properties are not obliged to upgrade Globalists but the good ones tend to do so anyway. At first, I was a bit taken aback about getting two Queen beds instead of the booked King but once we arrived, a quick glance at the emergency exit map on the door revealed that this was indeed a proper “upgrade” as our room was about twice the size of a standard room.

Best bit was the massive bathroom which is very different from your Hyatt Place bathroom- walk in overhead rain shower and a fancy free standing bathtub as well as a double sink vanity and plenty of space.



Bedroom itself more “standard” with one pullout sofa bed and the two Queen beds. We just snuggled up cozily in one of them and used the other one for our luggage. Bed itself very comfortable with nice crisp linens and plenty of pillows.



The aircon ran really well and kept the temperature nice and cool throughout the night which isn’t guaranteed at hotels these days so we were particularly happy about that.

The property overall felt quite “luxury” for a Hyatt Place, especially the lobby area which made it almost feel a bit “off brand” as none of the Hyatt place-typical colours were to be seen anywhere.



The breakfast was a bit lame with very limited choices but of course included for us Globalists so no complaints. Location is about 10 minutes from Melbourne airport which still costs about $20 bucks on a DiDi or Uber but the hotel also offers a free shuttle bus service which unfortunately runs at very limited times. We got to make use of it on the way back the next morning which was appreciated. Only negatives were the annoying money saving initiatives like the usual awful unhygienic motel-like shower dispensers which made particularly little sense in this case as you could not reach them dein the bathtub- no idea how you’re supposed to “scoop” soap and shampoo over if you actually want to get clean in there. And to top it off, no complimentary water bottles for Globalists as the tab water is “safe enough to drink”. Of course the hotel will claim that we saved two polar bears through this but we all know that it’s nice on their bottom line rather.



All in all a rather nice stay for an “airport hotel”. Oh- zero noise despite the motorway right next to the hotel, amazing noise insulation!

 

[serfty]

All in all a rather nice stay for an “airport hotel”. Oh- zero noise despite the motorway right next to the hotel, amazing noise insulation!

All as I remember. I stayed there many times during my Globalist period - useful for flights out and late flights in (I live a 70 minute drive from MEL).

They did look after me and even as an Explorist received that type of room a couple of times; otherwise generally high floors.