The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

BACKGROUND Since the beginning of 2013, the Grand Hyatt has been renovating its rooms, a process that will continue until the end of 2014 for all rooms except those on the club floors (they apparently will be sorted in a“Phase Two”). Three floors (24, 25 and 26) have already been completed and three more will be ready by February 2014. This review concentrates on the newly renovated rooms, and I stayed in an executive room.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? The Grand Hyatt is five-star from the marble-clad lobby to the sultry skyline views of Victoria Harbour from the 11th floor spa. The lobby area has a dramatic, slightly imposing air with sweeping staircases and sculptures dotted around the public areas, along with large works of art.

WHERE IS IT? The hotel is attached to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which can be reached through a designated door. Wan Chai MTR station is about a fiveminute walk away.

THE ROOMS The hotel has 549 rooms located on the 12th-36th floors. The new rooms have been designed by hip Australian design firm BAR Studio and have a much more spacious feel than previously – mainly created by opening up the bathrooms so they are part of the room (the division can be reinstated by pressing a button for a blind to descend).

The intention is to try and make the rooms more“residential”, a catchphrase much in vogue among hoteliers at the moment, and this means having a“living zone”adjacent to the windows with a chair, though I was more impressed with the much larger wooden work desk, where I could spread out.

The room colours are much brighter than their predecessors, with neutral tones of stone and timber enlivened by splashes of colour as well as black and white prints of old Hong Kong.

There is two-speed wifi, free for light use, paid for high speed (HK$160/ US$20 for 24 hours). All rooms have a laptop-sized safe, iron and ironing board, large flat screen TV, plenty of power points with adaptors supplied, and the bathrooms have a drawer full of amenities you might have forgotten (even a small pair of scissors). A master switch for the lighting is operable from the bed, and the air conditioning actually set the room temperature at the figure quoted rather than some approximation.

The Grand Club lounge is a splitlevel lounge on the 30th and 31st floors with great views of Victoria Harbour. (Grand Club Rooms are located on floors 29-36, though floors 31-36 are accessed by a separate lift). Security is good – all floors can only be accessed by room key card, and when I was unsure of my room number on the first evening and sought confirmation from reception, I had to be accompanied to my room to show my passport. BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES The business centre is on the ground floor and has videoconferencing facilities, a reference library and private meeting rooms. On the first floor there’s also The Residence, a suite of three function rooms connected by a kitchen area, which doubles as breakout space. There are 24 event venues, including the Grand Ballroom – which can accommodate up to 950 people theatre-style – and The Poolhouse, which overlooks the hotel pool. LEISURE FACILITIES The gym is small for the size of the hotel and gets busy in the morning, but the 7,400 sqm Plateau Spa is more generously spaced – and a definite highlight, as some treatment rooms overlook the harbour. The 50-metre heated outdoor swimming pool is open yearround, while a 400-metre jogging track, golf driving range, two floodlit tennis courts and two squash courts are shared with adjacent buildings. RESTAURANTS AND BARS There are plenty of options, including One Harbour Road for Cantonese fine dining – the décor is modelled on a 1930s-era trader’s house on the Peak. Then there’s the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse, which includes a seafood and oyster bar, wine room and cigar“tasting”room, Italian restaurant Grissini and Japanese eateries Kaetsu and Teppanroom.

There is also lobby restaurant Grand Café, the Champagne Bar for nightly live entertainment, buffet lounge Tiffin, and outdoor dining and drinking by the pool at The Grill and The Waterfall Bar respectively. VERDICT A great choice for a fivestar stay in Hong Kong. The Wan Chai location is convenient for most places courtesy of the MTR station, and the stellar views across the harbour are rare even among fivestar hotels, so it’s great that the new rooms make the most of them.