Grand Hyatt Dubai Review

I visited the Grand Hyatt in Dubai in November as part of my trip flying on Emirates Airline A380 first class.  The Grand Hyatt towers over the edge of Dubai creek which is approx. 10 minutes away from the Dubai International airport.

Grand Hyatt Dubai is a massive hotel complex spread over a 37 acre property.  The hotel includes 674 rooms, 186 residential apartments, 13 restaurants and bars, a full service spa, multiple outdoor pools and tennis courts.

One Year of Hyatt Diamond Status

I am finishing up one year as a Hyatt Diamond.  I originally took a Hyatt Diamond Fast Track Challenge last year to earn the top level Diamond status for one year.  Normally, Hyatt requires at least 25 stays or 50 nights in a year to earn Diamond status.  For the Fast Track Challenge, you only needed to stay 12 nights within 60 days to earn Diamond status for one year.

I was able to earn Hyatt Diamond status for 2016 with a combination of hotel stays through work and two weekend trips.  My year of Hyatt Diamond  status offered some really nice suite upgrades including at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, Hyatt Capital Gate, Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, and Park Hyatt Hotel New York City.

Because of the negative changes to Hyatt’s gold passport program, I don’t plan to keep Hyatt Diamond status in 2017.  Instead, I took the Marriott Platinum Challenge to earn top level Marriott status in 2017 and top level Starwood status.

Getting the Best Value from the Hyatt Points

Since the Hyatt Diamond status runs out in February 2017, I’m strategically spending all the extra Hyatt points I earned over the last year before I lose Diamond status.  The upgrade I received at the Grand Hyatt Dubai is a great example of this approach.

I originally booked the stay for one paid night in a standard room and used 5,000 Hyatt points to upgrade into a suite.  Through random luck, I happened to be checked into the hotel by the hotel manager.  He thanked me for being a Diamond member and offered to upgrade me into an Prince Suite which is a higher level suite than the entry level Grand Suite I originally booked with points.

Details

• Reserved Room Cost: 900 AED ($245)
• Grand Suite Cost : 2,500 AED ($680.52)
• Prince Suite Cost: 7,400 AED ($2,014.33)
• How I paid: $245 for one night and 5,000 Hyatt points to upgrade into the Grand Suite.  Since I held Hyatt Diamond status, the hotel manager offered to upgrade me into the Prince suite.

Staying in an Arabian Prince Suite

The 13th floor Arabian Prince Suite was amazing.  The Prince suite includes sweeping 360 degree view’s of the Dubai Creek area.  At 176 sq meters, the Prince Suite offers nearly twice as much space as the entry level Grand Suite (88 sq meters) and nearly 4 times the space of a standard sized room (39 sq meters).

The Prince Suite includes a full sized living room and dining room, a kitchenette, 2 flat screen TV’s, a work area with minibar, a small bathroom in the living room, and a larger, oversized bathroom next to the bedroom which included a jetted spa bath tub, and shower.  The Prince suite included 24 hour butler service on request.  Butler service was not included in the entry level Grand Suite.

Living Room

The Prince Suite bedroom and bathroom were connected next to the dining room.  The bathroom inside the suite was actually larger than some of the regular sized hotel rooms I’ve stayed in over the years.

Views from the Suite

The prince suite included large floor to ceiling windows in both the living room and bedroom.  The views from the 13th floor were pretty amazing.

Pool

The Grand Hyatt Dubai includes an indoor and outdoor pool.  The outdoor pool complex covers a full 37 acres of landscaped gardens with 3 pools, tennis courts, outdoor restaurant and bar, and a separate kids pool.  The indoor pool includes underwater speakers that play music.

Pool Complex

Grand Club

The Grand Club on the 14th floor offers free daily continental breakfast and evening drinks and hors d’oeuvres.  The club includes a general lounge area which offers incredible views across Dubai.  The secondary room on the other side of the floor even includes a mini telescope for better city views.  Access to the Grand Club is available to Hyatt Diamond members and guests staying in suites. 

Pros

• Impressive hotel with great service.
• Massive resort complex with 3 massive pools, tennis courts, spa, and 12 restaurants and bars.
• Clean and well maintained rooms.
• Taxis always available in front of hotel and the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle to nearby attractions and shopping.
• Ten minutes from the Dubai airport.

Cons

• Because the hotel had a Grand Club, free breakfast for Diamond members was only available in the Grand Club on the 14th floor which consisted of a continental breakfast.  Breakfast in the main hotel was very good, but was not free for elite members.

Final Thoughts

The Grand Hyatt was a really impressive hotel that offered great service and plenty of entertainment and activities within the sprawling complex.  The hotel manager made a point to thank me for being a Diamond member and offered to upgrade me from an entry level suite into a Prince Suite.

The Prince Suite was the largest suite I’ve stayed in so far.  In fact it rivaled the Park Hyatt New York West Side Suite and the Hyatt Capital Gate suite as the most impressive suite I’ve ever visited.