Saturday, March 1, 2014

Hyatt Capital Gate - Abu Dhabi



Exterior
Exterior
Exterior
Hotel Sign
The HyattCapital Gate is one of the iconic building in Abu Dhabi with its distinctive 18° lean.  Located next to the Abu DhabiNational Exhibitions Centre, it is situated somewhat close to the Sheikh ZayedGrand Mosque and about 10 minutes from the Corniche.

Upon entering the hotel is the bell desk and Profiteroles, a coffee shop/café.

Check-in is on the 18th floor.  There is an expansive lobby with plentiful seating.  The hotel occupies the 18th through 33rd floors of the building.

The front desk is located to the left upon exiting the elevators.  There is also a lounge located in the lobby, which is open but somewhat divided from the rest of the lobby.

Check-in was friendly and professional.  All Hyatt Diamond benefits were clearly explained, including breakfast in the signature 18° restaurant as the hotel does not have a Regency Club.

The front desk assistant manager, Kenichi Mizusawa, comes from the Park Hyatt Tokyo so you can expect first class service from the staff.

View From Room
View From Room
I used a Suite Upgrade for my stay and was placed into the Capital Suite.

Upward Atrium View
Upon exiting the elevator, the floors have a triangular look with an atrium which is fairly small with no view to speak of when looking down.  Looking upwards towards the top of the building is a skylight.

Somewhat disappointingly, I was given a room on the 20th floor which overlooked the pool so privacy was somewhat of an issue.  I would have preferred a room on a higher floor however I do not know the occupancy rate of the hotel during my stay.
Sitting Area
Upon entering the room, there is a large living room with a sofa and two chairs surrounding a large circular coffee table with a large flat screen TV.
Desk
To the left is a desk with ample working space.

Coffee Maker
Sideboard
There is a small cabinet that holds the coffee maker and mini-bar.

There is a pocket door separating the living room from the bedroom.

Bedroom
The bedroom is large with plenty of space to walk around.

Closet
Closet
There is a large closet with plenty of space to hold your luggage.

Bedroom Desk
There is also a small built-in desk, which can be used as a make-up area for women.

Sink
Shower
Toilet
Tub
Bathroom
June Jacobs Products
The bathroom is rather long and contains a toilet, shower and tub.  There are also full sized June Jacobs products, which is a big plus.

Gym
Gym
Gym
Gym
The gym is located on the 19th floor and is somewhat small.  There are two free weight sections, along with weight lifting machines, and cardio equipment including elliptical machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes.  There is also a heavy bag along with exercise balls and jump ropes to utilize.

Pool
The pool is also located on the 19th floor and is located outdoors.  It has somewhat of an infinity look.  The Jacuzzi is located at the far end of the pool.

The hotel started a new happy hour of sorts on Tuesdays.  From 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM your first drink is complimentary and is rather generous along with assorted snacks.

Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast at 18° for Diamond members includes the entire buffet plus an item off of the menu.

There is plenty of fresh fruit, fresh juice, yogurt, cereal, breads, pastries, muffins, different types of milk, salad, veggies, museli, smoked meats and cold cuts, along with several hot options including boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, and a vegetable pasta among others.

Service was fantastic in the restaurant, as it was throughout the hotel.  All employees were friendly and polite.

For a stay in a very unique hotel, the Hyatt Capital Gate is a must when in Abu Dhabi.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Park Hyatt Dubai


The Park Hyatt Dubai is situated along Dubai Creek, and is a short taxi ride from the airport.

The entrance to the hotel is a long winding road (much like The Beatles song) with several outcroppings that lead to the yacht club.

The lobby of the hotel is rather small with no seating area.  The concierge desk is located to the right, as is the bell desk.  The front desk is located to the left.

Check-in was friendly and efficient.  All Hyatt Diamond benefits were clearly explained.  I originally booked the room using points prior to the recent devaluation, but later changed the reservation to a Points & Cash booking as this would allow me garner valuable stay credits.  I also used a Suite Upgrade for the two nights of my stay.  A Park King room was going for about $425 per night, while the Park Suite was going for about $915 per night.

A hotel employee escorted me to the room and showed me all of the features of the room.  I was glad for the escort as the property is spread out and is a maze if you are not familiar with the property.

Only 3 Rooms on the Floor
Park Suite

The lobby is located on the third floor, and my room was on the fifth floor.  However, the number of the room was 3503 (rather confusing!).  The great part about this room is that there are only 3 rooms on this section of the floor.


Living Room
Upon entering the Park Suite, there is a small hallway that opens up into the living room.  The living room contains a comfortable sofa, two chairs, a coffee table and an end table.
Fruit Plat

Curiously, there was a chocolate fruit tart wising us a "Happy Anniversary" but it was not our anniversary.  We were here during my wife's birthday however.


Chocolate Tart

There was a large bowl of fruit on the coffee table which contained bananas, apples, nectarines, plums, strawberries, grapes and rambutan.
Dubain Creek
The living room has large windows overlooking the creek with a small balcony that runs along the entire length of the room.

Desk
Snacks & Wine

To the left of the living room is a large L-shaped desk with plenty of workspace.  There is a small table behind the desk that held three containers of snacks including almonds, candy bars and cookies, as well as a bottle of wine.
Coffee Maker & Water
The desk area also contains the coffee maker with ample bottles of extra water.

Guest Bath
Guest Bath
There is a half bath located next to the work space which is rather large.  It has a single sink with plenty of counter space, along with a toilet and bidet.  The toiletries are Le Labo brand.
View to Bedroom

The living room separates the bedroom with two large double doors.

King Bed
The bedroom is rather large with a very soft and comfortable king bed with plenty of space to walk around.  There is a chair in the corner with a dresser in the opposite corner.

Bathroom
Bathrooom

The bathroom is located behind the bed and is open.  The shower is somewhat see-through and the bathroom door is also made of glass.  The tub sits in the middle of the bathroom, so privacy is at a minimum.
Shower
The shower has a hand held shower head, as well as a rain shower option.  The shower is rather long and also holds a small wooden bench.
Toilet

The bathroom has both a toilet and bidet.

Closet
Closet

There are closets on either side of the countertops with one being semi-walk-in.

Pool
The pool is on the smaller side, but there are ample lounge chairs surrounding the pool.  Although the pool is small I wouldn’t imagine that it would ever get too crowded as I did not see many small children at the hotel.

Gym/Hair Salon
The spa and fitness center are located close to the pool.

Gym
Gym
Gym
The gym is of decent size with several treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bikes.  There is a small free weight area with dumbbells, as well as a weight machine section.

Breakfast is located in Café Arabesque and includes the entire buffet plus an item off of the menu for Diamond members.

The buffet includes plenty of fresh fruit, bread, pastries, cereal, smoked fish, cold cuts, vegetables, cheeses, yogurt, pancakes, waffles, eggs, potatoes, congee, different types of milk and juices, and several other dishes.

Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast Menu
Pancakes
Service at the property was excellent overall, but somewhat slow in the restaurant.  The staff was slow to refill drinks or clear plates, but everyone was friendly and helpful.

Although the Park Hyatt Dubai is somewhat far from the beach and other points of interest taxis are cheap, and they do have house taxis that can also be utilized.  They can also arrange transportation to Abu Dhabi about $100 one way.  Best of all, when utilizing the house cars they can be billed to your room so extra points can be earned.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Hyatt Dulles



The Hyatt Dulles is located several miles from Washington Dulles InternationalAirport and offers free shuttle service to and from the airport from 5:15 AM – 12:15 AM, as well as the Reston Town Center six times per day.

Although not close to Washington DC proper, I had a semi-long layover so staying close to the airport was my main priority.

I got a fabulous rate of $55 on the weekend with the new “My Elite Rate” with Hyatt.

Lobby
Upon entering the hotel, the front desk is to the left.  Check-in was quick and efficient.  The first room I was given smelled very odd, much like a skunk so I went back down to the front desk and explained the problem.

The front desk agent apologized and gladly gave me another room, which had no odd smell.

Upon entering the room, the bathroom is located to the right.

Sink
There is a single sink with ample counter space.

Bathroom

There is a shower/tub combo with adequate water pressure.

There is a desk to the left with a small working area.

Couch
End Table, Coffee Maker
There is also a sitting area with a couch, end table, coffee table, coffee maker and refrigerator.

Beds
The bed is soft and comfortable which is the norm for Hyatt properties.

The air conditioner did not work very well, as the temperature of the room remained rather hot despite the cold and snow outside.

The breakfast buffet includes made to order eggs and a waffle station, although the waffle maker wasn’t working at the time.  The staff had the kitchen make waffles for any guests wishing to partake.

The buffet also includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and oatmeal for hot options.

Cold options include smoked salmon, bread, bagels, pastries, cereal and fruit.

The Hyatt Dulles is a great place for short layovers given the great price point on the weekends.  The free shuttle is also a great benefit.  Service was friendly and courteous.

I would not hesitate to stay here again in the future.