Review of the Grand Hyatt Dubai

Our hotel reviews tend to focus on the positives of a hotel, an in-depth look at what the hotel offers frequent travellers and what it is really like to stay at a property, away from the glamorous pictures and well worded sales pitch of a brochure. That said, our previous review of the Grand Hyatt in Dubai was less than favourable.

So has the 624 rooms, Grand Hyatt Dubai changed since we last wrote our review? We returned for a much closer look at what this property has to offer.

Prior to its opening there was much fanfare about this hotel having one of the largest meetings and conference facilities in the Middle East, in addition there was a lot of expectation that comes from the Hyatt Group opening its top five star brand, Grand Hyatt, into a marketplace that is quite literally overflowing with five star accommodation options. Competition is rife and is continuously growing, meaning hotels entering the Dubai market place have to come up with even better levels of service, character, amenities, and in-room, in-hotel technology to stand out from the crowd.

The Grand Hyatt Dubai is a business hotel, but one that brims with excellent leisure amenities. Its excellent meetings and conference facilities, coupled with its proximity to the airport and the heart of Dubai's financial and entertainment districts make it an ideal choice for many coming to Dubai, whether for business or leisure.

The hotel has one of the best lobby areas in Dubai which boasts beautiful gardens, fountains, magnificent marble, elegant pillars, high ceilings all surrounded by many of the hotels restaurants, shopping outlets and even a very useful ATM machine which is handy if you need some local currency. Comparable to other popular Grand Hyatt's around the world, the hotel has quickly become a favourite among local residents eager to enjoy and be seen at any one of the 7 fine restaurants the hotel has to offer. One of which, Market Cafe, is a creative food court area which offers many different cuisines from around the world in an inviting open kitchen design.

Of the 624 rooms, the Grand Hyatt Dubai has 4 dedicated non smoking floors, 133 executive floor rooms on the 11 to 16th floors and 9 modified (non-dedicated) disabled rooms.

Once you have worked out how to enter the rooms, which is done by entering the key card into a slot adjacent to the door and pushing on the door, rather than turning the door handle then pushing, guests will be able to enjoy all the modern amenities a five star hotel should offer. The rooms are all generous in size and come complete with electronic safe, work desk with power points at desk level, and high-speed internet connection charged at Dhs 2.75 per minute with a maximum charge of Dhs 110 for 24 hours. Pre-paid cards are available as a cheaper option if you plan to use the broadband access for les than 40 minutes a day. See connecting to the internet in Dubai for dial up options. The rooms also have excellent complimentary tea and coffee making facilities, electronic in-room air conditioning, two telephones with speaker phones in the room and one standard phone in the bathroom. One nice touch in the rooms are the desk and bedside lamps which operate by a 'touch' button, that require you to simply touch the button for the lights to turn on or off. Unusually, the hotel has a 'charge as you remove' mini bar. This somewhat archaic form of mini bar, charges a product to your room, even if you just lift the product out of the fridge to read the label.

It has to be said that the rooms although elegant, in a somewhat classical almost boring way, could have been a little more modern and contemporary, just as the bathrooms are, or more in the style of the luxurious and recently renovated Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong, but they are comfortable, and more than adequate.  

In comparison to the main living/bedroom area of the rooms the Bathrooms are excellent, well designed and very modern.

Gardens at the Grand Hyatt Dubai are well landscaped and house the hotels innovative outdoor swimming pools. Sturdy plastic sleeper beds with comfortable cushions surround the pool area, and while parasols may protect from the sun's heat, the glare from the water and the pool's light blue tiles mean sunglasses are an advisable option, rather than a simple fashion accessory.

So all considered the Grand Hyatt Dubai is an excellent hotel, it just disappointingly in our opinion, misses its full potential. Small but extremely important things such as service, which is very good still needs improvement. In room amenities could be better, and more advanced. In room decor, design and bedding could and should, in our eyes, be of a superior nature than they currently are. In such a competitive market place that Dubai is, these small details count for a great deal.

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