Mileage Run: Hong Kong — Part I — The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
I’m back from what I would consider a very successful Mileage Run to Hong Kong. The weather during my stay was perfect. No clouds, no wind, just the morning haze that burned away by mid morning. I was relieved that the weather was so good since it allowed for walking around comfortably and giving me some great photo opportunities especially of Hong Kong’s famous skyline in the evening (coming up in my next trip report). I could not have had drawn up a better 2 days to visit HKG.
My system wide upgrades that were gifted to me by a friend cleared both ways, so that made the 30 total hours spent in the new Business Class cabin on a United 744 extremely pleasant. I guess I can claim that I am undefeated in the Battleground upgrade arena but now that I have jinxed myself, I’ll be relegated to the seat next to the lavitory the next time I try this.
I had the same crew for both flights so that gave us something to talk about. Apparently they don’t usually see a passenger turn around in Hong Kong as quickly as they do. The food on board was more than acceptable, with plenty of it, plus an overnight snack area was available if you wanted a candy bar, fruit or a sandwich. My 20 hours of Top Gear came in very handy for the Transpacific Crossing. I’ll cover more of the trip in my next trip report. For this installment I want to focus on the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, where I spent my 2 nights on this trip.
After arriving to the hotel, I was greeted promptly by a very friendly and effective concierge only a few steps into the building and taken to the counter to be checked in. Now at this point in the process, you do not know how badly I wanted to say “I AM A DIAMOND and I would like a helipad and accomodations for a Giraffe”. Now if you are wondering what kind of a fool I am for thinking of doing this, please watch this video to gain the context:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCqm4H3m3Ew[/youtube]
OK, now that you understand, I can go on.
As she was taking care of the details and thanking me profusely for indeed being a Diamond Guest, she had let me know that the Suite upgrade that I requested could not be honored. When I had first made my reservation I used a Suite Upgrade that I had available to upgrade my room. However, at booking they only had a suite available for 1 of the 2 nights, so originally I booked 1 night in a Harbor View Suite and one night in a Standard Room. Well at check in, she stated that was not acceptable to them. At this point I figure, OK, no need for a Suite….not a problem I can use a Suite upgrade some other time. But was I ever wrong. As she continued to explain that my reservation was not acceptable she began to tell me their proposed resolution. Since a regular Suite was unavailable for two nights, she said they took the liberty to accomodate me in their Diplomat Suite on the 35 floor….just one shy of being on the top floor towering over Victoria Harbor. She also intimated that in her opinion this room had the nicest views out of any room in the hotel. She happened to be right, as you’ll see below in some of my pictures. So we completed the check in process and she offered to escort me to my room to make sure it was satisfactory. At this point, I’m trying to keep my ridiculous ear to ear grin from popping out on my face, like a kid who got the thing he had wanted so badly for Christmas. But OK, lets go see if the room will be sufficient for my needs. She also insisted on taking my luggage, but I put my foot down insisting that she shouldn’t have to handle my luggage. She finally relented and led the way.
Once she opened the door to the room, again I had to hold back that ridiculous grin. This place was spectacular. It felt more like a high end condo or apartment and not like a hotel room. This was the first time that I stayed in a hotel that had a dedicated office in the room complete with fax machine, printer,etc. The room even had plug converters available so I didn’t have to use mine. She went on to point out the features of the Suite and where everything was and how everything functioned. Then she opened the curtains and asked if this would be satisfactory. No doubt, the room met with my expectations. She said that the Suite comes with a Butler should I need anything from the kitchen, help with sightseeing, housekeeping, currency conversion, jet or boat leasing, etc. Not only is this my first hotel room with an Office, it’s also the first time I’ve had a Butler.
So without further ado, here are the images from the Diplomat Suite:
Front Door (sorry its blurry)
From The Foyer, The Office Was To The Right
Office With Fully Stocked Bar
The Spacious Living Room - The Office is to the Right
Fruit Was Replaced Daily
Bedroom Adjacent To The Living Room
This bed is the most comfortable bed that I have ever slept on. It had the perfect firmness, perfect sheets, comforter etc. Simply amazing.
A Separate Entry To The Bedroom From The Foyer
Bedroom View From Foyer Entry
The Walk In Closet Between Bedroom and Bathroom
Jet Tub In Bathroom
Other Side Of Bathroom
As is normal for Hyatt Guests staying in their Suites. All the bathroom toiletries that you would need were available. Everything from Shaving Kits, to Q-Tips, Sewing Kit, Toothbrush, etc. were readily available in the bathroom. I love that about staying with Hyatt because if I forget something, they’ve remembered it for me.
And now a sample of the views that I was fortunate to have. I’ll have many more pictures of Hong Kong and her Skyline in my next installment, but for now enjoy these great views from the 35th floor!
First, the pictures from the Living Room looking towards Kowloon
Looking Towards Kowloon
Additional Kowloon View
Daytime View Of Kowloon
From the Bedroom, views of Hong Kong
View of Hong Kong
Daytime View of Hong Kong
On my last night, the Butler came to check on me to see if I needed any help packing or making arrangements for leaving the next morning. I let him know that I would like a taxi to the Airport Express Train Station at 6:30am and he had it waiting for me exactly at 6:30am. He also personally delivered a late night snack from Room Service that I ordered, and also came back to clean up everything afterwards. I felt guilty having someone work so hard to make sure that I was comfortable. I’ve never experienced that in any hotel, ever!
Its having an experience like this, and being taken care of the way in which I was, that reinforces my loyalty to Hyatt. Hong Kong has hundreds of hotels one can choose from but because of my experiences with Hyatt, and knowing that they take care of their guests, made it a very easy decision to choose the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. If you ever find yourself heading to Hong Kong I strongly recommend you consider this hotel. You will not be disappointed. Its that good! I will be back!
