Grand Hyatt BeijingBeijing, the capital of China, is one of the World's most populous cities with over 20 million inhabitants. It is not a pretty city, however it does house the twin tourist draws of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, which are sights many have on their bucket lists. Within striking distance of Beijing are parts of the Great Wall of China - we recommend bypassing Badaling and visiting the quieter Mutianyu. Our visit to Beijing was in late December when temperatures were around minus 17 C and it was biting outside with the wind - come prepared for cold weather.
Hyatt currently has 2 properties in Beijing - a Park and a Grand. On this stay, we chose to stay in the Grand Hyatt as the location is fantastic for tourists, being only 10 minutes walk from Tiananmen Square. We arranged airport transfers through the hotel - it was great to be met at the jetway by a CIP service representative and escorted through security to the waiting car. Soon we arrived at the hotel and checked in. Unfortunately, the suite upgrade certificate we had applied to the booking had disappeared, but luckily a suite was available and soon we were in our Grand Suite. Grand Deluxe KingWe were originally upgraded to a Grand Deluxe King, although after pointing out we had applied a diamond suite upgrade certificate, we received a Grand Suite King. To be honest, we preferred the deluxe room as it felt more spacious and seemed to have a larger bathroom and lounge area.
These deluxe rooms make good use of the space with a living area and dining table, as well as a small kitchenette (although why did they not install a guest powder room instead?). It is possible to separate the lounge from the bedroom area, or leave it open as a Junior Suite. The room has a separate spacious shower and bath in a bathroom off the compact bedroom. Grand Executive SuiteOne level up from the Grand Suite is the Executive Suite. At 91 square metres, these feel larger, but are made up of too many small rooms.
On entry to the suite, there is a small study area and a galley-style kitchen. After the main lounge, which is similar to that of the Grand Suite, is a tiny treatment room with a massage bed. The bedroom area is not as spacious as we would like to see in a superior level suite, and the bathroom is similar to that in the deluxe room. Overall, we felt the Executive Suite could be so much better than it currently is. Hopefully, the current renovations will gut the room and make it a modern 2 room suite with bathroom and cloakroom. The separate study may be a nice touch, depending how space works out. We have no information about the renovation plans - our ideas are merely speculation. DiningSimilarly to many Grand Hyatts, the Grand Hyatt in Beijing offers a number of dining options. Mostly, we ate in the club lounge (see above), although we did try room service on one night which, to be honest, we didn't enjoy. Perhaps Pekinese food is just not to our taste?
The celebrated restaurant Made in China is located on the ground floor of the hotel. We ate breakfast here one day, but unless you are used to Chinese food, we would advise sticking to the club lounge. Also in hotel is the Cantonese restaurant Noble Court, which is decorated beautifully, although delicately. Grand Cafe provides a comprehensive buffet, with nearby Da Giorgio offering classic Italian fare. Lastly, the stunning Redmoon lounge serves Japanese food. The restaurants in the Grand Hyatt Beijing offer a range of private dining options (more than we have seen anywhere else). Each room tends to have a different style, so it you want to impress important clients, this hotel offers a range of options. Overall Impression |
Grand Club TwinAlthough we stayed in a Grand Suite King, we requested a tour of the hotel to view other room types. The hotel has just started a renovation project (there was some noise during the day but this was not intrusive), so it will be interesting to see the remodelled rooms. Currently, the rooms are showing their age and they aren't huge at only 26-33 square metres - during our stay Raffles was cheaper, is closer to the Forbidden City and their standard room is generous at 56 square metres.
We were also underwhelmed by the Grand Club lounge. Although it is a pleasant enough place, with entry from either the 17th or 18th floor and nicely decorated with abundant bonsai trees, the food and service were not up to international Hyatt standards. This was our first visit to this destination, so it is possible that service may be very good for Beijing, but in a Grand Hyatt, you expect a certain service level. There was a reasonable selection of wine in the evening, including a very drinkable sauvignon blanc, but the food wasn't great. There was continental breakfast and eggs to order in the morning, and in the evening a couple of hot items and a buffet, but this was nothing compared to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. Also, we had symptoms of food poisoning on our last day at the hotel (note we didn't eat outside of the club lounge, room service or Made in China). Grand Suite KingOur Grand Suite was ok, but by no means overwhelming. After coming from our beautiful Grand Suite in Kuala Lumpur, the suite in Beijing was disappointing, and this isn't only to do with the age of the hotel - we also loved the pre-renovation suites in Bangkok, which were much older.
Although repetitious, the word we have to describe the room is just ok. The size is adequate - not generous, not tight at 64 square meters. The living area has a desk, seating for around 4 and an elderly TV. The bedroom (no door separating from lounge) is like a standard room, with a small bathroom and compact walk-in wardrobe. Our diamond amenity was a nice bottle of wine, a minimalist plate of fruit and a box containing some salted cashews and golden raisins. We were delighted to be given a box of delicious chocolates from the in-house Patisserie as an anniversary gift - this was a nice touch to recognise our special occasion, and we enjoyed tasting the different sweets over the few days of our stay. Diplomatic SuiteThe highest level suite we viewed was the Diplomatic Suite, which we were not impressed with. The suite was a step up from the Executive Suite and felt much bigger, but was more how we expect a Grand Suite or Executive Suite to be.
The Diplomatic Suite had a more modern feel to it, along with a larger living area with open kitchen and decent desk area. The bedroom was more spacious and the bathroom was much more to our liking. However, we expect a diplomatic suite to feel special and superior to most other hotel suites, and this didn't. We did like the electronic controls for curtains and blinds, and the shower was the largest we had seen in the hotel, but somehow, it wasn't enough. The Diplomatic Suite is how we hoped the Grand Suite would be, and is likely to not be worth the price charged by the hotel. LeisureOne of the highlights of the hotel is the swimming pool in the basement, and this was one of our reasons for choosing the Grand Hyatt over the Park. This pool is a large, resort-style freeform pool with two hot jacuzzis (perfect after you have frozen in the Beijing winter). The pool really is a grotto to retreat to, and whilst we were there it was not overly busy with children.
In addition to the pool, the hotel has a well equipped gym and a spa offering massages and beauty treatments. However, don't expect the treatment rooms to be a luxurious escape - they are more functional than many, with no special amenities in the couple's room (such as jacuzzi), and the rooms are poolside rather than in a separate spa. Perhaps the luxury spa concept has not yet reached Beijing, although the spa in the Park Hyatt looks as though it may hit the spot. |
The Grand Hyatt Beijing is not a bad hotel, but in our opinion, it doesn't live up to the other Grand Hyatts in Asia. After renovations, this may change, but at present, rooms are out-dated and only ok in size. The swimming pool is a highlight, but the spa feels cheap and is just a treatment room rather than a luxurious spa. There are numerous dining options which look great (although we didn't have time to try them). However, the food in the club lounge is not of a high quality and we would have to question the hygiene practises in the hotel after contracting food poisoning.
At present, we can't recommend staying in the Grand Hyatt. Although we have not stayed in other hotels in Beijing, we would recommend trying either the Park Hyatt or Raffles, depending on the style of hotel you prefer and how important location is to you. We hope to visit the hotel after renovations and will post an updated review then.
At present, we can't recommend staying in the Grand Hyatt. Although we have not stayed in other hotels in Beijing, we would recommend trying either the Park Hyatt or Raffles, depending on the style of hotel you prefer and how important location is to you. We hope to visit the hotel after renovations and will post an updated review then.