The Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui Hotel Review is part of The Year of the Monkey Trip Report which covers the following places:
- New York, New York
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
- Guangzhou, China
- Hong Kong
- Shenzhen, China
- Sanya, China
Getting There: Take the one way train from HKG and then take the complimentary shuttle to the hotel.
The Con
Grab your pitchforks! It’s time to revolt against the Hyatt Hong Kong and its shady ways. This was my third time staying at this property and it will certainly be my last. In my previous review, I complained about the lack of a harbor view. This time, I was returning as a beloved Diamond member and used a DSU to make sure that tragedy would not happen again. My strategy backfired. I ended up in a nice suite that was bigger than the standard room but with a worse view.
The Suite Room, No Sweet View
The Crap View
The Lounge
Annoyed at my building view room, I went to the lounge to drink my sorrows away. The food was nothing special compared to the previous Hyatts on this trip. The Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, was comforting.
TPOL Complains
With only one night in Hong Kong before I went to Shenzhen and the unlikelihood of me returning to Hong Kong in the near future (like Bangkok, I’m over it) I could not stay silent. I went to the Diamond front desk and told them my sob story. I told them how I was at this hotel two years ago and how I requested a harbor view last time I came. He said that he would put notes in my account so that next time I would get a room with a view. After accessing my reservation, he said the following, “Oh, it looks like the last time you were here, you asked for a harbor view room and they said they would accommodate you on your next visit.”
I was floored. I was surprised by two things: 1)They actually keep notes on me. (who knows what’s in there) 2) What’s the point of keeping notes if you don’t follow them? These two scenarios are Seinfeld-esque. (Elaine’s chart + Jerry’s rental car) He went on to say that there were no rooms available but that he could refund my DSU and put me in a standard room with a view.
The Standard Room
I was in Hong Kong for one night so a big room made no difference to me. The standard room got the job done. And the view? The view made it worth it.
Bonus Complaint
When the new World of Hyatt is launched, the welcome gift amenity will be eliminated. At the Hyatt Hong Kong, the welcome gift was a bottle of Merlot, a varietal that TPOL despises. Since the hotel already had notes on me and since I didn’t care what they thought of me at this point, I asked for the Merlot to be switched to Sauvignon Blanc. The hotel obliged.
Overall
View considerations aside, I would not stay at the Hyatt Kong because there are many other options including the lovely Chungking Mansions, the hostel of all hostels. If you do stay here, confirm a room with a view before burning your cash and points or worse, letting your DSU go to waste.
Well, TPOL you should never drink your sorrows away! that is waste of life!
Go to Europe and you will be happier and satisfied!
Lol lol. I love Asia but those people at hyatt hkg are not very welcoming or accommodating.
Try Europe and you will discover that people are friendly and accommodating. You will be surprised! We like to read your reviews from Asia but we are looking forward to your reviews from Europe as well š
As soon as this trip report is done, I will go back in time and do my review of Russia, Cyprus, Jordan from last September. That’s why I’m trying to do these in real time when possible
Thanks for reading.
I was there last year, and it was really nice. The lounge has great views. My room did not, but Hong Kong is expensive, and I was happy with what I got. The free food and booze saved some substantial cash. I’m sorry that you got hosed, though, but no pitchforks.
3 times!!
Not impressed by the upgraded view. I think the IC is the hotel to chose if that’s your preference, although I’ve heard they’re quite stingy on the upgrade front as well.
The pics can’t capture the mystique. The skyline is not as impressive as Shanghai as seen from these 3 hotels:
Hyatt on the Bund: (new review with better views coming) http://thepointsoflife.boardingarea.com/hyatt-on-the-bund-shanghai/
Grand Hyatt Shanghai: http://thepointsoflife.boardingarea.com/grand-hyatt-shanghai-hotel-review/
Park Hyatt Shanghai: http://thepointsoflife.boardingarea.com/park-hyatt-shanghai-too-high-in-the-sky/:
What mystique? The ugly rooftops and obstructed view? There’s only so much you can get with that location, that’s why I prefer to stay by the water if my budget allows.
poetically, it’s the feeling of being in hong kong. certainly near the water is preferable or the view from my hostel on the chungking mansion roof, nothing is better than chungking!
You absolutely can not be serious. First World problems much? The TST is a fine property with excellent staff and reasonable pricing. I look forward to another stay with them in April. smdh
Oh I’m serious.
And the ‘first world problems’ comment is irrelevant. This is a points blog where I and people like me (and presumably you) travel the world to experience the superficiality of the lifestyle.
Whinge whinge whinge
had to look that up
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=whinge+definition
I had a great all around experience as diamond in July . They were amazing
Lucky man, they have never been great with me, not even close compared to the rest of the Hyatts in Asia.
Didnt you once have a post called ‘ the ugly American”?
the ugly hungry american!
I stayed at the Hyatt Regency last April for 2 nights. I thought the hotel was fine. The staff was friendly and the room was cleaned. I had pretty low expectations for the Hyatt Regency since I was coming from the Intercontinental HK. Overall, it was a decent stay but the chance of me returning to the hotel is slim to none since I will be loyal to IHG going forward.
that’s a common trend
well, obviously you do not know what you “are doing” and you should go to Europe and write some reviews from Paris. We may go there this Summer. Greetings!
i will be there this may!
spoiled cry baby
and?
I got that exact same suite with city view during my stay in 2015. I agree the Diamond benefits aren’t great at HR TST. I’m going to be there again next month, as a Platinum this time, in a regular room. Hopefully my view will be of the harbor!
Best comment!
Two things:
First, I only wonder why you worry about the view since the hooker will not care about the view in the morning anyway.
Second: Sharon above is exactly correct; your negotiating strategy is totally wrong. The people at the hotel don’t care that you’ve been there many times before, they only care that you’ve smelled cigarette smoke and you’re allergic and must be moved immediately. Good lord man who taught you to negotiate?
point 1: hilarious
point 2: negotiating skills are usually on point but i thought my DSU would make that unnecessary. getting soft by relying on perks
yeah grand hyatt does it right! this is the only hyatt i have stayed at where the service is W smug style
I have to admit, I’m scratching my head a bit on this one. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but having recently returned from nearly three weeks in Asia from before Christmas through the first week of the New Year and having stayed in an identical suite at the Hyatt TST, I respectfully disagree. We used DSUs at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, Hyatt TST and Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Granted, the suite wasn’t TWO FLOORS like the suite in Singapore, nor was it as spacious as the suite in Shanghai, but TST was far from disappointing and definitely not “never again.” Real estate is at a premium in Hong Kong and the view from the bed, with windows that wrap around the entire room is impressive. We too would have appreciated a full harbor view, but given the week in question, we were very pleased. It’s disappointing the staff didn’t read the notes (especially for a Diamond member), but I’ve never had that experience.
I agree with you but let’s slow down and realize that 1) this is an entertainment travel blog, no members of the hyatt hotel were harmed in making this post. 2) 3 times to this hotel and the 3rd for the very reason of being treated like ‘royalty’. As I wrote, ive stayed at hostels so I’m not really concerned and i used points so it’s not that big of a deal. But if I was spending cold hard cash and this was my only night in Hong Kong, i would be annoyed. Finally, the staff there is indifferent at best. Three times I’ve been and status or no status, they couldn’t be bothered to help.
I believe most hotels in HK consider harbour view rooms as one level above standard rooms. Whether that’s justifiable or not is a separate matter but since DSU is only valid for a standard suite (as per T&C), the fact that TST gave you a city view suite is appropriate, no?
No!
To follow up, see my rooms on the rest of this trip report.
It seems to me this whole episode is resulted from your misunderstanding of the way rooms are designated at this property and the effect of DSU on your booking.
You’re confusing entry level room/suite (which is room/suite with city view) with the next/upper level room/suite (which is room/suite with harbour view). The room you’re showing on the rest of this trip report is NOT standard room. It is harbour view king. Standard room is a deluxe room with city view.
As a diamond booking standard room (which is room with city view), you will automatically get harbour view king (i.e. the room you’re showing at the bottom of this trip report) because it is the best room below city view suite. Yet you chose to apply DSU which give you city view suite.
On one hand the hotel couldn’t put you in harbour view king because that would be a downgrade from city view suite. On the other hand, the hotel couldn’t put you in suite harbour view because as you mentioned in this trip report, they didn’t have availability (and such double upgrade is at the discretion of the hotel in the first place). So based on those facts, the only logical answer is for the hotel to give you what you booked which was city view suite.
From what I can tell, you were expecting the DSU to somehow guarantee you a harbour view. In fact, DSU almost always guarantee that you will NOT get harbour view. One may agree or disagree with that but that’s reality.
Before you bite my head off, No, I don’t work for this property or for Hyatt.
Your assessment is spot on. That’s why I said it backfired. The annoyance came from the ‘next time you come’ line and then him admitting to me that they used the same line the time before. Three times was enough for me to say no more of this place.
I understand there are rules but like you pointed out discretion can trump rules. Sometimes a hotel will put you in the biggest room imaginable for no good reason (my experience at the W Doha or Park Hyatt Guangzhou) and sometimes a hotel will give you a room on a low floor across from the ice machine even if you are super diamond.
I obviously did not care about the size of the room which is why I moved from the suite to the harbour view and forfeited my suite upgrade (it expires in 2 weeks and will go unused).
I do not like the property. But as a Diamond, you are not entitled to the sea view suite even with a DSU. It is not entry level suite. End of story.
Entitled is wrong word. Surprised at reaction. Everyone following the ‘rules’. It’s called travel hacking for a reason.
I usually stay at the Hyatt TST when in HKG – the points+cash is a pretty great deal for HKG. But I stayed at the Ritz Carlton last time I was in HKG for just a night. Fucking fantastic view from way up there.
Been to the bar!