Lap Child Diaries: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Hotel Stay Details
Hotel: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Dates: March 6-8, 2014
Rate Paid: 22,000 Hyatt Points/night
Regular Room Rate: $542/night
Total $ Benefit: $1,084
Point Redemption Value: 2.5 cents/pt

I don't know how to read, but I'm pretty sure the sign says Grand Hyatt, but it might as well also say, SUPER Kid Friendly Hotel.

We arrived pretty late around 11PM Thursday night. Fortunately, my father informed the hotel in advance with the time when we'd be arriving so that they knew to expect us later in the evening. When our taxi pulled up, we were pleasantly reminded how much great service exists in Asian hotels when the doorman ran to our taxi to open our door and take our luggage from the trunk.

They welcomed us to the Grand Hyatt and directed us to the front desk in a massively spacious lobby. Amidst the flowing water from the fountains and the live classic jazz being played up on the mezzanine terrace, we waited to check in. While not a true luxury hotel (like Park Hyatt or St Regis), the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong was definitely a beautiful high end business hotel.

Unfortunately, my father's 2013 Hyatt Diamond Status ended just 1 week before we arrived, so we were back down to Hyatt Platinum status, which was meaningfully less beneficial. Instead of an upgrade to a suite, a welcome gift and free breakfast, we were thanked for being Hyatt Platinum members and offered a 2PM late checkout. Of course, my annoying father feigned ignorance about his status downgrade and acted shocked that he wasn't a Diamond anymore, but the Front Desk seemed very hip to that scam.

But any disappointment was soon eliminated when we reached our corner room 2906 which was prepared for our arrival. When my father had contacted the hotel in advance, he mentioned that my parents were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary, which is technically in July if you wanted to be all legalistic about it. But to appreciate our patronage, the Grand Hyatt offered us a complimentary bottle of sparking white wine and some fruit with a nice card welcoming us to the hotel. What a nice gesture!

The rest of the room was the pre-renovation style, but still very clean and sleek. The stylish bleached wood cabinets were custom designed to function as wall art as well as storage. Whatever we lacked in space, we made up for in comfort and utility.

We had a view of the city (facing south) instead of the Victoria Harbor, but we didn't mind. From our 29th floor view, we saw the rooftop pool as well as a kid's playground.

The bathroom was very gold. Probably something that stereotypical Chinese people would enjoy, but it wasn't my personal favorite. My mother on the other hand was inspired to have a bathroom like this when we buy a house one day.

But what made our stay at Grand Hyatt so awesome was all the features they provided for kids. First and foremost, I received not one but TWO stuffed panda bears.