Grand Hyatt Macau Review – Perhaps My Favorite Hyatt In the World

Grand Hyatt Macau Review

Overview & Pricing

The Grand Hyatt Macau is located on reclaimed land in the Cotai area of Macau. As part of the City of Dreams project, the Grand Hyatt is attached to a large shopping mall, casino and two other hotels. Despite being connected to the complex, the Grand Hyatt has its own entrance and lobby.

For my one night visit, I used 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points. Unfortunately earlier this year the Grand Hyatt Macau was changed to a category 5 property, meaning it now costs 20,000 points per night. Cash rates for the night I stayed were almost $500 due to the Grand Prix, however rates sometimes drop as low as $200 per night.

Location

As mentioned before, the Grand Hyatt Macau is in Cotai, an area of reclaimed land near the airport. The City of Dreams complex sits on the “Cotai Strip” and is directly across the street from the Venetian Macau and next to the Sands Cotai Central complex. On the back side of City of Dreams and directly across from the Grand Hyatt’s lobby entrance are the new Wynn Palace and MGM Grand Cotai properties.

This area of Macau is about 20 minutes by bus from the main area of the city which sits on the mainland. If you arrive at the airport, then it is a quick 5 minute ride to the hotel. The City of Dreams and just about every other casino in Macau operates free shuttles to/from the airport as well as both ferry terminals in town. You shouldn’t have to pay to get to/from the hotel.

Lobby & Check-In

The Grand Hyatt Macau has a towering lobby that is tastefully appointed. While it is connected to the mall on one side, the lobby still makes the Grand Hyatt Macau feel like its own separate property. With a variety of sitting areas, a restaurant and giant light fixtures, it is one of the most relaxing, yet beautiful Hyatt lobbies I have seen.

After checking out the lobby for a minute, I went up to the check-in desk and gave the agent my name. He then told me that Diamond members check-in at the Grand Club. Instead of just pointing out where to go, he escorted me all the way up and handed me off to an attendant there. Once in the Grand Club I was offered refreshments while waiting for them to complete the check-in process.

Room Review

Despite wanting to stay in Macau for two nights, I arrived on the Grand Prix weekend so that wasn’t happening. The hotel was nearly full on the night I stayed, however it was booked the next five days straight. For this reason, I was given a Grand King Suite in the “non-Club” tower. The Grand Suite is actually their lowest category room, although the regular club rooms in the other tower are smaller.

The room I received had a separate living room and bedroom/bathroom. At about 700 square feet, it was more than enough space for one person. While some rooms face the Cotai Strip and have impressive views at night, my room faced the airport and the still under construction Wynn Palace hotel.

As you can see from the pictures (please see the gallery at the end for many more), the room is decorated using an ample amount of wood. I thought it was modern, elegant and comfortable. The bed was one of the better ones I have experienced in Asia, although it was put to shame by the Intercontinental Hong Kong’s bed I would experience a few days later.

The bathroom is sort of in the middle of the bedroom, with a glass wall separating the tub/shower and the bed. A privacy screen can be lowered for those traveling together, but this isn’t an ideal room for two people who aren’t “close”. With that said, I really love being able to look out and feel the openness that a layout like this provides. Overall the room impressed me in every way.

Facilities & Food

Most of the facilities are located in a corridor on the 3rd floor (I believe) that connects the two towers. In addition to a few restaurants, this corridor contains the spa, gym and the pool area. During my visit the pool was under renovation and the doors were chained so I couldn’t get any photos. Based on their website, it looks to be very nice though.

The Grand Hyatt Macau has 2 full service restaurants, a lobby lounge that serves food and the marvelous Grand Club that takes up the entire top floor of the Club tower. Since I only visited for a short time, the only food I was able to try out was in the Grand Club. Before I go any further, I want to plainly spell out that this is the best Hyatt Club spread I have encountered. The “appetizers” they served in the evening were more than enough to make a full meal.

One other thing to point out is the level of service. From the minute I stepped foot into the hotel, I was given an incredibly high level of service. This carried through to every part of my stay including in the Grand Club. From the waiters who almost seemed confused when I tried to pour my own drink to the chef who suggested and explained all of the dishes, I was being pampered.

This is very clearly a Chinese hotel and the food reflected that. While the spread did include fine breads and cheeses, most of the food was deliciously Chinese. The menu included steamed buns, noodle soups, congee, steamed spring rolls, steamed dumplings, grill salmon and more. Did I mention that this food was all prepared fresh by the chef?

As for drinks, the lounge had a very nice wine selection and a decent variety of local beers. Hard liquor was available, although the variety wasn’t great. They did also have a cocktail menu and I did order a specialized martini which was delicious. (I can’t remember the flavor.) I didn’t drink much because I wanted to enjoy the Cotai Strip at night, so I ate and then headed out. (You can find the menus and more food pics in the gallery at the end.)

This is the first time I left a Hyatt Club feeling like I had just eaten in a restaurant. The food was all delicious and freshly prepared with high quality ingredients. The service was equally as good and the decor and furniture in the lounge is incredibly comfortable.

Cotai Strip

This was my second visit to Macau and I had previously visited in 2008 when the Venetian was the only hotel located out on Cotai. Back then the City of Dreams and Sanda Cotai were being constructed, so it is nice to see them complete. I was amazed to see just how much has changed in the past few years and with a number of other properties under construction, it will look different by the time I return I’m sure.

If you are into shopping and gambling then this area of Macau is for you. Outside of that, there isn’t much to do. Sure you can easily catch the shuttle into the main “historic” area of the city, but that can take time, especially during high traffic periods. If you really want to explore Macau then this isn’t the area to stay in. If you are looking for leisure with perhaps one trip into the city, then it should work.

Conclusion

The Grand Hyatt Macau is my favorite non-beach resort Hyatt. Everything about this hotel impressed me and I honestly didn’t want to leave. For 15,000 points it also represented a value, however that has now changed. While I don’t like the fact that they have raised the price to 20,000 points, I hate to say the hotel may just be worth it, especially if you are a Diamond Gold Passport member.

Macau is a fascinating city which mixes Chinese culture, casinos and old-world Portuguese architecture in a way that everyone should see. Considering it is only an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, it is definitely a must visit place and for Hyatt lovers, the Grand Hyatt Macau is a must visit property as well.

More Photos

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