TRAVEL | The Grand Hyatt Macau

The impressive and elegant lobby of Grand Hyatt Macau.

Haven't found the time to write about this until now. Late last December I had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Hyatt Macau--if only for two nights. I had a really great time there and clichè as I may sound, I wish I could have spent more time at this hotel.

Anyhow, here's a rundown of my experience.

Architecture and ambiance
Located at the City of Dreams entertainment complex along the Cotai Strip, Grand Hyatt has two interconnected rectangular, narrow towers. There may be nothing extraordinary about its architecture but the hotel gives off a hip and modern vibe. The exteriors have an understated look and even the changing colored lights at night are never loud enough.

One of Grand Hyatt's two towers at night.

The hotel has a spacious 3-lane roundabout for dropping off and picking up guests. I don't know how the facade looks like in any other season but at the time they had a bunch of Christmas trees made of tall, narrow drinking glasses, illuminated by changing colored lights at regular intervals. Not much vegetation here, however, save for a few palm trees.

Christmas trees by the fountain area at the hotel facade.

Spacious 3-lane roundabout.

One of the Christmas trees up close. That's a lot of glasses!

The lobby
After entering through a rotating door, guests are greeted by a very spacious lobby bathed in dim but warm lighting. It has a high ceiling and the space is peppered with gold accents. You know those metal bars used in construction? I liked how they made use of those materials where they were randomly bent, covered in gold paint, and put together to form accent walls. I also loved the refreshing sight of bamboo lining up the entire length of the glass-paneled walls of the building.

I did say the lobby was spacious, didn't I? Just don't mind the net overhead. They later filled it with balloons for the New Year's Eve celebration.

To the right of the lobby is a cafe called the Lobby Lounge and counters for checking in while the concierge and checkout counters are on the other end. Right in the middle is a curious half-dome installation perpetually covered in flowing water. I've seen many an intrigued guest touch it just to check if it was indeed water flowing over the dome. Well, I did so too myself. Above it hung a cluster of twisted silvery metal strips that are in a seeming constant swirl. Just staring at them can be relaxing. Meanwhile, the space behind the installation leads to the casino, shops, restaurants, and to everything else in the City of Dreams complex.

Touches of gold plus warm lighting lend some elegance to the lobby. On the left are the accent walls fashioned out of metal bars I mentioned above.

Another shot of the lobby.

Welcome and check-in
It's no secret that hotels here in Macau offer free bus rides, so we took one from the port to get to the hotel. The Grand Hyatt staff were most courteous and welcoming, and without delay we were ushered to one of the check-in counters. Processing was very efficient and soon enough we were led to the Grand Club Tower where our room was. They already took care of our luggage.

The check-in counters at the Grand Hyatt Macau. Tasteful decor, I must add.

On we went to the Grand Club Tower. Those bamboos are a really nice touch.

Our room
We booked a Club Deluxe room: 52 square meters of space, floor-to-ceiling windows, 42-inch TV, an electronic safe, a couch, table and chair (in lieu of a writing desk), minibar, coffee (Nespresso type) and tea-making facility, iron and ironing board (which I'm always happy about), and more.

First look into our room.

Clean lines, minimal decor.

Another shot from the opposite end of the room.

Open closet and space for your luggage.

Coffee and tea-making implements.

I liked the room. Sure it wasn't extraordinary or super fancy but it was well-lit, comfortable and offered enough space to move around. The floor-to-ceiling windows were nice to have but unfortunately there really wasn't much of a view outside. Aside from seeing neighboring hotels from the Sands Cotai Central across the street and a glimpse of The Venetian at certain angles, there was nothing but construction sites everywhere. Let's just assume the view will get better once all those buildings are finished.

The bathroom can be accessed by two separate sliding doors. There are two sinks, each with its own illuminated mirror. Between them is a double vanity. The bathtub and shower room is in full view here but you can always pull the blinds down for some privacy. Rain shower and handheld shower head options are available.

Bathtub and the rest of the bathroom in full view from the rest of the room. For some privacy, pull the blinds down and close the doors.

The bathroom has a pretty straightforward design.

The toiletries have a pleasantly mild scent.

This was pretty much our view from the room.

If you crane your neck a bit, you'll get a glimpse of The Venetian.

But the best thing about our room is that it's a Club room, which gives us access to the exclusive Grand Hyatt Macau Grand Club. That one I'll feature in a separate post.

Dining
The Grand Hyatt has two main restaurants, Beijing Kitchen at the lobby and mezza9 Macau on the 3rd floor, none of which I've set foot on. The former specializes in Northern Chinese fare while the latter offers an international cuisine.

Through our short stay, we were basically confined to dining at the Grand Club, which serves Chinese and Western breakfast, all-day refreshments, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails and canapés. I don't recall anything truly remarkable but I can say that overall the food here was good, especially for something that's complimentary (translation: it's already imputed in your room rate). Service was also efficient and the waitstaff were quite pleasant.

Nevertheless, at least we got to try some light fare and Portuguese egg tart at the Lobby Lounge.

A section of the dining area at the Grand Club.

Facilities
Aside from being interconnected to a slew of shopping, dining, and entertainment options within the City of Dreams complex, Grand Hyatt has a spa of its own. The hotel also boasts of a 40-meter temperature-controlled outdoor pool and a fitness center. But just like the case with its main restaurants, we never got to check them out. We simply had no time.

The twin towers that make up the Grand Hyatt.

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In hindsight
Our stay at the Grand Hyatt Macau may be a pricey one but for me it was worth it. From the elegant lobby to the warm reception, to the good food, excellent service, and the comfortable room, this hotel is worth a try. I strongly suggest, though, that you get a Club room. Go spend a little more. The Grand Club access and service already makes up for the considerable hike in room rate.

For more information, head over to macau.grand.hyatt.com