Trip Report & Review – Grand Hyatt Bangkok Grand King Room

After my friend left Bangkok for the States, I stayed an extra day before my next flight. I checked out of the Conrad Bangkok, and moved to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok.

This trip report/review is part of a series. See also:

• 1. Trip to Southeast Asia – Introduction
• 2. Hyatt at the Bellevue, Philadelphia (King Room)
• 3. Hyatt at the Bellevue, Philadelphia (Junior Suite)
• 4. EVA Air Royal Laurel (Business Class) “Hello Kitty” Jet Houston-Taipei
• 5. Grand Hyatt Taipei (Haunted?) Grand Suite
• 6. InterContinental Hong Kong Patio Room
• 7. Coral Executive Lounge Bangkok-Don Mueang
• 8. AirAsia “Premium Flex” Chiang Mai to Bangkok-Don Mueang
• 9. Conrad Bangkok (King Room)
• 10. Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge
• 11. Conrad Bangkok Presidential Suite Bedroom
• 12. Grand Hyatt Bangkok Grand King Room
• 13. Thai Airways 777-300ER Royal Silk Business Class Bangkok to Stockholm
• 14. Park Hyatt Istanbul Park Deluxe Twin Room
• 15. Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul (“July 15 Heroes of Democracy Lounge”)
• 16. Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class Istanbul-Washington DC

Booking

For one-night stays, I usually try to book through the Fine Hotel & Resorts program. This is a benefit that comes with my American Express Platinum card, and usually includes a property-specific benefit worth ~$100. Since the benefit is applied once per stay, you can often get a great deal if you are only staying one night.

As it so happens, the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok is part of the AMEX Fine Hotel & Resorts Program. With this program, stays are also elite-qualifying, which was useful to me in this instance. With a rate of ~$180 per night at the Hyatt, I decided to move from the Conrad Bangkok, where I utilized my Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit for an exactly four-night stay.

Anyway, these are the benefits I received by booking through FHR:

• Noon Check-in (when available)
• Room Upgrade upon Arrival (when available)
• Daily Breakfast for 2 people
• Guaranteed 4pm Late Check-out
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• US$100 Spa Services Credit To Be Used During Your Stay

I basically receive all but the last benefit as a Hyatt Diamond member, and the spa credit is really not the greatest property-specific benefit. In my case, $100 covered only the cheapest treatment at the hotel spa, and I’d much rather have a food and beverage credit, for example. Still, it was a nice perk and I enjoyed my short treatment.

Checking-In

I left the Conrad Bangkok at noon, and took a Grab (basically the Uber of South/Southeast Asia) to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok. It only cost me ~$7 for the “GrabCar Premium” ride, an option that I went for because no one responded to my request with “GrabCar Economy”. Whoops.

The hotel is located literally next to Erawan Shine, and is a 3-minute walk from the BTS station, which was hard beat!

An associate greeted me right off the driveway, and upon confirming my name, she escorted me up to the Grand Club. The hotel had e-mailed me in advance to ask for my arrival time, and whether I would need transportation. I got a respond saying my noon check-in is “confirmed,” though I still had to wait until about 1 pm before my room was ready. That really wasn’t a problem at all, especially since I was able to wait at the Grand Club.

Elevator Bay

The associate who checked me in acknowledged my Diamond status, but didn’t mention anything about an upgrade. Interestingly, he also didn’t mention anything about Fine Hotel & Resorts, nor any of its benefits. When I asked about the spa credit, he simply said “yes, I can offer you a 500 THB (~$14) discount on spa services as a Gold Passport member.” It took a few phone calls for them to finally figure it all out, and they hand-delivered me the FHR welcome letter listing all the benefits.

Staff hand-delivered this AMEX Fine Hotel & Resorts welcome letter to me during cocktail hour

Grand King Room

I received a basic Grand King Room, which was nicely appointed but a little small in my opinion. The door opened to a short entryway, which contained a door to the bathroom on the right, as well as the closet.

Entryway

Closet and door to bathroom

The closet had all the standard amenities, and was spacious enough for a short stay. Two pairs of (really comfortable) slippers were already unwrapped and placed neatly at the shoes shelf.

Closet

The few basket on the right also contained the standard amenities, from shoe, laundry, and shopping bags to shoe horn and shoe shining cloth.

Closet amenities

In the main bedroom, a king bed sat directly across from the television set.

King Bed

Television Console

The night stand had a iPod speaker, which featured the old 30-pin connector. However, I was able to request a bluetooth adaptor from housekeeping, which worked seamlessly with my iPhone 6.

Night stand

On the other side of the bed was a master control panel, where you can control the lights and signs of the room.

A tea set was resting on the TV table, which complimented the mini-bar and welcome fruit in the tall shelf right beside.

Welcome fruit and bottled water

The minibar was stocked, but of course I didn’t touch anything with the standard hotel prices. There wasn’t a coffee machine, though I have to say instant coffee in Thailand was actually pretty decent.

I think the space in the corner of the room was used really creatively and effectively. There was a long couch of sorts, with a pretty large glass table from which you can work.

Along the side of the wall was a panel of outlets and a magazine rack. It almost reminds me of a side console you’d find onboard in a First Class seat.

The little sculpture actually contained an ethernet cable.

Bathroom

The bathroom opens out to the bedroom, which wasn’t a problem since I was staying alone. For those who’d like more privacy, though, there is a sliding mirror that can serve as a screen between the bedroom and bathroom.

For a bathroom that’s on the small side, I was happy to see a toilet compartment, as well as a separate rain shower and tub.

As is standard with Grand Hyatt, the toiletries were June Jacob branded. A disposable loofah was also provided with the bathtub.

The vanity was pretty compact, but there was still plenty of space for me to unload all of my own supplies.

The red box by the sink contained a few items as well, including dental kits, shaving kits, and cotton buds/pads.

Overall, I really liked the decor of the room and the bathroom. It’s almost distinctively Thai, but at the same time with a subtle Western hint of understated luxury as well.

Grand Club

As a Hyatt Diamond member, I had access to the Grand Club, which serves breakfast and evening cocktails, as well as snacks in-between. Frankly, I was a little underwhelmed by the offering of this Grand Club. I don’t think Grand Clubs are intended to be, or should they serve as a place for “free lunch and dinner,” but it’s hard not to compare since I had just gone from the Conrad Bangkok, where the Executive Lounge essentially serves three meals a day.

The Grand Club was a nice space, and had a decent amount of seating.

For the evening cocktail hour, there were two hot appetizers, along with a few salads and dessert.

There were also a few wines and cheeses.

In the refrigerator, the Grand Club offers some cold cuts, veggie sticks, as well as other beverages.

For breakfast, the spread was pretty limited. There was three basic hot options (bacon, sausage, and mushroom), along with an egg station. Other than that, it was mostly just bread and continental pickings.

I also have to note, since all of the options are made available, unlike the Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge, I generally didn’t find any staff members circulating in the lounge. I was always offered a drink when I first sat down, but other than that it’s mostly just self-service.

The Dining Room

As a Hyatt Diamond member, I was not entitled to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. However, with my AMEX FHR booking, a breakfast at The Dining Room was included. The selection was much, much better than the Grand Club, though it was also more crowded.

Entrance to The Dining Room

I arrived at around 8 am for breakfast, and the place was absolutely packed. It took me about a 5-minute wait before an attendant led me to my seat.

The spread was typical for an Asian hotel, with at least 8 hot Asian options, 8 hot Western options, a fruit and cold cuts table, a dairy section, and an omelette station. I will let the pictures speak for themselves here.

I.Sawan Spa

With my AMEX FHR booking, I received a $100 spa credit. The credit can be used at the hotel’s I.Sawan Spa, though as I have mentioned before, it barely covers the cheapest treatment. I elected for an “executive massage,” which I scheduled by dialing the spa from my room.

Upon checking in at the spa, the associate acknowledged that I have a credit tied to my room. I had to settle the balance prior to the treatment, which I actually prefer over paying afterwards, just to eliminate any surprises.

The waiting area was calm and peaceful, and the associated brought over a cup of lemongrass juice (I think?)

I don’t usually go for spas in hotel in Thailand, just because they are typically exuberantly priced, and there are plenty of good options around Bangkok. However, my treatment was absolutely top-notch, and I might consider returning even without the spa credit!

Checking Out

Check-out was painless, and I waited at the hotel lobby for my ride. There were a few larger groups at the front of the hotel, but an associate noticed me after I had been waiting for a few minutes, and proactively offered a cold towel and bottled water, which was super thoughtful.

My driver was running a bit late, and the concierge actually came by and said, “you should have used the hotel car!” while pointing to the Mercedes S320 parked at the driveway. I thought that was a bit odd, but perhaps he was trying to be helpful. I had looked into the hotel car option, but at closet to $85 for the ride, I didn’t think it was really worth it.

Overall Impression

It was a short stay, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Grand Hyatt Bangkok. The room was on the small side, but it didn’t feel cramped at all, and all the appointments were excellent. I found the staff to be very pleasant, though nothing especially stood out or felt particularly personal, and I thought the situation, with the FHR benefits was a bit puzzling. It was only a one-night stay though, so I can’t speak too much in that regards.

Finally, the Grand Club was a nice escape from the city, if you just want a late afternoon snack before heading out for the night. However, with the limited selection at breakfast, I am not sure I’d pay separately for it if I didn’t receive it as a Diamond benefit.

This is Hyatt’s only property in Bangkok at the moment (with a Park Hyatt coming in 2015 2016 2017…it keeps getting delayed), and I had a perfectly nice stay. But even as a Hyatt loyalist, I don’t feel especially compelled to stay at the Grand Hyatt when I’m in Bangkok, just because there are so many other options at a similar price range.