Review: Harbor Views at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
I really like the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The staff are great, the views are amazing, and the club lounge is one of my favorites. Granted, I am biased from my stay a few years back, so when I was choosing the hotel for this trip, it was top of mind.
I knew I wanted a hotel with a good harbor view since one of my favorite things to do in Hong Kong is watch the ships sailing in the harbor.
Drinks and food can be quite expensive, so club access was would be a big factor in my decision.
Hotel status was key in getting the two criteria above at an affordable price, not to mention the need for nights towards status, which narrowed my options to SPG (Gold) and Hyatt (Globalist). With better perks at a Hyatt, I quickly narrowed my choices down to the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong on the Kowloon side and the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
Both had club lounges and harbor views, the Hyatt Regency was $50 less per night. But based on reviews it sounded like the Hyatt Regency lounge was unimpressive — typical lounge fare with blocks of cheese and veggies and dip for appetizers. In contrast, the Grand Hyatt lounge has breathtaking views that you’d pay a premium for at any bar or restaurant and offers extravagant evening spreads of food that are intended to be your dinner. That seemed worth $50 a night to me.
The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong seemed full that weekend, but they let us check in at 10AM and had upgraded us to a Harborview room that had better views than the suite I had last time. Since my last stay they’d done away with the keys and switched to the standard key card.
We’d been assigned 2811 which was towards the end of rooms with a harbor view.
The foyer had a fun little shelf for keys when you walk in and closets to the side. A nice touch was the shelf in the middle which was big enough to hold two suitcases and eliminated the need for for a folding luggage rack of putting suitcases on the floor.
The fresh fruit amenity was standard. There was an electric kettle and teapot for tea hidden in the side cabinet and a Nescafe for coffee.
Really appreciated the plentiful power outlets and a travel adaptor located in the drawer. The many electronic controls were intimidating at first.
But the highlight of the room was the wall of windows facing the harbor! Perfect for jetlag, I could wake up in the middle of the night and watch the harbor and the hill top without having to get out of bed.
I was also a bigger fan of the updated decor from my last stay, still minimalist, but more cohesive than the previous suite.
A big plus was replacing the desk with a table making it easier for two people to work or dine.
Typical bathroom layout looking into the room (which can be a little awkward if you don’t always keep the shade down), but does allow for a good view while soaking in the tub or taking a shower. Fortunately the room for the toilet had a solid door to allow for privacy. 
The lounge was just as amazing as I remembered and not just for the views! They offer select wine throughout the day and then a wider selection of wine, champagne, beer, and liquor during the evening hors d’oeuvres. The wine isn’t fancy, but in Hong Kong would run $15+ a glass, so it was a good value, particularly the champagne. The attendants are not stingy, it was rare that a glass was empty for longer than 5-10 minutes. A perfect place to watch the light show on the Kowloon side.
A wide variety of hot options and desserts in the evening. Breakfast had an extravagant array with multiple hot options that changed daily, plenty of charcuterie and a dangerous amount of tempting pastries. We could also order off the daily menu which featured a western egg dish and Hong Kong special.
Every where we went in the hotel we were greeted with top notch service — attentive but not unctuous. That alone might make this hotel one of my favorites. Didn’t get a chance to visit the pool, spa or fitness center on this trip, but did try one of the restaurants. Apparently in Hong Kong some of the best restaurants and bars are in the hotels, so dining in isn’t a cop out. Had a great lunch with a view (try to get reservations or go on the early side) at One Harbor Road. They are known for great dumplings and abalone dishes, but everything we tried was lovely. 
The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has a good jazz scene at their Champagne Bar but unfortunately my jet lag foiled those plans when I fell asleep before 9 the first night. The next night there was live jazz at Tiffin, but they don’t offer bar seating so you have to dine there if you want to listen. It won’t be cheap, but it is worth grabbing a drink (or a champagne flight) at the Champagne Bar just to take in the ambiance.
Its always great, and slightly dangerous, when a hotel has enough to offer that it could be a destination in itself!
I haven’t stayed at the Grand Hyatt, since it’s a bit in deserted area, but I have stayed at the Hyatt Regency TST in Kowloon. My wife and I like the more vibrant neighborhood in Kowloon, and the Club Lounge at the Hyatt there was superb the last couple of years. That Club Lounge also had superb views of the laser show at 8:00. Different strokes, I suppose, but a second look may be in order on your next visit.
The location may not be great, but you really can’t beat those giant windows with a fantastic view of the harbor. One of my all time favorite hotel rooms.