Hotel review: Grand Hyatt Macau

I was in Macau in late March to attend the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, held at Wynn Palace, an opulent hotel under the Wynn Resorts group. Since the Grand Hyatt Macau is right across the street, I decided to stay over in Macau for an extra night to review this property.

On the eastern side of the City of Dreams resort and casino complex in Cotai, about five to 10 minutes’ drive from the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal and 10 to 15 minutes’ drive from the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. As mentioned, Wynn Palace is directly opposite the Grand Hyatt Macau. It’s a prime position for accessing any of the casinos, resorts and hotels in Cotai. If you need to go to Macau’s old town, though, you’ll have to take a taxi across one of the three bridges.

Although Wynn Palace is obviously beloved of its primary target audience (mainland Chinese tourists), I’m not a particular fan of that style so stepping into the Grand Hyatt Macau was a sigh of relief for me. After the palatial splendour of the Wynn Palace, I was glad to be in what appeared to be an ordinary luxury business hotel, with no psychedelic ferris wheel (you’ll find this in one of the Wynn lobbies) or golden combs and toothbrushes (as in the Wynn’s bathrooms) in sight.

The hotel has 791 guest rooms, which either offer views over the Cotai Strip or the west bank of the Pearl River. I was in a non-smoking (well…more on that later) Club Deluxe room on the 29th floor. The corridor on the 29th floor was quiet and I hardly saw anyone else during my stay.

The bed was soft, comfortable and of a good size…

…with some tastefully low-key artwork hanging above, lending the room a slightly autumnal feel…

To the right-hand side of the bed is a JBL speaker and alarm clock, to which you can connect your Bluetooth-capable device and stream music. This worked well and, given that I was staying alone in a city that’s more geared towards group or couple trips, it was nice to be able to play some music to keep myself company.

Next to the bed, there is a comfortable sofa set at a right angle where you can relax or get some work done. More low-key artwork hangs above.

There are two telephones in the room, one right next to the bed…

…and another next to the above-mentioned seating area…

There is a selection of snacks and drinks available that comes with an additional fee, though bottled water is provided for free…

Coffee lovers will appreciate the presence of a Nespresso machine, though I didn’t get a chance to use it, having opted to take my coffee in the executive lounge instead.

One feature I found particularly impressive was that the hotel provides charging cables, in case you forget to pack your own…

Being this high up, the room offers a great view of part of the Cotai Strip…

The bathroom is of a good size and well designed. It can be closed off from the bedroom by two sliding panel doors, which ensures that light from the bathroom doesn’t spill into the bedroom while you’re sleeping (the window behind the bath only has a translucent sheer curtain and not one that fully blocks out light).

There is nothing special about the toilet – for example, no bidet function – but the room in which it is housed is of a reasonable size and it functioned without issue during my stay.

For the shower, you have the option of using the cylindrical shower-head…

…or the rainfall shower-head…

The bath sits in the same area as the shower, but that area is spacious enough that it doesn’t feel cramped. There is a window right next to the bath, meaning you can look out at the casinos while bathing. Thoughtfully, a non-slip bathmat is provided that can be placed outside the tub, reducing your risk of slipping when exiting the bath.

Body wash, shampoo and conditioner are by Aromatherapy Associates…

There is also a good selection of toiletries, though no mouthwash.

And a bathrobe is provided…

In a drawer below the sink, there is a powerful hairdryer…

Pretty much the only downside to my room was that it smelled of cigarette smoke, despite it being on a non-smoking floor. At the time, I was puzzled by where the smell was coming from, though it seemed to be coming through the air conditioning vent.

When I got back to Hong Kong, I emailed the hotel to ask what was going on. They confirmed that another guest had been illicitly smoking on the non-smoking floor.

“Hence it may cause the smoking going to the air vent to your room, and I am sorry to have caused this unpleasant experience to you,” a hotel spokesperson said.

I do feel a little sorry for the hotel; it’s bad etiquette to smoke on a non-smoking floor, and there’s little the hotel can do besides fining guests who do insist on smoking on these floors.

It’s a shame that it happened, as it was a bit of a blight on an otherwise enjoyable stay.

The hotel’s Grand Club executive lounge, located on the 37th floor of the Club Tower, is spacious, clean and tastefully decorated with modern furnishings, being trimmed with black walnut wood and marble. It offers breakfast, all-day refreshments, evening cocktails, plus one hour of free access to the meeting room per stay.

The lounge also has an interactive open kitchen. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to try this, but an executive lounge staff member recommended the Korean BBQ.

In addition to its main lounge areas, the Grand Club has four private dining rooms sized from 15 to 40 square metres for between eight to 12 guests.

Breakfast in the lounge is a good spread. Here are a few things I saw at the buffet…

It was exciting to see the breakfast cheeseboard, given that the price of cheese in Hong Kong (where I live) is often double or triple the price of cheese in Europe or North America.

There was a selection of a few different types of juice, as well as Acqua Panna mineral water…

And I was served an excellent omelette from the chirpy woman manning the egg-station…

The lounge also has commanding views over both the Wynn Palace hotel and Macau International Airport…

Grand Hyatt Macau has two main food and beverage outlets. The first is Beijing Kitchen, located on Level 1, which replicates the format of Grand Hyatt Beijing’s Made in China restaurant and is famous for its Peking duck, which is carved by the chef table-side. I can happily say the duck was delicious, having dined in the restaurant on the evening of my stay.

The second, two floors up, is mezza9 Macau, which draws inspiration from mezza9 at Grand Hyatt Singapore and focuses on international fare. Unfortunately, I did not have time to try this restaurant during my one-night stay.

The hotel in-house spa is Isala Spa, which promises “a glimpse into the Old World with the gentle touch of New World luxury”.

For swimmers, there is a 40-metre heated outdoor lap pool, as well as a dedicated toddler pool and recreation area. There are also tennis courts and an outdoor hot tub.

The hotel’s 24-hour fitness centre, which I tried on the morning I checked out, is pleasingly spacious. There was only one other person working out there when I arrived just after 7am.

The Grand Hyatt Macau offers an oasis of agreeable normalcy in an area where glitz and glamour are often prized over muted sophistication. For the serious business traveller, this is a definite plus. Staying in the Club Tower and having access to the fantastic Grand Club executive lounge, which was never crowded during my stay, is definitely a plus. Beijing Kitchen provided me with a tasty dinner, including some excellent Peking duck. The room, too, was great, besides the above-mentioned smoking issue.

If you’re looking for an good business hotel in Macau with comfortable rooms, a great executive lounge and top-notch in-house dining options, it’s hard to go wrong with the Grand Hyatt Macau.

• Best for… A spacious and uncrowded executive lounge with commanding views and attentive service
• Don’t miss… Trying Peking duck in Beijing Kitchen, one of the hotel’s in-house restaurants
• Price Internet daily rates for a 1 King Bed room with Club Access start at HK$1,736 (US$221.15) for a weeknight stay in mid-May.
• Contact City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau, China; +853 8868 1234; hyatt.com