Having been impressed during our previous stay here at Grand Hyatt Hotel, my husband and I decided to bring our dad and uncle along for the ride since we were looking to do a short family getaway of sorts. The only difference this time was that the Terrace Wing was undergoing major renovations, which meant that certain facilities like the pool, spa and original gym were closed. As such, all guests staying during this initial period were offered one-time complimentary items from the mini-bar.
My dad and uncle did a 2-night stay while my husband and I settled for the usual 1-night stay due to my work constraints. With enticing package inclusions on Klook, plus a juicy $70 off promo code from their livestream, we managed to shave off a total of $210 for pretty much a full-board stay!
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in King Bed Deluxe Room (my husband and I)
- 2-night stay in Twin Bed Deluxe Room (my dad and uncle)
- Breakfast
- Dinner buffet at StraitsKitchen
- $150 spa credit (converted to dining credit due to spa closure)
- 20% dining discount
- Complimentary mini-bar (once per stay)
- Complimentary parking
- Spent: SGD$1025.72
Check-in
There were a few groups of people in front of us when we arrived at the reception counter, resulting in about a 15-minute wait for our turn. My dad and uncle’s twin-bedded room on level 6 was ready but ours wasn’t. We didn’t think much of it initially as our plan was to grab late lunch first anyway, but at about 4pm, we still hadn’t received any notification regarding our room. This was quite different from my previous experience where the staff proactively updated us without us having to enquire. Eventually, we checked on this with the reception staff, only to find out that our room had been ready all this while. The manager on duty at that point, Lynn, was very kind to offer a late check-out at 3pm as service recovery for the miscommunication. Thanks to her, we got to spend more time with our dad and uncle (:
Room
For this stay, we opted for the same room type as before, the King Bed Deluxe Room located in the Grand Wing. This time, we were assigned one on the 13th floor (out of 21 floors). It has a spacious junior suite layout where the bedroom is separate from the living area. The bathroom was clean and came with a tub and a rainshower area. Given the age of this property, I must say the bathrooms are really well-maintained even in comparison to some of the newer hotels we’ve been to.
As for the view, I much preferred the city view from our previous stay but we got the “garden” view instead, which was really just a back-alley building view. It was great that the firm pillow I asked for got delivered to the room almost instantly. Turndown service was provided upon request, where they did the standard clearing of trash and replenishing of items.
My dad and uncle’s Twin Bed Deluxe Room on level 6 was essentially the same junior suite configuration as ours, with the main difference being the layout of the bathroom. Having opted for the shower-only room with no tub, their bathroom had ample space for a dresser and a walk-in wardrobe accessible from both the bathroom and the living area. It was a very nice use of the space, making the room feel pretty luxurious. However, their view was also less than ideal as it faced a whole lot of concrete.
Facilities
Due to the renovation works happening at the Terrace Wing, access to facilities like the pool, spa and gym were affected. The hotel set up a temporary gym in one of the meeting rooms at level 2.
After putting our bags down in my dad and uncle’s room, we headed to Pete’s Place for lunch! They opted for the 2-course meal with a pasta and seafood pizza as their mains. I got to try the pizza that was topped with chunks of scallop, clam, prawn and crab. It tasted and smelled of the sea (not necessarily a bad thing but I’d probably not order it again).
My husband and I got a 2-course and 3-course meal respectively as we figured we could just share the dessert. We both selected the minestrone soup starter (yummy but a little watery), then he got the spaghetti carbonara (too strong a cheese taste for me but he enjoyed it) while I got the linguine vongole (I loved the tasty broth and the clams were so plump and juicy). Dessert was my favourite chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, which was delicious and not overly sweet! With the 20% dining discount and $150 dining credit, this entire meal plus the wine my dad and uncle shared was incredibly worth it.
Service was quite pleasant and professional here, though the standout staff for us was Tango. He was candid in his interactions with my dad and uncle, entertaining their dad jokes and whacky comments really well. I was super impressed and amused!
Once we were done with lunch, we took a short walk to explore the hotel grounds before going back to our respective rooms to chill. We walked the pathway that would usually lead to the Terrace Wing as my dad wanted to see the pool. The access path was hoarded up so I could only point to it from afar.
We also visited the Grand Club Lounge situated on the 21st floor. The previous time we were here, the lounge wasn’t open at all so we couldn’t even take a peek. There seemed to be two different decor themes on both sides of the main aisle, one sporting a light, earthy palette while the other had a darker, more lush tone. Regardless, they were both cosy, intimate spaces that looked perfect for relaxing in.
Soon, it was time for dinner so we rendezvoused at StraitsKitchen for the buffet! It was done in an assisted style where staff helped to plate the items we wanted. Beverages had to be ordered via a QR code, probably to reduce the need for guests to gather around the drinks station.
Generally, the food was pretty good! The better ones in my opinion were the Hainanese chicken (tender and moist), the laksa (broth was quite flavourful and the noodles had a springy texture), the double boiled winter melon soup (hearty comfort food that made me feel warm and fuzzy) and the black pepper crab (I don’t usually eat crab but this wasn’t too bad, the meat was succulent and doused in tasty sauce).
All the staff here were really nice and welcoming, making us feel very much like we were among family. They were amazingly helpful, from arranging our tables to be near each other (this was the era of covid restrictions of 2 pax per table) to ensuring that we had everything we needed. Fantastic!
We were right back at StraitsKitchen the next morning for breakfast 😀 It was surprisingly empty given the number of guests we saw at check-in yesterday. Similar to dinner service, it was also an assisted all-you-can-eat buffet.
There were some hits and misses with the food though. The freshly cooked eggs were the best – my omelette was soft and a little runny in the middle, just the way I like it. My husband liked the fragrant chicken curry that came with the prata. The other dishes were rather average except the awfully dense and hard pancakes we had. My uncle, who loves to cook Chinese dishes, felt that some of the ones served here were subpar, especially the bland chicken noodle soup. Breakfast seemed a tad lacklustre compared to what we experienced at dinner.
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. Service was once again excellent and highly consistent across the staff from various departments! Lynn, Tango and the reception staff like Charisce and Fitri were superbly warm and helpful throughout our stay ❤ The food at Pete’s Place and StraitsKitchen dinner buffet left us pretty satisfied as well. Not to mention the generous amount of space in the rooms, on top of being clean and comfortable. However, our stay this time didn’t quite hit the 5-star mark due to that lapse in communication regarding when our room was ready, as well as the dreary, uninspiring room views. That aside, I am looking forward to see how the newly renovated Terrace Wing will turn out. Seems like there’s going to be a major overhaul and a complete rebranding to become the Wellness Wing of the hotel. If prices and package inclusions are right, there just might be a third visit in the works (:
Dania Experiences 