Grand Hyatt Muscat Quick Thoughts
We're back with another quick thoughts/mini hotel review. I know that Oman is high on many people's travel wish lists and Muscat is a great starting point in the country. In my Grand Hyatt Muscat quick thoughts I outline the property, the booking cost, and our overall thoughts on this Hyatt property.
What Was The Cost Of My Grand Hyatt Muscat Booking & Is There Is Value In The Price?
Around the time we booked this hotel last year, Hyatt announced its annual category changes. While the changes were overall very bad, the Grand Hyatt Muscat moved from a Category 3 to a Category 2. A standard room is now only 8,000 points/night (off-peak is 6,500 and peak is 9,500). Given the cheap cost, we booked directly into a standard suite for only 13,000 points per night for three nights. Total cost was 39,000 Hyatt points.
Our suite retailed for ~$700/night, giving us around 5.4 cents per point. But I would never pay anywhere near that price for this room, so I don't put much stock in that cash price or the resulting calculated value.
Some Thoughts On The Room: What I Liked About It & What Could Be Improved
There was lots to love and lots to hate about our suite. First, the suite was massive and over 1,300 sq. feet. It was also direct Gulf-view. Second, it was at the end of the hallway and extremely quiet. It also had a full closing door for the bedroom area, which also helped eliminate any noise. Third, the room had 1.5 bathrooms, which is always nice. Fourth, the A/C was amazingly efficient and went all the way down to a setpoint of ~55 degrees F. We kept the room around 65-66 F and it was perfect, especially compared to the heat outside.
On the flip side, the suite was mostly wasted space, as the furniture in both rooms was on opposite walls and everything in the middle was wasted space. Also, the rooms desperately need a refresh. The carpet, fixtures, and furnishings felt 30-40 years old and were very tired.
What Are Some Of The Better Amenities The Property Offers & Is It Missing Anything Important?
Although we did not have time to use it, the hotel recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the swimming pool. The hotel added a kiddie pool and a mini lazy river.
Speaking of the new swimming pool, we also enjoyed that breakfast is offered on the outdoor terrace overlooking the swimming pool. If it is not too hot for you, this makes for a wonderful start to your day.
What Was Your Favorite Thing About The Property?
You've probably realized from our Grand Hyatt Muscat quick thoughts that there is lots to love about this property. We love the beautiful lobby and outdoor dining areas. It was also nice to have a Club Lounge, with additional dining options for Elites and those with club-access rooms. But our favorite thing about this property was the price and location. How many places in the world can you find a full-service Hyatt that is waterfront as a Category 2? It is seriously hard to beat this price, especially when the hotel is centrally located in Muscat AND on the water.
What Was Your Least Favorite Thing About The Property?
The dining situation was our least favorite thing at the Grand Hyatt Muscat. First, all online menus had almost all menu items labeled incorrectly for allergens. A Four Cheese pizza was listed as containing pork and shellfish, while Asian dishes containing shellfish and dairy were labeled as vegan. Again, basically every item was incorrectly labeled.
Likewise, the only dining option for breakfast was the breakfast buffet. We were not given any a la carte menu and none was available. As someone that doesn't eat at buffets, this made it very difficult for us. After the first morning of no breakfast, we made sure on days 2 and 3 to arrive 15-20 minutes before breakfast began (hello, 5:45 a.m. alarm) to visit the buffet before anyone else. If you have any allergies, or anyone in your party does, plan for alternative breakfast arrangements or contact the hotel in advance to see if they will offer a la carte dining.
Would I Stay At The Grand Hyatt Muscat Again?
I think the answer to this question is a resounding “yes.” The Grand Hyatt Muscat is far from perfect, but, again, with a waterfront location in the heart of Muscat, it is hard to argue with only 8,000 Hyatt points per night. Whenever we return to Muscat, this is the first property we'll consider. With a bit of luck, they will refresh the rooms in the near future.
Grand Hyatt Muscat Quick Thoughts: ToP Thoughts
Hopefully you find these Grand Hyatt Muscat quick thoughts helpful. We enjoyed our 3-night stay and would gladly stay here again. You can checkout our full trip report over in the Facebook Group and at this post. Have you stayed at the Grand Hyatt Muscat? Come over to the trip report post and let us know.
