How I booked the room:
The prevailing rate for any hotel room in Hyderabad at my time of booking was somewhere around 25000 INR (~300 USD) and there were virtually no hotels available within the central part of the city for the last 4 nights of our stay in India. There were no basic rooms available on points at this hotel either and room rates were approximately in the same range. However upon searching for rooms on points, I saw that suites were available at this hotel for 8,000 and 10,000 points. This ended up being an amazing deal because these suites were retailing for well over 50000 INR and booking a suite on points was certainly cheaper than paying the cash rate + tax.
Arrival
The ride from Hyderabad Airport to the Hyatt Gachibowli takes about 40 minutes. My family arranged for us to be picked up so I can’t comment on the cost of the ride, though I suspect it costs about 3000 INR. As soon as we pulled up to the hotel, they took our bags to send them through the security scanners and ushered us into the lobby.
We were promptly checked in and handed our room keys, the one issue was apparently my camera. The hotel apparently didn’t allow cameras inside the rooms for some odd reason. They claimed it was policy and that I would have to do something about my camera. After a brief fight back and mentioning that I am a travel photographer/blogger who regularly stays at hotels in India with my camera, the hotel staff gave in and said I simply couldn’t use it in my room. With regard to this, I kind of understand where they are coming from, since India is apparently known for some “sketchy” films being made in hotel rooms. However, if they were really worried about this, they should also ban the very capable smart phone camera as well. And there is no way they were going to do that.
I booked one Hyatt Suite and one Terrace Suite, but I believe I ended up getting two Hyatt Suites, which are technically larger, but don’t have any outdoor space. IMHO, this was fine because outdoor spaces often mean mosquitoes in India.
Walking to the Room
I should note here that not all the rooms in this hotel are located inside the same building. The main allotment of rooms are actually found across a small courtyard and were a bit of a trek from the main lobby. The room number assignments were a bit confusing as well given the layout of the hotel.
Twin Room
At the last minute, I ended up having to also book a twin room at the hotel for my cousin’s family, but my sister and I ended up staying there since there were two beds in the room. It was certainly expensive at 25,000 INR for that single night, but there wasn’t much of an alternative.
The room was rather small, but certainly suitable for a single night stay with two beds, conveniently located outlets, and a desk next to the bed. There was a bit of an odd smell in the room, but we ended up not bothering to tell the front desk because it was well past midnight.
The restroom featured a large walk in shower, a single vanity, and toiletries by Biotique. It also had all the amenities you would normally have to request in a hotel room in the U.S: dental kits, shaving kits, etc.
Again nothing to write home about here, but it was way more sensibly designed than the room at the Park Hyatt Hyderabad.
Hyatt Suite
The Hyatt Suite however was certainly one of the finest I’ve stayed in at Hyatt. It was gigantic and featured a full living area, dining area, and even a small kitchenette of a kind next to the dining area. There was also a massive desk with a bunch of water bottles stacked on it. The weird kitchenette/bar area featured a toaster which I guess is great for making PB&J sandwiches in your hotel room?
Next to the dining area was a small powder room.
Walking further in, was a large bedroom with a large tv, desk, and a few lounge chairs.
Walking further in, there was a massive closet area, where you can unpack your stuff and completely forget it.
Attached to the closet was a large restroom featuring a soaking tub, double vanities, and a large walk in shower. Toiletries were KAMA branded and where “Mandarin Vetiver” scented. This was a most definite step up from the Biotique offered in the regular rooms and the fragrance was lovely.
Breakfast @ Collage
Breakfast is served everyday at the main hotel restaurant “Collage” from 6:30 am to 10:30 am. The buffet is not as extensive as what you would find at Westin Hyderabad or the Park Hyatt Hyderabad, but the space was much less crowded and still featured some good food. No doubt that the buffet is still very large and features both Western options as well as Indian ones.
The one thing I do have to note however is that the hotel consistently struggled with the dosa. The guy for some reason could not get it off the skillet and as a result, there were some severe delays. I believe mine took 30 minutes to come out. This was the case throughout our stay so I hope the man found himself a new skillet because that seemed to be the problem….
And then there were these weird sayings written everywhere in the restaurant. Take a whiff of this one: “You may be a noodle, but you can turn into ramen or sizzle into hakka and than everyone will want a bite of you”.
Hotel Grounds & Fitness Center
Adjacent to “Collage” was the hotel pool and garden area. The hotel grounds as a whole are quite extensive and even feature a full walking track. They are well maintained and are certainly place for a stroll during the winter when it isn’t scorching hot outside.
The fitness center and spa are located behind the pool area. The fitness center was of a decent size and featured an assortment of cardio and strength training equipment.
Bottom Line:
The Hyatt Gachibowli is perhaps the best Hyatt in Hyderabad. It is of course the newest addition to the Hyatt portfolio in Hyderabad, so it remains to be seen whether quality is maintained for the years to come. Food was outstanding when it came to the room service and was perfectly tailored to our spice tolerance and allergies. The suites were absolutely massive and the grounds were well manicured and extensive in their own right. Having just stayed at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace, maybe we weren’t quite as impressed by the service aspect, but it was without a doubt very good.
Only downside? It’s a bit of a hike from the main shopping and dining spots around Jubilee Hills. If location is everything for you, the Westin Mindspace or the Park Hyatt might be more your speed. I shall certainly return to this hotel if the other two hotels were unavailable.
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