Hotel Hopping: Grand Hyatt Singapore

We checked out of the St. Regis and moved less than a mile north east to the Grand Hyatt Singapore on Scotts Road.  It was in a very similar area but just a bit more centrally located near Orchard Road.  Back in the spring, we had originally booked three nights here on a cash rate and applied one of our Diamond Suite upgrade certificates (four are given each year to Hyatt Diamond members) to the reservation.  Since Joe likes to change his mind, we decided to only stay here for two nights and instead use the 2 free nights at any Hyatt worldwide that you receive for getting approved for the Chase Hyatt credit card.  These are the same free nights that Katie and Steve used for their honeymoon at the Park Hyatt Maldives. We got a much lower value out of them than Keve did, but they were going to expire in February and we worried that we would not be able to "maximize" their value by then, so just decided to use them.

We were met at the taxi by a nice woman from reception who took us into the hotel, bypassed the registration desk, and took us straight up to our room where we conducted check in.  The standard suite booked for Diamond members is their one-bedroom duplex suite.  While this sounded really cool when we booked it, when we stepped into the room, we almost immediately realized this room was going to cause some problems.  Both girls immediately ran for the stairs and when we finally made it up there, the bedroom was open to the first floor area.  After discussing for 10 or 15 minutes, we called down to the front desk and asked if there was any way we could switch to a room that would give us a better chance of avoiding a trip to the hospital.

First floor of suite

Master bedroom on second floor

Looking down into the dining room from 2nd floor master

They said they had another room on the 15th floor but it would not be ready for an hour or two, so we ate some of the chocolates, fruit, and water they provided as the Diamond food and beverage amenity.

The new suite was perfect and, functionally, probably the best room we had on our trip.  It had a bedroom with a walk in closet, where Lizzy slept, a big bathroom, a living area, a 6 person dining room table, a small kitchen area and a half bath.  Despite the fact that we had plenty of room, we managed to cover it with our stuff within the first hour.  The girls had a great time making a fort with the drapes, a common activity during the trip.

Dining/living area of our new suite, with no stairs

Kitchenette

Bedroom

Bathroom

Enjoying some dinner in the room. There was a pasta place down the street that was great for the girls

The Hyatt had a great lounge, called The Grand Club. It included a daily continental breakfast, which was a big understatement. There was a huge selection of hot and cold buffet items, breads and pastries, fruits, cereals etc. and you could order eggs anyway you would like them from your table. In addition to all the food there was also just about any type of drink you could want. On our first visit to the Club the server offered the girls Yakuit, which turned out to be a Japanese probiotic drink, and they loved it! Annie continually asked for more 'Kuit for the rest of the trip. A little digestive aid never hurt anyone, I suppose :).

Besides breakfast, the Club was open throughout the day with drinks and snacks and offered "light hor d'oeuvres" in the evening, which again turned out to be really a full meal. Salads, appetizers, hot entrees, fruit and vegetable platters... both nights after the girls went down for the night (very early) I would go up by myself and enjoy a leisurely and filling meal.

Perhaps the most convenient part of the Grand Club (besides the unlimited Yakuit and milk for the girls) was the Family Room which was separate from the main dining room of the club. They had a TV playing cartoons and a section with some children's toys. It was just nice to be a little separated from everyone else since Elizabeth isn't exactly the most polite or quiet baby in these types of situations.  It was obviously more fun for the girls to be able to run around a bit and play instead of being locked into high chairs with us shushing them the entire time. I wish more hotel clubs and lounges had family friendly areas like this! It really made a HUGE difference in our experience.

Family Room at the Grand Club