Coming up today, the Grand Hyatt in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
A seemingly modern hotel with expansive views of a famous Bridge and outdated
rooms that are in desperate need of a refresh. The full tour and review starts in 15 seconds.
Hi there, if you’re new here thanks for stopping by. Since my stay here some weeks ago
and while I’ve been editing this report- in my mind I keep referring to it as a Hyatt Regency,
which probably says a lot. But no, it’s a Grand Hyatt- perhaps in name only. For
pricing and booking details, the price that I actually think the room is worth,
as well as my upcoming roster of videos, please check out the pinned comment below.
The exterior is stately if not a bit cookie cutter embassy district high rise hotel.
But, generally speaking- and I mean this for essentially the entire hotel
except for the rooms themselves, it is designed well with functional spaces-
though the public spaces could have been a bit larger to support busier periods.
The lobby is well appointed and has a lush and inviting feel to it with the gardens directly
behind, but with 467 rooms you can see how this space can fill up quickly. They are efficient
though. When I checked in I was 5th on line with six check in desks working. I had my key in hand
within 5 minutes. That efficiency could also be in part due to the no nonsense nature of
the service here. I have nothing bad to report as it relates to the service, but it was just
very by the book and a bit impersonal- even for a big business district hotel.
One thing that definitely wasn’t cold though was the outdoor pool and lounge area which you can
access from the driveway directly. In addition to the lawn with plenty of chair loungers there
is also a nice outdoor pool. Not a complaint, but given the views of the bridge from the hotel
which we’ll see in a bit, a rooftop pool would have been spectacular, just saying.
From the outdoor pool area you can take this key access elevator up
one floor to bring you to the spa, fitness center and indoor pool area.
As we walk the plank so to speak, let’s get our bearing a bit. Directly in front
of us is the Pinheiros River which runs north south through the western part of the city.
We are in the south western part of central Sao Paulo. Yes, it is a huge city and distances on
the map may look short but traffic is a bit of a beast here. To get to Guarulhos expect a
45-75 minute ride- sometimes more during full on rush hour. Just one day in this city and you’ll
totally understand why helicopters are a very popular way to get around for the elite class.
Zooming in a bit we are in the neighborhood of Brooklin, very close to Brooklin Novo. This is a
newer district in Sao Paulo, relatively speaking and serves primarily as a high rise business
district. The highlight of the area being the criss-cross Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge.
At the end during my scores, you’ll notice that I gave the hotel 9s for
both convenience and location- that is assume that you need to be down here.
If you’re coming just to see the sights of Sao Paulo, you’re better off staying further north.
Time to head to the room now. It wasn’t all that long ago when the orangy wood paneling
was the modern thing to do, but as with any property that dives into one design aesthetic,
it eventually looks dated. And that continues into the room.
One oddity in the room that I won’t fault it for, even if it looks a bit awkward now is
that the room is designed with a very specific corporate structure in mind,
specifically all the bits and bobs that you’d normally find in a hotel room like this.
The magazines, binders, pens and pamphlets were all integrated into the design-
and so now in the era of QR codes and reducing touch points, it does feel a bit empty.
I reserved a Queen Bridge view room, which was cheaper than a King Bridge view room-
but both were advertised as the same square footage. In reality, they aren’t the same size.
Impossible to see from inside but very quickly you can see the red outline is where my room was,
where all of the queen rooms are- just next to it is a bit of a bump out which gives you more space
for a king size bed. So, only spend the money on it if it’s important to you- not a big deal.
This was the highlight of the empty feeling I was explaining before.
A binder which exists just to hold one piece of paper with a QR code on it.
When I travel, I always have a 3 meter multi outlet extension which I normally just need to use
to charge many things at the same time, but here- I actually needed it just to
plug my laptop in on the desk. Outlets were very much an afterthought here.
Heading to the way too big hallway we have the
mini bar area which sadly was stocked with instant coffee and very cheap tea.
Not what you would expect from a Grand Hyatt- not to mention the two mini bottles of water.
Heading into the bathroom now,
the layout is fine. Plenty big vanity area but the sink is actually tiny.
Across from it a standard sized closet and then the wet room with
a separate bath and shower as well as the toilet and bidet.
My favorite part about the hotel in general though- the view of the bridge. I love how quirky
Brazilian architecture can be and have always wanted to see the bridge all lit up at night.
And besides the bridge itself, it’s a great view otherwise as well, looking to the north.
Now some gripes about the room’s condition. The AC wasn’t working when I arrived-
fixed by jsut changing the filters. And then there was the unfortunate carpet with various
splotches and bald spots throughout the room. Along the edge of the carpet I also caught my
barefoot on a staple or something like it which must have went flying since I couldn’t find it.
Multiple wood surfaces also had I guess paint splatter? It was surprising enough to
see it in my room, but I also saw various photos of other guests’ rooms that they’d posted with
the same splatter when reviewing. Finally, this was my door jam.
All of that said, I do hope you’re enjoying the video so far, if you are please give it
a thumbs up and subscribe- always feel free to leave comments with questions you may have-
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The next morning it was time to head down for breakfast and much needed coffee. While it
wasn’t included in my rate, there weren’t too many options in the immediate area so I gave it a try.
Breakfast is served in the primary restaurant which is just in between the lobby and the outdoor
pool. The buffet on offer was beautifully laid out and had lots of different options,
though it was very very heavy on the breads and sweets selections.
There was also a separate egg station, which is when the poor service in the restaurant became
apparent. Took a while to find someone to take my order. Eggs benedict, ok easy enough. 20 minutes
later I was served well undercooked eggs. I’m talking clear whites. For the life of them,
multiple waiters who all spoke English couldn’t understand the problem.
Finally someone did and 15 minutes later returned with a new plate
which had apparently been bruleed… but was also cold in the middle. I gave up.
So yeah, the food is not what you’re going to remember the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo for.
The common spaces though they do have a lot going for them.
So now let’s get into the Flip Flop Score. The room was the biggest let down- especially the
condition of it. Food was a close second as far as low points. The rest, it was okay overall- but
nothing I’d feel the need to return for. Overall, a bit of a disappointing 70/100. Sao Paulo is not
the best city in the world for hotel selection so it’s very possible this still might be your best
choice if you need to be in Brooklin, otherwise- check out some other properties. I really hope
you found this review helpful and will give the video a thumbs up and subscribe for two new hotel
and flight reviews each week. Next up, we have my final stop in Sao Paulo, the Renaissance.