During an extended overnight transfer in Dubai, I opted to stay at the Hyatt Place Dubai Al Rigga and was utterly shocked at the upgrade I received.
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Location
The hotel is located a short drive from Dubai International Airport (DXB) which cost about $15 by taxi when I left the airport around midnight. The property is not in the heart of the city but was convenient for my purposes.
Address: Al Rigga Road Near Rigga Metro Station – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 4 608 1234
Property
The property has an incredible lobby, beautiful decor and hallways, and a fitness center. There is a pool but given my very short stay, I wasn’t able to take advantage of it during my visit.
World of Hyatt Benefits
I was greeted at check-in as a World of Hyatt Globalist and offered the benefits associated with my status. I would leave the hotel just six hours later, 30 minutes before breakfast was to start. Like all other Hyatt Place hotels, free breakfast is available to all guests. It appeared to be more substantial than other properties but this was simply a way to get a few hours of rest between flights but in a bed and not at the airport terminal.
The key benefit I received was a substantial upgrade. The property offers both standard hotel rooms and apartments that reception offered to me as a suite upgrade. The upgrade was certainly the best I’ve ever found at a Hyatt Place anywhere in the world. On the dining room table, a welcome gift was waiting for me.
For what it’s worth, our credit card link currently offers the World of Hyatt credit card in which you can earn up to 60,000 bonus points, good for up to 12 nights in this property. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card (same link) also offers 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points right now which can be transferred to Hyatt (transfer rate of 1:1) among more than a dozen other partners.
Suite
When the reception stated I had been upgraded to an apartment, I assumed it was simply a different translation of “suite.” It was not. This apartment was fully fitted with a guest bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom, and master bathroom. If we were to stay in Dubai for a week as a family, this would be an ideal location.
Kitchen
The apartment opens to the kitchen on the right and the guest bathroom on the left. The kitchen is surprisingly complete and opened up to the living room. There was a washer and dryer in the kitchen making it entirely possible to live in this apartment for as long as necessary.
Living Room
After the kitchen and dining room table, a large living room opened up. At the far end, floor-to-ceiling windows opened up to the city. It’s worth saying that the ceiling was incredibly high, and the entire layout of the room was spacious. The couch converts to a pull-out bed for additional guests. There’s also a large flat screen tv and dressers for those who are settling in for an extended stay.
Bedroom
The bedroom is separated by a door (unique for Hyatt Place properties generally) and allows for privacy and separation from sleeping and communal areas.
A pair of wardrobes and a dresser are in the bedroom as is another tv. I received a king-size bed that was comfortable and had plenty of plugs on either side of the bed.
Bathroom(s)
Walking into the apartment I mentioned a guest bathroom that featured a toilet and vanity though no extra shower.
The master bathroom offered a large glass shower (not over tub, which I appreciate), vanity, and a toilet. As is customary in this part of the world, a sprayer was available at both toilets as well.
Value
For my purposes, the Hyatt Place Dubai Al Rigga offered exceptional value both as a points redemption or as a cash booking. In this instance, I used cash for a rate of $86 USD/night or 5,000 World of Hyatt points. At LiveAndLetsFly, our target value for WOH points is 2¢/point, and as this was slightly cheaper for cash, I opted to use that. I have seen rates as low as $47/night so while you can use points, if rates are this cheap, use cash to pay for your stay.
What a shame you got such a good upgrade on a short stay!!!
Aha, looks like someone is working hard on renewing his Globalist status thanks to multiple stays at Hyatt Place/Hyatt House;)
Absolutely, John. Though I did look at the Park Hyatt for my six-hour stay and I just couldn’t justify it – could you?
Par Hyatt hotels are way overrated/overpriced for what you get in my opinion.
I much prefer Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency that offer a lounge you can relax in.
Are you planning to return to South East Asia anytime soon?
I am heading to KL and Kinabalu where I will spend a couple of weeks between the Grand Hyatt in both places (which this blog reviewed)
Malaysia just reopened restriction free and I think it is the best time to go to avoid mass tourism return and price hikes
Not heading back there yet, though it’s on our list to get back to that part of the world. We miss it so much.
I just did a 13 hour stay at the Park Hyatt Dubai this weekend and it was absolutely phenomenal. It was easily the best welcome I’ve received anywhere in the world. I booked a standard room for 17k points and they put us in a Royal Suite, which was larger than the house I grew up in. You could get lost in this suite. Globalist is incredible in general, but this was over the top.
How much would they have charged one staying in that room sans complimentary upgrade? Looks pretty attractive to me.
*for staying