$135 for a $500 suite on a business trip? Yeah, I’ll take that deal.
This is the first time I’ve ever stayed in a Park Hyatt for work, as well as the first time I’ve ever paid rather than used an award redemption. These hotels are typically outside the my personal budget, as well as beyond what I can typically justify for a business expense. I’ve been very impressed with my past Park Hyatt stays in Washington, Melbourne, and Tokyo. There are several other excellent Park Hyatt reviews on this site. Needless to say, its a great brand, and an excellent value via relatively attainable Gold Passport points.
Many of my paid Hyatt stays are relatively short, or in hotels that don’t have a great suite options, so I sometimes end up scrambling to use my Diamond Suite upgrades before they expire. I don’t often have the opportunity to maximize these, since they are only useable on paid stays, and many vacation stays are via points. This year, I upgraded stays at the Andaz San Diego, and another multi-day stay at the (now former) Hyatt Regency Dearborn. I figured a suite at the Park Hyatt would be a good use of another upgrade, even though I only was staying for 2 nights.
Corporate rate at a Park Hyatt Resort
The $135 I paid for a Park King (and then upgraded) was much less than $295 that those rooms were selling for on Hyatt.com thanks to my corporate rate. The Park Suite where I stayed was selling for $495. I’m certainly happy with the value I got for my Diamond Suite upgrade. As the title of this post alludes to, I felt somewhat embarrassed to have stayed in a place like this for my work travel. I have stayed in plenty of nice hotels for work trips, but the norm is the range of Sheraton, Hyatt, and sometimes Aloft or Hyatt Place.
Typically when I stay at a resort, I’m on vacation, and I spend more time on the property, as they would intend. My work schedule didn’t allow this to happen for the 2 night stay. Still, I tried to make the most of my visit. I explored the spa and fitness center, and enjoyed the excellent buffet breakfast in the California Bistro. The hotel is located a few miles from the ocean, but on a golf course. It’s also close to the Batiquitos Lagoon, that has a nature trail around it where I went for a run one morning.
Public Spaces Park Hyatt Aviara
men’s spa
Park Suite King
My upgrade put me into a Park Suite, which consisted of a large 2 room suite. The room is located on an inside corner of the building facing the pool. There were 2 bathrooms, one near the entry way and a full bathroom with a separate tub and shower. There was a large walk in closet. Both the bedroom and the living room had balconies.
front bathroom
The bathroom was stocked with the new Le Labo amenities.
Dawn view from my balcony with the Batiquitos lagoon in the distance.
Breakfast in California Bistro
The Diamond breakfast was the full buffet in the California Bistro. I didn’t get photos due to not wanting to disturb fellow diners (including some senior executives from my company…). Pictured below is the house made vanilla bean yogurt which was amazing.
Final thoughts Park Hyatt Aviara
The décor of the hotel was a little bit dated for my taste. This isn’t really a complaint, as the hotel and the staff were excellent, but I guess I prefer the more modern design of the Park Hyatts in Washington or Tokyo vs. the older design of Melbourne and the Aviara.
The Park Hyatt Aviara is an excellent hotel, and I would certainly return on future trips to the area. Especially if I can get a rate like I did, or even something close.
