Negative review Hyatt Pier 66 FLL

[dancing]

I have been reading recent reviews on trip advisor about the Hyatt Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale NOT GOOD. Has anyone else stayed there recently and can give an objective review? We are staying 2 nights after our cruise in April and have narrowed it down to 3 choices, Hyatt Pier 66, Marriott Towers, or Sheraton Clipper. We want to be on the water taxi line. Any thoughts on which one whould be best? Thanks

[pjsugg]

We just booked Hyatt 66 for Jan 29-Feb1 based on all of the good comments on the boards about this hotel. We have an Executive Towers room which is a bit pricey, so I hope we get some response here before it is too late to change.

 

Patti

[obriendan]

We stayed there in May, 2003. Got the Hyatt 66 on priceline for $95. We thought it was an excellent hotel anf had no complaints about the room or the service.

[TheWog]

I will be staying there next week pre-cruise. I will let you know how it is when we return.

[dst]

We stayed three nights prior to our cruise in July and were very happy with the hotel (I would add though it is not as nice as some of the other Hyatts we had stayed at; could be the age of it). We had booked a tower room and when we arrived thought that maybe we could look at the lower rooms around the pool, so the manager gave us three keys to rooms around the pool and told us to pick whichever we wanted, we stayed in the tower room. The views are fantsatic and I think a bit nicer, the lwoer rooms seemed a bit dark for us. The tower rooms have a balcony with a few chairs and small table and we hung out there in the am and had coffee and muffins.

 

During our stay we never even left the grounds, we hung out at the pool and had dinner at the Pier Restaurant (may not be the name, but owned by Hyatt) and the food was so good the first night we went back on the last night. When we went in everyone knew our name as if we were locals. On another night we went up to the roof top lounge and listened to a band and had some appetizers. Very neat place.

 

The grounds were very nice and someone was always working on them, there are two pool areas and in between both is a little outdoor bar/pub that had good sandwiches etc.

 

Hope this helps make your decision a bit easier but I knwo that anytime we fly out of FLL, we will stay at the Hyatt.

[dst]

WOG: glad to see a Boston fan on the boards, we are originaly from Boston adn still remain loyal fans :)

 

You will enjoy your cruise on RCCL

[pjsugg]

Thanks so much for your reply. I know that I feel better now. Also, I went to the Tripadvisor site and saw a few negative reviews but they were mostly for the lower level rooms. There were some very good reviews......and most of those were the tower rooms.

 

Guess we will stay with this hotel. It is getting too close to change.

 

Patti

[SueSea]

I had to wonder if we were looking at the same website! As of last night (when I tried to post & lost it), the Hyatt was ranked 21 out of 136 hotels listed in Fort Lauderdale on TripAdvisor. The average TripAdvisor User Rating is 4 out of 5. That’s based on 43 reviews. Not too shabby! Yes, there are some negative reviews, but you will find those on almost every hotel listed—especially hotels that sell rooms on Priceline. Reread the negative reviews. If you find the same complaint in a number of reviews, it may well be a valid one. Of those complaints, decide which will affect your stay if you can’t do something to avoid them. For instance, of those not happy with their rooms, most stayed in the garden/pool rooms, not the tower. (Of course, some posted they were quite happy with their garden/pool room!) But if you are concerned about the quality of the room, book a tower room. Some have complained about overpriced food. That is true of many hotels, but if you are on a budget, you can find any number of places to eat along the water taxi route.

 

 

As I mentioned above, Hyatt Pier 66 is a Priceline hotel. Some complaints may be prompted by those who booked on Priceline and were upset to find they could not choose their room or bed configuration. If you book on Priceline, you most likely will not get a tower room. If you want a specific room, bed configuration, or have a smoking preference, you may not get what you want, especially in high season. Most hotels are going to give those who paid full price the more desirable rooms.

[TheWog]

WOG: glad to see a Boston fan on the boards, we are originaly from Boston adn still remain loyal fans :)

 

You will enjoy your cruise on RCCL

 

We had a great year didn't we?????

[dancing]

Thanks everyone for your replys they have been very helpful. SueSea I am only concerned because of the the most recent Dec and Jan05 reviews (tripadvisor) that are so negative and wonder if things have gone down hill fast. I will keep an eye on things. Happy cruising to everyone.

[dst]

WOG: not to sound greedy but I am looking for a repeat :) My entire family is still in Boston area and for Christmas I got a great world series picture framed and everyone signed it; not sure how they pulled that off but I am happy to display it!

 

 

Patti: glad to help, keep us posted after your trip and let us knwo if it lived up to your expectations. As someone else said the food was pricy but we were on vacation so we splurdged a bit!

[Bequia]

I trust the reviews of my fellow cruisers on these boards before I'd trust a TripAdvisor review. Sometimes I wonder if some of the bad reviews on TripAdvisor are actually the same person with multiple screen names with a grudge. ;)

 

For whats its worth, the Hyatt Pier 66 is a favorite for many of us who live in FLL and just want to get away for the weekend.

[SueSea]

Thanks everyone for your replys they have been very helpful. SueSea I am only concerned because of the the most recent Dec and Jan05 reviews (tripadvisor) that are so negative and wonder if things have gone down hill fast. I will keep an eye on things. Happy cruising to everyone.

 

Understandable, but there are still more positive than negative reviews. And looking at those recent negative reviews, the most recent poster only says that the hotel is only a 1 star because the room was musty and not clean. And yet someone two posts down says this hotel is a definite 4 star. The negative poster doesn't say if he asked for another room or called housekeeping or anything. That review is just as bad as the ones that get flamed here. Not enough detail, didn't try to resolve it during the stay, etc. That's what I meant by suggesting you reread the negative reviews--look for the ones that have merit. I've used TripAdvisor for years and I have found that I can trust the rankings, but only if I take the time to evaluate the responses.

[Taku]

We stayed at Hyatt Pier 66 pre-cruise December 31-January 2 and found the hotel to be quite acceptable. I, too, was concerned about negative Trip Advisor reviews, but our experience was fine. Got four rooms on Priceline for $95 each; of the four, three were upgraded to the tower on arrival. Two rooms had great views of port and intracoastal waterway (12th and 15th floors), one room (8th floor) faced on the ocean. The remaining room was in the two story lanai section and was somewhat smaller. For what it's worth, my guess is that the upgrades were based on time of check-in with the hotel holding back the more desirable rooms until the lesser rooms were gone (the lanai room checked in first, then the 12th floor room, then the 15th floor room and finally the 8th floor oceanview.)

[pjsugg]

It is so nice to get these replies from everyone.

 

After almost two years without a vacation, we are very much looking forward to our trip. One night pre-cruise on the 21st we got on PL for $100 at Renaissance, which I understand is very close to the pier and Bravo Restaurant is right there. Then three nights post cruise at Hyatt Pier 66 in a tower room. And the hotel restaurant is said to be excellent. It sits on the water taxi route.....also this is our first Celebrity Cruise (Century). Although it has had its problems of late, we just read a great review from someone who just got back. It just can't get better than that!!! Think positive and know that I do not have to get up and go to work. Ask our Butler to deliver breakfast at least one day at sea and enjoy.

 

I have also met a new friend from Canada on CC. Can hardly wait to meet inn person.

 

Again, thanks all.

 

Patti

I will write when I return.

[dst]

Patti: relax your trip will be wonderful and the restaurant at Hyatt is one of the best I have ever been to. They also make a great martini (if you like them) so now after 2 years of waiting; just sit back and enjoy.......and think of us left back here in the states :)

 

Deb

[pjsugg]

Well, we spend a small fortune, but the hotel was wonderful. We had an executive tower suite with a great view of the intracoastal waterway and Port Everglades. It was a corner suite with a great balcony. And, the restaurant (a bit pricey) was magnificant. We had dinner at Mark's in Las Olas and it too was fabulous, but I like Grille 66 even better.

 

We also ate at Bravo and Louie Louie (similar Italian menus). Both were very good.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

Patti

[Bequia]

Glad you had a good time. Come back soon ;)

[TheWog]

We stayed at the Pier 66 Jan 21. It was a great hotel and for $95.00 per night we got the better end of the deal. It was gorgeous and pools and jacuzzi were great. We ate at the Pelican Grill and had a great time. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. Well worth the $95.00. Go with confidence. Any questions, feel free to ask. We stayed in the Lanai building and didn't mind at all. It was perfectly acceptable. Clean, neat and comfortable. Plenty big enough as well.

 

I have written a little about it here.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=131687

[madelinerose]

Please take the Trip Advisor reviews with a grain of salt. Last year I wrote an absolutely glowing review on Le Parker Meridien in NYC because DH and I fell in love with this hotel. We cannot imagine how anyone could experience some of the horror stories mentioned on many reviews.

 

Remember, it's all relative, just like the reviews on Cruise Critic. ;)

[setsail]

Wog, do I bid 4* for this in the beach zone and is 85 or 90 ok to start a bid? This would be for Dec. 2 05. Thanks.

[SueSea]

Setsail, I would set a starting bid around $75 for a Dec. 5 stay. I got the Pier 66 for $95 in high season, and prices between Thanksgiving & Christmas are typically lower. You've got plenty of time to bid & rebid, so don't start too high. If you don't get anything right away, don't assume it's because your bid is too high. The hotel may not have released any inventory for that period yet.

[ocngypz]

Generally speaking I like the Pier 66. However..........

 

It's been 6 years since the last makeover. The property has gotten tired.

 

The former owners let their hospitality standards slip. I've had both negative and positive stays at the property. I've stayed in Lanai, Marina and Tower rooms. Negative and positive experience in all.

 

The property was recently sold and is scheduled to undergo renovation. I believe there is another tower planned. The first area to undergo renovation will be the pool area according to what I've read in the local newspapers and trade publications. Sometime late spring is the scheduled start date, but construction being what it is, this date is subject to change.

 

It is a good deal if you can get it through Priceline. I would never pay Hyatt rates.. not even their internet rate for it however.

 

The hotel does suffer from what I call "parfum de concrete block". It's edemic in south Florida. Unless the a/c system is left running constantly, rooms take on the odor. Naturally, no hotel property is going to do this because of the costs involved. However, there are new ventilation systems available to hotels to combat the problem. Hopefully, the new owners will invest in new ventilation and a/c. I've never found their a/c to work that well in any of the rooms I've stayed in.

 

The Broward County hotel scene is changing. Some hotels are upgrading and converting to condo hotels.. with skyhigh price tags. Older hotels are being torn down and replaced with straight condo units. And now that the American dollar is so weak, international tourists are filling more hotel rooms than ever at higher rates than North Americans will pay....because despite the higher rate....with currency exchange rates it's still a relative bargain to them.

[setsail]

Thanks Sue for the valuable input. Will keep that in mind. Thought I would start bidding the 1st of March , by then I should have a grip on the basics. I read everything at betterbidding.

[TheWog]

I would begin your bidding at $85. I have seen some bids accepted at $92 so you may be get lucky and save a couple dollars. My experience there was very good and wouldn't hesitate staying there again in the future.