Stay Report: Park Hyatt Zanzibar (Tanzania - April 2018)

Stay Report: Park Hyatt Zanzibar
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I was traveling to Zanzibar for one night so was looking for a hotel that was near Stone Town.  When I had previously traveled to Stone Town, I stayed at Maru Maru (check out that review here) which was nice but I was looking for something more upscale and more centrally located.  During my previous stay, in 2013/2014, the Park Hyatt was just announced to be built and it was being built in a central location so I decided to look the hotel up.  The hotel was having a rewards discount night – possibly due to rainy season when occupancy is lower – but whatever the reason, I was able to book a reward room.  It was very easy to navigate and book the room through both the Hyatt’s website and the app, and when we had an issue and needed to call customer service, they were very responsive and friendly.  

The hotel is located in Stone Town and is about a 10-15 minute walk from the ferry terminal.  From the outside, you cannot tell it is a hotel as there is no grand entrance.  To me, this is a good thing as the hotel blends into the surrounding areas.  As you walk into the hotel, you enter into the open lobby.  The hotel’s design definitely has Arabic/Middle Eastern influences, a nod to Zanzibar’s own Arabic/Middle Eastern heritage.  In the middle of the lobby is a fountain with the check-in desks on the right, the fitness center on the left, and the ocean and other spaces straight ahead.  The lobby seems bright and open with the high ceilings and windows on the roof which let in natural light.  There are two check-in desks, so it creates an intimate experience but could be a lengthy process if there are many guests at the same time.  Check-in was quick, I received my key and proceeded to the room.  The rooms are in a separate building from the main check-in area.  To access this area, there is a hallway next to the check-in desks that leads to a corridor and from there you exit the first building and go up a small incline to access the second building, you go down a long corridor to the elevators that take you up to the rooms.  Even though you are existing one building, you are still within the hotel’s property.

The rooms at the hotel are nice, a decent size, and are nicely decorated. As you entered into the room, on the left was the bathroom while on the right was a luggage holder and the closet which contained storage space as well as a safe.  The bathroom was large and contained a sink, a tub, a shower behind a door, and a toilet behind a separate door.  The bathroom was spacious but the doors did not close fully so it was not complete privacy.  There were two doors in the bathroom, the main door that led into the bathroom and then next to the tub were sliding doors that opened up into the room; not sure why though.

The beds were comfortable and a nice side.  There were on the left side of the room and each had its own nightstand and its own mosquito net and drapery.  The beds looked very elegant and provided a decent night’s sleep.  Across from the beds was the TV on top of a chest with drawers on the bottom.  Next to the TV stand was a table with chairs, and in between the bed and the window were additional chairs.  It was nice that the room had the option of opening the window to let in the sunlight and breeze.  The view of the hotel depends on which side you are on, as one side of the hotel faces the town while the other side faces the ocean.  Overall, the room was nice and comfortable, and provided a good night’s stay.

The hotel overall is beautifully designed and developed hotel, and there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy.  These include a fitness center, a sauna, an outdoor pool, a library, a bar, a coffee shop, a restaurant, concierge service, and mini shopping arcade to gather souvenirs and other gifts.  As I was only there for one night, I was not able to fully experience all of the facilities the hotel had to offer.  I did experience the wifi, which was complimentary and provided decent speeds.  The room came with complimentary breakfast, which I did not partake in but my friends did, and they said it was alright and similar to the breakfast experienced at the Hyatt in Dar Es Salaam (see review HERE).  I also experienced the library, which was located in between the lobby and the entrance to the seaside/pool area.  This addition, which you do not see in many hotels, provided that nice extra touch that made this hotel feel that much more special.

In the end, it was a really nice stay at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar.  The hotel looks amazing and has great designs, the rooms are comfortable, and the service is really good.  There are some hotels that have high ratings and you are not sure why, and then there are others that deserve high ratings for their overall outstanding achievements; the Park Hyatt definitely deserves high ratings for design, service, and overall comfort of the hotel.