This is NOT a luxury hotel. This is a dated time share development marketed as a hotel - should not be on the Hyatt.com website, which. Is VERY misleading only photo of the property on the landing page is a beautiful, rustic stone lodge-like building. Turns out there are only 4 rooms in that structure, the rest are shabby, shingled, time-share units, 6-8 per building scattered and and around the hillside. The unit we reserved — frankly the only one left — was a Horizon Suite at a whopping $850 but we needed a place to stay on our way down PCH and Carmel seemed like a great stop and we opted for the views from the highlands over the hustle and bustle of downtown Carmel. BIG mistake. For this money, stay at one of the pebble beach resort properties or one of the charming inns in town. First off, the arrival is treacherous at best. Tiny parking circle was jammed full of cars and had to park on a very steep slope to walk up a few flights to check in . Thankfully, unit was near by, but one parked the bags had to be hauled down the parking lot and across the faded and failing deck/path that ran across the front of all units to ours at the very end (i hope management will let me know when the plan on bringing their decking into the 21st century so i can sink all my money in TREX shares) underwhelmed so far, the door opened to even greater disappointment. Textured walls (textured ceilings would have dated this place to the 70s, walls made it Reagan era), cheesy wood trim and a small kitchenette. At least the bed/mattress were of recent vintage so they were comfortable and some other new pieces seemed dropped into this time capsule of when men with moustaches, wearing chains and white shoes and matching belts fast-talked middle-aged vacationers into the many benefits of co-owning a luxury vacation home they could use whenever they wanted and without the hassle or expense of upkeep and maintenance, all for 300 easy payments of $99.99 a month! The first thing we noticed — aside the cobwebs from the porch and deck light fixtures and screen doors was the heat in the room. Carmel is blessed with some of the most moderate temperatures in the country and the cool breeze off the ocean would take the edge off even the warmest day. But when your room has double glass doors facing due West and no shades drawn all day, you create a different kind of global warming localized to unit 217 of this property. not to worry, advised our bellman. We can cool this down in no time. We dont have AC, but we do have a fan — which he brought out from the closet, plugged in an used to prop open the front door to the room, thereby creating not just a cross breeze with the open balcony door, but no privacy or security while we patiently waited to see if the room would return to a livable temperature. It did not, so we headed to the fridge for a little refreshment of cold water so we could sit in the shady corner of the porch to avoid further sweating. This decent size refrigerator freezer lacked to two things we needed. Water and Ice. Not a bottle, not a cube. We called the front desk asking for both. Water arrived, Warm. But no ice. Enough time in a barracks taught me the benefits of cold showers and I promised my wife extra good wine with dinner if she would suffer through one so we could go off to our dinner at the hotels restaurant with a view. The one bright spot of the experience was the restaurant. Stunning views, but again the blaring sun scorched through the tinted windows and i was able to work on my tan till 8pm. After dinner we returned to our still toasty room, propped open the door, started up the fan and sat on the deck hoping no serial killers were in the area (though if the room didnt cool down, being gutted by a vagrant might be preferable to sweating through a night of vacation) Room got cool enough to sleep ON TOP of the covers while we locked the front door and left the patio doors with just screens, hoping the sounds of the distant waves would drown out the occasional cars on PCH just 100 feet below. they did for the most part — until a few of those obnoxious motorbikes favored by modern-day ninja assassins on any number of cop shows went screaming by and sleep-shattering decibel levels, only to reach their destination somewhere down the road and race back 40 minutes later. Skip this stop on PCH. So many better appointed, proper hotels that are actually worth this level of coin…
I'm not kidding - the room 105 that was first offered was absolutely shocking. The room smelled of mould. Right above the room was a restaurant area with noise coming from it. The traffic noise was also disturbing. The room was also very awkwardly shaped. ** I do not understand how they DARE to sell this room, because they obviously know all the problems. ** We were able to change to another room (no questions asked) which was much better. Do not under any circumstances book room 105, make sure in advance with the hotel that your room is not this one. I suggest to read other comments of the room 105. The service at reception took a very long time. One person was serving customers and another was doing something on the computer ignoring other customers. The restaurant menu was very traditional. The views from the restaurant were great, I recommend booking a table by the window. The restaurant staff was friendly.…
Be warned there are bed bugs. I woke to dots of blood on my sheet, plus black dots. The hotel has been cooperative and after investigating, admitted bed bugs were present. Pele at the front desk has been phenomenal. Also the carpet has a strong deodorizer smell and the air is thick from smoke every evening from the fire pit or individual fireplaces in each room. I literally could only open the door for one second and had to slam it shut. Such a disappointment - this hotel badly needs a huge makeover. I normally like to spend a lot of time in my room but this was a sad place with no room service. The wall a/c unit above the bed dropped sprinkles of water constantly onto my duvet from condensation. The one plus is that the food is top notch. Just sleep elsewhere at night.
We're staying here now as we do every year for about the past 20. Staying in one of our favorite rooms (a Ocean View Townhouse Spa Suite) in the 500 series block. The room has been completely renovated- new carpeting, furniture, wall coverings, light colored paint that makes the room much lighter. All wood surfaces and cabinets have been refinished or replaced. It no longer has the "tired" look that many have complained about. Only downside is that the wood burning fireplace has been replaced with a gas log one, I guess in response to complaints about smoke. Breakfast was outstanding as always and they still serve my favorite, the Point Lobos with Dungeness crab. We checked in a few minutes before 4 p.m. and the room wasn't ready but said housekeeping was working in it and it was ready for us about 20 minutes later. Full housekeeping every day has been restored. We couldn't be happier with the changes that have taken place.…
so we stayed here two nights the rooms and faculties are super dated. we would have spent the money and stayed in big sur if it had availability. no housekeeping and while the clubhouse has the best view on premises at night they limit the seating which means it’s removed more than half the seating overlooking the water.
Others have pointed this out: this hotel is not a good value for the price. Go next door (Tickle Pink), where you get the same view and nicer rooms for the same price. The restaurant (at least for breakfast), Pacific Edge, was mediocre and also over priced. Keurig coffee makers with motel-style cups and stirrers; bathroom only ok; TV old and no good channels; that kind of thing. The views from the rooms are wonderful and the service was great--for every issue, someone responded promptly.
Disappointing on so many levels..category 7 property, visiting on a points reservation with wife and 2 children for 1 night (Saturday.) Requested early check-in on the drive down (guaranteed check-in is 4PM). Said they were fully booked but they would try. Arrived at hotel ~ 3pm. No rooms ready. Waited in lounge and asked again at 3:55PM; they reminded me rooms were not guaranteed until 4PM, so I asked if my room would be ready in 5 minutes. They said “no, the room was going through final inspection and would take 15-20 min. Finally made it to the room at 4:30. The room (#511) - small, dark, dingy, finishes from the 1990s, at best. Bathroom had a small shower, no bathtub, and a sink drain that didn’t work. Called maintenance to fix - didn’t really fix, they just took the stopper out. Recall this is a category 7 Hyatt! Before heading off property for dinner, called housekeeping to set up rollaway bed for my son. Arrived back at hotel at 10pm to find a folded/deflated air mattress on the floor with some sheets/blanket. Couldn’t figure out how to inflate so called housekeeping to help; they arrived and realized mattress was broken. Waited another 20 min for another and finally at 11 it was ready. Requested late check out the next morning; no deal, “because it’s a Hyatt Residence property”. Nonsensical excuse since we were not staying on the “Residence” side of the hotel. Had breakfast at Pacific Edge. Wife returned her meal to the kitchen because eggs were way over cooked. Total bill would have been $140 for 2 adults, 2 kids without Globalist status. Checked out after breakfast, well before the official 12pm check out, and will never be returning.…
My husband and I have stayed at this gorgeous property many times. It's a lovely hotel in a fantastic location. The lounge and dine-in area have a breathtaking view. I wish the server during the breakfast hour could be more patient regarding their service. Since the room costs almost $1,000 per night, I would expect the property to update the room's interior and design. The room is for sure cozy but can feel outdated. I highly recommend this property to you all who are planning on visiting Carmel, California.
Hotel rooms are spacious but need urgent renovation. We paid 900 dollars / night, which seemed to be far too much for what the hotel offered. Friendly staff and location is good - we could get to almost any interesting location within a few minutes driving.
We have just arrived at the Hyatt Highlands after a long drive from LA, and what a disappointment. This place is terrible! We booked the ‘Big Sur Suit’ and what a joke. The so called ‘Palour’ is a big room containing a pull out couch, small table and two chairs, a cheap TV and a fire place, photo attached. The room appears to be circa the 1960’s and is smells like it too. A strong smell of damp greeted us as we entered the room, so if you suffer from breathing issues, might be better to stay clear. Aside from a lick of paint, some new cabinet tops and a new TV, the room hasn’t changed in 60 years. All the door surrounds show the dents of times, just painted over, paint runs and all. The bathroom tiles look original and have staining around the toilet. I can’t believe the Hyatt, puts their name to this place. I have no idea what we paid for the room, but if I cut it in half and half again, it would still be too much. The magic of photography makes the place look good, but it’s not. Don’t stay here, there must be better options.…
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