TRAVELING DURING COVID-19 STAYCATION REVIEW: GRAND HYATT TAMPA BAY

I was excited to visit the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay as I’ve been making my rounds at different hotels across the state of Florida to assess the similarities and differences in quality, policy, and procedures during COVID-19. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted at the front door by a bellman who had on a mask. He opened the door for me and while this is always a nice touch it is especially a great touch right now because it was one less thing that I had to touch. I noticed that the bellman was opening doors for all guests which while small was one more point of great customer service that this Hyatt was doing to keep their guests safe. After I stepped into the lobby, I immediately saw a hand sanitizer station which I thought was placed appropriately for people to use right when they enter the building. As I approached the front desk, I noticed that all guests were wearing masks. I was informed that the hotel was doing their best to keep all normal activities and amenities as normal as possible. This meant I could look forward to daily housekeeping! Out of all of the properties that I’ve visited during this time this was the first hotel to offer this. The hotel also had social distancing markers on the floor to help encourage the guests to keep a safe distance. In the elevator there was a sign that requested that only 3 guests be in the elevator at one time. The pool and hot tub were open but there were occupancy limits to both the pool and hot tub to help keep safe distances. Once I arrived at the room there was a sign on the door notifying me that the room had been sanitized. Once I entered the room it was spotless from top to bottom. All stationery and pens had been removed. The remote had a plastic covering on it that informed the guest that it too had been sanitized. During my stay at the Hyatt I could tell the difference between a luxury property and midlevel and budget hotels. This property went above and beyond in their measure to keep their guests safe. I highly recommend that travelers select a luxury hotel for their stays during this period of COVID-19 if you want to feel extra safe and secure during your vacation. I can’t wait to return to Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay or any other Grand Hyatt, Andaz, or Hyatt Regency properties!