Review: Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

This Review of the Hyatt Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi is part of a trip report from Sydney, Australia to New York JFK. For the prior Australia-related posts, including Etihad A380 First Apartment, Emirates A380 First Class and Qantas A380 First Class, please see:

Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi Location and Check-In

The Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi was our choice for an overnight while transiting Abu Dhabi between our Etihad First Apartment flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, and our subsequent flight from Abu Dhabi to New York JFK. The hotel is located right next to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, about a 20 minute drive from Abu Dhabi airport.

This made it more convenient to reach than, for example, the hotels in downtown Abu Dhabi, the Rosewood Abu Dhabi on Al Maryah Island, or hotels such as the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, which are 30 minutes away or more, depending on traffic. The Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is not quite as convenient, however, as the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, which is just 12-15 minutes away.

As you can see from the above picture of the hotel's exterior, it's in a unique leaning shape–a leaning tower of Abu Dhabi, if you will.

After entering on the ground floor level, you take the elevator up to the lobby on the 18th floor. There's ample lobby lounge space:

There's Arabic coffee and dates that you can help yourself to:

Given the late hour, we were the only ones checking in, and there was just one front desk associate there.

Standard Room, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

One reason for staying at the Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is that it's a Category 4 Hyatt, so I was able to redeem my Hyatt Visa annual free night certificate for our stay. I have three or fewer Hyatt stays a year and only have Platinum status through the Hyatt Visa, so we stayed in a Standard Twin Room. That said, it was nice of the French front desk agent to give us a room on the 33rd floor, since my son loves staying on as high a floor as possible for the views. We arrived at night, but here's the view the next morning:

Standard Rooms are about 430 square feet (40 square meters), so a good size for an entry-level room. Beds were as usual for Hyatt firmer than I prefer, but I was tired enough that I slept well anyway.

The wall with the TV was curved, and reminded me slightly of Etihad lounges in its design, although minus the books.

Our bathroom had a designed glass wall in a modern open plan design, which looks great in photos but which I hate for pragmatic reasons. Yes, there was a shade you could draw down for privacy, but the problem was that the shade didn't block all of the light from the bathroom into the room. Not great if one or both of you is a light sleeper and is woken up by the other person turning on the light when going to the bathroom during the night.

Other than this style over substance issue of the bathroom wall design, the bathroom was fine, with a generous sized soaking tub and rain shower:

Bath amenities were Camelia Signature, nothing I'd heard of, but it didn't matter as I always travel with my own toiletries. There as a tray that included cotton balls, etc., and it was nice that a sewing kit was included, as it often isn't at this category of hotel.

I also thought the in-room Illy espresso maker was a nice touch–again, better than I'd expect at a Category 4 Hyatt.

Outdoor Swimming Pool, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

The Spa, Fitness Center and outdoor pool are all on the 19th floor. The pool wasn't huge, but it does have nice views:

It was pretty crowded for its size, with 10-20 other people in it during the entire time we were there, but my son enjoyed it nonetheless. In fact, with all the other kids (and adults) splashing away in it, I didn't have to worry about my son's swimming disturbing anyone. Just don't count on doing any laps in the pool if you're there in the afternoon.

Swimming Pool, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi Review

18 Degrees Restaurant, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

The 18 Degrees Restaurant is just off the lobby, on the 18th floor, with a quite handsome design and views:

The restaurant serves a buffet breakfast 6am-10:30am. We were both so tired that we slept until nearly 10am, then scrambled to get down before breakfast service closed. Here are some of the remains of the buffet:

The Verdict

The Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi was better than I expected for a Hyatt Category 4 hotel–modern, with spacious standard rooms of over 400 square feet, separate soaking tub and rain shower, and in-room espresso maker. I didn't like the bathroom glass wall design that let light seep out between the bathroom and the room, and the hotel's pool was overcrowded, but those were really the only issues during our stay.

The breakfast, while not gourmet, was good for the category of hotel, and the restaurant staff were kind enough to squeeze us in and help ensure we got ample breakfast before breaking down the buffet.

The hotel isn't walking distance to anything except the Exhibition Center, but is closer to Abu Dhabi Airport than most other Abu Dhabi hotels apart from the Yas Viceroy, so it makes for a fairly convenient overnight option if transiting Abu Dhabi, and a decent use of your Hyatt Visa annual free night in a Category 4 Hyatt.

If you've stayed at the Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi, what was your experience?

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