We are currently living in hotels all day. In a previous post I reviewed the Hyatt Centric Miami Brickell, and in this post I wanted to review the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Las Olas.
Booking the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale
Our rate at the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale was a very reasonable $ 130 per night. While we could have booked this through Hyatt Privé for additional perks, the World of Hyatt membership fee was the best value given the overlap of the benefits with globalist status.
Redeem points at Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale
For context, the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Las Olas is a Category 4 Hyatt hotel, which means a free night will cost 15,000 World of Hyatt points. I estimate World of Hyatt points to be 1.5 cents each, so based on my rating, redeeming points would be equivalent to paying ~ $ 225 a night. In this case, paying cash for the stay was far better value for money.
Even if you’re not a Hyatt loyalist, earning World of Hyatt points can be pretty easy. In addition to the possibility of collecting World of Hyatt points with the World of Hyatt credit card (Review) you can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale location
The Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale is located in the Las Olas neighborhood. Rather than being on the beach, this is more inland and it’s an area full of apartment buildings and restaurants. It’s also near the New River and there are some nice trails so you can walk along the river.
If you are in Fort Lauderdale for a beach vacation this is not the place. For us the location was a selling point as we didn’t want to be in the party area (ignoring for a moment that all of Florida is the party area right now). 😉
The 238-room Hyatt Centric is located in the 100 Las Olas building, the tallest building in Fort Lauderdale. The hotel occupies the lower part of the building while the upper part of the building are apartments. The hotel is still quite new as it only opened in April 2020.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale exterior
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale entrance
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale check-in and lobby
The Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale has a fairly small lobby – the reception is right in the entrance area, then there is some seating and the on-site restaurant is just around the corner.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale reception
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale lobby
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale lobby
Check-in was efficient and friendly, and as usual at Hyatt, recognition from the elite was excellent. The front desk agent thanked me for joining Globalist and proactively apologized for the lack of suite upgrades (which was correct based on the availability shown online). She said they gave us a king room with a balcony which was the best upgrade available.
The Hyatt Centric has a target fee of $ 22.60 which Globalist members waive. You can see below what is included in that fee (as you can see, it seems that there is usually a Tesla auto service, but we were told it is not available at the moment).
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale destination fee inclusions
Within a few minutes we were in an elevator that led to our room on the 11th floor. There was a Laurent Perrier champagne machine right next to the elevators which was a nice touch but didn’t seem very popular.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale elevators
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale champagne vending machines
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale King Room with Balcony
We were assigned room 1104, which is on the 11th floor. Once outside the elevator, our room was on the left and down the hall.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale hallway
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale hallway
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale floor plan
At 350 square feet, the room wasn’t particularly big, but I found it otherwise much nicer than the Miami property as it actually had a bit of charm. There was an entrance with a closet on the left and the bathroom on the right, and then the rest of the room straight ahead.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale room entrance
The room had a comfortable king size bed – as you can see the wallpaper and leather upholstery over the bed went a long way towards the design of the room.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale King Room
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale King Room
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale King Room
There was a chair and a table in the corner of the room.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale king-size seating
Then back to the entrance was a larger table with high seating. I have a strong preference for a room with a “real” desk, but all in all this was a decent facility for our short stay.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale in-room seating
A Keurig coffee maker and two bottles of water sat on this table.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale coffee maker in room
There was also a small refrigerator under the table.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale mini fridge in room
It was nice to have outside space as there was a balcony with two chairs overlooking the area.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale balcony with king room
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale view from the room
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale view from the room
The bathroom had a walk-in shower, sink and toilet. The water pressure wasn’t great but otherwise the bathroom was well designed.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale bathroom with king room
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale King Room Toilet
Toiletries were from BeeKind.
Hyatt Centric BeeKind toiletries
All in all, I liked our room and thought it was nicely designed.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant
Harborwood Urban Kitchen is the all-day dining restaurant at the Hyatt Centric and can be accessed from the lobby or outside the hotel.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant exterior
The restaurant was pretty decent for a hotel restaurant – I can’t imagine a lot of locals coming here, but if you stay here it’s a good option. The restaurant had a bar, main indoor seating area, and a lovely outdoor deck that we sat on.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant Bar
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant in seating
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant in seating
Outdoor seating at the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant
I had lunch here one afternoon because it was convenient. The lunch menu was as follows:
I ordered a chicken salad and it was excellent.
Lunch at the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Harborwood Restaurant
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Globalist Breakfast
Because of my globalist status, we got a free breakfast. The breakfast advantage here includes one main course and one drink per person without any further restrictions. The breakfast menu was as follows:
The cappuccinos here were pretty decent, as was the hot coffee.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Breakfast
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Breakfast
We had shakshuka, avocado toast, and ropa vieja for dinner, and all three were delicious.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Breakfast
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Breakfast
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Breakfast
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Gym
The Hyatt Centric gym is on the eighth floor and is a solid gym. I have been told that the hotel limits the fitness room to a maximum of six guests. It didn’t seem like there was a mechanism to enforce this (in the sense that reservations weren’t required), but I’ve never seen more people at the gym than these either.
The gym was much better than the Hyatt Centric Miami Brickell.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Gym
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Gym
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Gym
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Pool
The Hyatt Centric has a lap pool and large pool deck on the eighth floor, which is a nice place to be.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Pool
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Pool
There is also a pool bar on the eighth floor although I believe it has been closed due to coronavirus.
Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale pool bar
Bottom line
We had a good stay at the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale. We got a great rate and loved the hotel – the rooms were tastefully decorated, the breakfast was great and the gym and pool were nice too.
That being said, I’m not sure I would ever have a reason to return here. I suppose it’s great if you’re in the area for business or a reason to visit, but if I were from outside Florida I wouldn’t really make Las Olas my destination. On the other hand, being a nearly lifelong Floridian would never make Florida my destination either, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask.
If you stayed at the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale, what was your experience like?
