Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa & Casino

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Returning to Hyatt Aruba for Decades – A Resort We Love and Continue to Call Our Home Away From Home My husband and I have been coming to the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino since the day it first opened its doors. We have returned almost every year ever since, and after so many years, this beautiful resort truly feels like our home away from home. We have celebrated special occasions here, made lifelong memories, and watched the resort evolve over the decades. Since the change in ownership, we have noticed many positive improvements. The resort is more organized, operations are smoother, and it is evident that management has worked hard to elevate the overall guest experience. Those efforts deserve to be recognized and appreciated. One suggestion we sincerely hope management will consider is the beach palapa reservation system. We appreciate being able to reserve a palapa, but requiring guests to physically check in before 9:00 a.m. or lose the reservation completely defeats the purpose of making one. We come to Aruba to relax, sleep in, and enjoy our vacation—not to set an alarm clock every morning. Personally, I would gladly pay a reasonable fee to guarantee my reserved palapa rather than have to wake up early just to keep something I have already reserved. I truly believe this would create a much more relaxing and enjoyable experience for everyone. Unfortunately, this vacation was overshadowed by what was, without question, the worst customer service experience we have ever had in all the years we have been visiting Hyatt Aruba. Before going to the beach, we spoke with one of the managers, who specifically instructed us that we could complete our check-in at the pool. We followed those instructions exactly. However, every time we approached Magdalena, the pool attendant, to check in, she was rude, dismissive, and unwilling to help. Without even listening to what we were saying, she repeatedly told us, “Go directly to your palapa.” Trusting her instructions, we went to our assigned palapa. When we arrived, the beach attendant informed us that we could not use the palapa until we had checked in first. It immediately became clear that Magdalena was refusing to follow both the established procedure and the instructions that management had given us. Instead of simply checking us in, as the manager had directed, she repeatedly refused to do so and sent us away. When we calmly explained that the manager herself had instructed us to check in with her at the pool, her attitude became even worse. Rather than acknowledging the situation or following her manager’s instructions, she became aggressive, raised her voice, spoke to us in a disrespectful and condescending manner, and publicly embarrassed my husband and me in front of other guests. We were treated as though we had done something wrong, when in reality we were simply following the directions given to us by Hyatt management. No guest should ever be spoken to that way, especially loyal guests who have supported this resort since it first opened. We were not asking for special treatment. We were asking an employee to follow the instructions given by her own manager. We later spoke with the managers, who came to us personally after learning what had happened. They listened carefully, apologized sincerely, and assured us that they would speak with Magdalena regarding her behavior. We truly appreciated their professionalism, empathy, and genuine concern. Unfortunately, what happened afterward was equally disappointing. Throughout the remainder of the day, every time we walked past the pool area, Magdalena continued to stare at us with obvious hostility. The repeated looks she gave us made us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome for the rest of our day. Instead of feeling that the matter had truly been resolved, we left with the feeling that reporting unacceptable behavior had only made the atmosphere more uncomfortable. In more than two decades of staying at Hyatt Aruba, we have never experienced anything remotely close to this level of rudeness, disrespect, aggression, and lack of professionalism. One employee should never have the ability to ruin an entire day of a guest’s vacation or overshadow the outstanding work of so many exceptional Hyatt employees. Fortunately, people like Fanny remind us why we continue coming back year after year. Above all, we want to recognize Fanny at the Front Desk, who truly represents everything Hyatt hospitality should be. We have known Fanny for many years, and every single visit she reminds us why Hyatt Aruba has remained so special to us. She is simply extraordinary. From the moment you walk through the doors, she welcomes every guest with genuine warmth, elegance, kindness, and professionalism. She doesn’t simply check guests into a hotel—she makes them feel as though they are coming home. She remembers returning guests, takes the time to listen, anticipates their needs, and consistently goes above and beyond to make every stay unforgettable. Her kindness is sincere, her professionalism is unmatched, and her dedication to every guest is something that cannot be taught—it comes from the heart. Employees like Fanny are incredibly rare. She is the heart of Hyatt Aruba and one of its greatest assets. In an industry where exceptional hospitality makes all the difference, she sets the gold standard. Hyatt is truly fortunate to have someone of her caliber representing the resort, and we sincerely hope she receives the recognition she deserves because she is one of the main reasons loyal guests like us continue returning year after year. We would also like to recognize Cesar and Juan at the beach. They are consistently friendly, attentive, hardworking, and always willing to help with a smile. Their professionalism and positive attitude never go unnoticed, and they make every beach day even more enjoyable. One final suggestion would be for the Balashi Sushi Restaurant. The quality of the sushi is excellent, but the menu is very limited. Expanding the selection of rolls and specialty dishes would make it an even stronger dining destination within the resort. Despite this very unfortunate experience with one employee, Hyatt Aruba remains one of our favorite resorts in the Caribbean. We continue returning because of the beautiful property, the improvements made over the years, and the incredible employees who truly understand what hospitality means—especially Fanny, Cesar, and Juan. We are sharing this review because we genuinely care about Hyatt Aruba. After decades of loyalty, we want to see it continue to be one of the finest resorts in the Caribbean. We sincerely hope management reviews this incident carefully because the behavior we experienced was completely inconsistent with Hyatt’s reputation and values. Every guest deserves to be treated with courtesy, respect, and professionalism. That has always been the Hyatt Aruba we know and love, and we hope it continues to be for many years to come.

Another year at the Hyatt. And it was as expected: Great! Loved our room and love the beach and pool area. The staff at the front desk helped with early check-in and getting me a fan for our room.

We stayed for 5 days, 4 nights at the Hyatt for a friends trip. The resort is gorgeous and the customer service was some of the best I have ever experienced. Shout-out to Raul at the bar. Everyone from check-in to the concierge to the restaurants was thoughtful and went above-and-beyond. As others have said, it's important to book beach / pool chairs before you arrive and to check-in for the day before 9am. The only piece of feedback I have for the hotel is that they should make it easier to navigate resort activities prior to arrival. We did an awesome scrub making class, but I didn't even know that was an option based on my research online. Also, if you keep kosher, this resort is incredible.

We read good reviews which is why we picked this resort for our first vacation with our 3 month old babies. The pack and play did not have a base/mattress so we had to use the cribs mattress. The pack and play was also broken. The service was also very slow at all the restaurants and bars since there was only one server so for him/her to come to your table took 30-45 minutes. To even get a chair for the beach or pool you had to reserve before you got there for the complimentary chairs or pay for extra for chairs (already the cost per night is high at that point for us we should have just stayed at St. Regis) Would not reccomend.

This was our 5th time at the hotel and 6th time in Aruba. Such a great hotel. Very beautiful grounds. Staff very kind and attentive. Hotel very well laid out making it easy to get back and forth to rooms, beach, and pool. Enjoyed so much extended our trip by another day and a half. They do a great job of activities to break the day up to for families with young kids. Can’t wait to come back. Was here 7 nights and wish we were there longer.