Hyatt Carmel Highlands Reviews

One thing I really love about this venue is how much the location and building design speak for themselves. Many other venues have your reception in a large room that really is just a conference space. The ballroom at the Hyatt is beautiful with two huge fireplaces and a stunning view. You really don't need to worry too much about decor in a venue this gorgeous. The ceremony deck and its view are absolutely breathtaking. The bridal suite fit my bridal party of 8 and the makeup team perfectly. The only big issue with the venue is the amount of stairs. There is really no way to fully avoid stairs to the ceremony site and the rooms since the hotel was built in the early 1900s. They do have golf carts available for guest use but if you have folks in wheelchairs attending your wedding they may have some difficulty navigating the space.

Our guests really enjoyed the food at the venue. We had the Argentinian skirt steak as one of our appetizers and multiple guests came up to me during the wedding to tell us that it was one of the best things they had eaten in a while. Others also really enjoyed the ahi poke appetizer.

We truly had the most perfect wedding possible and it was largely in part to the two Emilys at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn. They are absolute rockstars and I would 100% work with them again if I could.

We had such an enchanting wedding day here! The scenery set the perfect backdrop for our special day, Caroline, Clara and Emily were incredibly easy to work with, ensuring a seamless and stress-free planning process. We had a few back and forth regarding the guest counts, and they were super accommodating and thoughtful with us!
Our guests couldn't stop talking about the delicious food. Overall, a magical venue with an exceptional team that made our wedding truly unforgettable.

We celebrated our intimate wedding at Hyatt Carmel Highlands in October, and loved every minute of the day. We toured the property in January and immediately knew it was the place for us. Our group was 16 people, and they allow a max of 20. The Gazebo deck could not be any more stunning, I don't think there is a more gorgeous place to get married. Our guests couldn't stop "oohing and ahhing."

You are constantly supported by the Hyatt Carmel event team (3 incredible ladies!) from booking & payment, to planning the day, and coordinating vendors & music on the day-of. We are so grateful for Emily, Caroline, and Clara - thank you for being there for us on our big day. We added on additional passed appetizers and a champagne toast (at additional cost) - the food was delicious and gobbled up immediately! Plenty of gorgeous photo opportunities on-site and in Carmel / Big Sur (attached photos from Tatiana Scher Photography). It truly was the best day, and the venue & vistas are just incredible!

We cannot thank the Hyatt Highlands enough for providing the most perfect day for our wedding. Truly everything from the ceremony on the gazebo deck, cocktail hour, dinner in the surf room, dancing, and a team of exceptional coordinators taking care of every need, the event was absolute perfection and we could not be happier. We also stayed in the most gorgeous hotel room next to the pool with an ocean view and enjoyed a lot of time in the hot tub. Our guests said it was the best wedding venue and party they have ever been to and we cannot wait to come back for our anniversary next year.

The highlands team were an absolute dream to work with! From the initial meeting and walkthrough to the day of, they were so helpful working with my planner, Confetti & Cocktails. Highlands has a gorgeous wedding deck with incredible views and they have multiple room options for the reception. Our intimate wedding has 20 people so we had the ceremony and cocktail hour on the gazebo deck and then had our reception on the restaurant patio. I was able to get ready in the bridal suite which overlooks the gazebo deck so I could watch the ceremony set-up. The food and drinks were amazing and got great feedback from guests. Overall it was the perfect venue for our big day. We luckily live close by and plan to visit often :) Thank you to the team! I would recommend a million times

Getting married by the Pacific Ocean was a dream come true for us! We had the pleasure to work with the great team at Hyatt Carmel - Emily, Caroline & Clara, and all of our amazing vendors. Such a professional and thoughtful crew. I highly recommend this venue for couples with a shorter guest list like ourselves (e.g. less than 70). The view from the gazebo deck is stunning with flowers blooming all around the path leading to the deck.

My only caveat is on some summer days (such as our wedding day) the Northern California weather can be on the cloudy/misty side, even a bit chilly at lower 60 degrees, while on other days the sky is bright and sunny (the next day after our wedding, dah!). However on a positive note it is easier to get good pictures on a cloudy day :) To be fair it is the situation for the entire area and nothing specific to this venue - just make sure it is aligned with your expectation!

Our wedding at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands was even better than I imagined. The team of Emily, Caroline, and Carla was professional, responsive, helpful, and so fun to work with. They answered all our questions and helped us put together the wedding of our dreams. All three of these wonderful women were easy to work with and attentive the weekend of our wedding. They are a great team, and I am so grateful they were the ones helping us plan and execute our wedding.

On top of having a very accommodating and supportive events team, the Hyatt Highlands is stunning venue. I always envisioned getting married along the ocean in the Monterey/Carmel area. When we started looking, we were blown away by the venue and views at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands. We got married on the deck, surrounded by views of the Pacific Ocean and Big Sur. Our ceremony was gorgeous and the pictures are a beautiful keepsake of our wedding. Our reception was upstairs in the Oceanside Ballroom, again with breath taking views of the ocean. Our guests could not stop talking about the venue we chose and how beautiful it was. The food and beverage service was excellent as well!

My wedding was my favorite day ever, and we could not have picked a better venue with a better team than the Hyatt Carmel Highlands! Thank you for making our wedding a dream come true!

Loved this venue and especially the team of coordinators! Had the perfect day with all their help!!

Let me start by saying how much I love the ocean view of Hyatt highlands inn.
I've always prefer an oceanside wedding, while beach wedding might get to messy with all the sands, it is perfect in Hyatt highland inn where the deck oversees the beautiful waves.
In addition to all that, the staffs there are super nice. All those ladies from this venue, Jessica, Lauren, Emily and Caroline are very responsive and helped us navigating through difference choices and very flexible when we have to make amendments to plans that was "finalized".
We could not have a better wedding in any place else :)

My wife and I loved having our wedding here. The views are unbeatable and the surrounding area is filled with beauty. We wanted to have a wedding by the water and looked into multiple venues throughout our research. We are both very glad we chose this one because it not only had the best views, it was also reasonably priced compared to some of the other ocean front options. The gazebo deck and the ballroom provide great ways to enjoy the view so you never feel too far from the ocean throughout the entire event.

Besides the views, the food was excellent as well. There is a large variety of options to choose from and our guests only had good things to say about the food and hors d'oeuvres.

Lastly, Jessica and her team were a pleasure to work with. They were supportive and communicative throughout the entire process. I highly appreciate everyone's work and can safely say that it culminated in the event of a lifetime!

I am STILL trying to find the words that summarize just how special our wedding day was… blissful, effortless, perfect all come to mind. Aside from the setting itself being downright picturesque, Emily, Jessica and Lauren were BEYOND helpful in bringing my casual/classy vision to life. The girls went above and beyond to ensure that we had the most exceptional day of our lives. They truly exceeded all of our expectations. They were organized, prompt, attentive and had a way with setting your mind at ease, that even the most minor of details would be taken care of. I was skeptical in the beginning to spend the amount requested, but if I had to do it all over again (I wish I could relive that day to its entirety), I would absolutely, 10000 times over, without a single hesitation. This venue, the staff, the entire experience from start to finish was worth it’s weight in gold… and then some.

Despite living 5+ hours away, coordinating with Jessica, Emily, and Lauren was so easy as they communicated very well through email. We had a walkthrough via video call to view the location, and everything else was organized through email, even connecting us with a florist for our round arch. They were very professional and efficient, and were so helpful and responsive during our wedding day. The elopement package was customizable and we got everything we wanted for our small, simple wedding for a great price. Not to mention the view, which is EVERYTHING! Absolutely stunning. A dream come true!

I recently had my "elopement" wedding on December 2nd, 2021 and the events team (Jessica, Lauren, and Emily) were absolutely wonderful to work with. They made the booking process extremely easy and communication was consistent during the pandemic. The venue is beautiful and would definitely recommend visiting or booking a weekend at the hotel. We also booked all of our wedding vendors from their preferred vendor list, which we absolutely loved. This was definitely an experience that we will cherish for a long time.

Yes, the views are amazing. Yes, your photos will be incredible. And for sure, your guests will ooooh and aaaah as they walk in.

BUT, you will spend (likely) months planning and working with your vendors before your wedding date. You work with your venue the most as you make decisions, and this team is quite simply incredible. Jessica, Emily and Lauren are responsive, professional and know the business. And they are FUN - we will miss working with them :)

I scouted so many venues before we selected the Highlands, and it was the clear choice due to the views and the team. They made it so much easier to plan a wedding, even during covid, because this team is ON IT. No question I asked was silly, they were clearly organized, we never wondered when they were going to respond to us (because they were that fast!) and they even shared ideas / stories from other weddings that helped me think thru our own wedding plans or gave me ideas.

We had several guests, including my mom, who expressed concerns over covid. Jess and her team listened to our worry as the hosts as we shared these concerns, made us feel heard, and did everything she could to make our guests feel comfortable and safe. As the wedding got closer, the forecast was looking very rainy - in fact, we (thankfully) narrowly missed a HUGE storm that rolled through the area. Leading up to our wedding day, Jess checked in frequently, and even shared videos of the sun beautifully shining there despite the forecast saying it was raining! She touched base with me the day before and even morning of, to discuss contingency plans. Thankfully we didn't need them - but I appreciated how prepared and flexible the team was and their communication style!

Jessica, Emily and Lauren think of everything, even things I did not prepare for. As one example, they handed me a brush when I walked in VERY wind blown from my first look photo sesh at the coast. They saved half of the polaroid film we brought for the reception, leaving half out for guests pre wedding & at happy hour (ensuring we had fun photos throughout the night, not just at the beginning). Minor details I wouldn't have thought of, but didn't even need to because they were on top of it! We didn't have one hiccup on our wedding day, and I know it's because we had this team supporting us and coordinating all vendors, guests and logistics in the background!

Additional pros: the food is delicious and the bartender makes great cocktails. This venue simply is the best and we would 100% book the same place. Our wedding was the best day of our lives and we know that hosting it here was a huge part of that.

My now husband and I loved having our wedding at the Hyatt Highlands! In terms of location, the Central Coast has always had a special place in our hearts. Carmel is absolutely gorgeous, even on an overcast or rare rainy day. The property speaks for itself. It is extremely well kept and is full of greens, flowers, and foliage. The staff at the Highlands were great! Everyone was professional yet friendly, organized, and respectful. The staff responded to calls/emails efficiently and addresed each one of our concerns. We planned our entire wedding during the height of the pandemic. Although this was stressful, the staff made it as seamless as possible and we felt like we were on a team each step of the way. Finally, there is a strong network where numerous local vendors are very familiar with the property which does make it much easier and practical to plan your wedding, even if you do not live in the Carmel area.

Our own wedding highlights
- we got tons of compliments on the food (which I feel is rare for many other weddings/venues)
- for florals, we stayed local and chose Florals by Reina and we couldn't have been happier!
- we chose DNA entertainment for sound/dancing/lighting and again, couldn't have been happier!

Some practical advice:
- invite your guests early as there are limited hotel options in Carmel for those having to travel
- if you have more than 70-80 guests, strongly consider hiring an additional wedding planner, especially if you do not have enough time or initiaive to nail down those nitty gritty details on your own

Hyatt Carmel Highlands was the PERFECT place for our wedding. the coordinators (Lauren, Emily, Jessica) were the absolute best. The always answered the phone or email asap whenever we had questions. They made our special day so simple. The venue is stunning. We did our reception in the wine room and it was gorgeous. The deck where the wedding was gorgeous. I couldn't think of a better location and staff to make our wedding day so great. Thank you!

Working with the team from Hyatt Carmel Highlands was amazing from start to finish. When covid hit our wedding plans changed they were able to help us plan an amazing wedding. The venue itself is gorgeous but the wedding team went above and beyond to handle all the details from start to finish. We planned the wedding from 2 states away and the team was always super responsive in answering all of our many questions. They made sure everything ran smoothly the day off the wedding and we had an absolute perfect day!

The Hyatt Carmel Highlands was the absolute perfect venue for what we wanted for our wedding ceremony. My husband and I wanted something intimate but also with a spectacular view which is exactly what we got.

First off, they connected us with Reina for flowers and she did an amazing job at making our set up beautiful but also simple and affordable. We also had hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast which was perfect. The guests were raving about the steak!

On the actual day of our wedding, Lauren and Emily went above and beyond to make everything seamless. I am typically a control freak but these two gave me confidence and I was finally able to enjoy the day. To top it off, I had a polaroid guestbook and these two made sure to snap some shots and encouraged guests to sign the book. We now have these memories forever. I am so grateful to have had such an amazing team and we will remember this special day for a long time!

The Hyatt at Highlands Carmel was amazing! From the breathtaking views to the incredible wedding planners, our day was absolutely perfect. Jessica, Lauren, and Emily were there for us the entire way through the planning process. They were extremely helpful and there to answer all our questions. All three of them were so easy to work with and made our wedding day stress free. They are all very organized and paid attention to every detail on our special day. They saw our vision and brought it to life the day of the wedding. It was the most special day for us and we are so grateful we had our wedding there. I highly recommend this for your wedding ceremony and reception!

After a long year of trying to figure out what to do with our wedding we had to reschedule, we decided to elope. When searching for locations we came across Highlands Inn.

From start to finish the staff at Highlands Inn were spectacular in helping us plan our elopement. They were very responsive and helped us coordinate everything and keep us on track the day of. I couldn’t have asked for a better staff or location to work with. Highly recommend!

I 100% recommend having your intimate wedding ceremony at Carmel Highlands. From my first phone call with their coordinators I was greeted with positivity and help navigating a small wedding during covid. They were incredibly responsive to all phone/email communication, planning with them was so stress free. Our wedding day was more than we imagined, the coordinators handled all the details from small to big (decorations, music, navigating our guests, and fluffing my dress!!). The bridal room was decorated with small details and we all felt taken care of while getting ready. Overall, it was the perfect wedding with 20 loved ones around us and the staff at Carmel highlands went above and beyond to make our day stress free.

My wife and I first reached out to the event's team to plan for a post-COVID wedding for our families and were only just toying with the idea of an elopement. When Jessica walked us through the space where the ceremony is held we were completely blown away and knew we had to have the big event there and decided on the call to go forward with the elopement. The space was perfectly positioned to see the beautiful coastline, and the event team was so incredibly helpful during the process. Weddings aren't supposed to be stress free, right? By some miracle, ours was and this team made it happen. Would highly recommend!!

This is a delayed review, we had our wedding in early December 2020. The entire process from planning to the wedding day was smooth. The entire team, especially Jessica and Lauren, were very professional and friendly. They helped a lot to solve issues and arranged everything perfectly. Like everyone, we were very busy on the wedding day and did not have time to take care of everything (not even for ourselves); Jessica and Lauren were running around and made sure there was no problem.

I would definitely recommend this venue and the team.

The property alone speaks for itself as a breathtaking venue. When I wasn't staring at my new husband, I was watching the waves crash off the nearby cliffs. As far as the wedding, Jessica Schmidt was a complete dream from day one. She was responsive to emails and made sure I knew what was going on the entire time. On the day of, she always knew what I needed before I did and she immediately jumped in to help, but was never overbearing. I had made paper flowers with wire stems and just handed her some flowers and wire cutters to make into a boutineer. Her look said that she had it handled and then she ran over and pinned it on the groom. She continued to make sure we had everything we needed during our stay at the hotel and I cannot wait to come back. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding and felt so relieved to be in such good hands. I can't recommend this beautiful dream come true enough.