Part V: Grand Hyatt Incheon
After an amazing flight, it was time for our well-deserved layover at Incheon. Unfortunately, we wouldn't have time to explore the city at all, so to preserve precious hours of sleep, we stayed near the airport.
I kept going back and forth on where to stay, as Design Hotels' Nest Hotel looked nice and cheap for our dates, but when we realized that we had a Category 1-4 certificate that was expiring for Hyatt, and the Grand Hyatt Incheon was a Category 3, we went with that.
As our flight was arriving a bit after 10:30 PM, we couldn't clear customs in time to take the last free shuttle bus for the night to the hotel, only 3 minutes away. The hotel mentioned to me over the phone that I could call when I landed for a free pickup, which is a great feature, but when I saw private transfers pricing out at about $22, we went with that. The extra few minutes of sleep were worth it, since our flight the next morning was at 8:30 AM.
Sure enough, after clearing customs, we found our driver, who quickly ushered us to a waiting Mercedes S550 sedan- nice wheels! Waters and newspapers were in the car, but we barely had time to check everything out before we were at the hotel.
The hotel was expecting us at the West Wing, and check in was extremely fast as a result. They recognized my Globalist status, and offered me an upgrade to a Residence One-Bedroom suite in the West Wing. Wow! Breakfast would be served in the lounge the next morning, which we would be able to check out briefly.
We were escorted up to the suite, and WOW! Why do we only have 9-ish hours here?? A welcome amenity of two Perriers was waiting, as well as a hand-written welcome, in the living room.
To the left was a kitchenette, with full-fridge.
Beyond that, moving to the bedroom, was a guest bathroom to the left, with Toto toilet.
Then, the bedroom.
To the left of that, a massive bathroom, with tub/shower combo, complete with in-bath television.
The room had a great view of the terminal.
We quickly got ready for bed to catch some shuteye. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for you all, I awoke at about 4 in the morning, so I decided to go explore the hotel a bit and use the gym.
The gym was located on a lower floor for the West Wing. The East Wing had its own facilities. I found the gym to be more than adequate, with lots of different equipment. I just wish the indoor pool was open late at night for a swim.
I walked over to the East Wing, which requires an outdoor walk on a covered bridge.
Looks nice. They had their own pool as well.
Then, I turned back and took some photos of the West Wing lobby, which reminded me of Qatar's Al Safwa lounge!
In the morning, we quickly packed and headed to the Grand Club for breakfast. We could've ordered some select menu items, but time was tight and we needed to get to the airport. Overall, a great lounge spread!
Since it was morning, we could take advantage of the Grand Hyatt's coach bus service to the airport, which took no time after a stop by the East Wing.
Overall, a great option for a layover in Incheon. While I'd like to have time in Seoul next layover, this was a great experience. Onward to Singapore!