FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Grand Hyatt San Francisco REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Old Oct 7, 2022 | 10:34 am
  #738  
bgriff
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 5,342
Stayed here this week, after staying at the HR SOMA a few weeks ago. Some thoughts:

Check in and room
As a Globalist I showed as pre-upgraded to a Club Level King on the app throughout the day of arrival, and the agent gave me that at check-in, despite an Executive Suite (marked as a "standard suite" on Hyatt.com) being available throughout the day and after I checked in. It was a solo stay and I arrived late so I decided not to make a fuss and maybe leave a suite for someone who could make better use of the upgrade, so I don't know how easily I would have gotten a suite if I asked, but a bit disappointing.

Room was nice enough though, seemed fairly modern (although maybe not super recently to judge by the absence of any USB plugs near the bed). I didn't have any issues with noise but the hotel also didn't seem very full. Nice views from the high floor, when the fog permits at least.

Club lounge
About the same experience as the other recent review. I haven't been to a Hyatt lounge in the US for quite a while so I don't really know how it compares, but relative to a lot of Bonvoy family lounges in the US I thought the breakfast spread was decent ... slightly different every day but seemed to always be plain scrambled eggs or egg whites, a potato dish of some sort, and some other egg dish, like huevos rancheros or various scrambles, plus the usual cold accompaniments. Never any standalone breakfast meat, if that's important to you, though most days the egg dish had meat in it. Certainly not restaurant breakfast, though.

Evening spread consisted of one hot protein and a side carb (one day fajita chicken with tortillas, another day chicken marsala with rice) and some little snacks like olives and nuts. Later in the evening they swap for "treats" which consisted of some cookies and little tarts, cheesecake bites, etc.

Gym
On the 35th floor with nice views, but on the small side for a hotel of this size. Maybe 10 total cardio machines and a few weight machines, plus a cable station and dumbbells (up to 75lbs).

Comparing to the HR SOMA
I liked the HR SOMA and would have stayed there again, but it was a good deal more expensive for this trip. I don't think I would pay a premium for one over the other, but personally I would choose the HR SOMA if the two were similarly priced in the future because:
  • I had a suite at the HR so I can't compare directly, but the style of the rooms there did seem a bit more recently updated and fresher, though both were okay
  • The gym at the HR is much bigger and more extensively equipped (like by double or more on both counts) despite the two properties having about the same number of rooms
  • The HR club lounge wasn't open when I visited but based on other reports since, apparently they are still offering the full restaurant breakfast buffet to club lounge guests, which was much more substantial than what the GH lounge offers
  • Personally, I find the HR location more convenient, but opinions can vary on that point. HR is more convenient if you want to use BART or Muni Metro, and a stay at the HR will probably involve fewer uphill walks than one at the GH. But, if you are concerned about encountering homeless people, the immediate area around the GH is probably a bit quieter in that regard. (The immediate area outside the HR was never an issue, but you can potentially walk a few blocks in any direction from the GH without encountering any homeless people, which is not very likely from the HR.)
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