Review: Grand Hyatt SFO (Amazing Airport Hotel)

Name: Grand Hyatt at SFO
Address: San Francisco, California, US
Price range: $$$

By: Ben Schlappig

Updated: January 12, 2025
Published: April 5, 2021

47 comments

Booking the Grand Hyatt SFO

I paid cash for our stay at the Grand Hyatt SFO — the rate was ~$180 for our one night stay, which seemed reasonable. Obviously that more reasonably pricing is due to the pandemic, because pre-pandemic this hotel was regularly significantly more expensive than that.

The Grand Hyatt is a Category 5 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night here costs 20,000 World of Hyatt points, which is steep. I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so redeeming points here would be the equivalent of paying ~$300 per night, by my valuation. In this case paying cash for the stay was the better value by far.

Grand Hyatt SFO location

You know what they say about hotels — location, location, location (okay, for airport hotels I’d say it’s about plane spotting, plane spotting, plane spotting, but fortunately this hotel hits it out of the park in both regards).

The Grand Hyatt is the only hotel at SFO that’s accessible directly with the AirTrain. The hotel has its own station, giving you a direct rail link to all SFO terminals, the rental car center, and more. You really can’t beat the convenience of this, given how inconsistent hotel shuttles can be.

For context, here’s an SFO AirTrain map:

When you arrive at the Grand Hyatt AirTrain station you just take the escalator down a level.

Grand Hyatt SFO AirTrain station

You’ll then find yourself on the fourth floor, and if you turn left you’ll be in the lobby.

Grand Hyatt SFO AirTrain station

By the way, if you are arriving by car, there’s also a ground floor entrance.

Grand Hyatt SFO ground floor lobby

Grand Hyatt SFO check-in & lobby

The Grand Hyatt SFO’s lobby is simply gorgeous, and will make you forget you’re at an airport hotel (well, except for the amazing views of planes, which will remind you’re at an airport — what an awesome combination).

The reception desk was just inside the entrance, and our check-in process was quick. I was thanked for being a Globalist member, and was informed we had been upgraded to a corner suite. While most of the hotel’s restaurants and the Grand Club are currently closed, we were given a voucher for Twin Crafts Market for breakfast, since that’s the hotel’s 24/7 food & beverage outlet right now.

Grand Hyatt SFO reception

Seriously, how pretty is this lobby?!

Grand Hyatt SFO lobby

Within a few minutes we had keys in hand, and headed to the elevators to access our room.

Grand Hyatt SFO elevators

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite

We were assigned room 1002, a corner suite on the 10th floor (the hotel has a total of 12 floors).

Grand Hyatt SFO hallway

Grand Hyatt SFO room exterior

Inside the entrance was a small foyer and then a living room, which featured a loveseat, a coffee table with stool, a desk with a chair, a bench, a TV, and a minibar.

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite entryway

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite living area

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite desk

The minibar area had a coffee machine, kettle, complimentary still and sparkling water in reusable bottles, and a mini-fridge.

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite minibar setup

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite in-room coffee

Then there was a door leading into the bedroom, which had a super-comfy king size bed, along with a TV and a daybed.

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite bedroom

On the daybed was a pair of binoculars and a plane spotting guide. DID I MENTION HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS HOTEL?!

Grand Hyatt SFO plane spotter guide

The attention to detail in this hotel impressed me to no end. Beyond all the avgeek stuff, there was pillow mist on the bed. Like, that’s super minor, but also not something you’d usually find at an airport hotel.

Grand Hyatt SFO pillow mist

Then there was a massive bathroom with double sinks, a soaking tub, a partitioned off Japanese toilet (we’re talking motion-activated and heated seats), and a walk-in shower.

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite bathroom

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite toilet

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite shower

Toiletries were in reusable bottles from Pharmacopia.

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite toiletries

By the way, that bathtub has airport views!

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite bathtub

Again, the attention to detail was amazing — they had special towels just for makeup.

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite towels

It was late at night when we arrived, so my mom and I went to sleep almost immediately. When we woke up the next morning we were treated to a glorious sunrise overlooking the international terminal at SFO. Talk about a room with a view!

Grand Hyatt SFO corner suite view

I couldn’t get over how amazing the views were. Unfortunately this was also a sad reminder of how much international travel has declined. There was barely any traffic, while ordinarily you’d have a countless number of wide body aircraft pulling into gates here. You can bet I’ll be coming back once international travel recovers, while of course streaming ATC audio.

Grand Hyatt SFO Twin Crafts Market

Twin Crafts Market is the Grand Hyatt’s 24/7 market, located on the lobby level. This is a pretty versatile dining space, in the sense that they have grab-n-go options, they also have freshly prepared hot meals, and ordinarily there would also be a bar, but that was closed due to the pandemic.

Grand Hyatt SFO Twin Crafts Market

There was plenty of seating that was available, ranging from comfortable couches to communal tables. Again, I thought the design was awesome — look at the art, the lighting, the seating, etc.

Grand Hyatt SFO Twin Crafts Market seating

We had been given a voucher for a complimentary breakfast item and non-alcoholic beverage per person.

Grand Hyatt SFO Globalist breakfast voucher

My mom and I both ordered lattes to drink.

Grand Hyatt SFO breakfast

I ordered a veggie omelet, which came with breakfast potatoes and toast, while my mom had a smoked salmon bagel, both of which were excellent.

Grand Hyatt SFO breakfast

Here’s the in-room dining menu, which is essentially what’s available at the market, but it can be delivered to your room:

Grand Hyatt SFO gym

The Grand Hyatt SFO’s gym is on the first floor, and it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at an airport hotel. It had an excellent variety of both cardio and weights.

Grand Hyatt SFO gym

Bottom line

The Grand Hyatt SFO is simply a spectacular hotel, and one of the best airport hotels in the world. As an avgeek you absolutely have to put this hotel on your bucket list.

There’s so much to love about this hotel — the location is unbeatable, the design will make you feel like you’re not at an airport hotel, and then the views will remind you that you’re at the best airport hotel. 😉

I can’t wait to return here when all of the facilities are open (like the restaurants and Grand Club, which I’ve heard good things about), and most importantly when the international terminal is bustling again with more flights, which will really allow for more plane spotting.

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