- Introduction: Five Country European Adventure
- Review: KLM Business Class Boeing 787-10
- Review: KLM Business Class Boeing 737
- Review: Bank Hotel Stockholm (SLH & Hyatt)
- Review: SAS Plus Airbus A320neo
- Review: Four Seasons Grand-Hotel Du Cap-Ferrat
- Review: Hotel Fiester Hannes Burbach-Holzhausen
- Review: Hyatt Regency Mainz, Germany
- Review: Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
- Review: Aegean Airlines Business Class Airbus A321
- Review: Grand Hyatt Athens, Greece
- Review: Emirates’ Disappointing 777 Business Class
The last stop on our five country European adventure was Greece. We were there for a couple of nights for a wedding. I won’t be reviewing that hotel, because trying to review a hotel when there’s a wedding block is both awkward and probably unfair.
Instead I’ll just review the Grand Hyatt Athens, where we spent our last night in Greece. I was curious to check this hotel out myself. The 315-room hotel opened in 2018, and based on some reviews out there, you’d assume this hotel is a less luxurious version of Guantanamo Bay.
I had a slightly different take based on my stay. Are the things people say about the hotel true? Yes, largely. At the same time, the hotel is reasonably priced, and I tend to think it offers good value for money.
In this post:
Booking the Grand Hyatt Athens
We paid cash for our one night stay at the Grand Hyatt Athens. We were staying in late July, and the hotel cost 125 EUR including all taxes and fees. That’s suspiciously cheap, when you consider that this is peak season in Greece, and this hotel throws in a huge amount of stuff for World of Hyatt Globalist members. As a point of comparison, the Marriott Luxury Collection properties in the city (which, in fairness, are actually luxurious and well regarded) were retailing for over 600 EUR per night.
If you’re looking to redeem points, the Grand Hyatt Athens is a Category 3 World of Hyatt property, meaning a free night redemption here costs 12,000 World of Hyatt points. I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so to me paying cash was the better value.
Grand Hyatt Athens location
The Grand Hyatt Athens is located on Andrea Syngrou Avenue, which is a major six land road in Athens. There are all kinds of hotels, offices, and other businesses on this street, though this really isn’t an area that’s particularly fun to walk around.
On the plus side, the Grand Hyatt is a 10-15 minute drive from most points in the city you’d want to visit, and a roughly 30 minute drive to the airport. Don’t stay here expecting that you’ll be able to walk to the parts of the city you’ll likely want to visit. If you’re looking to take the subway, the nearest stop is about 1.2 kilometers away.
Grand Hyatt Athens check-in & lobby
We arrived at the Grand Hyatt Athens in the afternoon, and the hotel was packed. This hotel seems to run very high occupancy in the peak of summer, as you’d expect, especially given the rates here. As is standard for Grand Hyatts, the lobby felt pretty “grand,” and had high ceilings and lots of seating.
We only had to wait a few minutes to be checked in. The employee checking us in was friendly, and quickly familiarized us with the features of the hotel. This hotel is also great about elite recognition, and on account of my World of Hyatt Globalist status we received:
- A proactive upgrade to a junior suite with a terrace
- Complimentary breakfast at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant
- A 20 EUR per person credit (so 40 EUR per day) to use towards food & drinks, since the hotel’s Grand Club is closed
This really is generous, as the hotel doesn’t have to offer a replacement when the Grand Club is closed, especially when breakfast is being offered.
The front desk agents at the Grand Hyatt are extremely overworked. There were two front desk agents during peak check-in and check-out times serving a 300+ room hotel, and on top of that they were also answering the phones when calls came in from guest rooms. They did an amazing job maintaining their calm in this very stressful environment.
Off the lobby was a lobby bar, though we never visited it, and for that matter I’m not sure it was even open. I believe the Grand Club is on the ground floor behind this area, but again, it wasn’t open during our stay.
Grand Hyatt Athens junior suite with terrace
With keys for room number 856 in hand, we headed up to the eighth floor, which is the hotel’s top floor.
The layout here is quite awkward. When you exit the elevator you’re at the rooftop restaurant and have a direct view of the pool, so you almost think you’re in the wrong place. We followed the signage towards guest rooms, which took us down a narrow hall.
As we walked down the hall we had a pretty direct view of the nearby construction. There’s a massive project right next to the hotel, so I’m not sure if that’s part of a hotel expansion, or it’s a totally separate development.
I was confused, because when we got to the end of the hall, there was what looked like a fire exit. We assumed we had gone the wrong way, so we turned around and asked one of the bartenders where rooms were. He sent us back down that hall, and told us the rooms were behind those two doors. That’s strange.
Sure enough, behind those doors was the hallway with guest rooms. The hallway was beautiful, modern, and felt quite luxurious.
We quickly found our room.
The guest rooms here are surprisingly nice — not only are they new and modern, but the feel quite high-end. Our junior suite featured an entryway with a closet to the left and the bathroom to the right, with the rest of the room straight ahead.
Inside the room and to the left was a king size bed, which was reasonably comfortable, though the pillows were a bit flat for my liking. But seriously, doesn’t this room look nicer than you’d think? Look at the wall treatments, lighting fixtures, headboard, side tables, etc.
Across from the bed was a desk and a wall-mounted TV.
The desk housed the minibar. It’s rather stingy that the hotel charges for espresso capsules, and rather it’s just instant coffee and tea that’s complimentary.
Then in the far corner of the room was a loveseat and a chair with a table.
Near the sitting area was the door to the terrace. The terrace was large, and had a table with two chairs.
The views of the immediate area weren’t particularly inspiring, but the views in the distance were nice.
While the bathroom was on the small side, it was also thoughtfully appointed, and had a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower.
The shower had both a rainforest shower head and a handheld one.
Toiletries were from Jo Malone, and had a pleasant scent. I tend to think this is one of the better toiletry brands for mid-range hotels.
Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free. Overall I’d say the room greatly exceeded my expectations in terms of design. There was only one major issue — the air conditioning didn’t work very well. We brought this to the attention of the hotel and they sent up maintenance. They played around a bit with the system and claimed it would be better. It got ever-so-slightly better, but still didn’t work very well.
We didn’t want to switch rooms, mainly because I assumed we’d have the same issue in another room as well. I’m not sure anything was broken, rather than the air conditioning here just not being very good in the peak of summer. I’m curious if others have had a similar experience.
Grand Hyatt Athens Grand by Interni (lunch)
The Grand Hyatt Athens’ all-day dining restaurant is Grand by Interni. It’s located on the rooftop (the same floor as our room), and it’s right across from the pool. The main part of the restaurant is kind of cool.
Since we had a 40 EUR credit to spend and were hungry, we decided to have lunch up there. The prices were fairly reasonable, and the menu and drink list read as follows:
We both ordered Greek salads, which we enjoyed.
Grand Hyatt Athens room service
Late in the evening during our stay we were still a bit hungry, so we ordered delicious and healthy lentil salads, which were brought promptly and on a proper room service cart.
Grand Hyatt Athens breakfast
Breakfast at the Grand Hyatt Athens is served daily from 7AM until 11AM. It’s also served at the rooftop restaurant, though with 300+ rooms, there’s not enough seating in the main part of the restaurant to accommodate everyone. As a result, they basically have overspill seating. The whole setup feels like an afterthought, and the chairs and tables are what you might expect in a hotel conference room.
The buffet itself was reasonably decent. It was far from the best breakfast spread I’ve had in Greece, but it was perfectly fine, with a selection of pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, cold cuts, juice, eggs, sausage, and more.
We did go to breakfast right when it opened, which meant that it was fairly quiet, and we could sit in the main part of the restaurant. However, I’ve heard from others that it can be a total zoo later in the morning, but I can’t personally speak to that.
Grand Hyatt Athens pools
The Grand Hyatt Athens has two pools. There’s a rooftop pool, which is a pretty cute space with incredible views, including of the Acropolis.
The catch is that there are many a few dozen seats at most, while this is a popular amenity with guests. So while I got pictures with the pool empty right at sunrise, during the day it was as crowded as a Spirit Airlines plane the day before Thanksgiving.
There was also a pool on the ground floor, which didn’t get as busy.
Admittedly the views weren’t quite as good as from the rooftop.
Grand Hyatt Athens gym
The Grand Hyatt Athens has a solid gym on the basement level, with modern equipment. The gym is a good size, but can get busy when you consider that the hotel has so many rooms.
Grand Hyatt Athens service
I found everyone at the Grand Hyatt Athens to be polite, well intentioned, and way overworked. The hotel simply isn’t staffed for the number of guests that stay here, so don’t expect to get particularly attentive service at this property.
Bottom line
At the Grand Hyatt Athens you get what you pay for, and if you’re a Globalist member, you get even more. Based on some of the reviews I had read, the hotel exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.
The Grand Hyatt is a modern and reasonably priced hotel with great elite recognition, well intentioned employees, and pretty decent facilities. I would stay here again if I were just passing through Athens and wanted to briefly see the sights.
Personally I wouldn’t stay here if I were looking to relax by the pool or wanted a hotel that’s in a great area for walking. Also keep in mind that there’s a massive construction project next to the hotel, though during my stay it was only an eyesore, and noise wasn’t an issue.
At the price I paid in the peak of summer, I think the hotel offers a solid value. If the hotel didn’t have these issues, it would probably be significantly more expensive.
If you’ve stayed at the Grand Hyatt Athens, what was your experience like? And if you haven’t stayed there, would you consider the property?
Spent a week at the Grand Hyatt Athens in July 2023 and it was perfect! That construction added another more than 250rooms to the already more than 250!! And a wonderful spa in the basement floor. Its definitely worth returning to.
My wife and I have stayed at the hotel and have had a wonderful time... Hotel was well run in our opinion and had a great view from the rooftop pool of that part of Athens. I would certainly recommend the Hyatt to any one thinking of booking.. When visiting Greece Athens should be a jump off stop between islands and returning home.. great location for getting to the airport..
The construction site next door is indeed an expansion project of the hotel which will eventually move from 309 to 550 rooms, making it the highest-capacity hotel in Athens.
The cheek of them to charge for the non-instant coffee in the room. And 3 bloody EUR? You could buy 2 espressos and get change for 3 EUR from a cafe...
Little things like that really annoy me.
Its about a 30 min walk to syntagma Square all downhill if I remember correctly
I note you didn't mention the adult entertainment across the road...
That downstairs bar was the club lounge alright when I there
I thought it was great value for what it was
The intercontinental is actually next door
This is about a block away from a great rooftop restaurant called Hytra.
Went there in July and would highly recommend it.
I stayed here for 2 nights before our cruise in September...I was able to make a GOH booking for a friend and paid the low rate for myself...I cannot say a bad word about any of it...I find that status recognition in Europe is only marginally better then in the U.S. and the team at the Athens GH went above and beyond my expectations...Breakfast later in the morning is indeed a "zoo" but we just...
I stayed here for 2 nights before our cruise in September...I was able to make a GOH booking for a friend and paid the low rate for myself...I cannot say a bad word about any of it...I find that status recognition in Europe is only marginally better then in the U.S. and the team at the Athens GH went above and beyond my expectations...Breakfast later in the morning is indeed a "zoo" but we just went earlier the 2nd morning and it was perfectly calm...The 40Euro credit per day was a wonderful surprise and whoever mentioned all the restaurants/tavernas behind the hotel is 100% correct, also a wonderful coffee/bake shop just behind as well...If you are only in town for a night or 2, there is no reason to look any farther, assuming you are a Hyatt regular...
“The hallway was beautiful, modern, and felt quite luxurious.” Hm. The hallway on the photo looks 100% generic and could be in any 3 to 5 star hotel?
Anyways, it is great that you are back traveling and your reviews are fantastic as always!
My wife and I and another couple stayed there a couple of years ago in October, shortly after it was reflagged as a Hyatt. I used points for us and did GOH for the other room. It was superb. Both rooms were bumped up to full suites with giant verandas with views of the Acropolis. The staff were just as nice as you could ask for anywhere. Breakfast was wonderful and never crowded. If you...
My wife and I and another couple stayed there a couple of years ago in October, shortly after it was reflagged as a Hyatt. I used points for us and did GOH for the other room. It was superb. Both rooms were bumped up to full suites with giant verandas with views of the Acropolis. The staff were just as nice as you could ask for anywhere. Breakfast was wonderful and never crowded. If you turn to the left when exiting the hotel, there are a number of restaurants a short walk away that have great food at very reasonable prices. The only real drawback was the location, and a taxi to or from the prime areas cost 5-10 Euro. To this day I still hear raves from my friends about how great the hotel was.
Why would anyone want to stay at a bland, chain hotel like this, that could be anywhere?? AirB&B or smaller boutique hotels are the way to go, not these mammoth hotels catering to the bus touring set with cash, Ick.
I think this might be the wrong blog for you shoeguy. While you point is well made, this blog concentrates on loyalty and the use of points, which sadly don't usually apply to your preferred boutique hotels.
Stayed at the Grand Bretagne in Athens and would highly recommend it. Not only the hotel was very luxurious but the location was perfect. As for Joe Malone toiletries, they are not mid range but pretty high end stuff.
Totally agree and I am a long term globalist.
Although currently a construction site, the area is clearly under regeneration and Hyatt’s presence there is part of it. Sygrou is indeed a monster of a road going through the centre of Athens, however, if you walk round the back you can get “lost” in many lovely local neighbourhoods with some fantastic tavernas. You also have easy access to the tramline into Glyfada. All in all, I’d still consider it a good location for central...
Although currently a construction site, the area is clearly under regeneration and Hyatt’s presence there is part of it. Sygrou is indeed a monster of a road going through the centre of Athens, however, if you walk round the back you can get “lost” in many lovely local neighbourhoods with some fantastic tavernas. You also have easy access to the tramline into Glyfada. All in all, I’d still consider it a good location for central Athens although not as central as some of the SLH properties in the heart of Plaka.
this is such a pet peeve while traveling. as someone with a life threatening peanut allergy, its looks annoying and makes me somewhat incredulous that they claim so many conventionally-safe dishes (including their bread, burrata, and oven baked chicken) contain peanuts. Either their chefs don't know what peanuts are (concerning) or else their recipes are bizarre (not sure what burrata recipe plausibly calls for peanuts?!). to clarify Peanuts are legumes, not nuts; so pine nuts,...
this is such a pet peeve while traveling. as someone with a life threatening peanut allergy, its looks annoying and makes me somewhat incredulous that they claim so many conventionally-safe dishes (including their bread, burrata, and oven baked chicken) contain peanuts. Either their chefs don't know what peanuts are (concerning) or else their recipes are bizarre (not sure what burrata recipe plausibly calls for peanuts?!). to clarify Peanuts are legumes, not nuts; so pine nuts, hazelnuts, etc would not be of concern to people with peanut allergies. maybe that's where their confusion lies. not especially inspiring for my confidence
I'm pretty sure a lot of this is because the food "contains" peanuts due to being prepared on equipment that also handles them, not because they're directly included. How the allergens survive cleaning is another question.
Hank - as a fellow allergy suffered who has been known to carry an EpiPen when travelling, I think these listings are precautionary, as sometimes a kitchen cannot guarantee strict separation between say utensils used with peanut oil, and those not. So its cross contamination that is the issue, not the actual addition of peanuts to buratta! At a good restaurant, I get asked, 'is it OK for you to eat a steak grilled on...
Hank - as a fellow allergy suffered who has been known to carry an EpiPen when travelling, I think these listings are precautionary, as sometimes a kitchen cannot guarantee strict separation between say utensils used with peanut oil, and those not. So its cross contamination that is the issue, not the actual addition of peanuts to buratta! At a good restaurant, I get asked, 'is it OK for you to eat a steak grilled on the same grill they use for fish? (it is). But for others, this cross contamination would not be acceptable.
Where else did you go in Greece (where was the wedding held?)
Agree with Lucky. This hotel actually has quite a few positives, modern rooms and great service. One caution - we had a suite upgrade and used it for a one bedroom suite facing the main street up front. It is extremely noisy at all hours and with sliding doors, much of the street noise enters the rooms in this part of the hotel. Even with ear plugs, rest was hard to come by.
The prices for drinks is insane. 9 euro for a Heineken is proper robbery.
I would much rather a hotel with a view of the Acropolis than this
I’m Greek and go back every year to see family. I hardly spend any time in Athens bc it’s honestly the most boring city to me (Thessaloniki is where it’s at!!!). But whenever I have a friend come with me who wants to see the sights, ERGON House is my favorite hotel to stay at in Downtown Athens. Centrally located, fantastic view of the Acropolis, spacious rooms, great food, and exact same price point as this hotel being reviewed. Highly recommend!!!