Review: Grand Hyatt Denver

Review: Grand Hyatt Denver

NAME: Grand Hyatt Denver
LOCATION: Denver, Colorado
DATE: November 2020
REVIEW RATING:
BEN SAYS: If you're a Hyatt loyalist and traveling to Denver, the Grand Hyatt is a solid option if the price is right -- the hotel has updated rooms, a nice gym, track, and pool, and a central location.
9
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In connection with our stay at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, we also spent a few nights at the 516-room Grand Hyatt Denver. I figured I’d quickly review the hotel, though there’s less to say than usual, given that some of the facilities were closed due to coronavirus.

Booking the Grand Hyatt Denver

We booked the Hyatt Privé rate at the Grand Hyatt Denver, and that cost under $100 per night. For booking this rate, we received the following additional amenities:

  • Daily full breakfast for two
  • A $100 property credit per room per stay
  • A one category room upgrade confirmed within 24 hours of booking (room-to-room or suite-to-suite) — based on availability at the time of booking
  • Early check-in (as early as 9AM) and late check-out (as late as 4PM), subject to availability
  • A welcome gift and letter

Ultimately I’d say that was a pretty good deal, especially given all the points we’d earn thanks to World of Hyatt’s promotion.

Redeeming points at the Grand Hyatt Denver

While we paid cash, you can also redeem points at the Grand Hyatt Denver. This is a Category 3 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night redemption costs the following number of points:

  • 12,000 points in a standard room
  • 20,000 points in a standard suite
  • 24,000 points in a premium suite

Based on my valuation of 1.5 cents per World of Hyatt point, paying cash was a no-brainer here.

Even if you’re not a Hyatt loyalist, earning World of Hyatt points can be pretty easy. In addition to being able to earn World of Hyatt points with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review), you can also transfer over points from Chase Ultimate Rewards.

World of Hyatt Credit Card
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • Earn 4x Points at Hyatt Properties
  • Free Night Every Year
  • Complimentary Discoverist Status
  • $95
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
  • 3x points on dining
  • 2x points on travel purchases
  • $95
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • 3x points on Travel after the $300 Annual Travel Credit
  • 3x points on Dining
  • $300 Travel Credit
  • $550
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • Earn 3x points on travel
  • Earn 3x points on shipping purchases
  • Cell Phone Protection
  • $95
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
  • Car Rental Coverage
  • Extended Warranty Protection
  • $0
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • Earn 5% Cash Back at office supply stores
  • Earn 5% Cash Back on internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines
  • Car Rental Coverage
  • $0
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Learn More Terms Apply.
  • Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
  • Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
  • Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
  • $0

Grand Hyatt Denver location

The Grand Hyatt is located in downtown Denver, at the intersection of Welton Street & 18th Street. I’m by no means an expert on Denver, though my impression was that I didn’t love the immediate area, but within a 10-15 minute walk there were lots of cute streets, restaurants, and shops.

Denver experts are welcome to share their take. I’d say the location is fine, but isn’t a reason to stay here, assuming you’re traveling for leisure.

Grand Hyatt Denver check-in & lobby

The Grand Hyatt Denver doesn’t have a particularly appealing exterior, though fortunately it’s a different story once inside, as the hotel has been renovated.

Grand Hyatt Denver exterior
Grand Hyatt Denver exterior
Grand Hyatt Denver entrance

The Grand Hyatt has a pretty nice lobby with plenty of seating — I’d imagine it’s usually quite a bit busier, but the hotel was more or less dead while we were there.

Grand Hyatt Denver lobby
Grand Hyatt Denver lobby
Grand Hyatt Denver lobby
Grand Hyatt Denver lobby

Reception was located inside the entrance to the hotel and to the left, and the check-in process was efficient. We were informed we had been upgraded to an executive suite on account of my Globalist status. It was also explained that the hotel’s only open food & beverage outlet was Courier Market. Since my status ordinarily offers free breakfast, we were instead given a $30 daily credit to be used here, either for breakfast or any other time of day. That’s in addition to the $100 credit we received during the stay for booking through Hyatt Privé.

Grand Hyatt Denver reception

Grand Hyatt Denver Executive Suite

With keys in hand, we headed towards the elevators, and went up to the 17th floor, where our room (1701) was located.

Grand Hyatt Denver elevators
Grand Hyatt Denver hallway

The executive suites at the Grand Hyatt Denver are marketed as being 784 square feet, so they’re generously sized. Inside the entrance was the huge living room. This included a dining table with high-top seating, a living area with a couch and a chair, and then a TV on a console.

Grand Hyatt Denver executive suite
Grand Hyatt Denver executive suite
Grand Hyatt Denver executive suite dining area
Grand Hyatt Denver executive suite living area

Near the dining table was a Keurig coffee machine, along with a couple of bottles of water.

Grand Hyatt Denver executive suite in-room coffee machine

A door then led into the bedroom, which had a king size bed. While the mattress itself was comfortable, I’m not a fan of how Grand Hyatts often have such small pillows.

Grand Hyatt executive suite bedroom

In the bedroom there was a chair next to the bed, and then also a desk and a chair on the opposite end of the room, by the TV.

Grand Hyatt executive suite bedroom

The bathroom was off the bedroom area, and had a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower.

Grand Hyatt executive suite bathroom
Grand Hyatt executive suite bathroom
Grand Hyatt executive suite shower

Toiletries were from Balmain, which I find to be pretty decent for an upscale hotel.

Grand Hyatt executive suite toiletries

The view from our room was mainly of surrounding buildings — we could see some mountains in the distance, but views from the hotel are largely obstructed by the nearby high rises.

Grand Hyatt executive suite view
Grand Hyatt executive suite view

All things considered we liked our room, especially given the upgrade and the price we were paying.

Grand Hyatt Denver pool

The Grand Hyatt Denver has an indoor pool on the fourth floor, which families will surely appreciate. I didn’t use it.

Grand Hyatt Denver pool
Grand Hyatt Denver pool

Grand Hyatt Denver gym & outdoor track

Also on the fourth floor is the Grand Hyatt Denver’s gym. While the gym isn’t particularly impressive, it has modern equipment, and we appreciated having access to it (especially after previously being in Germany, where gyms were closed fully).

Grand Hyatt Denver gym
Grand Hyatt Denver gym
Grand Hyatt Denver gym

One special feature of the Grand Hyatt is the fourth floor “rooftop” track and tennis court. This area is open to hotel guests, so whether you want to jog outside or play tennis, this is a cool amenity to have.

Grand Hyatt Denver track & tennis court

Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market

Courier Market was open daily from 6AM until 10PM, and it was the Grand Hyatt’s only open food & beverage outlet. The market had everything from grab-and-go drinks, packaged snacks, and sandwiches, to cappuccinos, to a menu with freshly prepared food.

Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market
Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market
Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market
Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market
Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market

Below is the all day dining menu at Courier Market.

Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market menu

For breakfast we had oatmeal and some fresh fruit one morning, and eggs with toast, hash browns, and sausage, another morning.

Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market breakfast
Grand Hyatt Denver Courier Market breakfast

For a market-style concept, I thought the food was great, and I appreciated the wide selection and ease of ordering stuff.

Bottom line

The Grand Hyatt Denver did the trick for our stay. At a rate of under $100 per night we got a great deal, especially with a suite upgrade, a daily $30 food & beverage credit, plus an additional $100 food & beverage credit once during our stay on account of booking through Hyatt Privé.

I appreciated the updated rooms, the gym, and the outdoor track, though other than that there’s not much to talk about. For us Hyatt loyalists, the Thompson Denver is opening in early 2022, and I’m looking forward to checking that out next time I come to town.

We obviously stayed at a very strange time, when the hotel was totally empty, as it’s usually popular with conferences and conventions. I doubt I would have felt the same way about the hotel if it were at 100% occupancy, in which case the experience would have likely been very different.

If you’ve stayed at the Grand Hyatt Denver, what was your experience like?

Conversations (9)
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  1. Matthew Guest

    If you book through privet do you still get globalist recognition.vs wxpedia hotels.com where usually status is not recognized?
    Do you get credit for nights stayed??

    Thanks

  2. Nancy Monti Guest

    Having worked in downtown Denver for 15 years prior to covid, completely agree with the comments on location. A few blocks towards Union Station and there are great restaurants to choose from. The area around GH isn't bad, just not as good as a few blocks away.

  3. AW Guest

    This is 100% a business hotel. It used to the the only Hyatt/nicest Hyatt downtown, but 10 or 15 years ago they opened the Hyatt Regency near the Convention Center that is a) nicer (although it's now probably old enough that it's in need of full renovation, b) in a better location for both tourists and convention-goers and c) seems to be the one that has Hyatt's attention and promotion budget much more.

  4. Bobo Guest

    We had a great stay there in May and got upgraded as you did. The staff was quite friendly and helpful and I thought the $30 breakfast credit was generous in view of the low room rate. I'd definitely return.

  5. Grey Diamond

    This place at least looks much nicer than the Park Hyatt.

  6. Steven E Guest

    So the gym wasn’t particularly ? That sentence seems to be incompetent

  7. Jay Guest

    Ben… what is the point of Prive credit at most US “full service” Hyatt’s nowadays, in my experience, in the past few months… most every full service Hyatt has closed their restaurants and the only thing open is the overpriced, packaged to-go, slightly better than Starbucks market concept. If I’m a globalist, and get free breakfast, I can only usually get it here served up in to go plastic or warmed up in a convection...

    Ben… what is the point of Prive credit at most US “full service” Hyatt’s nowadays, in my experience, in the past few months… most every full service Hyatt has closed their restaurants and the only thing open is the overpriced, packaged to-go, slightly better than Starbucks market concept. If I’m a globalist, and get free breakfast, I can only usually get it here served up in to go plastic or warmed up in a convection oven…not in a proper restaurant. AND, with a Prive credit of 75-100 per stay, what do I spend it on? More granola bars and a lot of cappuccinos? Honestly, open the restaurants. COVID is no longer an excuse.

  8. Sp Guest

    Thanks for the review, Ben. I stayed there 2 weekends ago and had a totally different experience. The front desk staff didn't even pretend to be friendly. The worst part was that someone was moving furniture above our room (we were on the penultimate floor) around midnight. After 15 minutes of noise, I called the front desk but the noise continued for 2 more hours. The next morning, I recounted what happened to the front...

    Thanks for the review, Ben. I stayed there 2 weekends ago and had a totally different experience. The front desk staff didn't even pretend to be friendly. The worst part was that someone was moving furniture above our room (we were on the penultimate floor) around midnight. After 15 minutes of noise, I called the front desk but the noise continued for 2 more hours. The next morning, I recounted what happened to the front desk staff (they never asked how my stay was, so I volunteered it) and they offered me a cup of coffee on the house to make up for not being able to sleep...so much for being a Globalist!

  9. Stuart Guest

    I stayed here in April (the rates were much higher at that point) and the "restaurant" was open but was really just the same menu you had but in a bar atmosphere with high top table atmosphere. It really has no F&B to speak of despite how they create the illusion that they do on the website. Luckily there are some decent restaurants 5-10 minutes walk away.

    No reason though to ever stay here unless...

    I stayed here in April (the rates were much higher at that point) and the "restaurant" was open but was really just the same menu you had but in a bar atmosphere with high top table atmosphere. It really has no F&B to speak of despite how they create the illusion that they do on the website. Luckily there are some decent restaurants 5-10 minutes walk away.

    No reason though to ever stay here unless it's incredibly cheap compared to others - or you need to for a conference. The nearby Four Seasons is honestly often a good value (for a FS) and a wonderful property if you want to step it up. Otherwise, at this point in Denver, I would not spend the money for a "full service" property in the city unless it was really cheap.

    Cherry Creek is also an option with a number of properties that are far less convention oriented.

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Grey Diamond

This place at least looks much nicer than the Park Hyatt.

1
Matthew Guest

If you book through privet do you still get globalist recognition.vs wxpedia hotels.com where usually status is not recognized? Do you get credit for nights stayed?? Thanks

0
Nancy Monti Guest

Having worked in downtown Denver for 15 years prior to covid, completely agree with the comments on location. A few blocks towards Union Station and there are great restaurants to choose from. The area around GH isn't bad, just not as good as a few blocks away.

0
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