Review: Grand Hyatt Incheon Airport (ICN)

Review: Grand Hyatt Incheon Airport (ICN)

NAME: Grand Hyatt Incheon
LOCATION: Incheon, South Korea
DATE: October 2024
REVIEW RATING:
BEN SAYS: The Grand Hyatt Incheon is a quality airport hotel, with modern rooms, a solid gym and pool, and an impressive and unique club lounge setup.
10

For the next hotel stay of my quick trip to Japan & Korea, I spent a night at the 1,024-room Grand Hyatt Incheon. I was arriving in the evening from Vancouver in Korean Air’s 787-10 business class, and was departing midday for Sapporo in Korean Air’s A321neo business class, so I didn’t have all that much time to enjoy the hotel.

This was my first stay at the Grand Hyatt Incheon in around a decade, and I was happy to return. Despite its size, there’s a lot to like about this hotel, including a modern design (at least in the West Tower), comfortable rooms, friendly service, and a really unusual (in a good way) club lounge concept.

The one downside to this hotel is that it’s not connected directly to the airport, so requires taking a shuttle. That’s not a huge deal, of course, but generally I greatly value the convenience of staying directly at a hotel.

All-in-all, I’m a fan of this hotel and would gladly return, especially given the reasonable pricing.

Booking the Grand Hyatt Incheon

I paid cash for my stay at the Grand Hyatt Incheon, as the rate was 224,000 KRW (~156 USD) including all taxes and fees. I thought that was reasonable.

When it comes to redeeming World of Hyatt points, the Grand Hyatt Incheon is a Category 3 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night costs either 9,000, 12,000, or 15,000 points, depending on whether you’re staying during off-peak, standard, or peak dates.

I was staying over standard dates, so the stay would’ve cost 12,000 points per night. Since I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, paying cash was the better value here.

Grand Hyatt Incheon location

The Grand Hyatt Incheon is located just south of Incheon International Airport (ICN). It’s less than a five-minute drive from Terminal 1, while it’s around a 15-minute drive from Terminal 2, as the terminals are quite far apart. I was arriving at and departing from Terminal 2, which is the less convenient terminal to be using when staying at this hotel.

Grand Hyatt Incheon exterior

The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service to and from both terminals every 30 minutes. Based on the current schedule:

  • The shuttle between the hotel and Terminal 1 runs every 30 minutes between 5:30AM and 10:00PM; it departs the hotel at :00 and :30, and departs gate 3C at Terminal 1 at :05 and :35
  • The shuttle between the hotel and Terminal 2 runs every 30 minutes between 5:40AM and 10:10PM; it departs the hotel at :10 and :40, and departs from gate 4A at Terminal 2 at :10 and :40

No reservations are needed for the bus, as it’s available on a first come, first served basis. The good news is that the bus is huge, so running out of space shouldn’t be an issue.

Grand Hyatt Incheon shuttle bus

Grand Hyatt Incheon East Tower vs. West Tower

The Grand Hyatt Incheon has two towers — the East Tower and West Tower. They’re immediately next to one another. While the two sides share a wellness area and there’s a bridge connecting them, they’re otherwise pretty independent. That’s to say that each tower has its own reception area for guests staying in that section.

Grand Hyatt Incheon bridge between towers

The West Tower is considered more premium than the East Tower, so the lower rates are typically in the East Tower. For example, I booked a room in the East Tower, but as a Globalist member, was upgraded to a room in the West Tower, which is pretty standard. So when you look at your room assignment prior to check-in, see if you’re staying in the East Tower or West Tower, so you go to the correct building.

Grand Hyatt Incheon East Tower lobby

Grand Hyatt Incheon lobby & check-in

The Grand Hyatt Incheon West Tower has a super modern lobby, which borders on being sterile, and feeling a bit like the ground floor of an office building. The lobby has a ton of seating, and also a staircase leading down to the events spaces.

Grand Hyatt Incheon lobby
Grand Hyatt Incheon lobby
Grand Hyatt Incheon lobby
Grand Hyatt Incheon lobby
Grand Hyatt Incheon lobby

Reception is located just inside the lobby and straight ahead, with the concierge desk being to the left, and the front desk being to the right. My check-in process was efficient and friendly. I was informed that I had been upgraded to a Grand Deluxe Executive Suite West Tower as a Globalist member. This was a great upgrade, as this is considered a premium suite (Globalist members ordinarily get upgrades up to standard suites).

Grand Hyatt Incheon reception

With keys in hand, I headed toward the elevators, and up to my room.

Grand Hyatt Incheon elevators

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite

The Grand Hyatt Incheon has 12 floors, and I was assigned a room on the 11th floor. Since the hotel is massive, you’ll potentially get quite a few steps in the hallways. That’s especially true if you’re assigned one of the corner suites, like I was.

Grand Hyatt Incheon hallway
Grand Hyatt Incheon hallway

I was in room W1131 (with the “W” indicating that the room is in the West Tower). The Grand Deluxe Executive Suite I was assigned was marketed as being 1,022 square feet (95 square meters), so that’s a huge space.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite exterior

Upon entering the room, I found myself in the living room, featuring a dining table with four chairs, a living area with a couch and a chair, and even a kitchenette.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite living room
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite living room

The kitchen area had a Nespresso machine, a tea kettle, and a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase in the minibar.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite kitchen area
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite in-room coffee setup
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite minibar
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite minibar
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite minibar

On account of my Globalist status, there was also a welcome gift of a bottle of red wine, plus a box of chocolates. This hotel sure is generous!

Grand Hyatt Incheon Globalist welcome amenity

There was then a long and narrow hallway with all kinds of closet space, plus a half bathroom.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite hallway
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite half bathroom

The bedroom was then off the living room, and featured a reasonably comfortable king size bed, a chair with an ottoman, and a TV in the corner.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite bedroom
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite bedroom

The main bathroom was huge, with double sinks, and a shower “compound,” which even had a bathtub.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite main bathroom
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite bathtub
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite shower

Toiletries were in reusable containers from Balmain Paris — that’s a better brand than you’d expect at an airport hotel!

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite toiletries

There was also a second toilet here, complete with a bidet feature.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite toilet

The room didn’t exactly have the most inspiring views — it faced the East Tower in one direction, and the parking lot in the other direction, with Terminal 1 in the distance.

Grand Hyatt Incheon suite view
Grand Hyatt Incheon suite view

What a great upgrade, and what a nice suite. Go figure for such a short stay I didn’t really have time to fully enjoy it, but it was still much appreciated!

Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus

Club Olympus is the Grand Hyatt Incheon’s wellness area. It’s located on the second floor of the West Tower, though can be accessed by guests from both towers.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus

Club Olympus has a 24/7 gym, which isn’t huge, but does have an impressive array of equipment for both cardio and strength training. I always enjoy my 2AM workouts when traveling, and since this was an airport hotel, I wasn’t even alone at that time.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus gym
Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus gym
Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus gym
Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus gym
Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus gym

Club Olympus also has a lap pool, which is open daily from 6AM until 10PM. The pool is huge, and it’s my understanding that this is really popular with families on weekends. I’m not really a pool guy, but as far as indoor airport hotel pool facilities go, this is one of the nicer ones that I’ve seen.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Club Olympus pool

Club Olympus also has a sauna area that’s open daily from 6AM until 10PM, located in the locker room area.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe (club lounge)

This is where the Grand Hyatt Incheon gets really innovative, and has something I’ve never really seen before. The Grand Hyatt Incheon has a Grand Club (club lounge) on the 12th floor. However, the hotel doesn’t actually use that space for most of the club offerings.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Club exterior

Instead, on the lobby level, you’ll find the Grand Cafe. Think of this as a massive restaurant that’s exclusively for those with club lounge access. It’s my understanding that the demand for club lounge access at the hotel greatly exceeds what the lounge upstairs could accommodate, and that’s why they’ve switched things around. So huge kudos to the hotel for that, rather than just shutting down the lounge to reduce costs.

During my stay, here’s what the club lounge hour situation was like:

  • Breakfast was served in the Grand Cafe from 7AM until 10AM
  • Afternoon tea was served in the Grand Club from 2PM until 4:30PM (I didn’t have the chance to check it out, since I wasn’t at the hotel over those hours)
  • The evening happy hour was served in the Grand Cafe from 5:30PM until 7:30PM

The Grand Cafe is a huge space. When you’re in the lobby of the West Tower facing reception, just turn right and walk to the end of the hallway, and you’ll find the Grand Cafe there.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe entrance

The Grand Cafe consist of dozens of dining tables.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe seating
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe seating
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe seating

The evening happy hour runs until 7:30PM, and I arrived at the Grand Cafe literally two minutes before it was taken down, so I was just able to snap a few pictures. I was impressed by the variety of food — it was almost more like a dinner buffet, than just typical club lounge appetizers.

It had everything from cold cuts and cheese, to a salad bar, to dim sum, to a live noodle station, to prawns, to chicken, and more.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet

There was also a huge dessert buffet, with everything from candy, to pastries, to fresh fruit, to snack mix.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe evening buffet
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe snacks

Then there were self-serve drinks, including beer, wine, liquor, coffee, soft drinks, and more.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe drinks
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe drinks
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe drinks
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe drinks
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe drinks
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe coffee machine

In the morning, there was also a breakfast buffet in the Grand Cafe, with pastries, bread, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, cold cuts, smoked salmon, several hot Western and Asian options, and an omelet station.

Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast
Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Cafe breakfast

Honestly, this has to be one of the most impressive club lounge spreads I’ve seen at a “mainstream” hotel brand in a long time.

Grand Hyatt Incheon restaurants & bars

During my short stay at the Grand Hyatt Incheon, the Grand Cafe met all my needs for eating and drinking, so I didn’t have the chance to visit the other dining outlets. However, for those without club lounge access, there are other options:

  • Restaurant 8 is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, with both a buffet and a la carte dining; it’s located in the East Tower
  • Swell Lounge is the hotel’s all-day cafe, whether you want a coffee or a glass of wine; it’s located in the West Tower
  • VY Bar & Karaoke is the hotel’s karaoke bar, with “VY” standing for “Vibrations of Youth” (lol?); it’s located in the East Tower
Grand Hyatt Incheon Swell Lounge

Bottom line

The Grand Hyatt Incheon is a great airport hotel, if you ask me. The hotel has excellent elite recognition, the West Tower is modern and has comfortable rooms, the gym and pool are nice, and the club lounge setup is one of the most impressive that I’ve seen in quite some time.

The only downside to this hotel is that it’s not connected directly to the terminal, but rather there’s a complimentary shuttle service. The hotel is really close to Terminal 1, while it’s a bit further from Terminal 2. The hotel is also a good value for what’s offered, as the pricing is reasonable. I’d absolutely recommend this hotel, and would gladly return.

What’s your take on the Grand Hyatt Incheon?

Conversations (10)
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  1. Abidjan Diamond

    One of the more impressive airport hotels I've seen. Well done.

  2. Julia Guest

    So where would this hotel rank on your list of best/favorite airport hotels?

  3. quorumcall Diamond

    Surprised to see only a shuttle option... I thought there was the Incheon Airport Maglev between Terminal 1 and a station nearby to the hotel?

  4. Kimberley Guest

    lol, imagine not only staying in an airport hotel, but choosing a big box American brand in Korea

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Kimberley -- Pray tell, which culturally enriching hotel do you recommend at Incheon Airport?

    2. JustinB Diamond

      lol could check out the ibis. I’m sure they put a lot of effort into being inspired by the local culture

    3. yoloswag420 Guest

      I’m pretty sure he visited for transit purposes for the new Korean Air business class review, not because he was actually visiting Korea. This is probably one of the most convenient options for transit given how far ICN is from the city center.

    4. Andy 11235 Guest

      I'm sure there is a hanok guest house somewhere. However, the obvious issue is that this blog is all about staying at high-end US chain hotels for the points angle, while Korea is an absolutely terrible place to rely on high-end US chain hotels. If the goal is to stay at ICN, the pickings are slim. Personally, I would have taken the subway into Hongdae, but the only US chain hotel I can think of...

      I'm sure there is a hanok guest house somewhere. However, the obvious issue is that this blog is all about staying at high-end US chain hotels for the points angle, while Korea is an absolutely terrible place to rely on high-end US chain hotels. If the goal is to stay at ICN, the pickings are slim. Personally, I would have taken the subway into Hongdae, but the only US chain hotel I can think of there is a hix -- a very nice hix, but not somewhere OMAAT is likely to review.

    5. Andrew Guest

      That kind of defeats the purpose of this blog and specific review trip Ben is on, Kimberley.

    6. Andrew Guest

      That kind of defeats the purpose of this blog and specific review trip Ben is on, Kimberley.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Ben Schlappig OMAAT

@ Kimberley -- Pray tell, which culturally enriching hotel do you recommend at Incheon Airport?

2
Andrew Guest

That kind of defeats the purpose of this blog and specific review trip Ben is on, Kimberley.

1
Andrew Guest

That kind of defeats the purpose of this blog and specific review trip Ben is on, Kimberley.

1
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