Last Updated on March 7, 2024 by CreditFred
In February 2022, I stayed at The Grand Hyatt at SFO located right on the SFO airport premises with my parents. It was one of the nicest airport hotels I’ve experienced and a true heaven for aviation enthusiasts!
Opened in 2019, the hotel features 351 rooms, including 22 suites. The property offers direct connectivity to all SFO Terminals and the BART commuter system via the hotel’s own AirTrain station.
I’ll be sharing my experience and how I booked this stay for free!
Location
The hotel is conveniently located at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) itself, and can be accessed directly via the AirTrain loop system from any terminal! Just get off at the Grand Hyatt at SFO station.
This location was perfect, as back in early 2022, international flights still required PCR tests, so staying here meant we were able to take the free AirTrain to the testing facility.
When it came time to send my parents off, going from the hotel to the International Terminal was also quick and very convenient!
How I Booked
I paid 20k Hyatt points per night for 2 nights (40k Hyatt points total) for this stay. Hyatt points are extremely valuable and can be earned in a number of ways other than staying at Hyatt hotels, such as from the Chase World of Hyatt credit card, or transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards or BILT Rewards.
Had I paid in cash, I would’ve had to shell out over $782! This gives the redemption a value of 1.96 cents-per-point(cpp), a pretty solid redemption:
$782 / 40,000 points = $0.196
My Experience
Check-In
Prior to arrival, I had messaged the property asking if they had a high-floor runway view room, and got exactly that!
On arrival, we unloaded our bags from our Hertz Tesla Rental, and checked in. The process was smooth and the valet assisted us with getting all our bags to our room. The AirTrain network also made it easy for me to return the rental car at Hertz SFO and ride the AirTrain back to the hotel afterwards.
Some pics of the check-in area and hotel lobby:
Most will arrive via the AirTrain station, and this will be their view:
Next, we’ll head up to the room…
Room
We were given Room 1010 on the 10th floor (out of 12). The room was a “High Floor Runway View Room” and ours had 2 Queen beds. Here’s a quick video tour of the room:
Some pics of our room:
Some pics of the bathroom:
Always love a good Nespresso machine in my hotel room (hate the Keurigs!)!
Since it was my mom’s birthday (and I had noted it in my booking), the hotel generously provided some birthday amenities, so nice!
View
The plane-spotting here is probably the biggest draw (at least for me) to stay here. Not only do you get to see the tarmac activity below, but you can also watch both take-offs (on runways 01L/R) and landings (on runways 28L/R).
Not only do they provide binoculars for you to use during the stay, but there’s also a guide for how to spot different plane types!
You would think that with all this plane activity, it would be really loud. NOPE! There’s some super thick and sound-proof glass, so we did not feel a thing during our stay. Of course, you can also choose rooms facing the terminal loop if you prefer that.
Here’s some pics from my plane-spotting:
The sun-rise view was also spectacular:
Dining
I didn’t have high expectations for food at an airport hotel. However, to my surprise, not only were the prices very reasonable, the food was actually quite good!
Twin Crafts Market / To-Go: As the name suggests, this is a small market located on the lobby level of the hotel that is fully stocked with everything from snacks to full meals. Not only were the food pretty high quality, but the prices are actually very fair for an airport hotel facility!
Quail + Crane: A more formal sit-down restaurant with views of the tarmac below. They are open for breakfast and dinner.
Here’s some more pics:
Amenities
I didn’t get a chance to check these facilities out, but there is a Grand Club lounge for eligible Hyatt elites, and also a 24/7 fitness center called the StayFit Gym, which includes yoga space, Peloton Bike and Mirror.
Service
Service throughout our stay was excellent. Everyone from the valet to room service were all amazing, and better than most of my stays in the US.
Conclusion
Overall, from ease of redemption, the view, the food and service, quality of the facilities, and location, this hotel has excelled in all areas. Even as a San Francisco local, I would not hesitate to stay at the Grand Hyatt SFO again!
