Instantly recognizable by the distinct rooftops of its dual towers, the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is known for its location, it’s spacious rooms (with incredible views), and its proximity to some of the city’s main attractions.
Sure, it’s one of the more popular hotels in San Diego, California.
But is it any good?
Review: Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego (CA)
Click here for the 1 King Bed (Bay View) Walkthrough at Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
Image: hyatt.com
About
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is a behemoth, boasting over 1600 rooms and over 75 suites, two rooftop swimming pools, an on-site Hertz car rental location, and 320,000 square feet of event space – and those are just a few of its many attributes.
Image:booking.com
Location & Parking
Nestled between the famed Gaslamp Quarter and San Diego Bay, lies the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.
It’s conveniently located at just about 10 minutes from San Diego International Airport and occupies a footprint directly adjacent to San Diego’s Seaport Village.
Parking-wise, the valet option will run you $60 per night, while the self-parking option in a covered garage will cost you $40 a night. Parking is complimentary for Hyatt Globalists staying on points.
The valet area
The self-parking garage
FHOP Tip: This is usually where I would suggest trying to find some street parking to avoid pricey parking fees, but in this case, I don’t believe there are very many good alternate or street parking options – hence the hotel’s exorbitant parking fees. As such, I’d recommend just parking at the hotel.
World of Hyatt Redemption
The nightly rate during our stay started at $172 for a “1 King Bed” ($254.90 USD with taxes and fees).
However, because the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego was a World of Hyatt Category 4 property (15,000 points), I booked the room using points.
This was a good “true” redemption value of 1.70 CPP. More importantly, it saved me $250 during the Christmas season.
Lobby
As we entered the cavernous lobby / front desk area, I couldn’t tell what was more impressive, the size of the hall or the size of the front desk.
This is possibly the biggest front desk I’ve ever seen.
A Nutcracker at check-in
Front Desk & Check-In
Luckily for us, the lines weren’t too long, and we were able to check-in quick via the dedicated World of Hyatt line.
We were greeted by one of the friendliest front desk staff members I can recall, who immediately thank me for my Hyatt global status and made some small talk about our trip down to San Diego.
She then did the ol’, “hmmm, It looks like your room has already been upgraded” maneuver and handed us our room keys, as well as a small welcome package that consisted of a map, a guide to the hotel dining options, a guide to the included hotel amenities, and a daily breakfast card for the morning buffet.
Image: hyatt.com
Welcome Package
Room Key
Elevator Area
As we made our way toward the elevators through the humongous lobby, I kept thinking that this was perhaps the most aptly named Grand Hyatt in the world. Everything here was huge, classy, and elegant.
A marble elevator area with brass accents? Classy.
Hallway
Bedroom Area
Just as I suspected, our room upgrade was a UVO (upgrade in view only). Although, to be fair, we did have an incredible view of the Bay, Seaport Village, the USS Midway, and “The Kiss” statue (see below).
Nevertheless, the room was a good size and appeared to be in relatively good shape, although there were signs of heavy usage and wear and tear.
Overall the room, and especially the bathroom, also seemed very clean.
Uh, what’s up with all those small, square pillows on a king bed?
WTH?
Room Artwork
Legit “corner art”
Living Area
That’s one grand-sized chair.
As Pictured Vs. Reality
The pillows were so weird that I had to go take a look at the official Hyatt room photos for a one king bedroom.
In the official Hyatt pictures the pillows seemed to be normal-sized, and the bedding had a different color scheme – and an extra pillow.
Image: hyatt.com
I also noticed that our room seemed to have almost the identical view from room as the official photos.
Image: hyatt.com
Yep, there’s the USS Midway
Room Amenities
The room came with all the standard amenities – including a very basic coffee machine.
Closet
Bathroom
The bathroom was clean and well-lit and came with the Balmain Paris line of toiletries (which I find to be good quality with a mild scent).
I am not a fan however, of the flat square sinks frequently found in Grand Hyatts, as the water never seems to drain right.
Also, the shower consisted of an old-school bathtub with a shower curtain (and could probably use an upgrade).
View From The Room
A view of “Dead Man’s Point”.
Panoramic photo (left to right): Seaport Village, Ruocco Park, Tuna Harbor Park (with The Kiss), the USS Midway Museum, and a view down Pacific Hwy
The Kiss (far right) and the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier
Room Condition
While the room condition overall was very good, there were some spots that stood out, namely the chafing leather couch and the heavily scratched glass on the office desk.
The Seaview Breakfast Buffet
Perhaps the biggest standout in my mind about the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego was the amazing breakfast buffet at Seaview restaurant. Everything we had was unexpectedly delicious.
I can easily say it is one of the best breakfast buffets in town, and best of all – it was complimentary for Hyatt Globalists.
The breakfast buffet at Seaview cost $32.95 per person with an automatic 18% service charge (included) and a mystery 5% surcharge (also included, see the bill below).
The Property Interior
The Property Exterior
What’s Nearby
We found there were a lot of things to do in the immediate surrounding area of the hotel – all in easy walking distance – including shopping and dining at Seaport Village, walking along the harbor waterfront, checking out some of the yachts in the Marina, taking a short walk to the USS Midway Museum and the kiss statue.
The Kiss at Tuna Harbor Park
The Bottom-Line Review: Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego (CA)
We were impressed with our stay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego overall.
The location of the hotel was great, as were the hotel amenities, and the breakfast buffet at Seaview.
Although we found our room to be “just OK”, the hotel made up for that with its location and its proximity to the harbor and waterfront.
On the negative side, the hotel had steep parking fees, a destination fee of $44 (plus tax), and automatic 18% service charges at Seaview (which also came with a mystery 5% surcharge).
Still, I can easily recommend the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego to tourists visiting San Diego, families looking for a fun weekend, business travelers, convention goers, and even couples looking for a romantic getaway.
Final Rating: 8 out of 10.
