Grand Hyatt San Francisco

We stayed here for 4 nights towards our last leg of US visit. To my surprise, it was bang opposite to Taj hotel where we had stayed the first time around. We had booked an executive suite so all that turned out to be nice. The staff was courteous and friendly and even their restaurant/lounge we tried was amazing. Nice clean property and cannot complain about the location.

I had the displeasure of interacting with a front desk employee named Ed Brandes during my stay. If you look at reviews on other sites, it seems other guests have had similar experiences with him as well. During check-in, he: 1. Told us he initially thought we were Japanese because “all Asians look the same.” 2. After we understandably did not laugh, told us to “smile” because we “didn’t understand his humor.” 3. Said he was glad ICE was not there because we were international. We had prepaid for the room and, in hindsight, should have left immediately. During checkout, we witnessed another disturbing interaction. A guest who appeared to have limited English proficiency was struggling with the card reader, and Ed aggressively slammed the machine down in front of them. The guest still thanked him politely afterward. The behavior was shocking and completely inappropriate for someone working at the front desk. I have genuinely never experienced this level of unprofessionalism, hostility, and discriminatory behavior from hotel staff before. We will be formally reporting this incident. No guest should be subjected to racist remarks or intimidation while checking into a hotel.

Nice hotel in a very busy part of San Francisco, just blocks away from Union Square. Nice oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle. Clean rooms with a nice hotel bar and plenty of security in the lobby and in front.

Location is great but they charge bogus fees upon check in and try to charge extra fees for no reason. Make sure to check your invoices and bills before paying.

We arrived at night and check-in itself was very quick. Our room was already ready, which we appreciated after a long travel day. We had booked through our credit card concierge program and had a room upgrade benefit included. Initially we were told no upgrade was available, but after explaining and showing that it was part of the booking benefits, they eventually upgraded us to a Union Square view room, which was definitely worth it. There was also some confusion at check-in regarding the hotel credit included with our reservation. At first the front desk agent couldn’t find it, but after checking again she realized it was indeed attached to the booking. We also noticed a breakfast charge/tax appearing on the account even though breakfast was supposed to be included, but the staff at checkout removed it without any issues. The hotel itself feels very polished overall. The lobby is large, modern, and there are always staff members near the entrance opening doors and assisting guests. The elevators are incredibly fast and there are many of them, so unlike some other Union Square hotels, we never had to wait long to go up or down. The rooms were also impressively quiet. Our room faced Union Square directly and even during nights where there was a lot happening outside, once inside the room you could barely hear anything. The soundproofing was honestly excellent. The gym on the 35th floor was another highlight. Great views and much larger/more equipped than expected. A couple smaller details: the beds are doubles rather than queens, and the bathroom uses a sliding door, so sound and smells do travel outside a bit more than with a normal bathroom door. The bathtub/shower area also felt a little small and low compared to the rest of the room quality. The main area where I think the hotel could improve is breakfast. The food itself was good, but for the price point of the hotel, and especially considering breakfast is priced around $40 before taxes/tip if paying separately, the variety felt limited. The hot breakfast options stayed mostly the same every day with only minor protein changes. You’d typically find scrambled eggs, potatoes, pancakes or French toast, plus either sausage or another breakfast meat option. There were also breads, oatmeal, smoked salmon, yogurt, cereals, nuts, etc., which was nice, but after several days it started feeling repetitive. You can also order certain à la carte items like eggs benedict or omelets, but portions felt smaller than expected for the pricing level. Still, overall we had a very good stay. The location is hard to beat, the rooms are quiet and comfortable, and the hotel overall feels efficient and well managed. I’d definitely stay again, though I do think the breakfast experience could better match the level of the property.