Hotel Review – Grand Hyatt Washington D.C.
Guest Writer Mallory (my wife & Editor-in-Chief) is in charge of AYP today as she gives her full detailed hotel review of the Grand Hyatt Washington!
Grand Hyatt DC
Our most recent trip to our nation’s capital had dual purposes: to run in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon and to celebrate our friends’ birthdays. When deciding where we should stay, one of our main considerations was proximity to the race’s starting line, which was very close to the National Mall and Washington Monument. The Grand Hyatt fit the bill – great location, great price. It is also located virtually on top of the Metro Center stop on the DC Metro – super convenient!
Booking –
The Grand Hyatt is a Catagory 4 Hyatt Property, meaning that a nightly reservation will cost you 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, or 7,500 Points + $100 when booking the Points + Cash rate.
For this stay, we went against our “points focused” tendencies and booked the hotel at the cash rate of $179 per night. We felt great about it and Derek had high hopes that his Hyatt Diamond Status (earned through a Twitter status match request – seriously) would afford us an upgrade to a more “preferred” room and access to the Grand Club Lounge.
Getting There –
In order get to DC we booked a direct flight from Tampa to Baltimore/Washington International Airport, utilizing some Southwest Vouchers (which we earned last year after we were stranded in Atlanta when returning from a trip to Boston – another story for a different day) and our favorite travel tool – the Southwest Companion Pass!
We took the MARC train from BWI into Union Station, about a 40 minute ride, and got an Uber from the train station to the Grand Hyatt. We arrived pretty early in the morning – around 10:30 a.m., and understandably, our room wasn’t ready. We checked our luggage with the bellman and returned around 2:30 p.m. At this time, our room was ready, and the receptionist at the check-in desk informed us that due to our Diamond status, we were able to choose between 1,000 extra Hyatt points, or a bottle of wine and cheese plate to our room. We were sharing the room with friends, so we opted for the wine + cheese so they could enjoy it as well. Our friends arrived into DCA and took an Uber straight to the hotel. The ride from DCA to the Grand Hyatt is 4.5 miles, or 10-15 minutes.
Hotel Entrance/Check-In – The lobby of the Grand Hyatt
The entrance of the Grand Hyatt is a spacious atrium with a lot of natural light. The 2015 renovation of the lobby revealed a design aesthetic that features sleek white floors and an overall “clean” feeling. The 900+ guestrooms of the hotel were renovated shortly before the lobby renovation took place, so the hotel feels updated and fresh.
Off to one side of the lobby is a Hyatt-operated restaurant, Cure Bar + Bistro. Opposite Cure is a fully operational Starbucks.
The Room/Amenities – Conference suite
We originally booked a standard room with two double beds, however, our request for an upgrade was granted, and we were given the “Conference Suite” for the weekend. Our room was located at the left-most side of the hotel, and can be summed up in one word: LARGE. One ½ of the room was a typical hotel room – 2 double beds, a desk, a flat screen TV, a bathroom (with a tub/shower combo) and a closet. The sleeping area connected to a large living room via a doorway. The living area was larger than the bedroom, and featured a couch with a pull-out bed, a dining table, a desk, a flat screen TV, and an additional bathroom and closet. It was the perfect space to spread out our luggage and ½ marathon gear for the weekend, and the perfect place to enjoy our complimentary wine and cheese!
The beds were comfortable, and although our room faced the busy H Street, I noticed our room was extremely dark and quiet at night – a huge benefit for someone with difficulty sleeping!
Fitness Center
The fitness center is attached to hotel, and can be accessed through the Lobby level. It is a FIT Club, and although it is not owned and operated by Hyatt, it can be accessed by all Grand Hyatt guests. We spent some time in the FIT club Sunday morning in an effort to loosen up our sore ½ Marathon legs. The club is not one of my favorite hotel fitness centers – it is sectioned off into 3 different rooms: one for cardio and weights, one for stretching, and a pool. It didn’t lack any standard equipment, but all the equipment seemed outdated.
Dining
Cure Bar & Bistro is the hotel’s main eatery, open for lunch and dinner M-F, and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Other dining options include CABINET for breakfast, and the aforementioned Starbucks. With our Diamond status, we also had access to the Grand Club on the 12th floor ( if you are not a Diamond member, you can gain access to the Grand Club by booking a room on the Club level of the hotel), which served a continental breakfast, as well as light snacks from 12-5 p.m. and again in the evening and a late night dessert. Guests also have the option to purchase alcoholic beverages in the Grand Club.
Similar to the lobby and guest rooms, the Grand Club seemed newly updated. The Grand Club was designed very well – upon opening the doors, on the left you’ll see a small lounge area with a couch and a couple chairs. If you walk to the right, you see a high-top, rectangular bar table in front of the buffet and beverage area. On the other side of the wall is a dining area with several small tables.
The Grand Club served various items during dining hours, including:
- Breakfast – fruit, yogurt, eggs, assorted cereals, oatmeal, assorted breads, muffins, bagels and smoked salmon. There was also an espresso machine available all day long.
- Snacks – cookies, almonds, M&Ms, fruit baskets with bananas, apples and oranges.
- Evening Appetizers – hummus and other spreads, mini “gazpacho”, vegetables, cheese, crackers and jams.
Overall Impression
This hotel was convenient, reasonably priced ($179 per night, or 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points) , spacious and aesthetically pleasing after the recent renovation. While it isn’t as luxurious as it’s sister the Park Hyatt, it offers a great bang for your buck and is suitable for business and leisure travelers, alike!
Looking for more hotel reviews? Check out my review of the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Hyatt Paris Madeleine, and the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam!
MW