The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is one of the largest hotels in the city, with comfortable rooms and decent eats. We’re also fans of its location.

Booking the Manchester Grand Hyatt

The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is currently a Category 5 hotel. I’ll admit that I miss the hotel from the days when it was a Category 4, enabling the use of Category 1-4 free night awards. With the hotel sitting at Category 5, I haven’t felt particularly compelled to use points to stay here. In my case, the choice was between paying 20,000 Hyatt points or the parking package of $231/night. (While I could have selected a slightly cheaper rate, I did have a car to park.)

Frankly, between those options, the parking package of $231 was absolutely the way to go. But as if I didn’t need another factor to push me in the proper direction, I had an Amex offer on my card that gave $50 off $250. This is a good reminder to always check the cash rates before using points.

On top of the room rate, I applied one of my suite upgrade awards to the stay. Despite us only being here for two nights, I still wanted to use it up since it was going to expire later that month anyways.

Destination fee

The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego has a $42 destination fee, waived for everyone staying on Hyatt points or free night certificates and for Globalists on any eligible rate. The fee includes:

• $10 nightly credit at Top of the Hyatt
• Daily 1 hour bicycle rental
• One 1 hour kayak rental
• A variety of discounts at local businesses
• Bottled water
• Unlimited phone calls
• Rollaway bed rental
• Premium internet
• Daily access to the sports court for two people for 1 hour

Sure, the list of inclusions looks lengthy on their website, but so much of it is just a glorified coupon book. And if everyone gets premium internet, what exactly makes it premium? Many of the inclusions don’t add up anywhere near the money the hotel charges for this fee.

But the one inclusion that made me question it the most was the $10 credit at Top of the Hyatt. Children are allowed upstairs, but only between the hours of 4PM and 6PM. The front desk advised me that even if we were in the middle of meal service (which is just appetizers and not dinner), we would be told to leave immediately once 6PM hit if we had our kids with us. This is most definitely not a family-friendly benefit from a hotel that wants to be family-friendly.

Earning World of Hyatt points

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase has a couple of cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points that can transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 rate:

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card (refer-a-friend link) that offers 75,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first three months.
• There is currently a limited-time offer (refer-a-friend link) on the Chase Ink Business Preferred that gives an excellent 100,000 points for spending $8,000 in the first three months.

The Hyatt personal credit card (not an affiliate link) offers a 30,000 point bonus when spending $3,000 in three months. On top of that, you get 2X earnings during the first six months until you reach $15,000 in spend. At most, this is a 45,000 card for spending $15,000–and most certainly not the 60,000 bonus it claims disingenuously claims. But, on the bright side, if that $15,000 spend happens within the same calendar year, you’ll also get six elite night credits and a Category 1-4 free night certificate.

The small business version of the Hyatt credit card (refer-a-friend link) offers a limited-time 80,000 point bonus when spending $10,000 in three months. The main appeal here is the easier path towards earning elite status (5 elite night credit for every $10,000 in spend per calendar year), but it also gives up to $100 back on Hyatt purchases.

Arrival and First Impressions of the Manchester Grand Hyatt

We arrived at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego around 5PM, and made our way over to the front desk. We’ve stayed at this hotel somewhere around five times in the past, so we were quite familiar with it. The hotel is divided between two towers with the front desk situated on the ground floor between them. The entryway has always felt quite grand to me, with very tall ceilings and plenty of decor.

The chat with the front desk went a bit long, in large part because of the all the features of the hotel. When I asked about children up in the Top of the Hyatt, the agent had to go ask around to make sure he gave me the correct answer. As referenced above in the destination fee section, it seemed more like children simply are a nuisance and uninvited up there. I thanked the agent for his time, and we were off to our room.

The Room

We made our way to the Seaport (north) Tower and up the elevator to the fifth floor. There, we found our room for this trip (580). This room is their signature suite, which is a combination of a large meeting-like room and a bedroom. Let’s talk about the large room first.

I’ve heard that the rooms at the Manchester Grand Hyatt are in the process of renovation, but it’s unclear at this point if we received an updated room or one that is scheduled to be refreshed.

The large room

The large room is quite spacious, with a couple of chairs in the center of the room for watching TV. A small ottoman in front of the chairs adds some convenience if you’re looking to eat a snack or kick up your feet.

On the left side of the room is a dining table with eight (!) chairs. There is certainly enough room here to host a small party. We didn’t do it on this trip, but perhaps we’ll keep it in mind for the next time we need to.

On the opposite side of the room is a large “L”-shaped couch. There is a sofa bed inside, as you might expect, but it’s not the most comfortable bed. But it works if you need the extra mattress (perhaps it gives your guests a place to crash after the party you host?).

Also in this large room is a wet bar and a couple of bottles of water. In case you need it, you’ll also get a minifridge and a microwave. It all contributes to this theme of hosting.

As you would expect, there is a bathroom attached to this room. I’m always a fan of getting access to two bathrooms in total as you never know if one bathroom is occupied when you need to go. I would have preferred a walk-in shower over a bathtub/shower combination, but no real complaints other than that.

Bedroom

The bedroom attached to the large room was very comforting and had a little intimacy that the other room was missing. While the large room had a lot of lights and space, the bedroom felt a bit more like it was time to get some sleep. The bed was comfortable–not too firm or soft. Thankfully, there are plenty of electrical outlets on both nightstands next to the bed.

Across from the bed is the TV and a desk.

While the desk looks nice, a pet peeve of mine is where optical mice aren’t compatible with the desk. That’s absolutely the case here with the glass paneling. It’s a bit unfortunate.

By the window is a small sofa good for lounging but not useful if you’re looking for another makeshift bed.

The view from the room wasn’t all that interesting given we were only on the fifth floor. But the kids did enjoy people watching from here. We would have loved staying at a higher floor at the Manchester Grand Hyatt but can’t win them all.

The master bathroom was identical to the other bathroom. I would have liked to see this one be different to offer up a bit more functionality to the overall room. You know, like if this one had a walk-in shower and the other could have the tub. Nothing wrong with having both be identical, but it adds a bit of pizzazz, if nothing else.

Toiletries are the Grand Hyatt standard Balmain Paris, which are fine.

Grand Club at the Manchester Grand Hyatt

The Grand Club is all the way up on the 33rd floor of the Harbor (south) Tower. You’ll typically need your keycard to gain access, though the doors were wide open more than once. We had access to this lounge thanks to my Hyatt Globalist status.

Hours

The hours for the lounge are:

• Breakfast from 7AM to 9:30AM weekdays, or until 11AM on weekends
• Midday snacks from 11AM to 3PM
• Evening service from 5PM to 9PM daily, with desserts between 8PM and 9PM.

I’ve heard that between 5PM and 6PM, there are free drinks available up here but we were never around at that time to confirm.

Breakfast service

There is a small host table with a sign-in sheet where you’ll enter the number of guests and the approximate time of entry. Sometimes the host table was staffed and sometimes not.

The Manchester Grand Hyatt lounge is on the larger side compared to other domestic US hotel lounges. I think that speaks to how many people at the hotel are eligible for the food here. And depending on when you come to the lounge, it still can feel quite crowded despite all the seating.

For breakfast, you’ll find all the normal suspects. There are some eggs, potatoes, and meat (bacon) available at the hot stations.

And plenty of cold continental options on the main island. With a lounge this size, people go through quite a bit of food and the staff did a good job making sure to refill things.

Off in the corner are your carbs: cereal, bread, and bagels.

There’s also some hot oatmeal and yogurt in this same corner. Just a side note: the yogurts are only available during breakfast service. At other times of the day, the minifridge is locked and will just tempt your kids.

There are three types of juices available (orange, apple, and cranberry). In case you’re curious, it’s not freshly squeezed orange juice.

Also available is a coffee machine and a soda fountain.

Evening service

We only made it up to the lounge one evening (our first night here) as we were busy the second evening. From what I saw, I’m at least pleased to say that you could. in fact, make a dinner out of the food here if you’re looking to save money. There are two hot dishes available (a noodle dish and some steak).

And then the main island played host to a variety of dips and vegetables.

There is an honor bar available in the evening. I guess the “hack” that others do is pour themselves a very filling glass of wine (hey, the card doesn’t say how many ounces is in a pour).

And during the last hour of service, you’ll find a few desserts available. These were fine, if not a bit too much on the sweet side. It’s a shame that they don’t provide dessert until 8PM.

Hotel amenities

Outdoor courts

We did stop by the outdoor courts on the 4th floor each morning as eight-year-old Alex is currently into basketball. The destination fee suggests that you only get one hour of usage daily, but nowhere else was that restriction mentioned and no employees are here.

The other gripe I have is that while the area opens at 8AM, there are no balls available for you to use at that time. You need to wait until someone shows up to bring them out. You can go down to the lobby and chat with the front desk, but there’s no urgency and, frankly, it didn’t seem to make a difference. Both mornings we were here, we didn’t see any employees show up until after 9AM.

We did eventually find out where the balls are stored (behind the cinema bar), but I’d rather not feel like I’m trespassing to help myself. If the facility says it opens at 8AM, is it wrong to expect the balls needed to play at the facility are also available at 8AM?

This outdoor area is shared with an outdoor movie theater, but we never made it out here to see it in action. It would seem pleasant to come visit on a warm summer evening.

The pool

The pool is also on the 4th floor though it was a bit chilly to use it in the month of February. I’d guess this is a popular spot to be during the summer.

Towels are handled via machine. This isn’t my preferred way of getting a towel, but it works.

Just past the pool is a nice place to lounge about in the evening if the fire pit is turned on.

And you could do some people watching (or boat watching) with the binoculars.

Brew 30 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt

Our first night, we decided to eat dinner at one of the restaurants at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Brew 30 is a bar and is a decent option for casual food. Spoiler alert: the kids actually really enjoyed dinner here and would have welcomed another visit. But unfortunately there are reports that the restaurant is now closed, which is an absolute shame.

Since the restaurant is closed, I’m going to leave the review fairly brief and say that the food was good for what it was. We enjoyed the quick and attentive service, along with the decent collection of beers. On top of that, prices weren’t too inflated over what you might expect to pay. Ultimately, it was everything we were looking for that evening.

Recommendation: You generally will be satisfied here

I think the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is in an excellent location, right next to the water, several shopping centers, and the light rail station. If you want to stroll into the Gaslamp Quarter, it’s a short walk away. The rooms are functional and higher floors offer an excellent view of the city. The Grand Club is also a selling point, especially if you’re someone looking for a meal replacement for dinner.

Where the hotel struggled a little bit in my experience was with service. That said, it is a rather large hotel so I can understand how it might be overwhelming for the staff, but make sure your expectations are adjusted and you’ll walk away happy. We’d definitely be open to returning, as we have done many times in the past.

Where do you like to stay in San Diego?

Suggested reading:

• Case in Point: The Way I Value a Hyatt Point
• Review: Town and Country San Diego
• Beautiful and Yet a Major Blemish: A Review of the Park Hyatt Aviara