Manchester Grand Hyatt Resort and Spa Review by UntoldMiles
Note: I was not paid nor compensated for this review. The information I share here is solely based on my personal experience. The photos below may contain both photos and videos that I took or that are owned by Hyatt and or the property.
Location
The Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego is a waterfront property that overlooks the San Diego Bay as well as the famous Coronado island. This property is situated in an ideal spot that allows easy access to popular attractions such as the San Diego Zoo, the Gaslamp Quarter, Coronado Island, Mission Beach, Balboa Park, USS Midway, and more. If you’re flying to the San Diego International Airport (SAN), it’s only an 8 minute drive from the airport to the hotel.
With over 1,600 rooms spanning across 40 floors and two towers, you can not beat the views from this property.
Looking to save money on some of the most popular San Diego attractions? Checkout the Go City San Diego Pass.
About the Manchester Grand Hyatt
The Manchester Grand Hyatt boats over 1,600 rooms, 76 of them being suites, and is made up of two structures that tower over the San Diego Bay. This Category 4 property is popular amongst many travelers for good reason. There are plenty of amenities and the property is well equipped to service both families and business needs. This property has everything you’d expect from a resort style hotel. Here you’ll find, a heated outdoor pool, a huge fitness center, numerous and spacious meeting spaces, seven dining and drinking options, direct access to Seaport Village, and more.
The Manchester is deemed a “Grand Hyatt” which is a specific type of property within the umbrella of Hyatt properties. Per Hyatt, Grand Hyatt properties aim to have “striking architecture, expansive event spaces, world-class food and beverage, and deliver elevated services in iconic destinations.”
With that description, I wholeheartedly agree with the branding of this property. If I had to describe how this property feels in a few words, I’d choose “upscale and polished”.
Arrival and Parking
After a short five and a half hour drive from Phoenix, we navigated our way through downtown San Diego, and finally spot the imposing two towers that make up the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The entrance to the property is easy to find and is very welcoming. Pulling up to the property, you’ll be greeted by bellmen and valet services. They were very friendly and welcoming, asking us if we are checking in and if we needed help with our bags from the car to our room.
Letting them know that I was just checking in, I received a claim ticket from the bellmen which is to be handed to the front desk.
In terms of parking, if you are a World of Hyatt member that hold the Globalist elite hotel status AND are redeeming your Hyatt points for a stay, you will receive free valet parking. If you want to pay for valet parking it’s $60 per day or $40 per day for self park. Anyone visiting you at this property can park in the self parking area of the garage at a rate of $8 an hour with a maximum rate of $45 per day. Both valet and self parking are located in the same garage which is connected right to the property so the walk isn’t far.
Note: If you are driving to the property and have to cross the train tracks like I did in the photo above, get into the second lane from the right that goes straight. This is the ONLY lane that allows you to go into the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The left or right only lanes will not give you direct access.
Checking-in and First Impressions
Prior to arriving at the hotel, I was able to check-in via the World of Hyatt app and confirm my room selection, check-in and check-out times, as well as put in for any additional requests. I was informed that I was upgraded via the app and was looking forward to that.
After getting your bags and car squared away, you’ll make your way into the main lobby and check-in area. Here, you’ll understand why this property is deemed “Grand”. This huge open space lobby is quite a centerpiece to the property. With the dark wood design, marble, and gold accents, it makes a very impressive first impression.
This property offers two lines, one for non World of Hyatt members and the other dedicated line for those who have status with the World of Hyatt. As a status holder, the dedicated lines are always nice since they are usually much shorter.
First Room - One King Bed Corner Room
Unfortunately, since it was Spring Break, there were no standard suites available during my check-in. Standard suites are usually offered to Globalist elite status holders based upon availability. However, I was given a 1 King Bed Corner Room on a high floor, which is an upgrade from a standard room. This corner room boasts 380 square feet of space with floor to ceiling windows on two sides of the room so you have this unique and almost panoramic view. Included in the room was a couch, a work desk, tv, dressers, a “cooler” for food and drinks (not a true mini fridge), one king bed, a standard closet, room safe, thermostat, coffee maker, and a connecting full bathroom.
Bathroom
Our bathroom was located right by the entrance to our room. It has your standard hotel amenities such as towels, blow-dryer, hand soap, etc. The shower has three large bottles of bodywash, shampoo, and conditioner. They do not have single use bathroom amenities here, which I know is a highly debated topic. The toilets here do not have a bidet, which is a standard feature at some other Hyatt properties I’ve been to.
View
The views from this corner room were incredible. From one side of the room, we had a direct view of the 4th floor outdoor pool deck, the other tower, the harbor, and more.
The other side of our room gave us a great view of the bay, Seaport Village, and a few different ships in the distance over by Coronado Island.
Cost - Cash Rate
The cash rate for the Corner King room during our stay was $420.28 per night. This price includes all taxes and fees. Prices do vary daily so check with the hotel directly for the most accurate pricing.
Points Rate
The Manchester Grand Hyatt is a Category 4 property. Since Hyatt moved to dynamic pricing for award stays, you can find standard rooms here from 12,000 up to 18,000 during peak times. When you redeem your Hyatt points for free nights, you do not pay any additional taxes or fees. You just pay whatever the points cost is per night. If you’re Globalist, redeeming points for stays will also get you free valet parking.
Second Room - Grand Suite
During my first night at the Manchester, I was able to find a Standard Signature Suite via the World of Hyatt app. I went down to the front desk and asked if I could move over to that suite since I was a Globalist since we have access to Standard Suites as a perk of our elite hotel status. After a quick check to verify the room was actually available, Ria went and talked to the manager. She came back and offered us a Grand Suite! I happily took that offer. Per Ria, the difference between a Standard Suite and a Grand Suite is that the Grand Suite is just on a high floor, usually on floors 29-38 versus the Standard Signature Suites which are on floors 4-9.
The Grand Suite was incredible. Do you know how much of a “First World Problem” it is to have to remember which key opens which door to your hotel suite? Out of all of the Hyatt properties I’ve been to, this has been the nicest suite that we’ve been upgraded to.
The living space was amazing for our family. There was plenty of room for the kids to run around in and the extra queen bed that pulled out of the couch gave us plenty more room for sleep. Having such a high floor gave us unmatched views of the hotel and the surrounding area.
Our bedroom was just as nice. We had plenty of space for our stuff and was well cleaned and prepared for our arrival. Having two bathrooms, one in the living area and one in the bedroom was really nice in terms of convenience.
My one and only complaint about the suite is that during our stay, the air conditioning/heating unit had a broken part which caused it to have a clicking sound non-stop. After two calls, maintenance was able to temporarily fix the issue. Outside of that, zero complains about the suite!
What I Would Have Paid
This gorgeous room does come with a hefty price if you’re paying cash. An average night in the Grand Suite can cost you around $761.15 per night which includes all taxes and fees. For our 4 night stay in the Grand Suite, this would have cost $3,044.60! Between the Corner King room and the Grand Suite, I would have had to pay almost $3,500 for a 5 night stay here!
What I Actually Paid
Thanks to the World of Hyatt points I’ve earned via the World of Hyatt Card and the World of Hyatt Business Card, I was able to stay all 5 nights at the Manchester Grand Hyatt for $0 out of pocket. That is crazy since 5 nights here in the rooms I had would have been almost $3,500. The only thing we paid for was any food outside of the Grand Club and tips for housekeeping and valet. It cost me between 12,000 to 18,000 points per night which converted to cash value is about $180 to $270.
Grand Club - In Depth
This Grand Club is one of our favorites in terms of the quality of food and service. The Grand Club here is located on the 33rd floor on the Harbor Tower side. You do need your keycard to both access the various floors of the hotel and to access the Grand Club. The Grand Club offers a lot of seating options. In terms of a view, there is not much of a view even though you’re on the 33rd floor. The best view is over by the bathroom in the back of the Grand Club. Like many other Clubs, you’re not allowed to remove silverware or dishes from the Club. This means you can’t bring the food back to your room.
What Is the Grand Club
Some Hyatt properties have a “Club”. These can be found at certain brands such as Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt properties. The Club gives some guests access to breakfast, afternoon snacks, light dinner, and various drinks throughout the day.
How to Access
You can pay for access when booking a room. This is available for both cash or points bookings. If you’re a Globalist, you have automatic access to the Clubs. If you’ve earned a Club Access Award from World of Hyatt Milestones, you can also use these to gain access to the Clubs.
Hours
The Grand Club is open 24 hours but food is not always available 24 hours a day. The Grand Club serves breakfast from 6:30am to 9:30am on weekdays and from 7am to 10 am on weekends. Mid-day snacks are available from 11am to 3pm weekdays and from 11:30am to 3:30pm on weekends. Evening hor d’oeuvres and dessert are served from 5pm to 9pm daily.
Breakfast
Breakfast is everything you’d come to expect from a traditional American breakfast. The hot offerings vary from day to day but is generally made up of oatmeal with toppings, scrambled eggs, potatoes (cut and hash), sausages, bacon, and toppings for the eggs. In addition to the hot servings, you also have a variety of Greek yogurt, cold cereals, and breads/bagels with the appropriate fixings.
Where I think their breakfast shines is the “breakfast bar” as I call it, which is made up of a variety of different types of foods which include cheeses, pastries, hardboiled eggs, lox, fresh fruits, deli meats, and toppings such as cucumber, tomato, onions, capers, and more. This breakfast bar is offered daily and consists of generally the same items.
A note about breakfast:
Yogurt is available in the fridge during breakfast hours. You can take as many as you’d like. However, it is not accessible during any other time of day. The fridge will be locked. Taking a few to your room for later is a good idea if that’s a snack you’d like for later.
In terms of drinks, you have a variety of options which include orange juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, tea, coffee, decaf coffee, and access to a coffee/tea machine which dispense a variety of caffeinated drinks.
Mid-day Snacks
The snacks offered during the afternoons consist of different kinds of cookies, trail mix, and fresh fruit. There isn’t much here if you’re looking for something to substitute lunch.
Evening Hor D’Oeuvres
The food offered at the Grand Club during the evenings are pretty elevated in my experience and opinion. The Grand Club offers three different types of entrees which they rotate daily. During our stay we had the following as the main dishes (some photos below):
Espresso Braised Short Ribs cooked with Bacon, Squash, brussels, and Hazelnut Sauce as well as Ancho Chile Celery Root Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Barramundi Cioppino cooked with Squid, Scallop, Shrimp, Clam, Muscle, and Local Vegetables as well as Roasted Garlic Fettuccine cooked with Chili Flakes, Spinach, and Heirloom Tomatoes
Salmon Roulade cooked with Spinach, Crab, Sundried Tomato Sauce, and Tri-Colored Olives as well as Saffron Orozo Pilaf cooked with Sweet Peppers, Corn, Onion, and Feta
In addition to the main entrees, you can also find a salad bar with a wide variety of toppings such as artichoke, feta, chicken, bacon, seasoned tofu, cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, spring mix, croutons, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and dressings.
Next to the salad bar, you’ll also find small bites that rotate daily as well. Some examples during my stay include Boursin and Bleu Cheese Mousse with Date in Bouchee, Chicken Salad in Filo Cup with Black Sesame Seeds, Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin Crostini, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus in Bouchee with Pimiento Stuffed Olives, Ahi Poke in Wonton Cup, and Heirloom Tomato Brucshetta.
Dessert
Dessert is offered at the same time the light dinner is available. It consists of 2 to 3 small bite sized servings of sweets such as Red Berry Opera Cake, Vegan Chocolate Pot De Crème, Cherry Cheesecake, Coffee Bean Tiramisu, and Dark Chocolate Cake.
Drinks
During the evening light dinner hours, you have access to the “Honor Bar”. This is the cheapest priced alcohol anywhere on property. You can find various spirits, wines, beer, and mixers here. It’s an “Honor Bar” in that it is self serve and you fill out a form that includes the number of drinks you had, the type of drinks, name and room number. This then gets billed to your room.
Prices vary but at the time of my stay you can find beers for $3, wine for $4, and cocktails for $5.
My Thoughts on the Grand Club
My family and I always prefer a property with a “Club”. It’s a huge money saver for us being able to access breakfast, snacks, drinks, and dinner at no cost due to being a Globalist. The food offered here have been much better than at other Clubs I’ve been to on my trips at other properties. We love the daily breakfast bar and salad bar options in addition to the main courses. During my stay, there were only about 60 people who had access to the Grand Club but not everyone used it. It was pretty slow in terms of the amount of people throughout the day and some evenings, we were the only ones there.
Is it worth it if you’re not Globalist? If you’re looking to have at least two of your meals covered and access to cheaper alcohol, the Grand Club is definitely worth it. Whether you’re paying for access via cash, points, or a club access award, I think you can find a lot of value here. This is especially true if you’re traveling with kids or more than 1 or 2 people since access is granted to everyone in your room.
Amenities and Facilities
Pool
The Manchester Grand Hyatt has two pools. The 3rd floor Adult Pool is currently closed for renovations. The other pool is located on the 4th floor and is a heated outdoor pool. The pool hours are from 8:00am to 10:00pm daily.
Photo by World of Hyatt
There are plenty of lounge chairs poolside for your enjoyment. Towels for the pool can be found from one of two towel kiosks near the pool. You need your room keycard to access these towel kiosks. You also need to return your pool towels before the evening to prevent being charged for the towels. The one in the photo below was out of service but the other one is not far. Private cabanas are available and can be rented here. In addition to the pool, you can also find two hot tubs on each side of the pool deck.
Firepit
The 4th floor pool deck also has a firepit which is turned on in the evenings. This is a very nice spot to lounge at as well as watch the sunset or take in the scenery of the bay.
Photo Opportunity
Next to the firepit, you’ll find this huge lifeguard chair. It’s a nice place to take in the views or get some cool pictures for social media!
Fitness Center
The fitness center is also located on the 4th floor. It’s a 24 hour fitness center and it is one of the best hotel gyms I’ve ever been to. Honestly, might be better than some local gyms in my area. It’s a huge space with a ton of equipment for all types of gym-goers. From free weights, treadmills, Peloton bikes, a Stairmaster, resistance training, and more, there is something for everyone.
In the fitness center, you’ll also find a (very good) water dispenser, fresh towels, sanitary wipes, and hand sanitizer. You may also find disposable earphones for use if you forgot yours. There are no bathrooms inside the fitness center. The closest one is outside of the fitness center, to the left (there’s also a shower there).
Gym secret! If you look at the window in front of the Stairmaster, you can earn $2 off your bill if you complete 40 floors, take a photo, and show your server.
Laundry
Something that surprised me is that there is no self service laundry facility at this property. There is a paid service but it is very expensive. So keep that in mind if you’re hoping to pack less and do laundry half way through your trip.
Rooftop Cinema
A really cool feature (that we didn’t get to experience due to weather) at the Manchester, is their outdoor Rooftop Cinema. This is located on the 4th floor as well and offers hotel guests access to movies, drinks, and food. This is not free for hotel guests and reservations/advance bookings can be found here. Prices may vary but from what I saw, you can expect to pay between $19.50 to $26+ per person.
Photo via @grandhyattsandiego Instagram
Other Amenities
Additional amenities that you will be offered during check-in include a complimentary one hour Harbor Boat Tour Pass which gives ONE person a free tour
One 1-hour bicycle rental per day at Wheel Fun Rentals (ID, credit card, and 18+ only to rent)
One 1-hour water sports rental at Seaforth Boat Rentals. This gives you access to a kayal or a paddleboard rental (ID, credit card, and 18+ to rent)
Seaport Experience - A discount/deals pass for Seaport Village with current specials or promotions. You can view the current deals here.
$10 Nightly Food and Beverage Credit valid at Top of the Hyatt on the 40th floor ONLY
One Shoe Shine - ask front desk for a voucher
On-Site Eats and Drinks
Market | One
This is the main spot on property for your quick eats, snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. It’s located near the lobby, directly across from the bell desk. You can find made to order and ready made foods including breakfast items, flatbreads, pizza, sandwiches, entrees, Starbucks coffee, and more. This market is open 24 hours.
Sally’s Fish House and Bar
This waterfront eatery is located towards the back of the property as you make your way out to the Seaport Village. It offers SoCal inspired dishes, wines, cocktails, and more. Lunch is served from 11:00am to 5:00pm daily while dinner is offered from 5:00pm to 9:00pm daily. Reservations can be made here. Menus can be found here (they also have a dog menu).
The Landing
This lounging/bar area is located to the left of the lobby, over by the Harbor tower. It boats a classy yet relaxing vibe where you can enjoy drinks, work, or hangout with friends. It’s open from 5:00pm to 11:00pm daily.
Top of the Hyatt
The gem of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in terms of dining is located on the 40th floor and is accurately termed, “Top of the Hyatt”. Also on the Harbor Tower side, this lounge offers incredible views of the surrounding area while offering elevated eats and crafted drinks. It’s open from 3:00pm to 12:00am daily. Food is available from 4:00pm to 10:00pm daily. After 6:00pm this is an adults, 21+ only lounge. The dress code is resort casual and no pool wear. Their website can be found here.
Seaview Breakfast Buffet Restaurant
If you’re looking for an all you can eat experience, this is where you’ll want to be for breakfast. From fresh scrambled eggs to omelets, waffles, pastries, and more, you’ll find a great selection for breakfast here. The hours are 6:30am to 11:00am on weekdays and 6:30am to 11:30am on weekends. You can make a reservation here.
GrandEats
Per Hyatt, “GrandEats To Go is a fast, convenient alternative to traditional room service. All orders are packaged in eco-friendly disposable containers and delivered directly to your door.” You can order by dialing 54 from your room phone. Breakfast is from 6:00am to 11:00am and dinner is from 5:00pm to 11:00pm.
What We Did and How We Saved Money
Go City is one of my first stops when I am looking for things to do. Go City offers an All-Inclusive Pass that gives you full access to activities for a certain amount of days or an Explorer Pass where you can pick how many activities you want to do. I’ve used them many times in the past and have had great experience with both the activities and their customer service. Since we had two little ones with us, doing one activity a day was our max so we decided to choose our own adventure and go with the Explorer Pass.
During our stay, we chose to do 5 activities. What we chose to do were:
The San Diego Zoo
Birch Aquarium at Scripps (sells out fast, no reservations needed with Go City)
New Children’s Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum
Fleet Science Center
What It Would Have Cost
All five of these activities would have cost $158 per person if we purchased them outright through the respective venues. Having to pay for 3 adult tickets (kids under 2 are free for the most part), it would have cost me $474.
What I Paid with Go City
Purchasing an Explorer Pass through Go City, the cost came out to $144 per person. I was able to find online discount codes that brought my total down to $129.60 per person. Having to pay for 3 adult Explorer Passes, I paid $388.80.
What I Saved
With the online discount code, I was able to save a total of $85.20! Why pay more when you can get the exact same thing for cheaper!
How to Buy
Check out my write up about Go City and all the places you can visit for cheap here.
Want to purchase a Go City Pass for San Diego? Check out their website here.
Final Thoughts
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is our new favorite property for our family. It has everything we need to have a great trip, rain or shine. The location is perfect for going out, seeing local attractions, and grabbing great food. The customer service is exactly what I’ve come to love and expect from a Hyatt. They really try to go out of their way to make sure your trip is enjoyable.
I really wished they offered on-site self service laundry as traveling with kids can be messy. A big complaint at huge properties like this are the elevators can take a while to get to you due to the traffic. We had rooms in both towers at this property and did not experience any large delays in getting an elevator. They alleviate the wait by having two sets of elevators, one that takes you from the lobby to the middle floors and another set that takes you from the lobby to the high floors. This was a well thought out design which saves a lot of time for guests.
In terms of the property, it can use a refresh. As this property as high traffic and occupancy rates, some rooms show a little wear and tear. Nothing that most people would find to devalue their stay overall. Hearing that the Manchester is having a refresh planned to start this year (2023), makes me really excited to come back and check it out again!
If you’re considering visiting San Diego, I would highly recommend this property for you and your family.
Interested on how to use credit card points to stay at this or any other property? Join our free Facebook page where we discuss traveling with credit card points or reach out and email me here.
Looking for a card to help you earn World of Hyatt points to stay at places like this? Check out the cards below!
World of Hyatt Card
World of Hyatt Business Card