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Review: Grand Hyatt Washington D.C. – Grand Club King
Miles and I came out a night before BACON3 ( the biggest, baddest, bestest, fabulousest, est on estest Blogger conference in the world) and needed a hotel for a night. We thought we’d take the opportunity to check out the Grand Hyatt Washington D.C. I was in D.C. earlier this year, for NYE to be exact, and stayed at the Park Hyatt Washington D.C. and used a suite upgrade and was very excited to check out how the Grand Hyatt compares.
The Grand Hyatt Washginton D.C. is a MONSTER HOTEL
I thought the hotel recapped the location and offerings quite well.
per the hotel website:
Grand Hyatt Washington is the ideal place to start your D.C. adventures as well the spot to return to after they’ve come to a close. Our hotel is located in the celebrated Penn Quarter neighborhood, just moments away from CityCenterDC. See top sights, from The White House to museum after museum, or traverse the city’s rich dining and nightlife scene. While at the hotel, dine at the signature restaurant, grab brunch, or sip Starbucks® coffee. Access the FIT Club next door and work out or swim laps in the pool. If you’ll be working during your stay, we offer a fully equipped FedEx® Business Center. Whatever brings you to Washington D.C., we’re here to help you experience it all.
I arrived around 9pm to a large, grand, atrium styled lobby. While the hotel is very nice it does feel a bit aged, but very well kept.
Here’s what the rates were looking like when I was looking to book
And then the Cash + Points rate:
I obvs went Cash+Points
The Deets:
- When: November 2016
- Where: Washington D.C.
- Rewards Program: Hyatt Gold Passport
- Status: Diamond
- How much: 7500+$100
- Category Room – Club King
- Other benefits – Diamond Breakfast, 1000 welcome amenity points Club access
- Total Value – $424
- Savings from points –$324
Check in:
Diamond status was recognized, and I had my rooms keys quickly. No additional upgrade was given from a club king room which is guaranteed with Diamond status. Although, I have to say, getting what would be close to a $500/night room, for 7500 and $115 with taxes is a pretty stinking good deal.
Below is the picture check in, both day and night
Room: Grand Club King
The room feels up to date and modern
Hallway to the room
Grand Club
Located on the 12th floor and has 5 different offerings of food
- Continental Breakfast: 6:30-9:30
- Afternoon Service: Noon to 5pm
- Drinks, cookies, and fruit
- Cocktails: 5pm to 10pm
- Alcohol at a cost
- Hors d’oeuvres: 5pm to 8pm
- Dessert Buffet: 8:30pm to 9:30pm
Also – if you have club access and need to print do so. It costs 20 cents a page at the Fedex center downstairs. I needed to print a 60 page script and it saved me some lunch money.
Morning offerings for continental breakfast:
Diamond Breakfast downstairs at Cabinet
Another perk of having Diamond status is the ability to opt for breakfast in the restaurant. It will cover the guests who are officially registered to the room. This time it was just Miles and I. But it was INNNNNNNCRED!
And then the damage! OH MY GOOOOODNESS!!! This breakfast was absolutely fabulous. And Free.
Fitness Center and Pool
The fitness center and pool are actually located just outside the main lobby of the hotel.
Overall:
I had a great experience at the Grand Hyatt Washington D.C. I was only here for a day, but was able to take advantage of the club lounge, diamond breakfast, and fitness center. The location is great, and the price couldn’t be better…I mean 7500+$100 is a great deal. Since it’s a category 4 hotel it also qualifies for redemption with the Chase Hyatt credit card and I think this is a great value considering the card only carries a $75 annual fee. Even without the club and diamond breakfast the rooms are big and nice, and the location is very central with both metro and citycenterDC nearby.
Comparing it to the Park Hyatt Washington D.C.
The Park Hyatt feels far more intimate and luxurious. Although, I have to say that I prefer the Grand Hyatt’s location and proximity to shopping and sites, the Park Hyatt plants guests in a quieter, more residential neighborhood. Comparing amenities…I think the Grand Hyatt actually offers better breakfast and a club lounge which the Park Hyatt doesn’t. When it comes to rooms – the Park Hyatt absolutely kills the Grand Hyatt. It’s not an equal comparison as I had a large suite at the Park, but the the quality isn’t the same, which makes sense seeing as the Park is the premium brand within the Hyatt chain. Either way, I think you’ll be very happy, especially if you land a cash and points rate.
Don’t forget…you can Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt Gold Passport…er World of Hyatt soon at a 1:1 ratio.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
$300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- $300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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