2024 was the year I became a Hyatt convert. I was fortunate enough to get Globalist thanks to the corporate fast track and my brother's work email and the perks paid off in a big way throughout most of the year. Thanks to Hyatt points via Chase/BILT we were able to stay at a ton of excellent properties we normally would not have if paying by cash.
This was definitely a banner year for me with travel and staying in hotels, with 90% of my time being in Hyatts. Thought I'd document and give a brief overview of every Hyatt I stayed at in 2024, with a top 3 at the end.
Forewarning, I'm bad at taking photos of rooms and hotels if I don't do so as soon as I walk in for the first time, so I don't have as many photos and videos for some of these properties as I'd like – most videos come from my wife. Apologies.
Without further adieu, my Hyatt stays in 2024, in order:
Chicago Athletic Association - January
This was my second time staying here I believe. Love a lot about this place. The location is great, the hotel itself is nice enough (it's old, but charming and updated enough), and there's lots to do within the hotel itself. A speakeasy, tabletop games, a bar, a restaurant – you could really spend a night without leaving the hotel itself and not get bored.
Andaz Mexico City - February
You can't beat the location of this place in Condesa, and the hotel overall is really nice, but we didn't love this place. At this point, I still was not Globalist, so the standard room we booked was all we got, which is fine, but it left some to be desired.
The room felt small, and the bed even smaller. It's advertised as a king, but it's definitely smaller and much shorter than even a standard queen. The building was repurposed into a hotel from I believe an old office, so there are these giant columns in most rooms that look awkward. Also, depending on where you stay, you can hear the rooftop's loud music until around midnight, which is super annoying. Would like to stay here again in a suite and see if things are a little different. Definitely prefer this location over the Hyatt Regency in Polanco.
Hyatt Regency Mexico City (Polanco) - February
This was definitely more our pace in CDMX. While I much prefer the Condesa neighborhood to Polanco, where the Hyatt Regency is, it's still a fine neighborhood for walking around, restaurants, etc. There just aren't as many and it's definitely more uppity. Thankfully CDMX is super walkable and has a great metro system and plentiful Uber/taxis, so it being based in Polanco shouldn't give you that much pause if you're more into Roma Norte/Condesa.
The hotel is great, though. I love the club here (we used a club access award), which has great city views.
I'm actually staying here right now as I write this in February 2025. I got upgraded to an insane three-room executive suite. It's definitely my favorite hotel in Mexico City.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong - March
One of my favorite Grand Hyatts, and really the epitome of the Grand Hyatt brand if you ask me. Fantastic staff, lobby, and rooms. The Grand Club is not only grand but features a fantastic view of Victoria Harbor with great food in the evening and a solid breakfast.
In my opinion, the staff, especially in the Grand Club, are what really set this place apart. Time in the club really feels like you're being waited on in a high-end restaurant. You won't need to do anything but drink $600 bottles of Ruinart champagne and enjoy the views of the harbor. We used a club access award, which was well, well worth it after spending time in the club.
Park Hyatt Saigon - March
We had a good room on the top floor (I think the 5th?) which was great. Only gripe, and this isn't so much the hotel's fault as the southern Vietnamese heat, but the room never really got as cold as we would have liked. The AC couldn't really push past 21.5C even with blinds closed or at night due to being on the top floor in late March.
I booked this through the Amex FHR program, so despite not being Globalist yet we got Globalist benefits.
The breakfast here is absolutely amazing. Like incredible. I love Vietnamese and they have everything you could want from the buffet, but also tons of noodle dishes and bahn mi you can order – not to mention fantastic Vietnamese iced coffee and fruit. Really stunning.
Park Hyatt Siem Reap - April
Maybe one of the more unknown Park Hyatts. PH Siem Reap is right in the heart of Siem Reap and is a quick tuk tuk or taxi ride away from the reason anyone goes to Siem Reap, Angkor Wat. Rooms were amazing, food was amazing, and the property features 2 pools, one being saltwater, which is much appreciated after spending all day walking around Angkor Wat in the heat and humidity.
The cash rates here were super manageable so we just paid instead of points, I think around $150 a night which is a steal for how nice this place is. We paid for breakfast, which was fine but nothing spectacular. There's a large grocery store cattycorner to the property for stocking up on drinks/snacks before venturing over to Angkor Wat.
The property itself is also very Cambodian and really captures the Park Hyatt essence of luxury meeting the local culture. Truly great.
Hyatt Regency Naha - April
We stayed here on a whim after the earthquake in Hualien, Taipei a week before we planned to visit (we got so lucky, we were going to be out in Taroko Gorge literally 7 days to the day after the quake happened).
Nonetheless, the Regency was a great place to stay with a great room, club lounge, and overall experience and location. Most of what you'll want to do in Naha is walkable from the Regency and what's not is just a short taxi or transit ride away. Can't imagine wanting to stay anywhere else for a few days in Naha.
This is also the stay where I hit 20 days in 3 months and completed the corporate challenge for Globalist until February 2026 – big milestone and lots of upgrades to come for the year.
Grand Hyatt Taipei - April
First stay as Globalist and upgraded to the "studio" which is like a junior suite, and is very nice.
Located right next to Taipei 101, my favorite building in the world. Taipei is not as big as most of its Asian counterparts, so getting around via taxi, public transit, or even biking via the city's bike share program, Ubike, is easy. The Grand Hyatt is on the Southwest side of the city near the Red Line and Elephant Mountain.
The hotel does feature a club, which can have great views of Taipei 101 depending on where you sit. Breakfast is available in the club (which is very mid) or at the very large restaurant on the bottom floor featuring a fantastic buffet. Really like this hotel and it's a great value for points as well.
Hyatt Regency Seattle - June
We stayed here for a long weekend trip to Seattle. Hotel itself is great in a good spot in downtown Seattle. Club is nice and big and a great place to get some work done if you need to. Walkable to Pike's Place and the waterfront. Thought the Regency was great but would love to try the Grand Hyatt Seattle next time.
Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport - June
Just stayed here for a night after a connecting flight into FRA. Hotel is fine, nothing special. Near a train station so easy to get to from the actual airport. Fine place to sleep in Frankfurt for 5k points a night.
Park Hyatt Buenos Aires (Palacio Duhau) - July
Absolutely beautiful property. Park Hyatt Buenos Aires features 2 buildings, the "palace" which is where you'll more than likely check-in (and is unfortunately not bookable with points), and the "other" building, which is still fantastic but more modern. Breakfast can be had in the palace or "other" building, featuring similar menus but a small buffet in the "other" building.
A lot of history here at Palacio Duhau, president Obama has stayed here, among other super important people over the years. We used a suite upgrade award and the suite was a huge studio with tons of room overlooking the garden in between the 2 buildings.
The property is located in the Recoleta neighborhood of BA, considered a bit "uppity", but still close to a lof the city's attractions, especially by bike.
Hyatt Centric Santiago - August
We stayed here just one night. Location in Santiago is good, being a Centric, and overall was very nice. We were upgraded to the top floor with an amazing balcony as Globalist – although, the gym is directly above the top room floor and from 6AM-11PM you can hear people dropping weights. Major oversight on the hotel's design, unfortunately. There's actually a nice breakfast too, and I was greeted by name by the manager at breakfast – always a little awkward but a nice touch. Despite the gym proximity, great place in Santiago for 5k points a night – just don't stay on the top floor.
Hyatt Centric Downtown Portland - August
We split a trip to Portland staying here and at the Hoxton. The Hyatt Centric was a much better hotel in a great location in downtown Portland. Rooms were fine, the breakfast was good, and the hotel was overall worth the points. Unless you've come to Portland for luxury, I think the Centric is about as good of value as you can get.
Hyatt Regency Yokohama - September
Really loved this hotel. I think it's fairly new as well? Great location in central Yokohama. Walking distance to Chinatown and Yokohama stadium, as well as a train station making it easy to get to with luggage from Tokyo.
No upgrades as Globalist (maybe a higher room?), but breakfast and the club lounge were great. Room was fantastic as well with great views of Mt. Fuji. Definitely one of the best Regencies I've stayed at.
Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur - September
Definitely lives up to the Grand Hyatt name. Big fan of this hotel. It's in the "luxury" district of KL, which is fine. You'll mostly be taxiing or walking other places, but you get great views of the Petronas Twin Towers from the club or breakfast area. The breakfast was absolutely fantastic. All sorts of global cuisines and they had a teh tarik station which was my first time trying Malaysian milk tea.
No upgrades as Globalist, but the hotel seemed to be super busy with some sort of event. Overall, great hotel and super affordable (as is a lot of KL).
Andaz Singapore - October
I've grown to truly love Grand Hyatts and the overall feel of them, so I initially was eyeing to stay at the Grand Hyatt in Singapore. I decided on the Andaz after seeing that the Grand Hyatt was located on Orchard Street, which is really just opulence and shopping malls, no culture at all IMO.
I'm super glad I decided to stay at the Andaz Singapore. The location for exploring the city is fantastic, and it's just adjacent to the arab quarter and much closer to the majority of Singapore's attractions and hawker centers.
No upgrade as a Globalist, but another fantastic breakfast, although not quite as large of a spread as the Grand Hyatt KL where I had stayed prior. I think this was my favorite hotel of my fall trip to Asia, and maybe my overall favorite of the year.
Grand Hyatt Dubai - November
I only stayed here for one night before a flight to Muscat, Oman. I was extremely jetlagged and mostly just slept during my time in Dubai. Having said that, the hotel and room were great. Can't say much about the location as I didn't leave. Was upgraded to a huge, 2-bed suite as a Globalist which was unnecessary for one night but fun. Breakfast was fantastic and had tons of options as well.
Grand Hyatt Muscat - November
I absolutely loved this place. Initially, I was unsure. It's old. It's not really "Grand" by Hyatt's standards, the pool area was closed, and the rooms are honestly super dated. But after staying here a few days I just fell in love. It has so much Middle Eastern charm and something about the vibe is just super pleasant. You can tell this place was the absolute shit 25 years ago.
I was upgraded to a suite, which was nice, but again, dated and with a huge bedroom with a ton of open space which was a little weird. The hotel felt a little empty when I was there so as a Globalist I was a little surprised I didn't get upgraded to a premium suite, but who knows. Could have just been a housekeeping thing.
The club was a nice reprieve at night after driving around and being in the hot Omani sun all day, as has a nice outdoor seating section.
Again, most Grand Hyatts have that massive, luxury hotel vibe with often 30+ floors. Grand Hyatt Muscat is I think 5 floors? But still with a large footprint and plenty of rooms. I think with some much-needed updates this could really be branded as a Park Hyatt. It's very, very Omani with lots of gulf-esque touches that really make it charming.
Think I will do a full write-up on this place soon.
Grand Hyatt Amman - November
Another fantastic Hyatt property in the Middle East. This Grand Hyatt is more "typical" of a Grand Hyatt you may find in most places.
Upgraded to a very large suite on the top floor as Globalist with a bottle of Jordanian wine gifted which was very nice. Breakfast was good, but really nothing spectacular.
Location was good and I was able to walk to most places around Amman I wanted to see, with some taxi rides thrown in here and there. Super solid.
Andaz Vienna - December
The hotel is really well done for the most part. We wanted to stay at the Park Hyatt, but couldn't justify the 35k points a night when the Andaz was 15k. We were here for 5 nights and used a suite upgrade award which was well worth it. The room was very nice with great views of Vienna's main station, but we both agreed the bed and pillows sucked, unfortunately.
The location isn't the best per se, but it's good and is right next to Vienna's main station, which makes it easy to get to. Of course, being in Vienna there's lot of public transit near by, so it's still easy to get around the city quickly.
Parisi Udvar Budapest - December
This was our last Hyatt stay in 2024 and it was a good one. We were upgraded to a suite that had a fantastic view overlooking Budapest. The bathroom windows open fully and grab the attention of everyone outside as soon as you open them. The suites here are just really great. Breakfast is on point, too.
This hotel is really beautiful, and I didn't realize how much of a tourist attraction it was in itself. Lots of people in and out throughout the day just taking pictures inside and out. I caught myself taking a picture or video of the interior almost every time we walked back inside.
Rankings
It was really hard to distill the list down into my top 3 favorites for 2024. After all, I was fortunate enough to stay at some fantastic properties and would be shocked if I had this many Hyatt stays again for a long time, if ever. I did my best to rank these based on location, room/hotel niceties, and overall vibes.
3. Park Hyatt Siem Reap - Staying here just made the Angkor Wat experience amazing. Nothing like coming back to Park Hyatt vibes and 2 pools after a day sweating your ass off at Angkor Wat
2. Parisi Udvar - Really beautiful hotel with a fantastic suite, great breakfast, and good location. Maybe my opnion would've been a little different in a normal room, but our experience here was amazing and would love to come back some day.
1. Andaz Singapore - Location is great, hotel is new and modern with great rooms. Breakfast is large and very culturally relevant to Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine. This hotel is really indicative of what the Andaz label stands for as a whole
Honorable mentions: Grand Hyatt Muscat and Park Hyatt Buenos Aires
