Grand Hyatt Incheon: What to expect

Globalist breakfast buffet at the Grand Hyatt Incheon

As with many hotels that are located close to an International airport, you book with the consideration in mind that you need to be close to the airport and mostly that.

Aside from enjoying visiting as many Hyatt properties as I comfortably can during a stay, I booked the Grand Hyatt Incheon because I knew that my flight would arrive extremely late at night, and I didn’t want to get off of an Australia to Korea long-haul trip and immediately get into a cab for a 45-minute drive to Seoul.

I exercised some care for myself and how tired I would be and booked a single night at the Grand Hyatt Incheon. Considering that my flight was delayed more than an hour and we arrived just after midnight, I was relieved to get in a cab (yes, there is a shuttle, but again…tired) and be in my room and relaxed less than half an hour later.

I was honestly floored by the scale of this property when I arrived. I think that if you are a Hyatt person it’s worth a stay here if you’re coming to Seoul. Having never visited South Korea before it was a perfect introduction to the efficiency, advancement and hospitality of the country.

About the Grand Hyatt Incheon

I didn’t know at the time but it now makes sense that this is the largest Hyatt property outside of North America. It feels ENORMOUS with the East and West Tower and I did in fact have to walk the skybridge to get to my room. The staff escorted me to my room and even at 1 in the morning I had to carefully remember different landmarks because I was certain I would lose my way trying to get to breakfast.

As a casual observer I did see many businesspeople who were coming and going for meetings during the day. It felt like a small city with impressively large and photogenic art installations at every corner. 

Hotel Location

The hotel is a mere 3-minute drive from Incheon International Airport. You can catch a shuttle that will take you to the property, but I decided not to go that route.

One thing I will tell you about catching a taxi at Incheon, it pays to ask the man with the walkie-talkie about which taxi rank you want to line up at. It seemed like there was a different stand 100 meters away from each other. I was going to stand in the first line I saw before I asked him and told him where I was going and he kindly directed me to a different line. The other people in the line in front of me who were also Australians discovered that they were all in the wrong line for where they wanted to go in Seoul. They asked how I knew which line to get into and I pointed them to the guy who knows everything.

It was confusing but at least I knew I didn’t have very far to go.

What Category is the Grand Hyatt Incheon?

The Grand Hyatt Incheon is a Category 3 property on the World of Hyatt app. I am guessing this relatively low ranking is because of its distance from Seoul because I found it to be a lovely stay with so many amenities and interesting spaces. Easily the best Category 3 hotel I’ve stayed at.

The Lobby

The lobby area is very grand and spacious with high ceilings. There is a seating area in the central part of the entrance. The reception desks are to the right as you enter the hotel.

I arrived in the middle of the night and encountered flight crew that were checking in or out with respect to their work schedule. After I checked in I was escorted to the lifts, over the sky bridge, and finally to my wing of the hotel and room. It was a journey and was my first encounter with any hotel property in Korea, so I was shocked at how big everything was.

Grand Deluxe Executive Suite at the Grand Hyatt Incheon

My luggage in the executive suite at the Grand Hyatt Incheon

My globalist status upgraded my regular room into a suite and I was offered the Grand Deluxe Executive Suite. It seems to be the largest of the standard suites and it really was huge. You enter and there is a hallway to your right, and to your left is the bar area, a proper dining table and chairs and the rest of the space extends into a large living and TV area. If you walk past that and turn right you enter the spacious bedroom and moving further into the room you enter a changing area/closet and the bathroom.

I saw the Globalist gift chocolate and handwritten note, which is always a nice touch.

The Bedroom

I didn’t spend much time in this room as it was just one night and I got there at about 1am but it was very comfortable and it had a huge window with a view of the surrounding area. There wasn’t much to see other than forested areas.

The Bathrooms

The bathroom was a long space that extended the length of the back wall of the bedroom. It was very large with two vanities, a shower and separate tub. There were Balmain amenities for those of you keeping score.

Coffee, Tea, and Mini Bar

There was a Nespresso maker, and tea kettle as standard. The bottles of water were enormous, which I loved because I like to use it in the machine rather than using from the tap.

What’s great about the Grand Hyatt Incheon

The rooms

They’re huge! At least the suite I was staying in was. It felt like a luxury apartment with the size of it although it was fairly plainly furnished in the Grand Hyatt Tradition.

The facilities overall

It’s like a self-contained city.  It has great kids play areas and fields. It is the nicest ‘airport hotel’ that I’ve stayed at.

Kids’ scooters available for use at the Grand Hyatt Incheon. There were a lot of play areas and would be a fun place for families.

A few helpful tips before you stay at the Grand Hyatt Incheon

·       You can grab a shuttle from the airport. If I had not been completely tired I would have done this but instead I opted for the comfort of a taxi.

·       There is a cherry blossom garden! If you are traveling in late March or early April you might be fortunate enough to see blossoms and there is a gorgeous outdoor area to stroll through and look at the different fruit blossoms.

·       Your room is going to be warm. The default setting of my room was very warm, I think it must be a thing in South Korea because this was my experience at all the different hotels I stayed at. No problem, though. I was able to tinker with the thermostat. Normally I don’t have to adjust it at all when I stay in a room as I like the temp on the cooler side.

Some of the blossoms I spotted in late March during my stay at the Grand Hyatt Incheon.

Is there room service at the Grand Hyatt Incheon?

Yes, you can order in room dining at the Grand Hyatt Incheon. I even did so at 1am when I arrived. I scanned the QR code from the small sign that was near the hotel information booklet and was able to order directly from my phone. Service was quick and the food was so delicious.

Even at 1 in the morning you can order room service at the Grand Hyatt Incheon.

Is there a Globalist breakfast at the Grand Hyatt Incheon?

Yes, there is a buffet breakfast included with your Globalist breakfast. It isn’t the one in the main restaurant (there’s another paid premium buffet breakfast that happens there) but it’s still very nice. It was a long walk from my room. Again, navigating this huge hotel was something else.

Points or pay?

The fact that it’s an airport hotel means this is a lower priced property, despite how amazing it is. I paid with cash for this room and depended on my Globalist status for an upgrade.