Last updated on September 2nd, 2023 at 08:47 pm
After our too-brief stay at the Alila Napa Valley, it was time for us to head into the city. I long vacillated over what hotel to stay at and eventually settled on the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on Embarcadero.
San Francisco’s hotel market is a tough one. Everywhere in the city proper that is of decent quality is EXPENSIVE. Given this, I initially considered a stay at the St. Regis, the Ritz-Carlton, or the Palace Hotel. In fact, I had originally booked a stay at the Palace Hotel, which is a historic hotel that once played host to King David Kalakaua. But ultimately, I decided to stay with Hyatt and settled on the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Location
The Hyatt Regency is one of the few hotels in the city located along the Embarcadero. However, unlike most waterfront properties in the city, it isn’t anywhere near Fisherman’s Wharf. Rather, it’s right across the street from the Ferry Terminal, which is largely why I booked our stay here – so we could have easy access to the Saturday morning farmers market.
It’s worth noting that, despite the hotel’s address on Embarcadero, the entrance to its porte-cochere (it’s valet-only) is off of Drumm Street. And because of the arrangement of the streets in the area, getting in and out of the hotel by car can be a bit of a challenge.
Booking the Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Like every other hotel on this trip, I booked the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on points. Location aside, the points cost was one of the prime reasons I chose this property. It’s a full-service Hyatt Regency hotel, which cost me 37,000 points for two nights. That’s it. No resort/destination fees or taxes. The only charge I had to pay for was the astronomical $80/night for valet parking. But that’s not out of the ordinary for the city.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Arrival Experience
After a 1.5-hour drive from Napa Valley, we pulled into the Hyatt Regency San Francisco around 2 pm. We were promptly greeted by the valets, which helped us unload our car, loading our bags directly onto a bell cart. From there, we were issued a claim tag and given directions up to the lobby. Once we got there, we were greeted by a friendly associate that informed us that took my information, thanked me for my loyalty, issued us two bottles of water, provided us an upgrade to a Bay Bridge-View Room, and informed us that our room was ready.
Once our keys were programmed, we were directed towards the elevators and headed up to our room on the 11th floor.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Room 1125
Once we reached the 11th floor, we ended up having a lengthy walk to our room. Apparently, the rooms with a view are on the opposite side of the building from the elevator bank.
Upon entry into our room, you’re immediately greeted by a spacious entryway, with coat hooks and the bathroom to the right, along with the open closet, safe, and coffee area just ahead of the doorway.
The bathroom is large by San Francisco standards, especially for a non-luxury hotel. In it is a large single vanity, a walk-in shower, and a toilet.
Moving into the rest of the room, the wedge shape becomes more apparent, but it still feels airy. There is an ample amount of space between all of the furniture, along with large windows, helps with that feeling of airiness.
As you can see in the above and below photos, our room features a king bed flanked by floating nightstands, a sofa with a coffee table, a wall-mounted TV, and a desk with a chair.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Room 1125 View
As our room type suggests, we did, in fact, have a view of the Oakland Bay Bridge, but only if you look out at an angle. I was hoping to have more of a view of the Ferry Terminal, too, but it is what it is.
If you looked straight out from our room, you’d primarily see a neighboring building. Interestingly, this particular building is the historic headquarters for the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Comfort
As you’d expect from a city hotel, street noise is audible from the rooms, as is the corridor noise. The latter wasn’t too bothersome for us, probably because we were so far from the elevators. And while the street noise was clear to us, the HVAC was noisy enough to partially dampen it. The HVAC wasn’t obnoxiously loud, but it definitely wasn’t inconspicuous. Thankfully, it was effective.
As far as water goes, the pressure was above average for California, while the temperature was excellent.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Service
For the most part, service at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco is outstanding! Our limited interactions with the front desk were always excellent, while the valet staff were, for the most part, incredible. That said, one incident during our stay here stands out to me above all else. As we were heading down to the lobby to check out, we were trying to roll our bags through the corridors and were, admittedly, having a bit of a hard time. A maintenance/engineering employee saw us struggling in the distance and rushed over to help us wheel our bags the rest of the way to the elevators. How often do you see things like that happen?!
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco is an excellent hotel. In fact, despite being a more mainstream brand, I think it’s a bit better than the also great JW Marriott San Francisco. The location is also great, especially if you plan on checking out the Ferry Terminal’s shops and its Saturday farmers market. It’s even convenient for those that want to visit more touristy spots, such as Fisherman’s Wharf. Though not a walkable distance away, you can easily hop on an Embarcadero street car and be there in minutes. So, really, to me, this is one of the best hotels in the area.
Living It Up in California
- Introduction
- Alaska Air Flight 830
- Enterprise SJC
- Hotel Citrine
- Hyatt Carmel Highlands
- Breakfast at Pacific’s Edge
- Chez Noir Carmel
- Exploring Big Sur
- Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary
- Auberge Carmel
- Stationaery Carmel
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Pebble Beach 17-Mile Drive
- La Bicyclette Carmel
- Alila Napa Valley
- Press Napa Valley
- Olive Oil Tasting at Long Meadow Ranch
- Wine Tasting at Schramsberg
- Regiis Ova Cavia and Champagne Lounge
- La Calenda
- Hyatt Regency San Francisco