Review: Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego

I arrived at 3:00p in the afternoon after dealing with heavy Friday traffic all the way from Mission Veijo to downtown San Diego. There were five agents on duty and no line. I was warmly greeted by a middle-aged man and thanked for being a Hyatt Platinum after providing my last name. A corner room was provided, but I had reserved a room with two beds–corner rooms generally only have a single bed. I was reassigned a room on the 25th floor of the Harbor Tower and received a personalized letter highlighting the Platinum amenities at the hotel–free internet and free access to the fitness center (fitness center access is actually offered for free to all Hyatt Passport members).

 

 

 

The room was disappointing. Although the beds looked comfortable (and were), the room was drably furnished and small. The prints on the wall were faded. The bathroom was even worse, with stained tile floors and wallpaper that was about 20 years out of fashion.

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, the fitness center is modern and top-notch. I always schedule in time for a workout when staying at the Manchester and proceeded immediately down to the fourth floor to get in a workout prior to dinner. The gym was fairly crowded, but there was no wait to use the machines I wanted. I apologize for the lack of gym pictures. I snapped a few with my iPhone, but accidentally lost them the next day when upgrading my software to 4.0. The comprehensive fitness center features a wide variety of free weights and resistance machines as well as many treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines for cardiovascular work.

 

After my workout the plan was to have dinner at Grant Grill, inside the downtown U.S. Grant hotel, using a restaurants.com gift certificate I had obtained from United. On the way out the door, though, I wandered by Lael’s, the hotel restaurant. On Friday evening Lael’s offers a “surf and turf” buffet featuring a prime rib station, made to order pasta, a variety of fish and seafood, delectable soups and salads, and a wide-range of desserts. We decided to postpone our meal at Grant Grill and enjoyed a sumptuous meal at the hotel. At $25.99, it was a steal and much tastier than a Vegas buffet.

 

 

 

Contentedly filled after a leisurely meal, we took a stroll through the economically-depressed Seaport Village, adjacent to the hotel. I have fond childhood memories of ice cream cones, toys, and magic tricks at Seaport Village, but sadly the tourist trap seems to be a shadow of what it once was.

 

Back in the hotel room, now a little after 8:00p, we decided to take it easy for the rest of the evening and veg out for a while. But there was a problem: no remote control. Who steals a LodgeNet remote? After carefully combing the room, I called downstairs to request a new remote. I was promised a new one would be promptly delivered and resorted to walking up to the tube and using the buttons affixed to the TV in the meantime. How very 1950s…

 

Two hours went by and still no remote. 30 more minutes passed and still no knock on the door. Everyone was tired, so I dialed guest services and crisply stated, “We’ve been waiting more than 2.5 hours for a remote control, but please don’t deliver it now; we’re going to bed.” The girl on the other end, taken aback, responded only with “ok.”

 

 

The following morning I called guest services again about the remote and an additional set of towels. This time, both items were promptly delivered. But there was a problem with the bath towel. Apparently, the bellhop shined his shoes with it before delivering it to us.

 

 

 

 

The tradition in my family is to go next door to the Marriott for breakfast at L.C.’s. They’ve always had an impressive buffet, featuring extras like three varieties of the Naked Juice and homemade müseli that set it apart from other breakfast buffets. It was my first breakfast there since New Year’s Day in 2009 and I am sad to report that there has been a cutback in the scope and quality of the buffet (including my Naked Juice) and a rather hefty price increase. The food wasn’t bad, but we won’t be returning.

 

We had an evening dinner party in Los Angeles to get to, so we packed up and departed after breakfast. I intended to complain about the dirty towel and lack of remote control when checking out, but there was a huge line downstairs so I used one of the self-service kiosks instead.

 

 

I like the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The pool, fitness center, and Lael’s are all perks. But, the room is mediocre and the hotel always seems like it is crowded—though with multiple convention halls and two 25+ floor towers, that is to be expected. I would never let something like the lack of a TV remote control ruin my stay, but it was disappointing that Hyatt dropped the ball.

 

Let me add one more positive aspect about the hotel: the location is ideal. You can easily walk to the ball park, Gaslamp Quarter, and Horton Plaza. If you want to go further and leave your car behind, the trolley stops right outside the hotel and can take you just about anywhere you want in the San Diego area, including the border, Old Town, and Fashion Valley.

 

 

 

BTW, I liked these ads displayed throughout the hotel for the 40th floor bar in the Harbor Tower. Very classy.