By Eric Jay Toll
Ratings
- Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐3/4
- Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Rooms ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Staff ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Dining ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Facilities ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Amenities ⭐⭐⭐
First, the plane. Next, the train. Then, exhausted from lugging my suitcase up the forever staircase next to the broken escalator at the Embarcadero BART Station, it was with relief that I happily glided up from street level into the still futuristic historic Hyatt Regency San Francisco Embarcadero Hotel—comfort at last with a view inside and out.
Breathtaking Lobby
Towering 17 stories above the modern check-in pedestals, the third-largest open-atrium lobby in the world blanketed the setting like a place leaving the 21st century behind. It was hard to believe that this cutting-edge property recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Waiting to check in at the lobby podium, I stopped for a moment to look around at the changes and traditions following a $34 million update of the hotel and its rooms. I watched the colors change on the three-story tall Charles O. Perry Eclipse sculpture.
The Hyatt Regency Embarcadero lobby was comfortably quiet, with guests chatting or checking phones in open and semi-private alcoves, taking drinks at the lobby’s Eclipse Kitchen & Bar, or heading into the glass-capsule elevators that rise, like science fiction transports, to room levels.
Safety and Security
With the lobby above San Francisco’s financial district street level and street people, I felt secure knowing that all around me were guests or had business in the hotel. Even the conference center and ballrooms are located on a lower level with full amenities, keeping the hotel lobby primarily for guests.
Ahead of me in line were two women checking in for a girl’s getaway weekend in San Francisco. The hotel is next to a cable car terminus and across the street from trolley tracks. The historic San Francisco Ferry Building provides many of San Fran’s most sought-after sights with easy access on foot or public transit.
Getting There is Easy
Having a BART station at its front door, travelers from San Francisco or Oakland international airports can get to this Hyatt Regency without a cab, Uber, or car. That was my choice from my many visits to the city by the bay. It would have been a perfect trip were it not for the broken escalator at the Embarcadero BART station.
Check-in was smooth and flawless. Within minutes of stepping to the podium, I was in the “space capsule” elevator, soaring to my suite on the ninth floor, halfway up the building.
Top Drawer Renovations
Since the rooms were remodeled, even the carpet was subdued and complementary to the quietness in the lobby. Each room is reached with a mezzanine hallway suspended over the lobby, gently angled vertically inward as the hotel rises.
My suite and other rooms on the water side of the hotel have balconies overlooking San Francisco Bay. While these may not be the online discount options, enjoying the City’s Mediterranean climate while sitting on a balcony with morning coffee or a sunset drink is a nice way to begin or end the day and something special to add to a Hyatt Regency stay.
Newly remodeled rooms are well-appointed with Hyatt’s best bedding, a spacious bathroom with a large walk-in shower and a comfortable lounging environment. The suite that was my home for the weekend featured an entire living room with a workspace, dining space, and two bathrooms.
Even without the balcony, standard rooms left a feeling of room to sleep, lounge or work without feeling the walls closing in.
This is a Hyatt Regency feature in the hotel group’s marquee flagship compared to more standard hotels.
San Francisco is a premium destination, and hotel rates, from the discounters to the premier properties like the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, reflect its magnetic popularity.
There is a newly designed workout facility with the basic equipment expected in a major hotel.
Feeling Safe in the Neighborhood
Many read about the stories of aggressive approaches by street people in San Francisco and the number of closed major stores. In this city area, the streets were clean, and it felt perfectly safe for couples or groups to wander from the hotel to sample the many fine restaurants.
The quality and variety of dining places immediately around the hotel are of such a caliber that Hyatt does not have a formal fine-dining restaurant.
Hotel Dining
Regency Club
The nearby dining options contributed to the end of the unique rooftop revolving restaurant, formerly the Equinox. It did not reopen after renovation for dining, becoming instead the Regency Club, a semiprivate amenity that can be packaged with a room.
The Club serves cocktails, finger food in the evening and a light buffet breakfast in the morning. The restaurant revolves a complete 360 degrees for a view of San Francisco and the Bay. It moves at a gentle, engineered pace designed to offset vertigo, but I still found myself facing movement direction.
The Market
At lobby level, The Market features snacks and a variety of kitchen-prepared grab-and-go entrees. A few tables make it possible to grab and stay. I found myself holding one of the fresh pastries when hurrying out the door. They also package foods so you can easily return with them to your rooms.
Eclipse Kitchen & Bar
Next to The Market, Eclipse Kitchen & Bar offers complete mixology, house specialty cocktails, and a well-curated menu of shareables, boards, entrees and desserts. While my bistro steak was absolutely delicious, I especially enjoyed the mashed Yukon potatoes.
The next morning, I enjoyed the Eclipse breakfast buffet, which had many options. The variety was far more than could be sampled in one meal.
I was delighted with my make-your-own fruit waffle, and the couple at the table next to me seriously enjoyed their build-your-own omelets. The chef rotates several hot breakfast options from a list of specials. There are tables of fresh pastries, breads, fruit, berries and yogurt. The blue corn breakfast tostadas and bacon were personal favorites.
People Are Asking about the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Embarcadero…
What about parking options at the hotel?
The hotel has underground parking in an adjoining Embarcadero Center building at a Financial District going rate. I’d encourage public transportation, cabs, car sharing or Waymo before bringing a car into the heart of San Francisco. If you do, do not leave anything visible in the car.
Is the hotel pet-friendly?
Hyatt Regency is pet-friendly with three-day advance notice. The hotel is located adjacent to a linear park and the waterfront, which are also pet-friendly. The Ferry Building and its farmers market are crowded with tail-wagging dogs out for a stroll and a chance to sniff others.
Are there rooms with balconies and Bay views?
One side of the hotel offers clear views of the bay and balconies from which to enjoy the view. These are premium rooms, and I treasured stepping out onto the balcony in the morning to have the French Roast coffee Kuerig-brewed in my room.
Is there a destination or resort fee?
Like just about every major hotel property, a destination fee is applied to each room, so plan for a $40 surcharge on whatever booked rate, unless the fee is mentioned.
How does the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero compare to other nearby hotels?
When you look at post-renovation guest comments about the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero and other hotels in the Financial District, the Regency shines with outstanding amenities, a sterling location, and the expected professional staff at your beck and call. The unique Bay-view balconies and revolving Regency Club make the hotel stand out from major nearby lodgings.
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