I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Athens back in 2021 when travel was still feeling the impacts of the pandemic. Five years later, I would be in Athens prior to boarding a cruise. I stayed the first two nights at the InterContinental (which is located just a block away) before two nights at the Grand Hyatt.
The Grand Hyatt Athens is now a Category 4 property (up from Category 3), which means you can use a Free Night Certificate on your stay. I booked my first night with one such certificate, and the second night with points (12,000 points as I booked before the category change). Room rates during the summer months seemed to be around $200 per night.
The property was originally a Marriott before converting to Hyatt in 2018. Since my stay in 2021, the hotel doubled the number of rooms, to a total of 548, by completing a huge addition to the property. The construction of the new wing also added a second rooftop pool and conference space.
As you will learn, I ended up not coming away with the best impression of the Grand Hyatt Athens. The bottom line is that the hotel has recently doubled in size while still operating like a much smaller property.
Location
The Grand Hyatt is located about 2 miles south of Syntagma Square. While you could walk to attractions like the Acropolis, it is not a pleasant walk. The best option is either a taxi or taking the bus that stops very close to the hotel. You could also walk to the #6 streetcar line.
Since my last visit the area around the Grand Hyatt has improved and there are now a good number of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. I went back to the restaurant Masina and still found it to be a great option within walking distance for some very good Greek food.
Check In
The check in process is shockingly bad at the Grand Hyatt Athens. The lobby is small and there are a ton of tour groups, including people like me transiting to a cruise, that have a ton of luggage. The place feels like grand central station.
In addition to the constant chaos, be prepared to wait a LONG time to check in. In the photo above you can see the line snaking around the lobby. Even at peak check in times they had three staff working.
You are not able to check in on the app, so you have to go to the front desk. If the management doesn’t want to hire more staff, then they should invest in a mobile check in system with a kiosk to pick up your key (or use your phone as your key like many other Hyatt’s allow).
I arrived at 4pm (check in is at 3pm). When I got to the front, the staff just looked at me with no greeting. “I would like to check in…” I said. After that the staff was friendly, but not a good way to greet guests that have already been waiting for a long time. The staff explained I would need to pay the €15 daily city tax per night on my award stay, which simply isn’t how World of Hyatt works. When I pushed the staff on that, they agreed that I wouldn’t have to pay it.
I was told I had booked a Family Premium Room (I was traveling by myself and had not booked a family room), but I suggested that it was perhaps an upgrade I had received as a Globalist. The staff member agreed.
However, my room wasn’t ready, but he said it would be ready in just a couple of minutes. The agent suggested I go sit at the bar and check back later (which I assumed meant that I would need to stand in the line again). I asked for my key, suggesting I could just wait for a few minutes and then head up, but I was told that wouldn’t be possible. Instead I was given a temporary key to the club lounge where I sat for 45 minutes, not wanting to go back down only to find my room still wasn’t ready.
When I did finally go back down, I saw a more senior staff member working on something, and asked them for my key, explaining I had already checked in. This person was able to get me my keys so I didn’t have to wait in the line again.
Apparently when they built the new wing of the hotel they built a much larger lobby as well. However, that has sat vacant and unused for three years. It is mystifying.
Room
I was assigned room 704, a Family Premium Room in the original building. Note that the elevators are extremely busy around the clock. I had to wait for multiple elevators until one was available with space. There is another set of elevators in the new wing but they are not advertised so everyone automatically uses the one bank by the lobby.
When I opened the door I was immediately hit by a strong scent that I would describe as anise or artificial almond concentrate. My guess is that it is a spray they use to cover up scents in the room, but it was overwhelming. I ended up leaving the windows open while I went to dinner to allow the room to air out, which it did only slightly.
The actual room is nice. The way the hotel is built, some of the rooms on the 7th floor are basically sideways, meaning you get twice the amount of window space as a standard room.
As you walk in, the bathroom is on the left and closet is on the right.
In the closet is a space for your suitcase, along with robes, slippers, a shoe cleaning kit, safe, and iron.
When you walk past the closet and bathroom you are in the main room with a seating area on the left and the bed to the right.
The seating area has a chair, couch and table. I imagine this area is also where they would put a rollaway bed for families.
The bed is opposite the seating area. There is a reading light and hanging light on each side of the bed. I was able to find one universal type plug on the wall. There are USB-A power outlets on each side of the bed.
The TV is mounted on the wall in the middle of the room above the mini bar and coffee set up. There is no desk in the room.
Plenty of water is provided and additional water was delivered during turn down service.
Each side of the windows has a door that opens out onto a balcony area. There is a table and two chairs on the patio.
The room decor is sparse. I noticed a lot of wear and tear on the room, especially on the floor and baseboards. However the room was very clean. There were a few maintenance issues — the floor lamp didn’t work and at least one of the ceiling lights was burnt out.
Shortly after I arrived in my room a welcome amenity was delivered. It consisted of a large bottle of water, small bottle of ouzo, and some honey.
Bathroom
The bathroom is small with a walk in shower on one side and single vanity sink on the other.
On the counter was a huge selection of various bath amenities (toothbrush, razer, comb, loofa, additional shampoo, etc).
The shower has both a ceiling mounted rain shower and hand held shower.
The water pressure was good. The bath products were very perfumed and branded by Frederic Malle.
Pools
There are a total of four pools at the Grand Hyatt Athens. The first is the roof top infinity pool, that is part of the new wing of the hotel. It’s an expansive pool with views of the Acropolis. It also is very busy and seems to be where a lot of the families hang out.
Next to it but on the old building is an adults only pool.
There are plenty of free chairs and daybeds around both of the roof top pools.
The third pools is in the interior courtyard; so a good option if you want shade.
The final pool, and the gym, are inside on the basement level. I realized I forgot to get a photo of those locations.
Breakfast
The only meal I ate on site was the included Globalist breakfast buffet. I believe if you aren’t a Globalist it is €29 per person. There is also an al a cart menu but that is an additional fee.
The buffet was fine. They had a pancake machine, but everything else was premade. The scrambled eggs were powdered. The baked goods were delicious. I wouldn’t pay €29 for the buffet.
The highlight was being able to sit outside with the views of the Acropolis.
Club Lounge
The Grand Hyatt Athens has a club lounge for Globalists or those that book a room with lounge access. It is located on the mezzanine and was updated during the additional wing.
It is a nice space where you can take your breakfast if you choose. They also had various food out throughout the day in addition to wine, beer, and soft drinks. They also had hard alcohol out during the evening.
Overall it is pretty clear that the Grand Hyatt Athens is aimed at tourists, particularly groups, that are transiting through Athens on the way to a cruise or visit to the Islands. The location is not ideal but completely manageable. There are some real highlights of the property like the roof top pools with views of the Acropolis and a nice Club Lounge. I received a welcome amenity as a Globalist which is a rare treat and nice gesture. I just wish they would fix some of the glaring mistakes — namely an overwhelmed lobby, elevators, and check in desk. These are easy to fix especially as they have the second lobby. They could hire a couple additional staff, help direct guests to the other elevators, and solve a problem that immediately makes guests stressed out. They just put millions into a new building — now they need to invest in the soft product.
