Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego — Hotel in San Diego

Hi there! I had a pretty negative experience with my room service that left me overall disappointed.

I ordered the burger, a slice of cake, and a water. That, pre-tip, came out to ~$70, which is kind of nuts, but not what I'm upset about. The real bummer comes when there's a knock at the door and I'm handed a paper bag with plastic to-go containers, no condiments, and no cutlery.

I always look forward to room service when I stay at a hotel. I feel like it's one of those things that not only takes a load off after a long day of travel, but takes me back to when I was a kid ordering room service with my family on vacations. The man in the sharp dress pushing a cart laden with a crisp white tablecloth and various metal domes that are in turn surrounded by mini glass ketchups, mustards, jams. Pushing aside the small table the room comes with, setting up an eclectic assortment of seats and lifting those tray tops to dig in amongst your loved ones. All the while, your hair is wet and you’re wrapped up in the plush hotel robe - which you only got to wear because you let your brother have the first turn on the gamecube bolted to the TV box.

THAT feeling, that memory, is something I always look forward to when I travel.

Now let me paint you a different picture. You finally get back to your room after both a long day of travel and a prosaic day of work, desperate to find some peace and relaxation (which your tv has been blaring that you can find on repeat since you entered the strangely humid room). The view of the harbor is stunning, inspiring even. You peel your socks off and pick up the phone to dial up in-room dining and have a lovely conversation with a fellow whose name you don’t catch. You order the burger with a side of fries and a water, but heck it’s been a long day so you throw in a slice of cheesecake too - you’ve earned it. $70? Ok maybe you haven’t earned it, but you already ordered so may as well enjoy it, right? Get some of those good-time childhood feelings, right? Wrong. Instead, you sit down on a chair that acts more as an abstract art piece than an object capable of supporting a human spine, and open a flimsy, drooping, plastic container that holds your $70 burger and soggy fries. Don’t worry - the cheesecake is now all nice and hot from the steam! Oh, you wanted your cheesecake cold? Oh, you wanted ketchup for your mushy fries? Oh, you wanted a knife, fork, and napkins? Well too bad, because you ordered room service at the Manchester Grand Hyatt - a 4 star (allegedly) hotel where paying over a grand for a two night stay does not guarantee you’ll have better service than your average doordash (certainly more expensive). There’s also no robe and the pillows are stuffed not with down or wool or cotton, but instead filled with empty promises and disappointment - which support your head about as well as you’d imagine.

Phew - really got going at the end there. Hopefully you see my point though. An experience that I have cherished since I was a child was tarnished. My confidence in Hyatt as a brand has virtually disappeared, and my faith in room-service as an institution is beginning to crumble. It’s truly a shame that we’ve fallen this far, and while you may think I’m being melodramatic or overpassionate, I do ask - in earnest - what will you take away from us next, while...

Blatant Racial Discrimination and Unethical Practices at Manchester Grand Hyatt!

I did not stay at this hotel, yet they charged me €1 083,91 (USD1,136,86). My experience with the Manchester Grand Hyatt is the worst I have ever had, marked by blatant racial discrimination. I travelled to attend the AAR conference and deeply regretted booking this hotel.

If you are a person of colour, please do not go there! Go where you are valued and respected. Many reviews here are misleading; you'll discover the truth only upon arrival.

My ordeal began in Paris on November 21. Due to a snowstorm, my flight was delayed, and I missed my connection from Detroit to San Diego. Delta Airlines accommodated us overnight in Detroit. I called the Manchester Grand Hyatt twice—once from Paris and once from Detroit—to explain the situation and confirm my reservation that was supposed to be from 21-25 November 2024. Both times, they assured me it would be held.

When I arrived the next day, I was shocked to learn they had charged me for the previous night despite my calls explaining the circumstances. They insisted on keeping the charge, leaving me no choice but to accept. However, when I attempted to pay for the remaining nights, they demanded the card linked to my Booking.com account. I provided it, but the receptionist claimed they couldn’t accept it because it wasn’t in my name.

I explained it was my husband’s card, which I’ve always used for family bookings, and showed his ID on my phone. Instead of resolving the issue, the receptionist called over two more staff members. They were rude and aggressive and publicly humiliated me, loudly questioning me as though I were a criminal. This drew the attention of everyone in the queue, leaving me feeling deeply shamed.

I told them I had no other card, but they refused to accommodate me. One staff member stated he sometimes made exceptions but explicitly said he would not in my case. As the only woman of colour facing three white staff members, their unprofessionalism and lack of empathy were appalling.

Stranded and without internet, I had to take a taxi back to the airport to call Booking.com. Their staff informed me the hotel had already charged the same card they refused to let me use. I returned to the hotel on their advice, only to be told my reservation had been cancelled and I would be refunded. Exhausted, I booked another hotel with the same card—one that provided excellent service and was close to the convention centre.

It has been over five days, and Manchester Grand Hyatt has yet to refund me. My university has reported this incident to the AAR committee and president, who are investigating. This incident reflects a deep history of racial discrimination and bias. When the AAR annual conference returns to San Diego in a few years, I will advocate vigorously to ensure no events are held at this hotel. Such unprofessional and discriminatory practices cannot...

Our first time at this Hyatt property, but we are Hyatt people. We were so excited to stay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt for our San Diego vacation. Unfortunately, we experienced issue after issue with this property. When we arrived (around check-in time), the vallet was slammed, and then the 6 story self park garage was stuffed full despite only being for hotel guests. We still aren't sure why there was a hotel employee confirming rooms into the garage but couldn't tell us the lot was full. 20 minutes later, we are back at the vallet where we started. Thankfully, my wife had the forethought not to vallet the bags because the bell hop was slammed inside. We needed our luggage to shower and change right away for dinner reservations, so thankful we made the right choice. We walk inside with our bags to long lines paired with long faces. Everyone was on vacation, and no one was happy. The energy sucked right out of the room. We get in line, waited for what seemed to be forever, but finally got our keys and to our room, total check-in time 57 minutes when we are used to 5, maybe 10 minutes. But now we are here, whew. Nope, bad news continues, delaminated toilet, cracked sink, like end to end crack, shower with past residents hair, definatly didn't clean the room within Hyatt standards. The following day, we were gone all morning and back around 4, but our room wasn't cleaned. I called for cleaning service and mentioned we would be out for dinner starting around 5:30 back around 10. Not 5 minutes later, housecleaning comes in, no knock, while my wife was showering and me undressing. Luckily, we had the inside door swing arm lock set, stopping the cleaning person from coming all the way in and seeing me undressing. I had to open the door and tell her after 5:30 as well, but I was just upset about the situation. The next day, we are leaving self park, and our room key isn't working, we got a guy, and he badged us out, but just another thing that we have to fix with Hyatt. Returning back key still doesn't work to get in, but the guy is there, so he let us in. Head right to the lobby around 3 PM, hugh line for the next day's check-in at 4. Hyatt already had a huge line an hour before check-in. We said nope and just did it later. Pool was nasty, super cloudy, and just had a tough time enjoying our stay. We decided to stay a bonus day, which would have been easiest for us to stay and extend at Hyatt, but we packed up and went to another hotel. This experience has made we rethink booking this location and the hyatt brand altogether. One good thing to note: we did have friendly staff throughout our stay, so it seems like good people, just very clearly poorly managed. I truly hope the Manchester Grand Hyatt can clean up their act because we would like to try again because the location is so prime. Let's see if they go up or down, 4.5 star (9.5k...