GRAND HYATT ATHENS Athens, Greece š¬š·ć4K Hotel Tour & ReviewćSolid Value Offering
Being the only Hyatt branded hotelĀ in Athens certainly has itās perks,Ā Ā but it would seem most of those perks are for theĀ hotel- not you. Join me for this quick tour of theĀ Ā newly expanded Grand Hyatt and welcome to Athens. Before we get into it, let me welcome you to theĀ Ā
Channel if youāre new here. My name isĀ Kevin and I am the Flip Flop Traveller.Ā Iām here to give you honest content about flights,Ā hotels and trains. I paid for this trip out ofĀ Ā pocket and the price I paid is in the descriptionĀ below. Hyatt had no knowledge Iād be filming todayĀ Ā
And I didnāt receive any compensation fromĀ them. Everything in this video is my personalĀ Ā opinion based on my unique experience. The rest,Ā Iāll let speak for itself. Letās get into it.Ā I just disembarked a Virgin Voyages cruise in theĀ port of Piraeus- an easy drive from Athens. SinceĀ Ā
Virginās disembarkation policies are so amazing,Ā I was able to get off the ship at 11:00 and so IĀ Ā ended up arriving at the hotel around 12:00Ā after a very long taxi queue at the port.Ā As I mentioned this is the only Hyatt BrandedĀ property in the city- there is one other SmallĀ Ā
Luxury Hotels group property in Athens you canĀ book through Hyatt though. Note that this is aĀ Ā quick tour, not necessarily comprehensive. There are currently 63 GrandĀ Ā Hyatts in 28 countries with 13 in the pipeline,Ā the first of which being the Grand Hyatt justĀ Ā
Next to Grand Central Station in New York. The facade of the hotel is a mix of new andĀ Ā newer. What you see now is newer- and this isĀ new. The hotel originally opened in 2018 andĀ Ā nearly immediately they began to build a massiveĀ expansion which opened in 2023 bring the totalĀ Ā
Room count from a sizable 321 to a massiveĀ 548- now the largest Grand Hyatt in Europe.Ā The lobby and attached lobbyĀ lounge and bar are modern,Ā Ā stylish and ever so slightly grand-Ā befitting of a city center property.Ā There is one itsy bitsy problemĀ though. Checking in and checking out.Ā
Astutely noted by One Mile At A Time in theirĀ review of the hotel, āBased on some of theĀ Ā reviews out there, youād assume this hotel isĀ a less luxurious version of Guantanamo Bay.āĀ Iāve see horror stories about hours longĀ lines to check into other hotels before,Ā Ā
Hard to imagine to be honest- until I experiencedĀ it here. When I arrived, the line wrapped throughĀ Ā the lobby with guests and luggage spill outĀ out in literally every single direction.Ā Ā Despite doubling the size of the hotel, thisĀ lobby area has remained the same size- notĀ Ā
To mention there are five check reception desksĀ and one concierge desk, but only three receptionĀ Ā desks were actually serving the line. I spent an hour and five minutes inĀ Ā line. As expected the room was not ready andĀ there was no system for alerting guests whenĀ Ā
They would be ready, so I was told toĀ come back to the front desk at 15:00.Ā I headed up to the mezzanine since I didĀ not want to drop my bags considering I wasĀ Ā watching how long it took for guests toĀ retrieve them when needed. One floor upĀ Ā
Just in front of the club lounge there are twoĀ desks to form a small and quiet business centerĀ Ā if you need a place to escape the chaos. ByĀ 14:30 the line hadnāt gotten much shorter,Ā Ā
So I decided to get on it again assuming it wouldĀ take at least 30 minutes to get to the desk, whichĀ Ā was correct. This time it was a 40 minute wait. Reception and baggage arenāt the only thingsĀ Ā youāre going to wait for though, since theĀ elevators were likely ill equipped to handleĀ Ā
The original hotelās capacity, let aloneĀ the new combined hotels. Didnāt help thatĀ Ā there was one always out of service. DuringĀ this process, there were two near physicalĀ Ā altercations which happed right around me, oneĀ for cutting the line 2 spots ahead of me andĀ Ā
The other for someone refusing to get out ofĀ an elevator so a couple could ride together.Ā Tempers were hot as fire and it was a hellishĀ check in experience so far, for everyone.Ā By the way, there are only two food venuesĀ on site and the first one was the lobby bar.Ā
Heading to my room now through whatĀ were often hectic looking hallways.Ā I reserved a plunge pool room. When I made theĀ booking the photos online were exactly the sameĀ Ā as the normal rooms on Hyattās website. BeforeĀ booking, I emailed the hotel to ask for photosĀ Ā
Of the room and they replied they didnāt haveĀ any yet. I asked if the plunge pool was trulyĀ Ā on a balcony as stated or if they were groundĀ floor rooms somehow- I honestly didnāt knowĀ Ā how plunge pool rooms would work in a cityĀ hotel. They confirmed theyāre on balconies.Ā
The first room I was assigned was ground floor. IĀ called and after a 35 minute wait was reassignedĀ Ā a few floors higher. As chaotic as that lobby was,Ā with no key card access for the stairwells, thereĀ Ā
Was no way I was staying on the ground floor- IāllĀ show you how it looked at this end of this tour.Ā As you can see, the room is modern but justĀ feels empty, like they forgot to add any ofĀ Ā the decorations and accessories and theĀ quality of the materials used- especiallyĀ Ā
Anything wood- was subpar for a five star hotel. The bedding and linens look like they were used-Ā Ā Iām not saying they were, but it was just allĀ very sloppy. Oh and espresso pods were chargeable.Ā Iāll let you look around. The bathroom, including theĀ Ā
Vanity area and the shower basin both just feltĀ a little grimy with various residues left behind-Ā Ā for all I know itās residue from a cleaningĀ product, but it wasnāt great to feel or look at.Ā
And here is the balcony of the plunge pool room.Ā So, I donāt like that itās an interior view and IĀ Ā didnāt know thatās what I was getting, but inĀ retrospect, I didnāt ask when booking so IāllĀ Ā take responsibility for that one. Note that allĀ of the plunge pool rooms are interior facing.Ā
You can see one of four guest pools down thereĀ in the courtyard. There is one down there,Ā Ā 2 on the roof and one indoor pool at the spa. This is how the admittedly larger groundĀ Ā floor room terrace was laid out. I did have a nice ambiance at nightĀ Ā
Though. But what I really wasnātĀ expecting was the next morning.Ā I planned to head to breakfast and was goingĀ to film the rooftop pools after eating- butĀ Ā this magnificent sunrise- and infinity pool withĀ the Parthenon in the background- had other plans.Ā
Hereās your friendly reminder to click that likeĀ button, subscribe to the channel and share thisĀ Ā video with friends and family. Those are trulyĀ the easiest ways- all free for you- to helpĀ Ā the channel grow. If youād like to support meĀ further my Patreon is linked in the descriptionĀ Ā
Below. Thanks very much in advance. This is definitely one of the moreĀ Ā stunning roof top pools Iāve seen in a while. There are plenty of loungers and chairs aroundĀ Ā but there is a distinct lack of sun covering- IĀ suppose if you want shade youāre meant to gotoĀ Ā
The pool in the courtyard. Perhaps thatāsĀ where to go for the clean chairs as well.Ā Letās look at where were are. Just to the southĀ of truly central Athens on Andrea Syngrou Avenue,Ā Ā the Grand Hyatt is a 30 minute drive fromĀ the airport or around 15 minutes from theĀ Ā
Cruise port of Piraeus- making this a veryĀ popular choice for pre or post cruise nights.Ā Zooming in, we can see that the street theĀ hotel on is in fact a six lane highway withĀ Ā slip access roads on either side and is around aĀ 7-10 minute drive from the Acropolis or the PlakaĀ Ā
Neighborhood. Walking around the area is safe,Ā but itās not really a walking around type of area.Ā The part of the building on the left is theĀ new addition, the new pool in the bottom leftĀ Ā corner not having been filled yet. If you want to know the best timeĀ Ā
To visit Athens or more driving times andĀ transport costs, this is the graphic for you.Ā Onto the breakfast buffet at The Grand restaurant.Ā The space has two levels, but they seat in theĀ Ā lower level first. Upstairs where we are nowĀ as the same spread of food as downstairs.Ā
If you head down to the description youāllĀ find my next five videos to come out as well asĀ Ā other bits and pieces like the soundtrack titlesĀ featured in this video. On your way down there,Ā Ā donāt forget to subscribe- I release fullĀ length videos every Thursday and Saturday.Ā
You can see the plunge pool roomsĀ if you look across from this side.Ā I should also mention that despite all of theĀ chaos in the lobby, there is in fact a newĀ Ā lobby in the new part of the hotel as well whichĀ is connected on the ground floor, but itās notĀ Ā
Accessible from outside and is not staffed. Overall, a spectacular example of a hotelĀ Ā putting profit miles above the guest experience.Ā This could be a nice large hotel, I generallyĀ Ā really like Grand Hyatts and the thought ofĀ a plunge pool room in Athens is really nice,Ā Ā
But this one is unfortunately managed by peopleĀ who donāt understand how to cope with busy periodsĀ Ā or worse- simply donāt care to try and improve. If it was a fantastic rate, Iād consider stayingĀ Ā here again for one or two nights if IĀ was arriving and departing during offĀ Ā
Peak hours only- otherwise, itās a hard pass. I do hope you enjoyed this quick tour today,Ā Ā if you did, please be sure to click the likeĀ button and subscribe with notifications on soĀ Ā you donāt miss out on any of my twice weeklyĀ videos. Iāll see you next time on a SingaporeĀ Ā
Airlines 777 from Singapore to Tokyo Haneda. OhĀ and as always, thanks for watching until the end.
Watch this video if you are even THINKING about booking the Grand Hyatt Athens for your next stay in the city. Being the only Hyatt branded property in Athens, it is the goto hotel for many World of Hyatt Members, but this supposedly 5-star luxury hotel is lacking in many areas. Watch this quick hotel tour and review to see for yourself.
Side Note: I was not at all planning to make a video about this hotel. Quite often I stay at hotels and don’t make a video, but based on how insane the checkin experience was, I decided to document it.
š„ In This Video:
-Hotel Neighborhood Info
-Common Areas Tour
-Plunge Pool Room Tour
-Breakfast Buffet
-Gorgeous Rooftop Pools
-Chaos in the Lobby
š Support me on PATREON!: https://www.bit.ly/tfft_patreon
ā¤ļø VENMO Tip Jar: @kevin_tfft
š§³ Shop ALL of my Gear on AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theflipfloptraveller
šø Rate Paid
Rate Paid: $222.07 USD
Category: Plunge Pool Deluxe King
Inclusions: Breakfast
šļø My Ad Policy
-Every scored review I produce (of a flight, hotel or anything else) will be based on an entirely self-funded experience which I paid for via published rates/fares.
-I will never endorse a product, company or site that I do not actively use. If and when I endorse a product, it will be clearly disclosed and will be relevant to the channel from a brand I likely couldn’t live without.
-For sponsorship inquiries, please refer to the email address published on the About tab of my channel.
š½ Next 5 Videos (š©“ = Must Watch)
ā¢ 08 Feb: Singapore Airlines Economy Class Singapore to Tokyo Haneda š©“
ā¢ 10 Feb: Hyatt Zilara Resort Cancun, Mexico š©“
ā¢ 15 Feb: ANA 777 First Class Tokyo to New York š©“š©“š©“š©“š©“
ā¢ 17 Feb: Hilton Resort Cancun, Mexico š©“š©“
ā¢ 22 Feb: JetBlue A320 Economy Class New York to Cancun
ā° Typical Posting Times:
8/9:00 (US-EST), 14:00 (UK), 18:30 (India), 20:00 (VN), 23/00:00 (AEST)
šŗ My Other Channel
š« ROAM ABOVE (Extended Inflight Videos): https://www.bit.ly/tfft_RA
š¶ Background Music in This Video
ā¢ āNightly Harmonyā by Nightly Harmony
ā¢ āMasariā by Dan Zeitune
All music tracks featured in this video are licensed under an Artlist Unlimited License.
āŖ Video Chapters ā©
0:00 Hotel Info & Intro
00:56 Arriving at Hotel
01:47 Lobby & Bar
02:22 Absolute Chaos
03:45 (Trying to) Head to the Room
04:37 Plunge Pool Room Tour
08:13 Rooftop Pools & Incredible Sunrise
09:33 Hotel Location & Need to Know FAQs
10:31 Restaurant & Breakfast Buffet
11:58 Final Thoughts
12:42 The Flip Flop Score
This is NOT a promotional video. I pay for all of my flights and hotels (and I always tell you how much!) so I can be as honest and impartial as possible. I do not receive any special treatment that wouldnāt otherwise be publicly accessible, in fact, the hotels and airlines have no idea about my visit and that’s the way I like it!
#grandhyatt #athens #hotelreview
39 Comments
great pool view!!! Greetings from brazil
Even though Greece is one pepperoni I have no plans on visiting, if I do I won't stay here, thanks to Kev! šš„
That's certainly not a 5 star hotel look or feel. Not cool.
That check in experience reminded me of kansai international airport security lines in peak hours
Now that I know to avoid the Grand Hyatt itd be nice to knownwhich property to actually go to… I haven't had good experiences in Athens… š
hi please make a review on bengaluru terminal 2
3 star hotel.
wow Iāve stayed there in 2021, a it was really nice. Iām surprised that they are using the same lobby. Even back then it was busy
The views are absolutely cracked but that breakfast looked a bit sad the room interior looked a bit basic and your experience with the cleanliness is a huge red flag.
Almost forgot the pool furniture cushions lord they look bad.
Great review, thanks again.
First and last impressions as they sayā¦..and everything in between with this hotel. So Hyatt unworthy, shameful! Thank you Kevin for this short and spicy š¶ļø review, loved it!
Wow. Just looking at how the check-in was handled gave me the creeps. The dirty bed and sun beds just add to the horror. Thanks for this review. I could have fallen for this one, as the view from the rooftop pool towards the Acropolis would have tempted me. Well, not anymore.
IMO you let them off pretty lightly this timeā¦ Chargeable espresso pods is just laughable. Didnāt even seem to have a separate check in line for WoH elitesā¦ Hard pass.
Upscale Greek Tragedy! š
Kevin you produce fantastic videos. We love your honest approach and we fully trust your detailed reviews. What did you think of your Virgin Cruisr?
Stayed there for Athens marathon, was absolutely amazing in 2017 .. sad to see it has gotten so chaotic
Ugh! It looks like a madhouse! I had this happen once in Las Vegas. Had to wait on line for like 45 minutes. I thought it was insane. They gave me a 250 dollar voucher which was nice of them and which I used with a friend at a buffet. This looked crazy
Thanks for sharing. Another hotel gets kick out my bucket list
Not much of a plunge pool so why bother. Besides actual resorts in places like Bali, it's better to avoid 5 star large hotels which cater to mass tour groups. Terms like luxury and 5 stars are over used. If its grimy now, imagine in 12 months.
Hi Kevin, Times have changed and I have not ventured out for ages! How do you manage foreign currencies when you travel. For instance do you convert cash at the airport, use more credit cards or have a universal atm card that can get cash out of atms in local currency?
One to avoid Kevin. Look like most guests were Americans getting off or joining cruises. No, thank you for me.
Hi Kevin, While watching your review I realised that this is the former Ledra hotel that I stayed at for a week in 2014 that has since become a Grand Hyatt. What a contrast. Back then it was an oasis of calm in Athens. It had earlier been a Marriott. It was moderately busy when I was there in summer but nothing like the chaos you experienced. While it was a little less modern in style and design it was very clean, furnishings were not worn or dirty and the service was nice and discrete. I agree the rooftop pool area is fantastic with an amazing view and is the best feature of this hotel. We found some amazing local restaurants and bakeries in the surrounding streets. Thanks for the review.
A few minutes in and I'm just speechless. Nobody thought about capacity issues or they just don't care?
Athens is never easy and the āchainā hotels are always overflowing especially with cruise passengers – there are many small family āboutiqueā hotels which are so much more intimate and enjoyable and your video certainly cements that feeling- thanks so much for sharing
Hi, Kevin. Great review, pity you can't say that about check-in. Rooftop views and pool are fabulous. Thanks for bringing it to us šš
"Upscale Greek Tragedy" š§
Even OYO Hotel experience in India would be better than this one! Haha
Looks like a Hyatt Centric or Hyatt House…Should have gone to Turkey!
Yes, absolutely mayhem at check in, but paying $222 for a deluxe king with plunge pool which is supposedly a better room at the property, should have been a big red flag during the booking process already that something is not right with this hotel and that it is apparently trying to attract guests on a low scale. And itās not because of Greece, you pay top dollars also in Greece at hotels that are really top notch.
Hi Kevin, please do visit and review the new Bengaluru terminal 2. There are 2 opposite viewpoints of people reviewing it, but I trust your reviews.
Mate thanks for the heads up
Iām a Hyatt Platinum global member so Iām very Hyatt experienced
I was thinking of Athens again recently as I have not been there since my glorious divorce
This is amateur hour and Iāll stay elsewhere as 5 star still has meaning to me
Cheers
Another great upload Kevin, keep them coming, ps could you cover the Lopesan Costa Melanoras please
When I imagine the hours you have to queue up to check into the room, I really have shivers up my spine. What a nightmare. To be caught in the situation, so tired from traveling, and yet you are unable to get some peace and quiet in your room. This is a real letdown.
5 star? I could check in at a YHA faster
Love your reviews. No body does it better. Have you reviewed the melia I koh samui?
Hi Kevin, when I am in Athens I stay at the Sofitel at the airport, it has everything that I want, the staff are absolutely brilliant and cannot do enough for you
I know it is a bit out of the main centre, but I'll sacrifice, the views of Athens for exceptional customer service and comfortable and clean rooms, Oh, I always have a runway view, sipping your favorite beverage and watching the planes take off and land is always a nice way to spend part of your day, enjoyed your review
Thank You āļø
I stayed in the Hyatt while the new wing was being built. The room I was given I had to get them to come and re clean the shower and fix the shower head. Being. In corporate travel I was disgusted at the service and even the quality of food at breakfast. Itās no 5star hotel in the least
Hi, thanks for the video. I'm surprised by the score. the pool and the room must have made up for it. The hot part of the breakfast buffet seems to be of very low quality.
Whar monrh did you stay