Grand Hyatt Manila

Rooms and decor

Picture standing on the 60th floor of the tallest tower in Bonifacio Global City, looking out over Metro Manila stretching to the horizon with the faint blue Sierra Madre mountains behind it — that is the first thing that hooks people about Grand Hyatt Manila, and it is why so many reviews open with the word "view". The hotel opened in September 2014 inside a 66-floor skyscraper that became a new BGC landmark the moment it topped out. All 461 rooms start from floor 12 and up, so almost every window frames the city or the mountains. The interiors run contemporary in cream, light brown and clipped gold, with natural marble and wood that feel more like walking into a home than a business-tower hotel. The king beds are soft enough that several reviewers say they slept best of the whole trip, the bathrooms are roomy with a separate tub and rain shower, and there is a desk by the window that makes working oddly pleasant.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is the floor-60 Sky Park — an open-air pool with 360-degree views, laid out across several zones with a main pool, a kids' pool, a jacuzzi and day beds turned toward the city. The best window is sunset, roughly 5:30 to 6:30 pm, when the sky shifts from deep orange to peach-purple and the city lights flick on one by one into a sea of light. Lots of reviews say they got the best photos of the trip from up here. There are 6 restaurants inside, covering every angle: The Grand Kitchen, the international buffet on floor 8 with a much-praised breakfast of fresh dim sum, made-to-order omelettes, cut tropical fruit and same-day bakery; No.8 China House for Chinese-Cantonese in a moody red room; Nobu Manila, the renowned Japanese-Peruvian room that plenty call the most memorable dinner in the city; and the slick Peak Bar on floor 60 next to the Sky Park, where you can nurse a cocktail and watch the lights as long as you like. Beyond those sit The Conservatory for afternoon tea and The Pool House for poolside snacks — enough that you barely need to leave.

Location and getting there

The location is what makes this place work for both business and shopping crowds. The hotel sits in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig, the cleanest, safest and most orderly district in Metro Manila. A few minutes out of the lobby gets you to Bonifacio High Street, a long pedestrian strip lined with well-known restaurants, sharp cafes and both international and Filipino fashion. Uptown Mall and Venice Grand Canal Mall are a 7 to 10-minute walk, and the kid-favorite Mind Museum is close enough to walk to. Getting around the city is easiest by Grab — set up the app before you travel and it helps a lot. The hotel is about 30 to 45 minutes from NAIA airport depending on traffic, with the Skyway giving a fast run in. If you want the old city — Intramuros, Rizal Park or Binondo Chinatown — budget a 45-minute to 1-hour drive; leaving before 9 am or after 2 pm helps you dodge the jams on EDSA.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the most common gripe is the distance to the old city. BGC is a handsome, walkable modern district within its own radius, but if you came to see historic Manila — Intramuros, San Agustin Church or Manila Cathedral — a 45-minute to 1-hour drive each way can eat a lot of your day in a city with traffic this heavy. Anyone focused on the old town should weigh a hotel around Intramuros or Malate too. The other point reviews raise is in-hotel pricing: the breakfast buffet at The Grand Kitchen runs about $71 to $86 per person and cocktails at Peak Bar start around $17, while a five-minute walk gets you to popular spots on Bonifacio High Street at much friendlier prices. Many reviewers suggest using the hotel only for breakfast and dessert, then eating lunch and dinner out. On noise, since this is a hotel inside a business tower mixing restaurants and offices, the lobby and lifts can fill up morning and evening, and rooms facing the main road catch a little traffic sound — ask for a high floor facing the Sierra Madre side and it is quieter, with a better view to boot.

Our take

After reading hundreds of real reviews from Agoda, Booking and Tripadvisor, Grand Hyatt Manila earns its pitch: a modern address in the middle of BGC, 360-degree city views from the floor-60 Sky Park, and 6 restaurants covering every angle. If the trip in your head is waking up to the whole city through your window, strolling to brunch on High Street, then soaking in the floor-60 pool at sunset and closing the night with sushi at Nobu and cocktails at Peak Bar, this is about as neat an answer as you will find. But if the core of your trip is walking the old city of Intramuros and soaking up historic Manila, the BGC location will cost you real travel time. Overall we give it 8.7/10 — best for couples, business travelers and families who want a modern hotel in the city's safest district, close to good malls and restaurants, with a city view you will not tire of photographing.