Grand Hyatt Incheon

Having seen pictures of the Grand Hyatt Incheon (formerly the Hyatt Regency Incheon), awarded Best Airport Hotel' by Global Traveler magazine and ranking #4 on Tripadvisor's Top 25 luxury hotels of South Korea for 2013, I had made sure to include this hotel as part of my trip to Seoul during my stopover in Incheon. As a category 2 (which deservedly moved up to category 3 earlier this year), this hotel was an amazing value for just 8,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points (and I would argue that it still even at 12,000 points)! There is a lot of focus on service (almost too much I'd say) when there are at least 3 people greeting you as you enter the lobby, asking if you need help with your luggage and leading you to the check-in desk (which was not difficult at all to locate).

Incheon Airport Review

Having travelled for a little bit, I've been at numerous airports around the world and it is truly refreshing when you come across an airport like Incheon, one of the most pleasant airports I've had the pleasure of visiting. Most airports are quite functional, serving as an area where you need to go through security and customs before milling around in the gate seating area before getting herded onto the plane. To be fair, some airports have gone the extra mile to make the wait a bit more pleasant but I'll leave those for another time.

Incheon's approach is multi-pronged (I should point out this review was based on my trip back at Christmas 2010 although not too much has changed since I visited a few months ago in the fall of 2011). Upon arrival at the gate, a number of interesting pieces of furniture including some medicine chests and cupboards line the corridor welcoming visitors and people in transit alike with some cultural artefacts.