Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco [In-depth Review]

San Francisco is an awesome city to visit. From the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf and PIER 39, there’s so much to do in and around the city.

I was visiting for the weekend to see my brother and his girlfriend (and to see “Top Gun: Maverick” on opening day, but that’s another story). When I was searching for hotels, I started and ended my search with Hyatt since I am trying to earn Globalist status (or at the very least keep my Explorist status) for next year.

Luckily, there were a number of Hyatts around San Francisco available, so I had my pick of hotels. I chose the Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco because it was in a great location and reasonably priced.

In this review, I’ll show you around this hotel so you can decide if it’s right for your time in San Francisco. Let’s get to it!

Location

One of the main reasons I booked the Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco was its location. In addition to being near my brother’s apartment (which I’m assuming won’t matter to you), it was close to popular San Francisco attractions such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and PIER 39.

After arriving at Oakland International Airport (OAK), it took us about 30 minutes to drive the 20 miles to the hotel. Alternatively, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is just about 15 miles from the hotel.

Booking

When I originally booked this hotel, the cost was $948.54 for 3 nights. This is a Category 5 hotel, so I could have opted to pay 20,000 points per standard night, giving me a 1.58 cents per point value. We value World of Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents each, and I generally prefer to save them for higher value redemptions, so I paid with a credit card.

A few days before my trip, I checked the prices and the hotel was less expensive than when I originally booked. I found an even cheaper price on Hotels.com. Because of that, I was able to use Hyatt’s best rate guarantee to get a price adjustment that saved me $266!

In the end, I paid $682.45 for 3 nights. I used my World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, so I earned 4x points on this stay in addition to the 6x points I earned as a Hyatt Explorist member (5x points plus a 20% bonus).

All in all, I earned 5,750 points and 3 elite night credits from this trip.

Hot Tip: While I ended up paying cash for this stay, there are plenty of great hotels in San Francisco to book with points.

Destination Fee

I really can’t stand destination fees! If you’re not familiar with a destination fee, it’s like a resort fee for a non-resort hotel — a way for the hotel to charge you more for “benefits” you most likely don’t need or want.

This hotel charged a destination fee of $30 per night. Here’s a look at what’s included in the fee:

• PUBLIC bike rental
• High-speed Wi-Fi
• Local and 1-800 phone calls (seriously, who needs this?)
• Business center usage including printing and copying
• Daily bottle of water
• Retail discount card for PIER 39
• Special keepsake San Francisco magnet upon departure
• 20% discount on Big Bus sightseeing tours
• $2.50 off aquarium tickets
• $2 off Exploratorium
• Rollaway bed rental
• $10 discount off Spin Scooter
• $10 off Madame Tussauds

Unfortunately, none of these shopping or activity discounts were offered to me. I didn’t really need any of the discounts, so I didn’t ask about them, but I imagine many guests don’t even know these are available.

Hot Tip: Hyatt waives resort fees (including destination fees) when you book a stay using points.

Elite Benefits and Check-in

Check-in was quick and pleasant, and my Explorist status was recognized right away.

I originally booked a room with 2 double beds but then changed my reservation to a single king bed because it was less expensive and I figured I’d be able to switch to 2 beds at check-in.

The man who checked me in said that wasn’t a problem and went to work finding a room in his computer system. He then said he had an upgrade for us — to a room with a king bed and a double bed.

He said it was because there were 3 of us and he noticed my husband, who was standing with my daughter behind me, was tall and didn’t want him to have to share a double bed with me (haha). For the record, my husband is tall (6 feet 6 inches) but this is the first time we got an upgrade because of it!

I thought that was a sweet gesture and it was definitely nice to not have to share a double bed with anyone.

I was also offered a 2 p.m. late checkout as part of my Explorist benefits.

Hot Tip: If you’re on a tight budget, you may want to check out these inexpensive hotels in San Francisco.

Amenities

Let’s take a look at some of the amenities offered at Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco.

Pool

There was a heated outdoor pool on the third floor. It was large and had lots of seating around it, but it lacked some ambiance.

There was also a hot tub next to the pool.

Fitness Center

The fitness center was a pretty decent size and had multiple elliptical machines, bikes, and treadmills.

There was also an area with weights and exercise balls.

The Market

The Market is a 24-hour grab-and-go shop located in the lobby of the hotel.

It offered a variety of food items from snacks and drinks to frozen food and fresh fruit.

Pet Friendliness

Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco is a pet-friendly hotel as long as you inform the hotel at least 3 days prior to arrival. There’s a $100 fee on stays of up to 6 nights. For stays between 7 and 30 nights, an additional $100 fee will be charged.

Dogs must be 50 pounds or under. If you’re bringing 2 dogs, their combined weight must be under 75 pounds.

Bike Rentals

Free PUBLIC bike rentals were included in the destination fee benefits.

Travel Depot App

If you forget an essential like a charging cable, sunscreen, or headache medicine, you can order via the Travel Depot app (iOS, Android) and pick up your items at the front desk within 30 minutes. I was given a $5 off coupon for this service when I checked in but never needed to use it.

Parking

There was a small parking area right by the front door which was very handy when we were getting picked up or dropped off. In addition, there was a garage right by the front entrance for longer-term parking. The rate was $6 per hour or $65 plus tax for overnight parking. If you have Globalist status, parking fees are waived on award stays.

Hot Tip: If you prefer one-of-a-kind hotels, check out these San Francisco boutique hotels.

1 King Bed and 1 Double Bed Room

I booked a basic 1 King Bed room but was upgraded at check-in to a 1 King Bed and 1 Double Bed room. While the room itself wasn’t much different than the base level room I booked, it was really nice to have one of the beds be a king instead of having 2 doubles.

The room was basic but comfortable. The 2 beds each had lots of pillows of varying thicknesses so you could find exactly what you wanted. There was a bedside table shared between the beds with lights, a phone, an alarm clock, a USB outlet, and plugs.

Across from the beds was a cabinet that housed the coffee setup, a safe, a TV, and a minifridge.

On one side of the cabinet there was a nice, sturdy luggage rack and on the other side was a moveable table that also worked great as a luggage rack, too!

There was a bottle of water on the cabinet that was replaced each day as a benefit of the destination fee. Additional bottles were available for $5 each.

There was coffee and tea in the room, which I’m always excited to see.

The only issue was that instead of creamer there was a packet of coffee whitener. I use milk in my coffee for the taste, not to change the color, so this stuff doesn’t cut it for me. Plus, it’s really pretty gross.

I ran across this stuff at the Hyatt Regency Deerfield just outside of Chicago, too, so it’s made its way to more than 1 Hyatt location.

I ended up buying a small container of milk in the lobby market and kept it in the minifridge for my morning coffee.

There was a closet with hanging space, drawers, an iron, and an ironing board.

Bathroom

The bathroom was pretty basic and had a feature I really don’t like — a tub/shower combination with a curtain. I admit, I’m very picky about showers and this style just doesn’t do it for me.

It did have a nice rain shower head, but that was the only thing I liked about the shower. The one weird thing about the shower head was that the surface was mirrored so you had to stare at yourself in the shower any time you looked toward it! I left out a photo of that for obvious reasons!

The bath amenities seemed like an afterthought as they were all mismatched brands.

The single sink had a decent amount of counter space. There were plenty of towels as well as a Drybar hair dryer.

1 King Bed Room

My mom was traveling with us, so I grabbed a few photos of her room, too. She had the base level 1 King Bed room. The style, size, and decor of her room were nearly identical to ours with just a few exceptions.

Where our room had a king bed and a double bed, hers had a king bed and a chaise lounge.

She had a view of the pool instead of the street view I had.

The bathroom size and layout were also identical to ours, but her room had an updated stand-up shower instead of the tub/shower combo.

Food and Beverage

At the time of my stay in May 2022, there was only 1 restaurant open — Brick & Beam.

The hotel’s website also lists a restaurant called The Wardroom, but it was non-existent during my stay. According to the website, there were some renovations a couple of months earlier, so I’m guessing the second restaurant either had recently been closed or is still being renovated.

Brick & Beam served breakfast and dinner daily:

• Breakfast: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily
• Dinner: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Since my stay was rather short and there are so many great restaurants nearby, I never tried out the hotel’s restaurant.

Service

The service we received at Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco was excellent. The front desk staff was always helpful and the housekeeping staff was always quick with a friendly greeting when I walked by.

One morning, we were waiting for my brother to pick us up so we could go to breakfast and my 8-year-old daughter was complaining that she was hungry. My brother was running a little late and her patience was running thin. The same man who had checked us in walked over to The Market, which was located in the lobby, grabbed a cookie, and brought it over to my daughter.

While a cookie isn’t my idea of a great breakfast, she was thrilled and I was impressed by the thoughtful gesture (yes, I let her eat the cookie).

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is one of those hotel luxuries that has suffered because of COVID-19. While many hotels have brought it back, many are continuing to limit it. As a lover of hotels, daily housekeeping is one of those things I enjoy. While not necessary, getting fresh towels and a made-up bed every day is one of the reasons I prefer hotels over vacation rentals.

I’m happy to report that Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco offers daily housekeeping. I was even asked whether I preferred service in the mornings or afternoons, which was a nice touch.

Our room was refreshed every afternoon, so it was clean and made up every evening when we returned.

Final Thoughts

Overall I was very happy with my stay at Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco. While not a super luxurious hotel, the rooms were comfortable, the staff was friendly, and the location was great for exploring San Francisco.