I booked a six night stay at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco as cash and points award for last month. I don’t often have stays anywhere that long, so I figured that was a good opportunity to use one of my Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond Suite Upgrades.

• Hyatt Diamond members, who stay 25 times or 50 nights a year, receive (4) confirmed suite upgrades. Each can be used on a stay of up to 7 nights provided standard suites are available.

• They are valid on any paid rate that’s available through a Hyatt channel, and cash and points awards count (but regular reward nights do not)

I’ve stayed at this property before and much liked it, so when the location worked out for a longer stay I was happy for it.

This is a ‘category 5’ hotel which means that cash and points awards cost 10,000 points and $125 per night. That was a reasonably good value consider $400++ rates. It made the stay there manageable for me, and I wouldn’t have been confirmed in a suite anywhere else.

At check-in I learned that the confirmed executive suite I had booked was upgraded one category to a ‘Grand’ Executive Suite, a room type not on the website. This was presumably based on availability, and the major difference I figured out being that the Grand version of the suite had a separate wet bar area which also housed the desk.

The living room was exceptionally stylish. The pillows on the couch, with the art on the wall, and the rug all combined to create a neat aesthetic.

There was the bar and office room off the living room.

The refrigerator was stocked with water and a fruit amenity. To go along with the fruit was a bottle of wine. These were pre-placed in the room.

There was a coffee machine setup in the wet bar ‘room’ above the refrigerators.

The bedroom was small, though about the same size as in the hotel’s standard room I had on my last visit.

The bathroom was more than ample, though, with dual sinks and plenty of June Jacobs amenities.

The views of the city were magnificent. They aren’t quite the views you get at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco but impressive nonetheless.

The hotel’s club lounge features both hot and cold food items and breakfast and in the evenings, and ends with dessert. The views are equally impressive from the lounge. The only thing they lack is sufficient seating, I found the place got crowded during peak breakfast time and in the evenings families crowded the small buffet area and didn’t use proper serving utensils as they grabbed at the various items displayed.

Alcohol is charged, rather than complimentary.

During the day you’re limited pretty much to the ‘snack tower of sadness’ [(C) Tiffany], but it’s still a place you can go to pick up as many bottles of water as you may require.

Breakfast was plentiful, and they do rotate the hot items.

Evening items rotated as well.

It’s a good thing I didn’t want to smoke in the elevators, they play tricks on smokers here.

Finding another elevator to smoke in would be a fruitless exercise.

The staff were friendly and helpful. The room was gorgeous. That I was able to have a suite and club lounge access in San Francisco for $125 and 10,000 points per night represented spectacular value, and is why I appreciate my Hyatt Diamond status.