Price aside (and price matters..) I’ll always pick the property connected to the terminal if there is one, followed by the most recently renovated hotel near the airport. Airport hotels get a lot of one night stays and see faster wear and tear than regular properties.
My picks for best airport hotels a number of cities are the Grand Hyatt DFW, the Westin Detroit airport, and it’s hard to beat the Bangkok Novotel Suvarnabhumi that’s becoming a Hyatt Regency. I’ve had many great stays at the Premier Inn Abu Dhabi airport, even though it is such a basic hotel. The best airport hotel in the United States is probably the Grand Hyatt San Francisco airport.
A View Of Airport Operations From The Bathroom At Grand Hyatt SFO
New York JFK is the only place where I don’t go with an on-airport hotel. I should love the TWA Hotel and it’s beautiful but the place just rubs me the wrong way (charging guests extra to use the pool when it’s often already over $300 a night?) and I do like the Hyatt Regency Resorts World which is close enough to be considered an airport hotel (but with no airport shuttle), is still pretty new, and treats elites well with suite upgrades and a nice club lounge.
Resorts World JFK
I also love airport hotels as a rewards member, in those programs that price awards based on a property’s average daily room rate. Airport hotels tend to have low room rates on average, lower even that what consumers usually see, since they have large and inexpensive airline contracts bringing down those rates. Airport hotels can be a steal on points, even as their public-facing rates can be very ‘lumpy’.
Miami is going to be getting an on-grounds Westin and that could be a game-changer. Currently the airport hotel scene there is a wasteland. In LA I will go further afield, for instance to Marina del Rey. And in Miami I usually choose to go into Coral Gables.
The Coral Gables draw used to be for Las Culebrinas, where the vaca frita mariscada would change your life. Sadly that’s closed.
Yet for over a dozen years my Miami airport hotel go-to has been the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. Sometimes I think I should try the Hyatt House, but it’s often very expensive or just sold out when I look, and Coral Gables hits a lot of marks for me.
- It’s a classic, charming property
- They’re generous with elite upgrades (I always seem to get a suite)
- The breakfast buffet, while pricey at $37++, is great when it’s complimentary as Globalist (you can also order off the menu)
- And the staff are friendly, helpful, and just all around fantastic
The fifth floor pool is lovely, as well.
There’s even a set up with Cuban coffee (delicious!) and pastries for all guests in the lobby, a small gesture that signifies to me going above and beyond.
I don’t usually have a reason to be in Coral Gables otherwise, so my stays here are short, but it’s reasonably convenient and a great value as a Hyatt category 4 property – with award rooms available even when rates hit $400 a night or more. I’ll try out the Westin Miami airport when it opens in a couple of years, but I’ll still feel a tug from Hyatt Regency Coral Gables.
Good looks awful to me. Hotel grounds too. Each to their own on property expectations. I’ll stick to Aman level.
@gary what is your best method to determine the last renovation date of a property, what renos took place, and even what floors/wings if not the entire property?
I was part of the opening team at Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. Great memories. There was a night club there called Alcazaba that was the place for about a year after we opened. I haven’t been back in two decades but will have to check it out if I’m ever in the area.
@Gary
100% on the Grand Hyatt at SFO. My only gripe is that it is Category 5, so we cannot use the Chase 1-4 certificate, but still, the fact that they include breakfast for two, the convenience of the stop on the AirTrain (instead of a shuttle bus), and the epic views. 10/10.
@Adam
If only there could be an Aman everywhere one travels. For MIA though, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. That new Aman there is now expected in 2026. Of course, it’ll be worth the wait; still, it won’t be worth the price tag (for most). That said, even I will happily return to the ‘free’ state of Florida once that bad-boy finally opens.
@hagbard celine
Have you heard of ‘Google.com’—type in your question there, then it tells you. For example, ‘when was JFK TWA hotel opened?’ Answer: 2019.
My apologies with my post – I meant to say the FOOD looked awful.
1990, unfortunately the Aman brand is being decimated Nd I haven’t yet found a better alternative. Have you by chance?
Oh is that pretention I sense in comments today? (Eye roll). For the types who are Aman/Four Seasons/Rosewood loyalists, is there even a point to reading an article about an airport hotel? Lol.
@Adam
‘Decimated’—Since when?! I’d still say Aman is #1. Overall. Everywhere.
Aman’s original strength is in SE Asia (Amanpuri, Amankila, Amandari, Amanjiwo, Amansara, etc.). Amankora is a personal favorite for how unique it is (5 separate locations in Bhutan). For its beaches, Amanpulo rivals any 5-star resort in the Maldives. Their properties in Japan are epic. Even India and Sri Lanka are worthwhile. Maybe you just need to go to Asia with them and you’ll heal quickly.
I cannot vouch for the European properties or Amanjena, as I have not stayed at any, but I’m confident that they’re excellent as well; I wish Montenegro had not closed as I would like to have tried that—at least there’s a One&Only nearby, which I suppose is a high-caliber competitor. (Try Rwanda with O&O, you will not be disappointed).
In North America, I’ve really enjoyed Amanyara and Amanera in the Caribbean. Amangiri is an influencer haven, so that kinda detracts from what is otherwise a beautiful property and surroundings. Otherwise, they’ve really expanded rapidly with NYC and these new plans for MIA and LA (though, the latter is gonna take a while as it’s still a hole in the ground, and the fires and all; hope they finish before the Olympics). Also, the new one outside Cabo should be nice (opening this year, supposedly).
Aman also recently announced plans for a new property in the Maldives, which, whenever that opens, I may have to ‘drop everything’ and go there. Like, those are two incredible things ‘Aman’ AND ‘Maldives’ wowza.
What I find interesting is that Aman is attempting an offshoot brand called Janu, starting with Tokyo; it nearly costs the same, so I am curious how they plan to differentiate. They seem to have big plans in many locations around the world with that. Hmm.
I really do consider Aman to be in a category of its own. Like, Four Seasons, Rosewood, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles, etc. are all very nice, but a bit too ‘corporate’ and less unique. Of course, there are always exceptions.
Nobu has been expanding rapidly into hotels (not just restaurants). The original Ryokan in Malibu is cool, but it nearly just burned down. Yikes.
I’ve been to a few Six Senses that raised my eyebrows, but they’re all quite far away and overseas. The ones in the Seychelles and Fiji are excellent.
Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and the rest are simply not worth mentioning, even the best Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Waldorf-Astoria, Alila, etc. rarely get close to an Aman.
As far as other high-end competitors, you’d have to switch categories, like to African safaris (Singita, &Beyond, or Wilderness), or look at luxury expedition cruises in places like the Galapagos, the Arctic, or Antarctica. Either way, you gotta spend the big bucks for all that though. No point redemptions with Aman or any of those guys.
What am I missing?
I think that Hilton Miami Airport (Blue Lagoon?) is a more-than-decent choice, when the pricing is right. I have oftentimes booked a suite for $150-180 all-in and found them spacious, comfy and relaxing, and the breakfast very good. If I miss the shuttle, I’ve taken a blue cab for $20.
@theboywanderz
Speak for yourself, son. I wish you success so you can pay the ‘big bucks’ at Aman someday. But, get this: even so, you may still need to overnight connect at SFO. And if that happens, be wise, transfer 17K pointes from BILT to Hyatt for a night at the Grand Hyatt. Ask for a view of the runway, dawg.
Hyatt Regency LAX is walkable (20 min from TBIT). Nice to get some fresh air and stretch my legs after an international flight. Most of the sidewalk was in good shape for rolling your bag the last time I was there.
@Gary – If you’re in Coral Gables and have a car, take a short trip to see the Venetian Pool, The Biltmore Hotel, and the museum across the street from the hotel. It’s super scenic, within about a mile of the Hyatt, and is a nice way to while away a couple of hours on a pretty day.
Just had a one night stay at the Miami Airport Hilton. @Lukas – completely disagree – I found the place to be badly in need of renovation – looks like it hasn’t been touched since it first opened. Nothing convenient nearby either. Poor amenities as well.
The rea; sh*t kicker came the next morning – I had an early flight. There were probably 20 guests waiting for the shuttle – and when it arrived, the driver got out and loudly announced that he had to take a crew waiting inside, they have priority he says. Meanwhile their other shuttle bus is parked in plain view and not operating.
I went inside to the front desk and asked the representative to call me a local cab – she told me that this happens every single morning, never enough shuttle bus space for the waiting guests. She said it has been raised to hotel management numerous times, and they simply do not care.
This was a nice hotel probably 10 years ago, but those days are long gone.
I’m with @Adam. The only Amans that are still run as they were when Adrian Zecha was in charge are his original properties in Indonesia and the Philippines. The rest are something else – slightly nicer (but often not so much more comfortable than just more vulgar) than say Mandarin-Oriental, Rosewood, Four Seasons, or Peninsula properties but at absurd prices and less hospitality. Zecha refused to badge the originally intended Aman in Miami as an Aman and but a GHM brand on it.
@Mak
Amanpulo, Amankila, Amandari, and Amanjiwo are all excellent. No notes. But the rest as ‘vulgar’ and ‘less hospitality’—not my experience at all. No doubt, they’re all more expensive than almost any alternative, but those that seek them out are not pinching pennies to begin with. Also, Miami isn’t even open yet; let’s not prejudge.