Hot hotels

Downtown San Antonio hotel is honored with 2 prestigious awards

The Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk

James Korenchen Public Relations.

San Antonio might be heating up temperature-wise, but the hotel scene is also on fire (thankfully, just figuratively).

The Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk has been honored with not one, but two prestigious travel awards recently. Rated as a four-star hotel, the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk was recognized by Cvent Supplier Network as one of the "Top 20 Meeting Hotels" in the country (not just Texas, the whole country.)

So what spot did the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk claim amongst the top 20 meeting hotels in the country? The city's very own hotel meeting hotspot is ranked No. 16 out of 250, based on various judging criteria like total requests for proposals, room nights, awarded request for proposals and more.

In other words, the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk is an ideal spot to hold your next large event.

The second award that the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk was honored with recently was a TripAdvisor "Traveler's Choice" 2023 hotel. How does a hotel win a "Traveler's Choice," award, you ask?

Well, the award is aptly named — hotels that win the prestigious "Traveler's Choice" award are in the top 10 percentile of user ratings, meaning that the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk was rated high enough by travelers of all kinds to be honored with the prestigious award.

With the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk's prime downtown location (adjacent to the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center and within walking distance of Hemisfair Park, for starters) it's easy to see why the hotel has garnered such acclaim. For comparison, the only other hotel honored by the TripAdvisor "Traveler's Choice" awards was the Hotel Emma.

For anyone who hasn't had a chance to stay at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk, here's why you should take it into consideration for your next staycation: The award-winning hotel has a heated rooftop pool, a full-fledged gym (with Peloton bikes!), a 24-hour coffee shop, a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, cocktails and bites at the in-house bar, Bar Rojo, a footbridge to the Alamodome, and much more.

Airline News

San Antonio gets nonstop flights to this Washington, DC airport

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

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American Airlines will soon introduce long-awaited nonstop flights between San Antonio (SAT) and Washington, D.C. (DCA). One flight will be scheduled daily, starting in March.

Tickets for the new service will be available on sale starting December 23 through aa.com or American’s mobile app.

The route was tentatively announced in October, but the U.S. Department of Transportation has now formally approved the application by American Airlines.

“This new service will offer convenient nonstop access to our nation’s capital for San Antonians, while helping further connect customers to our comprehensive global network," said Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning, in a press release. "American thanks the many elected officials and citizens who supported our application, and we look forward to welcoming customers onboard this new service soon.”

Flight 1718, reflecting the year San Antonio was founded, will depart SAT at 6:35 am and arrive in DCA at 10:41 am. Flight 1947, reflecting the year the U.S. Air Force was established, will depart DCA at 7:45 pm and arrive in SAT at 10:43 pm.

“This long-awaited connection to our nation’s capital is a game changer for our community, opening doors to countless opportunities for travel and economic development,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “I’m grateful to those who have championed this effort and for the bipartisan support of our representatives in the Senate and House, whose advocacy was instrumental in making these flights a reality. We look forward to the positive impact this nonstop service will have for years to come."

San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh echoed the sentiments about economic development and pointed out some growth already happening in San Antonio. The release also notes that San Antonio is the largest city in Texas lacking nonstop service to DCA and the largest city in the U.S. with a majority Hispanic population without nonstop service to DCA.

“Serving the fastest-growing city in the country, SAT has achieved record-breaking passenger numbers throughout 2024. This nonstop service to and from DCA addresses a need for our military, business, educational and research communities, among others. It also promotes competition and offers more travel options for passengers flying to and from San Antonio, enhancing connectivity as we continue making progress on the airport Terminal Development Program.”

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