I will be traveling to San Francisco for the first time and will be staying at a Hyatt. Since there are several Hyatt's in the area, any suggestions on which one to book?

A Hyatt is a Hyatt is a Hyatt. However, if the Park Hyatt is an option I'd choose it first. Then Grand Hyatt based on location.

It depends on what you want to be close to. The Union Square Hyatt is closer to the major stores and is walking distance to China town. There is also a cable car stop behind the hotel.

Oh, no, Jim. Hyatts can and do vary GREATLY.
Try comparing the Hyatt Scottsdale to the Hyatt Phoenix only a few miles away. Night and day for quality, architecture, cost, etc.

Specifically in SF the Park Hyatt has much newer, better appointed, nicer rooms than the Wharf or Regency Hyatts.

The best Hyatt in the region? The Highlands Inn of Carmel. Not at all like other Hyatts.

Thank you Jerrel! You're right--a Hyatt is no more a "Hyatt is a Hyatt is a Hyatt", than a Marriott is a Marriott is a Marriott, or Ritz is a Ritz is a Ritz. Yes, there are similarities in hotels within a chain, and that consistency is something appreciated by most--you pretty much know what you are getting for your money.

But, within our chain, as well as Marriott, Ritz, Westin etc, there is also tremendous variation in style. The Hyatt in Carmel is a perfect example, as are the Phoenix hotels. There are large differences between the Hyatts in SF, and lesser known, between the one my DH runs in Tampa, Hyatt Westshore, and the downtown Tampa Hyatt property. Puerto Rico has two, Cerromar and Dorado Beach, night and day from each other and the Hyatt Regency Hill Country, Monterey, or Cayman are hardly the same animal as Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago or Embarcadero!

Rooms will pretty much have the same amenities, but each GM selects his own decorator for renovations and his taste (and sometimes, his wife's gt;) will determine the eventual decor in a redo. ("My" light fixture selections now provide the lighting in Hyatt Regency Savannah's lobby restrooms unless they've had a renovation since we left.)

I, too, find most Hyatts to be so generic. The resorts are in a different class, though.

I have stayed at both the Park Hyatt and the Grand Hyatt and will probably not go back to the Grand Hyatt - it's very noisy, too big and not high on quality. The Park Hyatt is a much better choice.

And I thought it tough to weigh and balance the various Red Roof Inns ... for instance, considering ice machine location against interstate vibration. I now count myself among the lucky ones with simpler lifestyles. Ex-cha.