At long last, the Grand Hyatt at SFO, the only hotel built on the grounds of San Francisco International Airport, will officially open its doors on Tuesday, October 1.

Hotel management allowed SFGate exclusive access to the $237 million property last week as they were busy training 200 new employees and making final finishing touches. Check out the slideshow and captions at the top of this post for a sneak peek and walk-through!

The 351-room, 12-story hotel is located at the airport's front door, adjacent to the International Terminal with its own AirTrain stop. When entering airport roadways, you will see it on the right hand side.

The front of the hotel (at 55 South McDonnell Road) overlooks the ramp on the "A-side" of the international terminal, which means guests with rooms on the airfield side get dramatic views of giant jumbo jets lumbering in and out of gates before or after transoceanic flights to Europe and Asia.

When we were there on a recent afternoon, we saw Qantas' 747 from Sydney land and dock at the International Terminal. As many aviation geeks (and Highway 101 commuters) know, Qantas parks its big bird on the ramp just across from the hotel all afternoon and evening as it awaits its late night departure from SFO. From a room at the hotel, it feels like you can reach out and touch that Queen of the Skies on the nose!

You'll also be able to spy down to other jumbos from Air France, Korean Air, China Southern, British Airways, Air Canada, and Fiji Airways, among many others. The view is simply mesmerizing, especially in the early afternoon when the ramp is especially busy.

From the opposite side of the hotel, guests can look out on the maze of roads, highways, tunnels and rail links that provide terrestrial connections to the airport. While it's not the big jets, the view is equally mesmerizing. And rooms on this side of the hotel are cheaper.

Guests who want an airport ramp view should request a room with an EVEN number. Odd-numbered rooms look out to the airport roadways and mountains. Guest rooms are located on floors 5-12.

Speaking of views, planespotters and aviation geeks should know that there is no special observation deck or public space on the top (12th) floor of the hotel. To peer out at planes, you'll need to visit the hotel lobby and its Twin Crafts Market and Bar (fourth floor) or the Quail & Crane restaurant (third floor).

Lucky meeting attendees in big bright rooms on the second floor can daydream of faraway places, as many have outstanding ramp views — and aviation themed names such as Supersonic, Stratocruiser and Looper.

There's a gym on the ground floor, which overlooks the roadway, and provides obstructed views of the ramp activity.

Some more info and tour highlights (be sure to see the slideshow at the top of this post):

>Depending on demand, rates for regular rooms start at $300 to $400 per night. Twenty-one suites, located at the end of hotel corridors start at about $500 to $600 per night (some have deep soaking tubs overlooking runways, which you'll see in the slideshow). Runway view rooms cost about $50 more per night than highway views. Grand Club rooms run about $100 more per night. There are (thankfully) no resort or amenities fees. The Grand Hyatt at SFO is pegged at Award Category 5 for members of the World of Hyatt loyalty program.

>When I checked, the lowest rates ran as low as $225 during Christmas week, to nearly $700 per night during the big Dreamforce convention in San Francisco this November when rates soar.

>Despite its location wedged between noisy, rumbling highways and roaring runways, the hotel is an oasis of quiet due to four inch thick triple-paned windows and lots of insulation. I've always been impressed with how engineers can dampen sounds at airport hotels.

>If you enter the hotel via the SFO AirTrain, you might miss the beautiful mosaic on the wall along the stairway in the motor lobby of the hotel. Walk downstairs and check it out (or see it in our slideshow). The hotel has several unusual art installations that are worth a thoughtful gander.

>General Manager Henning Nopper told me that the average stay at the Grand Hyatt at SFO will likely be just 1.2 nights — this is a fly in/fly out hotel. But it will also get a lot of business meetings from nearby Oyster Point, with its explosive growth in biotech and pharma companies that need meeting space.

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All rooms have super fast wi-fi, numerous electrical and USB outlets, blackout curtains, a Nespresso machine, a big 55-inch flatscreen TV, and big bright bathrooms with broad counters and pale blue tiled showers. There's also a big bright full service gym, including two Peloton bikes, various machines, free weights, a large space for yoga and a massage therapy studio.

Travelers also have the opportunity to reserve a micro stay in the hotel's day-use rooms – a nice option for fly-in, fly-out conferences and daytime layovers. Day-use rates include access to the fitness center, restaurant, bar, and room service. Rates are based on a percentage of whatever the day rate is, and can be negotiated with hotel staff.

More info here on the hotel's website.

Have you stayed at an on-airport hotel before? How was it? What do you think of this one? Tell us in THE COMMENTS!

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.