NYC - Grand Hyatt
 

Going to NYC for a week. Two days of business and the rest touring, theater, etc. Found a great deal at the Grand Hyatt. Is this a good central location for touring, theater, etc.?

T, the Grand Hyatt is certainly centrally located at the corner of Lexington Avenue at 42nd Street, connected to Grand Central Station. But...<BR><BR>I just stayed there last weekend. Like you, I did so because I found a great price ($169). The line to check in was half an hour long ("sorry, we had some people call in sick today"). When I finally got to a desk clerk, I was told that, although it was 3:30 p.m., that no rooms would be available until 5 p.m. ("we have 2238 rooms; it takes time")<BR><BR>The scrimping being done by the Grand Hyatt shows everywhere -- frayed sheets, thinning towels, hair dryers only on demand; that sort of thing. On a prior visit earlier this year, the (artificial) plants in the lobby featured a coat of dust.<BR><BR>If you don't care about such things, then by all means stay. This last trip was my third and final stay at the hotel. Never again.

The location is good:<BR>*Subway station right next door.<BR>*Fifth Avenue, Rockfeller Center, Times Square, theater district, Empire State Building, Macy's, etc., all within walking distance.

Neal, I just did a cut and paste of your reply and sent it to my husband with the caption "Be thankful this isn't you" (he's a Hyatt GM). These are belt tightening times for all hotels, but the goal is to tighten in areas that don't impact guests. Further, if the comment by front desk is verbatim, that's totally unacceptable. It'll happen occasionally that rooms won't be ready on time when there's an unusually heavy check-out/check-in a particular day, but you'd never give that flip answer to a guest who'd just been put in a holding pattern!<BR><BR>Your earlier posts indicated you felt it was in need of a renovation. Has that happened? The ownership group there had been a rather famous and flamboyant New York developer. (Need I say more?) Don't know if they still are. It behooves management to renovate before things begin looking tired, but acquiring the funds for same is sometimes another matter, especially in this economy. No excuses though for attitudes that need adjustment!

No, Olive, The Donald no longer owns the property!

Neal: They should have had your room ready earlier, there are only 1336 rooms.

OliveOyl, the remark was not only verbatim (and came from the assistant shift manager), but came with the most disingenuous explanation I have ever heard cross the lips of someone in the hospitality industry:<BR><BR>"The time of 3 p.m. as your 'check-in time' is only meant to let you know that this is the time that you can 'check in' with the registration desk to let us know that you're here. That doesn't have anything to do with the time your room will be ready."<BR><BR>I swear that the above is verbatim.

I stayed at the Grand Hyatt in April and my room did not come with frayed sheets or thinning towels. I'm pretty picky and did not find any problems with the housekeeping. The only problem we had was elevators, there was some sort of convention going on and it took a very long time to find an elevator to take you up that wasn't full. The location is good.

Neal...You hope only to hear such things about the "other guy's" chain. Pretty bad, sorry. That is NOT the Hyatt touch.