tom911

My server suggested I should grab some items from the pantry area to go (drinks, chips), in addition to my breakfast order, and they would be covered as a Diamond. I told him I would not be doing that. My bill was only $40 and I felt bad about it - I don't want to abuse the Diamond benefits to the detriment of future Diamonds staying here. They really need to look at putting a dollar cap on breakfast like they do at Olive 8 in Seattle (something around $30 there IIRC). Sounds like it's generating higher tips with the larger bills but clearly costing the hotel some money in extra food and beverage above what guests actually ask for.

I recall one couple coming in when there were no dining room tables and they were served outside somewhere - maybe over at the bar?

Agree with you on nowhere to put toiletries. The shelf unit over the toilet really didn't work for me. I'm not at any hotel to work, so the concept still works for me, but it is clearly confusing folks with Hyatt experience at other properties. Can't see any other Hyatt brand that it would readily align with.

Tom in Madrid

Oceanbound222

The location of this property is in an area called NOMAD which is one of the best neighborhoods in New York. It is a very happening place that is become more desirable by the week. The exciting new Virgin Hotel is being built a block away, as well as the 5 star Nomad Hotel, Ace Hotel and Eventi Hotel. This Hyatt is perfectly situated to gain from the area.

GUWonder

When did the "North of Madison Square park" area get branded as "NOMAD"? It must be one of those business improvement district or property owner/developer fabrications that got put into play for marketing purposes in the years after FT was launched. Perhaps area rebrandings actually do work. That said, I still don't find that the branded area is such that I would shift to stay in a hotel in the area over other areas in the city with comparable or better hotels. If I stay at this property -- after having visited it when others were staying there -- it would be because the hotel location is not bad for my purposes and because its affiliation with Hyatt GoldPassport (and Diamond benefits in my case) is valued by me.

ZBigFam

Staying here now...here are the good and bad:

Bad:
Overall hotel has a very cheap feel to it. It feels like they spent the bare minimum to meet the Hyatt standard. For example the trim in the elevators is coming off , the towel racks in the gym are old and rusted.

Housekeeping isn't that great, my room didn't have an ironing board and I wanted to use the safe but it was locked and someone else's stuff was in it

The good:
Breakfast here was really good. I like how they have more choices than the T45 diner. They brought me fruit as a diamond welcome plate without me asking. The avocado toast while simple really hit the spot.

Edit to note that I didn't have any issues with the hot water. It was steaming within seconds. CO Bigelow toiletries were nice.

I wouldn't stay here longer than 1 night but serviceable for mattress runs.

JunkDiver

What was in the safe??

ZBigFam

No idea but it was locked and engineering wasn't on hand to open it so...no safe for me!

Kacee

I have a $135/night rate booked here end of month for a quick overnight. Flying EWR so proximity to Penn Station is a plus. Anyone have thoughts on this place vs. the Hyatt Place on W. 36th? I'm tentatively going with Herald Square based on (1) breakfast, and (2) 1000 point Diamond amenity.

ZBigFam

Beats the HP in terms of brekkie for sure. If I had a choice between the two (stayed at both) I would stay here.

BobR

One night stay, the location nearly next to Penn station is very good. I actually thought the liquor store looked pretty good and I thought the neighborhood was fine.

While the smallness of NYC hotels amuses me, they did a good job with the space that is available (but I agree the desk is a problem). Face the rear of the property and it was very quiet. Very poor internet. Good staff, breakfast was good (my tip did not make it to my final bill). I also was impressed with the tiny, but well designed, lobby.

Overall -much- more pleasant than the nearby HP, but If rates were >$200 (or if I was not traveling alone) then I would look elsewhere.

GB

Stayed here for the first time recently. Had high expectations, but was really disappointed.
Postives
-Beautiful lobby
-Nice toiletries
Negatives
-Room is extremely small. Desk with bench to sit on is very challenging to use.
-Lighting in room is challenging and desk lamp is not very good.
-Hotel training seems almost non-existent. They may try hard, but they failed in execution over and over.
-Overzealous housekeeping barged in on locked door within 5 seconds of knocking to do turn down service. Thankfully I wasn't undressed or sleeping.
-Room service initially didn't answer the phone. Called back and ordered. Promised in 20 minutes. At 40 minutes I called back to inquire and they said it would come in 5 more minutes. Five minutes later, they call me and were confused at what I ordered. They weren't busy at all. Hotel was very empty and I ended up cancelling the order and trekking outside to get something to eat. Just bush league for a hotel of this caliber.
-Diamond breakfast. Coffee served was cold. Gratuity ended up on folio.
Honestly, aside from the breakfast, I prefer the Hyatt Place. The Herald Square property just couldn't execute anything well on a slow night.

Radiant Flyer

I stayed here for the first time Friday and Saturday night.... I agree with your positive feedback and that the rooms are TINY!!!... but for the rest of your negative list I experienced just the opposite.

I love the lighting in the rooms as it's soft, not overly bright... I'm all about lighting, and for the tiny space it's nicely done.

The hotel staff went above and beyond for me, even standing out in near blizzard conditions to fetch me a cab.

I found housekeeping to be friendly, when I requested extra C.O. Bigelow bath amenities they came up with nice BIG bag.

Diamond breakfast was wonderful, one of the best breakfast at a Hyatt that I've had in a LONG TIME. The Eggs Benedict was perfect, my fruit plate wonderful, and the side of potatoes and chicken sausage delicious, coffee was warm to hot and the OJ nicely chilled. Service was pleasant and professional.


In the end I've been staying in hotels in NYC since the early 90s and these are the smallest rooms I've ever encountered, they are TOO small I felt claustrophobic. The located is great, but the size of the rooms is a deal killer for me. It also shows that they rushed to get the renovation completed, there were many areas where I could see sloppy workmanship in my room, from the tile work in the bathroom to the cabinets in the room. Additionally there is no closet, just lots drawers. The gym is also tiny.

I Love the ambiance and design in the public space, the food in "The Den" was very good, but the guest rooms are tiny, so small it drove me crazy so I moved to the Andaz 5th Ave.

PS: I would highly recommend this property over the Hyatt Place in Midtown. The Hyatt Place in midtown seems more like a "Y"... where this place seems like a tiny boutique hotel.

Kacee

I stayed here last weekend.

Here's some more info on the rooms. The rooms at the rear of the building are somewhat larger, but have no view - they look straight across at another building maybe 20 feet away. They're also subject to added noise (hvac and elevators) from the building core. The rooms that front on 31st Street are probably 30 sq. ft smaller, but have a nice NYC street view including the empire state building which is only two blocks away.

Overall, I found the room okay for one person. I tend toward claustrophobia in small rooms but didn't have that problem here. As noted elsewhere, the quality of the furnishings is poor. Think cheap Ikea particle board everywhere. That said, the room is pretty functional. Bed was comfortable, although sheets are a little rough.

The biggest problem I had was noise from the hallway. All the rooms open into a single square elevator lobby (same build-out as the Manhattan HGIs). Combine that with auto-slamming doors, and hallway noise can be a real problem if you have people coming and going frequently from their rooms.

The staff could not have been any friendlier or more helpful. Just super nice people.

Hotel is extremely convenient to Penn Station. It's an hour or less to or from EWR via NJ Transit. I also really like Gregory's Coffee half a block away on 31st @6th Ave.

For under $200 a night, it's a reasonable option.

youvesaiditall

Just checked into my suite at the Herald Square. (DSU) Got a prepaid rate of $159 and with the DSU, this is a tremendous value. Apparently this is the only suite open so far--there will only be 4 from what I understand. This one has been open for 8 days.

Check In-Diamond Status Recognized. Took the points--the other options werent all that great IMO (I think one was a free beer). Was told that breakfast tomorrow morning has no limit and I can order room service should I like and there would be no charge. They also provided me with a couple of bottles of water proactively as I headed to my room, which was a nice touch.

Room:

The website says it is 224 sq feet, but this feels bigger than that. (Maybe I am just used to such tiny rooms in NYC). Comfortable seating area with coffee table as well as a hightop table with a couple of chairs. Bathroom is nicely appointed--dual shower heads. Some may like to see a bathtub, but no surprise really that this property doesn't have one.

Also a great view of the Empire State Building.

I will try to post some photos when I get home.

Radiant Flyer

FYI:

The rooms that face the rear of the building are 30 sq ft. larger due to a longer walk in hallway to get into the room... the 30 sq feet is not in the living space, but the hallway.

Kacee

That's not accurate. The room itself is larger; in particular, there is a significantly larger space between the bed and the interior wall that divides the room from the bathroom. While the front and rear rooms are the same width, the rooms in the back are longer. That added space is divided between bathroom/hallway and living space.

In any event, I much preferred the smaller room with the view. I found the noises from the building core really annoying.