Originally Posted by
spkg
obviously you think very highly of the hyatt brands, but just like any brand there are good properties and there are bad ones.
in the US: crowne plaza time square, and the two in Chicago for example are certainly better than most Grand Hyatts. As for ICs, have you been to the IC san francisco, and the one in Washington and other big cities are definitely very comparable to Park Hyatts. I agree Andaz is better than Indigo, that's why i added "high end".
international: I don't know where you're getting your "ranks" but there are certainly a few IC ranked in the top 50, the IC HongKong, Toyko, and the IC Amsterdam to name a few, and some CPs outside of the US are quite swanky. As for resort properties, i don't know if you've heard of IC Bali, and the IC bora bora?
The thing about the IC brands, is that there are some really bad apples in each brand, and they really bring the overall image down, but the top end properties are quite comparable to Hyatt's
Did you stay at a Hyatt before ? And which Crowne Plaza is swanky ?
It is a rotten brand without a heart & soul that was so dead, that even the recent efforts to reanimate it will probably not result in anything that is worthwhile, especially if you use old Holiday Inn infrastructure...the ones outside the US are okay, but Hyatt does not play in the 4* league outside the US, they just operate 5 and 5* + properties ( ranking in France used to be different ! )
Again, let us compare hard facts, employee vs guest/room relations and construction cost per room aside from official rankings ( provided by national ranking organisation and/or the AAA in the US ) and not emotions...
IC is definitely a competitor for Hyatt outside the US quality-wise, as pointed out already and indeed, some newer hotels can compete on a high level ( IC Kowloon is a good example ) The Amstel is showing its age around the corners, but is a true 5* property, however nothing more, if you take an emotional comment from my side.
International Park Hyatt locations are certainly in another league.
PC used to be my back up program for the last 10+ years and they achieved a lot in the last 5 years. As you have mentioned before, they opened some nice properties both in the US and abroad ( DUS, CGN, SFO, MIA, DXB ) and indeed are able to compete on a high level with more properties now, but did not intend yet to really go to a league where only some of best hotels on the planet compete and where Park Hyatt's shine...