Hi All,
I returned from the Grand Hyatt New York City this week
for a one night stay Wanted to update those that may be interested on my experience.
The public areas look great and the designers really got this right.
They took the old Trump Hyatt Gold gaudy glitz and buried it.
In its place is a world class dramatic lobby of today and tomorrow that clearly is in keeping with more of the Grand Hyatt architecture and design tradition more so of Hyatt International standards. ^

Check in Reception
Excellent and highly hospitable with can do anything attitude ^
Historically here there has been confusion as to where elite members should check in.
Once again in this massive space there is a sign so small and poor one cannot see it without getting off the line and walking to the extreme right of check in (sigh)
Some folks in confusion line up at the concierge desk.
Why is it so hard to put in some smart looking bold signage that proudly proclaims the
Hyatt Gold Passport Program Elite Diamond & Platinum Members Only

The new and inspired club lounge inside and out is simply sensational looking.
Some of you may have already seen in posted photos here on FT or elsewhere
It ranks up there with the slickest looking executive lounges I have seen anywhere. The silly dead butterflies on display seem odd to me inside the lounge and I'll assume some decorator’s weird idea of what would go well in the new lounge. To each their own as they say.

The club is now located on the 16th floor (previously the 31rst floor) and only there did they do really do a hard renovation to the hallways and immediate areas entering the club. It’s a welcome refresh. It would have been cool to follow through on every floor.....Relocating the lounge on the 31rst floor was brilliant as the elevators are poor and take a considerably long time to get up to that floor.Especially when the hotel has high occupancy.

All the other floors I toured seem dated in the hallways with the old wooden doors and tired dating lighting. There was some new light artistic signage of commercial grade graphics that tried to dress up the old facade. A regular guest of the hotel for years who I have seen before cracked me up when she said it’s the old lip stick on a pig renovation. To some degree she is partially right with most of the renovation. If I paid 130 million for this poorly executed renovation I would have my lawyer on retainer to make sure they leave me with a reliable finished product. The rooms and suites at this hotel are so varied and quirky experiences are going to highly vary.

The hotels elevators are looking worse for wear and they are the same small cramped elevators the hotel has been using for years that passengers have been stuck in a number of times calling for the fire dept in some instances to get guests out. I hope they are slated for replacement or refurbishment.

The club lounge closes for breakfast at 9:30 AM in the morning
For those of us coming from other time zones especially International guests this seems petty, uncaring and insensitive. My suggestion would be a minimum of 10:00 AM.
It is interesting to note that they gave bragging rights at the front desk about the club being open 24/7
Thought that meant beverage and snacks round the clock......
Apparently open to perhaps use the only one Apple computer I saw up there.
A very nice touch However one computer in such a large hotel and busy lounge?!!


Evening Food Spread (Club Lounge)
Are far weaker than in recent years past. Gone are the wonderful trays of marinated chicken, sliced beef and sushi I have seen as staples on a given night in this once previously generous lounge. Also gone the wonderful olives, olive spread,crudités,dipping sauces and many other delectable’s/breads and so on that once gave the Grand Hyatt New York’s its edge over even the more desirable hotels........
I can find no positives at all here in the evening except for the soft drinks they are spectacularly presented, easy access lite up fridges. No more warm beverages needing ice.
Also gone are the wonderful desserts (cakes and other) in the evening
The only dessert present was tiny petit fours.
My take is they turned the lounge into a high style social spot and cut the spread.
Of course they are always on hand to sell alcohol.

The Morning Breakfast Spread
Was also somewhat disappointing compared to what they had in the past.
I thought this would be where the club would really shine.
Gone are the wonderful classic fresh corn & blueberry muffins and nice banana bread.
In place average blah though fresh run of the mill muffins that some may be pleased enough with.Why is it they have better freshly baked muffins in Hyatt’s all over the world from San Diego to Melbourne Australia? Nothing stands out here. Even the pastry is inferior to what was once served here or at other Full service Hyatt’s I travel to. I was at a tired suburban Sheraton who had almost the same spread minus the nice salmon @ the Hyatt. Of course the Sheraton didn’t have the stunning space however it was also less than half the price. No ham or cheeses at breakfast either. Generic institutional cereal in plastic chutes no nice high end house made granola………Hot cereal was offered for those that like that.
And a more limited choice of fresh fruit some in season some not. No blueberries nothing special here the usual English muffins,croissants, white bread yawn..........

Club Lounge Assessment
The food service in the lounge has gone through massive cost cutting.With significantly higer room and point redemption rates IMO its not up to par.
The beverages have been expanded/improved. Those that haven’t been loyal guests through the years may not even blink. The lounge is still run professionally however I never feel particularly welcome by the staff as I do at check in.Since Sumi left the concierge position and the club lounge years ago not one team member can stand in this sensational woman’s shoes and make the Club lounge feel like a true first class welcoming experience.Rumours has it she was hired away by a five star hotel in NYC.......
She is missed!The room works even without a team star on the floor as the guests make the experience..........
My recommendation to the good folks at the Grand Hyatt New York is review operating hours and procedures of the Grand Hyatt Berlin and take a few cues one of the best run club lounges in the world. Polished cordial professional service with compelling hours of our operation that accommodate their guests above and beyond at all times during their stay.

I would choose Andaz Fifth Avenue even if they are more tight fisted with Diamond upgrades.
Their spectacular breakfast is reason alone
If the playing field was level on points or revenue the Grand Hyatt wouldn't be a priority choice.
Why can’t the Grand Hyatt New York club lounge and its offerings with its new stunning face lift be half as good as Hyatt Grand Champion Palm Springs Executive lounge offerings for example?
I’m not even going to begin to think Grand Hyatt Tokyo they simply can't hold a candle.Come on folks we are in New York one of the greatest food/dining cities in the world!

Accommodations’
The folks at check in couldn’t have been more hospitable and welcoming
They upgraded me to a nice jr suite. Unfortunately it was very noisy on a mid level floor facing 42nd street.I liked my room otherwise. The caring good folks here yet upgraded me further to a quieter larger suite where I had a wonderful one night stay overall after moving.
There was long strands of female hair in the bed (not a first anywhere in the world and never a thrill when it isn't your own from the previous guest or house keeper) I could not get the clock radio/i pod player to work.Phone calls to a housekeeping manager for assistance after requesting help went ignored after promising to send someone up from engineering. Glasses were not properly cleaned with caked on food particles/spotted and very faint lip stick prints.
I really appreciated the small refrigerator that they now have in every room!

The unexpected upside here to the new rooms is though the bed is a platform it appears Hyatt has indeed found a mattress that can disguise how firm the platform bed really is. It was superior to say Andaz Wall Street in overall comfort.^And a tad better than Andaz 5th Ave
The cheap thin blanket draped in an odd direction on one side of the bed detracts. I would say the former pre renovation linens looked better.The bed head boards are very attractive and creative in some cases.House cleaners are going to have their hands full as some of the rooms with the shiny head board surfaces are already major dust collectors.

Overall Room Renovation
IMO this was a very sloppy and rushed in places and it shows. It is simply partially poor workmanship and materials that will not stand the test of time.
Discerning folks may care those in a rush or out to get drunk or party may not care.
For today it’s just adequate as attractive as some of it is. Some rooms that have wooden floors are reasonably scratched already, glass shower doors in every room squeaked so loud I would almost bet they could be heard in the hallways or the next room. Lighting was shorting in my nice room when on the dimmed position making all the lights flicker.It worked fine when on full brightness. Some rooms have no shelf for a toiletry kit in the bathroom. Some toilets are so tight in width between walls and vanity anyone over 200 lbs or tall would be very hard pressed to be able to use the toilet if they have any width to speak of.In the very large suites there may be a second bath to help with the problem.
There are photos on yelp showing how tight this really is.
The reviews are typically positive of those who booked on Priceline for 100 dollars.
At that price range I too would be very satisfied too.
Many of us here are loyal and elite with Hyatt booking through Hyatts preferred channels at more elevated pricing and high redemption costs
Many of our expectations are going to run higher IMHO

The wall lighting switches are clever/of interesting design but don’t really work adequately.The designers here shot for more than they could handle.
At the end of the day the Grand Hyatt is a more attractive hotel overall and somewhat more desirable than its recent past. The public spaces are vastly superior, the location can’t beat the team members remain a mixed bag. There is one thing that has never changed here in over ten years. Some folks that work here consistently banging on your door regardless if the do not disturb sign is on.And room service trays strewn on almost every floor I toured. The new removable hand held shower was satisfactory. The higher end suites are equipped with a superior all polished chrome version that has excellent water pressure.

I remain an occasional guest here rather than a loyal steady guest simply as they have increased costs from on a points booking to 22k, a stay certificate is matching the Park Hyatt Sydney costs at the Inspire level now and that’s simply bizarre to me. At best this is a Elite level property and IMO that’s stretching it.......Under 200 fair enough over that I would simply as I have alwasy done head for a 5 star where I have negotiated rates between 240 and 300 per night.

Unless the upgrade exceeds expectations here I can’t find a great value here as a Diamond.Because the hotel in person has been so friendly and cooperative with upgrading we Diamonds on day of arrival I will continue to do business here as they seem to care about us. I can walk down to Andaz and eat if the Grand can't improve or provide better offerings which I did.

The Grand Hyatt New York lounge in the past was the Gold standard of club offerings even with a dated public area and room product that needed upgrading previously.
Let’s hope for more continued improvement certainly the hotel has been made more desirable.
My thanks to the hotel none the less for recognizing Gold Passport members.
This is where the hotel still shines.There may be still some bumps along the road depending on your tolerance for defects here so come with patience as always and enjoy your stays!
Cheers