This was my first stay here and most likely the last. I have stayed at all the Hyatt’s in the NYC area and this is the worst. First off this is the old Commodore Hotel built in 1919, the hotel was completely gutted and horribly reskinned in the 80s. The façade of the building now is just plain UGLY with discolored and dirty glass that needs to be replaced. As you walk around the hotel there are hints of the old grand Commodore, the foyer to the Grand Ballroom is just beautiful… unfortunately it seems the hotel plumbing is the original installed in 1919.
When I arrived the front desk greeting was nice and professional. I asked what type of room was I getting, the front desk replied, “we are in short supply of king rooms tonight and management has put a special blocked on one of the few beautiful outstanding kings rooms… just for you, a loyal Hyatt Guest"…
As I opened the door to my room I was greeted by this god awful smell coming from the bathroom… it smelled like the bathroom had not been cleaned since 1919!!! I called down and was told they would move me to a larger room. When at the front desk to retrieve my new keys there were 3 other guest who were greeted by the same smell from hell I had encountered. My first impressions of this hotel was going downhill real fast… I started to ask myself WHY AM I HERE!!! Why did I cancel my reservation at the ANDAZ?
Before I move on, I like to point out I think they did a wonderful job on the room renovation, the lighting and décor in the is very nice… the lobby is a bit odd, great concept, weird statues that look better in the South Pacific, that out of place here, the lobby is oddly designed, it just does not fall together quite well. It looks amazing on the Hyatt website, but in person the overall lobby seems strange.
MY ROOM
My new room was nice, about twice the size of the smelly room, it had a large bathroom and closet and a toilet that I had to continually flush multiple times to get a clean bowl…. I had no view, just the wall of an unattractive building across the street, the room was dark, for any decent lighting I had to turn on the lights during the middle of day. Noise… there was lots of noise!!! I could hear people walking in the hall and every word and cry for joy the couple in the neighboring room made.
There were plenty of outlets to plug in my MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPhone … but the Internet service was so 1990s.
WIFI - INTERNET
The hotel advises you that if your stay comes with free wifi that only the standard wifi is complimentary, if you upgrade you have to pay the difference. I purchased the upgraded package because I love fast reliable Internet service but… to my horror I constantly got messages that no Internet connection was available, downloads of PDFs took forever!!! I know NYC is no Silicon Valley but this was unacceptable and frustrating, I receive faster more reliable wifi at 35,000 feet on gogo.
THE GRAND CLUB:
The new club is beautiful with a nice outdoor patio seating area, nice selection of hour d oeuvres and beverages. BE WARNED… do not purchased alcohol here, they charge you $9.00 for a 3 – 4 ounce pour of that cheap disgusting Canvas wine and $12 for a 3 – 4 ounce pour for Columbia Crest which cost $7 - $12 a bottle at your local Trader Joes. TECHNOLOGY: There was no wifi and the outlets on the patio that did not work…. Again I had to remind myself I was not in Silicon Valley…. this is New York all talk no tech!
THE LOUNGE AT NEW YORK CENTRAL
They should rename this “The Lounge at RIP OFF Central”. I ordered the hamburger, which comes with 5 – 6 pieces of streak fries, cost $20, you can get a better burger and a large order of fires at the famous Shake Shack for half the price... I also ordered a 3 – 4 ounce glass of Ferrari-Carano Fume blanc at $12, which is the cost of the bottle at your local market. I have dined all over NYC from “The Dutch” in Soho, Bouley in Tribeca, Bell Brook and Candle in the Village, Otto, Jean Georges etc. etc. but have never felt so ripped off after a meal. I don’t mind paying money to eat or drink as long as it is memorable and GOOD! THIS WAS NOT.
IN THE END
The Grand Hyatt just gave me the impression that it’s just a convention hotel that nickels and dimes you…. The hotel décor has been nicely renovated but it has the infrastructure of the hotel that is falling apart (rooms that smell like a septic tank)…. In NYC for the price there are much better hotels to enjoy, they should re-brand this hotel as “The Hyatt at Grand Central”. Grand location... not so GRAND Hotel.
