Originally Posted by
VegasGambler
So, while I agree with you that $1000 is too much to pay for this hotel, realistically there is rarely a reason to actually pay cash. I think it makes more sense to have a discussion about whether it's worth 30k pts.
Even if other hotels in other cities give better value for the 30k points, that doesn't mean that this hotel is not worth that price. The fact that you can get a better hotel in Tokyo or Sydney for the same price is irrelevant if you have a trip to NYC. It only makes sense to compare the value to other NYC hotels.
I know what you mean and I agree with you to a point. Different people have different travel patterns. To make an extreme example just to illustrate what I have in mind:
- Mr ABC travels exclusively to NYC, each and every year. Nowhere else.
- Mr XYZ travels non-stop year-round in all countries of the world where Hyatt has a hotel
For ABC indeed the only relevance of 30k pts for PH would be whether it's worth 5k pts more over Andaz 5th for example. However for XYZ, even if PH might be the best deal for points in NYC, perhaps XYZ is better off keeping his points for travel somewhere else later in the year where he's going to get top value for his points.
The reality is that everybody is in between those two extremes, and you also need to consider the fact that you never want to let your point balance grow too high simply because you are waiting for the ideal redemption opportunity. So at first glance based on my (uninformed) judgment it seems PH is a decent deal for 30k pts for people with a high point balance, however there are a good number of folks that might be better off booking somewhere else and save points for other Hyatt hotels outside NYC and get even better value somewhere else and not end up paying 30k pts end be partially dissatisfied due to service issues which some have reported. Others could be fine using points at PH NYC as it seems to be a decent way to burn points in the short term and get a stay which is incrementally better than at Andaz 5th for only 20% more points.
It probably also matters what time of year you go to NYC, because if you are not using points for PH then it might mean you will be paying cash somewhere else. If all hotels' cash rates are above their yearly average, then by not picking PH NYC on points you end up more out of pocket when you choose the lesser option with cash, regardless where that might be (for example, Conrad). Based on what I have read so far I think PH on points is better than any other Hyatt choice because for a modest 5-10k additional pts you get a product which is significantly superior. My dilemma is whether to save those points for other destinations than NYC and be content with the lesser Conrad which is not at the same level as PH, but decent value for the money nonetheless. Or cash at Hyatt Centric which is generous with upgrades and decent breakfast.