Originally Posted by
SP03
Of course the PH is better. It’s a luxury brand with excellent hardware and high end design. There is no question PH is better. But that’s not always the question people ask when choosing a hotel. I would argue the Thompson is a much better value, often at less than half the price. Would people pay double the price for the difference between the two? I suspect many would say no, the PH is not that much nicer.
I think the Studio Suite which they have many and upgrade often, is one of the nicest rooms you can get in NYC. I have never stayed at HP LIC but I have stayed at plenty of HPs and have a hard time imagining how it’s better.
To me, the biggest problem with the new Hyatt Places is not the rooms themselves but the breakfast and other amenities. Obviously it's not a full service hotel, the breakfast is barely edible, etc. But newer Hyatt Places often have rooms that are modern and comfortable, and certainly often better than rooms at higher "brand" levels (mostly because they're new). This is definitely the case with the LIC hotel (I have heard some people complain about road noise but honestly I've never run into that problem there, mostly get upgraded to upper floors). The rooms themselves are huge by New York standards - I actually prefer their king rooms over their "suites" (I got upgraded to a low floor suite last time which I should have refused as it wasn't worth it to be on a lower floor with a view of the parking lot, despite being a "suite"). I've never been to a Manhattan HP and I likely never will, but the LIC is a fabulous deal for both points and cash, if you're willing to just pay for a much better breakfast somewhere else. Even for location - it's close to four major lines (NRW, 7, E, and F) and is only 1 stop from Manhattan, not to mention all of Queens and relatively easy access by cab to Brooklyn even if you want to never ride the G.
In terms of other affordable hotels in NYC I prefer over Thompson Central Park - Gild Hall has much nicer, more stylish rooms and gigantic suites. The biggest problem is: the rooms get REALLY cold. The insulation is terrible. But I enjoy it way more than the Thompson Central Park. It would be a good option for the early fall when it's not too hot or cold. The Beekman is also a good deal - unlike Gild Hall, it's very well insulated. The rooms are much smaller but there's a certain elegance to the place I like. I'm VERY much looking forward to The Standard East Village - I've stayed at other Standard hotels and this is an exciting addition to the Hyatt portfolio. Recent stay at Hyatt Union Square was also very nice - if you can get the penthouse suite on an SUA it's beautiful and you can't get a better location.
I would say I'd choose the Thompson Central Park over the Centric Midtown. The Centric Midtown the one time I stayed there I did get a fairly nice high floor king with a good view, but the breakfast was atrocious, so given that, I'd choose the HP LIC over the Centric Midtown any day of the week. If I'm going to get a crappy breakfast why not get a much nicer overall experience?