Where did the Park Hyatt Philadelphia go?
 

I just noticed the Park Hyatt Philadelphia is now the Hyatt at the Bellevue. Is this in lieu of a remodel?

Appears to be a downgrade.

Yeah it says on the hotel homepage:

"Discover true grandeur, unrivaled style and service at our iconic downtown Philadelphia hotel. Situated on the famous Avenue of the Arts, Hyatt at The Bellevue (formerly Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue)"

I wonder how the hotel management feels about this. I always found the staff at this hotel to be a little full of themselves and think that the hotel was nicer than it really was. I hated staying there when I had to be in Center City for work, and I stopped and stayed at Penn's Landing instead and would just cab it to Center City.

And this also now leaves just 4 PH properties in the US.

I wonder if this means no more glasses of champers at checkin? I thought it was a nice touch.

Four? Chicago, DC, and Beaver Creek are the only ones that come to mind.

Yup... with LA gone, and now Philly... only Toronto, and those quoted is left in NA

sorry. i mean 3

What's going with the Park Hyatt in the U.S.?

They are disappearing quicker than they are being replaced.

Is this surprising given the current state of the economy and credit markets?

Not surprising, but certainly disappointing!:(

esp since there are still W's being opened. I know they appeal to different groups, but both are still high $ properties.

I think the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis could have been a nice PH...but, Le Meridien scooped it up. It was branded LeM on Feb. 1, 2010. (How many new Starwood properties does Minneapolis need? Ivy, W, aloft, Westin, LeM....and that's only Minneapolis proper. I am not even counting the new Westin in Edina and whatever has been built in St. Paul.)

W is currently the worst performer for SPG (26% drop in REVPAR)
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External...xUeXBlPTM=&t=1

Hyatt seems to focus more on growing Andaz brand rather than PH.

Limitations
 

I spoke with the asst. GM during a mid January stay. He indicated that although they will be refurbishing this well worn property, the space limitations of the old building style make it impractical to upgrade the bathrooms to PH standards.

Just stayed there last week. No champagne at check in. First room they put me in smelled like burnt rubber. Next room was nicer, but well worn. Evening biscuits & lemonade to the room was a nice touch. Tired hotel. Doesn;t deserve to be a Park Hyatt property so the downgrade is sensible.