Yes

Burned an expiring free night at the Hyatt Bellevue over the MLK long weekend. Echoing everything said about the property since reopening from COVID - the reinvestment can't come soon enough. There's a lot of opportunity with the building (dare I say return it to a Park - the other luxury properties in the city; Four Seasons and Rittenhouse seem to have good occupancy, and reducing the room count as a mixed use property, it could stand-out against all the recent hotel openings (including the Centric) in the area).

Few observations/notes:
- property was fairly busy, there was a fairly large wedding party and a good amount of tourist traffic
- globalist upgrade to a 2-queen deluxe, the room is comically big with some of the furniture removed/pushed to the side.
- maintenance is definitely being deferred. I think a table and chair were missing from my room (compared to the photos on hyatt.com), there's a lot of peeling paint, and the room's main light switch wasn't working (they're not using "real" switched outlets, but instead its a Lutron Maestro system where each switch sends a signal to control a controls a box that actually turns on/off the floor lamps)
- they've setup a more permanent fitness room off the main building lobby in one of the unused retail spaces (I think it used to be a Time After Time based on the signage). there's decent equipment but there's definitely no one maintaining it. the water cooler wasn't working (no bottled water in the fridge), there were no towels (but tissues), TVs were all off (no remotes to be found) and overflowing trashcan. fingers crossed this is still a stop-gap until the Sporting Club reopens.
- if you want to eat breakfast in XIX you're required to make a reservation, they didn't take walk-ups on Saturday or Sunday. And the globalist breakfast benefit doesn't extend to brunch (served 11am-1pm), only breakfast (6:30am-11am)
- the room service breakfast has a mandatory $5.50 delivery fee which counts against the $75 globalist credit, and it does seem prices have gone up a bit since the last menu was posted in Summer 2021.

Breaking News?
 

Hi All :idea:
I am pleased to share if this time its actual reliable fact that the Sporting Club will finally reopen
as the press seem to indicate Approx July 2023?
This is indeed would be great news :tu:

IMO and not everyone will of course agree the former Sporting Club was one of the finest fitness facilities
in the country prior to its shutting down.
Featuring the award winning last generation Nautilus equipment.
Unfortunately its anyone's guess what the new fitness equipment will end up being like.
The few pics shown show and absolutely world class refreshed decor seems nicer than some recent hotels I've seen.
Didn't expect to be impressed
The old facility was great functional but industrial overall nothing fancy but fully adequate.

If the Hyatt Bellevue goes onto a successful remodel and this facility repeats its past legacy of excellence
this could make the hotel and Philadelphia a must stop/stay regularly on my annual travel schedule.
No more once a year
My fingers are crossed as its a whole lot less expensive than going to Mirival for wellness etc granted
they are different beasts to a large degree

https://clubandresortbusiness.com/th...eopen-in-july/
https://www.sportingclubbellevue.com/

And now this word on the street or from the hotel is the renovation has started and a complete shutdown
will likely take place in November perhaps sooner.
That said with the Sporting Club reopening and the new renovation which should be the best in the hotels history
the property may likely be the the go to premium property in the city.Time will tell

This used to be a Park Hyatt. I wonder if they are interested and willing to restore it back to a PH.

I'm not sure if it will ever become the go-to premium property in the city. The FS is pretty perfect on every level.

See what you mean and agree.
it is unlikely they will put in that kind of investment to be number 1
Having just looked at the photos of the 4 Seasons that has to be the last word property in the city
Wasnt aware it was that upscale & luxurious
The Ritz Carlton is a bomb shelter in comparison
So correcting myself perhaps the top 5 maybe 10
But I will def be back at the Hyatt just for the Sporting Club

I remember years ago when it first reflagged, someone at Hyatt said the physical layouts of the rooms (primarily the small bathrooms) made it a no go to be rebranded as a PH. Of course the floors could be completely gutted and new floorplans put in as part of a renovation, but who knows what level of investment the property owner wants to put in for this renovation.

FS aside, the hard product at a lot of the nicer hotels in Philly are pretty mediocre in my opinion, so I don't think this property has to do that much to stay competitive.

It fits a lot better as an Unbound. It was a PH in name only.

Agree

It needs to be more than competitive.It needs to differentiate itself to raise ADR and occupancy
The hard product has seen much better days.You know it’s time when even the Centric feels like luxury in comparison

As it currently stands yes, but with the facade, roof top domed restaurant, now a world-class gym with a pool, there's no reason it couldn't be a PH, if the owners want to put in the investment.

The FS is consistently at $1000 a night for the base room. Even the tired, independent, Rittenhouse House is charging > $500, I think there could be a niche for a PH in the city.

it would take a fortune to bring it up to true Park Hyatt standards
Never really was a Park Hyatt standard when they flew the flag
But they did try to fake it but in the end it couldn’t fly
I didn’t know any standard room could go for 1k in Philadelphia 🤯🤠 wow
Reasonably optimistic that this Grande Dame will get a respectable makeover based on previous published reports

$1,000 for a room in Philly is absolute peak insanity

There is clearly demand, esp when there is no competition for a luxury hotel in the city.

Sofitel, Kimpton, Loews, Rittenhouse, and Ritz Carlton (half the price of 4 Seasons) are all luxury, IMO. They're all 1/3 or 1/2 the price of the 4 Seasons.

Also, 4 Seasons still has rooms available for today and tomorrow and Sunday (and this is on a busy holiday weekend). So "demand" is questionable.