ZBigFam

Agree, I haven't used the new partnership hotels.

escape4

escape4

In the Andaz 5th thread you wrote:

Perhaps I misinterpreted your comments in the other thread, because you rank Andaz 5th first on your list now so clearly in the balance of things you are happy there which I would not have thought was the case, in fact the quote above did nothing to get me excited about this property. No upgrade and depressing breakfast, all that for a hotel priced above the level of several others. My takeaway in such circumstances is usually to look at other options, hence my interest in Beekman, Gild Hall, 50 Bowery, and Park South. But since Andaz 5th is your favorite, maybe I should not be so quick to dismiss it.

Someone just posted in the Gild Hall thread today a successful Globalist suite upgrade without TSU.

VegasGambler

It's worth pointing out the the regular rooms at the PHNY are the size of suites at many hotels. There is no seperate living room, but the whole thing is extremely spacious.

Also, while the room rate is often in the $1000 range (or even above), it is sometimes in the $650 range, and also, they have an abundance of standard rooms, so booking with 30k pts (or a cat 1-7 cert) is easy.

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.

escape4

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.

escape4

Good point. Conrad markets itself as an all-suites property; the cheapest room is 40 square meters. PH's entry level room (not a suite) is 45-58 sq m according to hyatt.com ^

txhyattlvr

I've never stayed at the Conrad but I can't imagine it has better "hardware" than the PHNY.... everything from the super high pressure showers to the Japanese toilets (in the suites) at the PH is top notch. From a quick perusal of the website, I also don't see anything at the Conrad which compares to the PH's gorgeous pool and spa facility which is a true gem and highlight of the property for many (including me). Also, for most people, Midtown is strongly preferred to Downtown.

As for the breakfast Globalist benefit, the PH offers a $100 credit for two people which is pre-tax and pre-tip. You can have a very high end breakfast for that amount, and whenever I've gone over (actually I've always gone over) they've always wiped the entire bill, no questions asked. I know that doesn't happen for everyone so I can only report on my experience - for example, I never try to order multiple entrees as others have.

Agree... it's not worth $1,000/night (I really don't think any hotel is worth that) but it's worth $500 in my book, particularly in NYC (which is really $600 including tax, fees, etc) and that makes it a good redemption for 30,000 points...

escape4

Conrad has good hardware for a hotel in its price range but I don't doubt for a minute based on your description that PH has better hardware than Conrad, and prices reflect that. Breakfast at PH would beat Conrad as well with $100 per couple, breakfast is not the strength of Conrad. No argument about location either.

I think if I was to compare Conrad to a Hyatt property, it would be to a lesser option such as Andaz or Centric, but not PH. Or perhaps the new comers from 2 Roads too.

VegasGambler

Or find ways to earn more points

escape4

LOL, we never have too many!

I am sitting on a pile of Chase ultimate reward points which I convert into Hyatt points on an "as needed" basis, but only when doing so is more valuable than converting to KrisFlyer miles for SQ first class redemptions

So I am comparing the value of PH NYC not only to other PHs of the world, but also to the value of miles as well. Yes I know, I am an annoying FT-style scrooge LOL

aviators99

Speaking of new properties, I tried the Parker New York. See my (bad) review, if you're interested:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._New_York.html

ZBigFam

Sorry while the breakfast is depressing in the new location it's still very good. Good quality is better than centric and slightly above union square. The union square restaurant is very good for dinner and room service as well.

BananaFusion

Bumping the thread. Planning a trip to NYC the first weekend of December to see all the Christmas/tourist stuff with my wife. I'll be using points and based on this thread I'm now debating between the Hyatt Centric Time Square, Andaz 5th Ave, or Park Hyatt.

I'm currently Explorist and this trip would be one of my last stays in order to reach Globalist, though I suppose I could do a quick mattress run beforehand (there's some 5k/night hotels around me I can use) to get Globalist before the trip if it would be worth the points to do that and get a (possible?) suite upgrade?

WasKnown

I’ve never stayed at the HC in Time Square. Between the Andaz 5th Avenue and the Park Hyatt New York, the PH is strictly better in every way IMO. People complain about the elite treatment sometimes but the PH is an excellent hotel by every other metric. The Andaz is fine but not really comparable.

Locations for both are fine. PH is very close to some of the city’s best fine dining options. Andaz is right by Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal, and Rockefeller Center which are all lovely during Christmas.

gengar

If attaining Glob before your stay is a possibility, the huge advantage for the Andaz 5th is TSU usage - this will get an Andaz Suite which is a true suite and pretty spacious (although be aware they have widely varying layouts).

As mentioned in the PHNY thread, TSU usage is not recommended at PHNY since the standard suite ("1 King Bed Suite") is actually a junior "suite" and Globs are often given the similarly-sized "1 King Studio Suite" anyway.


Meh, that's highly debatable and the respective property review threads here on FT reflect that. IMO neither of these properties are great, but PHNY service and especially service recovery have been consistently atrocious IME, enough so that I won't consider staying there.