777 global mile hound

Terms and conditions have fully had gray areas as long as I can remember being a guest. Though I am no contract lawyer
They are mere minimums in most cases of what the least is that you can expect on average
My rule of thumb is my decades of Hyatt stays (to many to count) and setting the expectation from the North America and Global standards of what's delivered
In almost all cases the terms and conditions in my own experience are quite generously better then written
Luxury hotels charge a high enough ADR to afford a proper breakfast the world over even without a guest program

The Park Hyatt doesn't have to resort to food stamps to take care of their customers despite the high cost of doing business in New York
Most of their hotels are cash cows with exceptionally high occupancy most the year
Both reward nights and all elite benefits are figured into the rate you pay before you step foot in the door
The hotels now (many Hyatt's are rolling in the dreaded destination fees and or have strong enough revenue and that alone can more than cover the cost of a proper breakfast for their best customers
My two cents
Cheers

dpb132

peteropny

VegasGambler

I have a question.

Say each person (two adults and two children) order the most expensive breakfast entree on the menu, along with a coffee and an OJ.

Will your total come to more than the allowance?

If so, then the hotel is not meeting the terms which they are required to meet, and they cannot enforce the allowance. Just keep an itemized receipt and keep escalating (to Hyatt corporate if necessary) until the money is refunded. It's not like the T&C are at all ambiguous.

On the other hand, if they are giving you the benefit that you're entitled to, the discussion changes drastically. Now, the question is, do you want to spend $1000/night (more if booking anything more than a basic room) at a hotel that does the bare minimum and nothing more? That's a fair question, but it's a very different one.

solewalker

I don't have experience with kids, but apparently another poster was given $41/adult and $25/child one year ago (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29480266-post1279.html). I am guessing it won't be enough to cover the most expensive entree + coffee/tea + OJ

dpb132

When I stayed here in December 2018 (two rooms), I was told at check-in that the breakfast benefit included one entree, juice, and coffee/tea. No mention of a dollar figure was made.

At check out, all breakfast charges for both rooms were wiped from the bill, including for a couple of side dishes in excess of the stated benefit. My party ordered a variety of entrees at various price points.

gengar

Interesting - your stay was likely less than a month after my data point of $50pp, where all overages were charged to the room. Does anyone else have recent data points and we can add more confusion to the property wiki?

I have several stays over the next few months so can update. Also, for the first time since PHNY opened, on my next stay I will know no one who is currently working at the property - so I'll be able to review more accurately/freely.

Pickles

That statement by itself is a red flag. It isn't like the hotel is that old, it opened less than five years ago.

gengar

Turnover in hospitality is far higher than other industries, especially in the current age when GMs (and even directors, especially at larger properties) are expected to have extensive experience in multiple departments. But yes, as I've noted in this thread, PHNY has cut staff in recent times despite already having a low staff-to-guestroom ratio. So it's not surprising at all to read the reviews on here, many of which suggest the property is really struggling service-wise.

scented

I agree and sadly, the same is happening -- even though to lesser extent -- at their European flagship, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme. Gone are the times when they had the smartest talents and recent Glion and Les Roches graduates, and higher up the ranks many directors have left. Melanie Salas, who lead their Guest Relations team, has recently left for another Parisian hotel. Some outlets now share a manager and overall tons of cost cutting. Clearly, cost cutting rules at Hyatt (and in industry in general) and it is not very subtle in many instances.

PHNY was never staffed the same way MO and FS Downtown are, but things have gotten worse and worse.

777 global mile hound

txhyattlvr

There is an economic cause and effect that a lot of people simply don't realize or care to try to understand.

Four Seasons doesn't, essentially, "give away" a large chunk of rooms through points redemption. YES, I know the PHNY and Vendome get **some** $$ for points, but it's nothing close to what Four Seasons gets for an average room night. Pair that with the fact that (good) staff are demanding higher wages (low unemployment rate) while Joe Public always wants lower room rates and something has to give...

joe_miami

Unless PHNY has been slashing its room rates without people here noticing, this argument doesn't make much sense.

VegasGambler

I'm not sure I buy this argument.

If the WoH program costs them more than it gains them, then why not just leave the program? They don't have to be a Hyatt if they don't want to be.

While it costs money to give away elite benefits, it also drives business to the hotel. If the gains did not outweigh the losses, they could become an independent boutique hotel.

gengar

The notion that a property, participating in a loyalty program that allows award redemptions, cannot compete with those properties that do not is not borne out by reality.