txhyattlvr

Good data point. There's definitely a small group of people who really have a distaste for this hotel and are bound and determined to tell the world about their issues. I'm not one to say they offer global industry-leading service, but by NYC standards they are above average in my experience, and I've never had them NOT deliver what's required by the WOH Hyatt T&Cs. In my case, they've always gone slightly beyond the T&Cs...

Kacee

Um, excuse me, but people ask for input here on FT, and those of us who have had less than stellar experiences at this property (there are many) share them honestly. Note that TA has this property #45 in NYC, which confirms that it's nowhere near the top rank, despite staff's pretensions.

You'll probably be happier if you drop that chip on your shoulder

txhyattlvr

LOL. Sensitive, much? I wasn't targeting you in particular - but people complain a lot more than they compliment, and there is another side to the story at this hotel. Oh and TripAdvisor is the definitive authority? Let's see. Number 1 on TripAdvisor in NYC is a Hampton Inn. I'll take the PHNY over that any day, AND I note the Four Seasons is ranked lower than the PHNY.

bostonpilot

Similar for me. I've stayed 4 times in the last 18 months and have never been in a standard room or used a TSU. The first 3 stays were single night stays, so I sort of wrote my luck off to that. The most recent trip 2 weeks ago was a 4 night stay (Sun-Thurs) that was 2 nights of points + 2 nights cash (~$750/night). I had tried to get the phone agent to get a TSU to confirm which she was unable to do, so I asked if she'd call the hotel for me and try, which she did.

When she came back on the line, she said they couldn't get it to go, but not to worry because the hotel said "he's a Globalist, we take care of them." I was skeptical on a 4 night stay, but at check in they had proactively upgraded me to a King Suite without a TSU, which was a great way to spend 4 NYC nights.

I still don't think its worth $750/night, but that's a subjective opinion (aka - I'm cheap and don't like paying anywhere near that much money for a hotel room). That said, it was a lot nicer to spend 4 nights at the PH vs the other NYC Hyatt options.

777 global mile hound

I find the hotel meeting or exceeding expectations since GM Mr. Keskin came on board ^
The restaurant/dining well that's a whole other story
It def needs some service and quality improvements.The hotel has grown on me in other ways.Superior management has everything to do with it
They have really made an effort for Globalists in my own experience and it clearly shows

txhyattlvr

Agreed on the $750/night. That just seems like TOO MUCH to spend on a hotel room, anywhere, for that matter. But - I've never stayed at a nicer hotel in NYC than the PHNY, and if there was a place worth $750 in NYC, it's probably here - especially when you factor in all the Hyatt points your going to get (at least 11.5 per $ if you use a Hyatt card) which is basically a 23% +/- discount before any promos.... in my mind that makes it about a $580 real dollars rate. Factor in the $100 for breakfast and the upgrades, and it starts to sound almost reasonable.

VegasGambler

I agree with most of this.

The cash rates are priced like the MO. I haven't stayed at the MO, but I assume it's better.

But 30k pts is a significant discount over the cash rates, and availability is good (despite the talk of games being played, this hotel has A LOT of "standard rooms", with no crazy minimum stay requirements). You are not going to stay at the MO for the value of 30k pts, so maybe it makes more sense to compare the PH to the next tier of hotel?

I only stayed there once. I did not get upgraded, but the room was bigger and nicer than a suite at most NY hotels. It was certainly not a "true suite" (only a single room) -- nor was it marketed as a suite -- but a lot of hotels around the world pass off a lot of smaller single rooms as "suites". Considering how small hotel rooms are in Manhattan in general, this is significant... even with no upgrade, the "basic room" is a lot bigger and nicer than most "upgraded rooms" or "suites" at other places.

Honestly my main problem with the hotel is the location -- it's definitely in a nice / fancy / upscale location, but I prefer to be down closer to East Village / Chinatown / SoHo. That is just personal preference though.

bostonpilot

I mainly agree here. First off, I didn't look at it as $750 a night. I looked at it as $1500 for 4 nights, ignoring the 30k/night points. Which I realize is a ridiculous way to look at it, but the rationale was that I have approx 600k points in my account despite burning them pretty aggressively on family vacations, and they grow fairly rapidly every month between travel and credit card spend. Plus, in reality, I just wanted to stay there since it was going to be 4 nights and I needed to justify it to myself and my expense report somehow.

That, by the way, is the sort of logic that I used when I justified to myself that buying a sailboat years ago was a good idea, and exactly the type of bad logic and wishful thinking that I demand that my team doesn't use in business decisions. Its good to use bad metrics and math to justify an emotional decision once in a while. It works well for NYC meals too!

Your point about the points that I am getting from the spend on the stay + the credit card bonus, I hadn't even thought of. Thanks....Look at how much money I'm saving by staying there!

I agree/disagree with the location comment as well. Yes, its a boring neighborhood that has near zero interest for me. I'd much rather stay near the W. Village for fun or near Penn for logistical ease. But, with the Q train steps from the hotel, and the B/D etc not much further, you can get most places fast. On this stay, I was commuting every day to/from NYU, and then usually back downtown at night for dinner and it was an extremely fast and easy train ride. It was easy enough and the comfort of a nice big suite for the week more than compensated for the location.

TTT103

I've stayed at this property a number of times, and while I don't dislike the hotel, it is by no means one of my top NY picks. For the price, and location, I much prefer The Plaza, but I also enjoy historic hotels. Other than the pool at the PH, which is fabulous, there just isn't anything special about the property, IMO. Of course, that's just my opinion.

txhyattlvr

TTT103

That is true. They are part of Fairmont.

txhyattlvr

Often overlooked, I think. If your a Globalist then in order to make an "apples to apples" value comparison between the PHNY and a place like The Plaza (or an independent) you really have to deduct at least 20% from the PHNY room rate to account for the points, factor in $100 in daily food credit, the value of stay credit, and something for the (likely) upgrade, then add back any loyalty $ you get from the other hotel (which will typically be far less than what Hyatt offers). Bottom line: if room rates are roughly the same a The Plaza, then the reality is PHNY is far cheaper for many of us...

afmiami

Right. True of the matter is, if you are Globalist you are sort of a captive, try to rip all the benefits and stay at more Hyatts...this is the true essence of all the loyalty programs...but this is another story

VegasGambler

Even if you are not globalist, if you have access to points this is a $500 - $600/night hotel due to the abundant award night availability.

That's still a lot of money, but considering that you often get very questionable quality in the $300-$400 range in Manhattan, it's not insane. If a large and nice room is important to you, this is actually a pretty good deal (by Manhattan standards) IMO.

Personally I would not pay $1000 / night to stay here but I would pay 30k pts/night if I had some reason for wanting to be in that area of the city.

escape4

To be fair in your comparison with Fairmont, you can buy gift cards with 20% bonus during frequent promos so when your final bill is $1200 the reality is that it is $1000 to the knowledgeable FTers. Not much reason to ever pay full price at any Fairmont. And you earn some (limited) Accor points.

Despite this, I don't disagree that PH remains cheaper though when you consider everything.