Hotel 50 Bowery NYC (Joie de Vivre) REVIEW- MASTER THREAD
May 26, 2019, 8:01 am
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Hotel 50 Bowery NYC (Joie de Vivre) REVIEW- MASTER THREAD
I have a 1 night stay coming up in NYC and I saw Hotel 50 Bowery (Joie de Vivre) for $199. That is very cheap by Manhattan standards so I booked it. Rooms look a little small but other than that... is this a "you get what you pay for" kind of thing? It doesn't look so bad and it's a short walk to a lot of decent nightlife spots so I think the location is fine.
The strange thing is it's cat 5 so I don't know if my $199 rate was just dumb luck with availabiliy (close in booking for a midweek night -- did they drop rates because they had lots of space that night?)
Anyway for 1 night it's tough to go too wrong -- as long as I get a clean bed to sleep in after I make it home from the bars I won't be too upset... just wondering what I should be expecting here.
The strange thing is it's cat 5 so I don't know if my $199 rate was just dumb luck with availabiliy (close in booking for a midweek night -- did they drop rates because they had lots of space that night?)
Anyway for 1 night it's tough to go too wrong -- as long as I get a clean bed to sleep in after I make it home from the bars I won't be too upset... just wondering what I should be expecting here.
May 26, 2019, 12:24 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: Delta DM, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Rewards Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,046
We've booked a lot of clients there before it joined Hyatt and they've loved it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And most of the time we've quoted it, rates are quite a bit more than that. Enjoy 
May 26, 2019, 11:45 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Gold, B6 Mosaic, WoH Explorist, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, CET 7*, MLIFE Plat, Cosmo Gold
Posts: 356
Never stayed here but have been in the room when a friend was staying there and also have been to the rooftop bar Crown several times. It gets pretty packed especially during weekends. The rooms are on the small side, probably around 300-350 sqft. For that price, you can't beat the location. You're in the heart of Chinatown, within walking distance of LES, SoHo, Freedom Towers and other popular tourist locations. Also, just a few blocks away from several train stations. A block away, on Bayard street you have have several Chinese restaurants that close around 4am if you want late night eats. Have fun and enjoy.
May 27, 2019, 9:04 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,297
I'll contribute the first hotel review. I just checked out today and I highly recommended this property.
Location - few blocks walk from several subway stations. Can be an issue during rainy/snowy days. Heart of Chinatown, like other reviewers mentioned, you are in luck if you enjoy Chinese food.
The hotel itself is relatively new - according to the front desk, it is only two years old. Everything is quite modern inside the room - plenty chargers around the bed which is great for tech savvy people up to 10 devices. Comfortable bed and huge desk (which is rare esp if you are coming from Marriott side. Bathroom have good layout too. It does not feel cramp at all.
My first room had issue with AC causing a lot of noises so I asked to change to a new room which was a better layout I think than the first room that I received (first room's bathroom is next to the bed while second room's bathroom entrance is right at the hallway). Some room have great view facing Manhattan skyline. I did not get to use the hotel breafkas
Location - few blocks walk from several subway stations. Can be an issue during rainy/snowy days. Heart of Chinatown, like other reviewers mentioned, you are in luck if you enjoy Chinese food.
The hotel itself is relatively new - according to the front desk, it is only two years old. Everything is quite modern inside the room - plenty chargers around the bed which is great for tech savvy people up to 10 devices. Comfortable bed and huge desk (which is rare esp if you are coming from Marriott side. Bathroom have good layout too. It does not feel cramp at all.
My first room had issue with AC causing a lot of noises so I asked to change to a new room which was a better layout I think than the first room that I received (first room's bathroom is next to the bed while second room's bathroom entrance is right at the hallway). Some room have great view facing Manhattan skyline. I did not get to use the hotel breafkas
May 29, 2019, 1:26 pm
#8
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Join Date: Oct 2014
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I just checked out.
I got a great rate ($199). "Upgraded" to the same room type on a higher floor (18th). The room was nice but very small (260 sq ft according to website). Fine for one night, especially given the rate that I paid. I would probably not be happy paying $400+ for a room that size, and I definitely would not want it if I was not staying alone, or if I was there for a longer stay.
Sheets felt overstarched. Unsure of quality -- they were too stiff to tell. The bed itself was quite comfortable.
Breakfast ends at 10 so I slept through it after enjoying the nightlife until 4am and walking back to the hotel.
No water in the room for globalist but I called down and asked if I could take it from the mini bar and they said it was fine. When I checked out there was a note to not charge for the water.
There was an amenity waiting for me in the room -- 2 local beers on ice. They were hoppy beers though, which I don't like, so I drank the neck of one of the bottles and left the other unopened. I definitely appreciate the gesture though!
At checkout there was a $20 destination fee on the folio. I said that globalists get that waived; she just removed it without checking.
They were not set up to give premium wifi to globalists; I just chose the standard free one. Eventually I'm sure that they will get all this sorted out; they are so new to Hyatt that I'm not surprised that all the elite benefits are not worked out yet.
Staff was friendly (not just by NY standards -- they were legitimately friendly) and good. I didn't really use any of the facilities so I can't comment on those. I was told that breakfast is on the rooftop and they have a 24 hr gym.
Location is definitely good for nightlife. SoHo and East Village are both short walks.
I got a great rate ($199). "Upgraded" to the same room type on a higher floor (18th). The room was nice but very small (260 sq ft according to website). Fine for one night, especially given the rate that I paid. I would probably not be happy paying $400+ for a room that size, and I definitely would not want it if I was not staying alone, or if I was there for a longer stay.
Sheets felt overstarched. Unsure of quality -- they were too stiff to tell. The bed itself was quite comfortable.
Breakfast ends at 10 so I slept through it after enjoying the nightlife until 4am and walking back to the hotel.
No water in the room for globalist but I called down and asked if I could take it from the mini bar and they said it was fine. When I checked out there was a note to not charge for the water.
There was an amenity waiting for me in the room -- 2 local beers on ice. They were hoppy beers though, which I don't like, so I drank the neck of one of the bottles and left the other unopened. I definitely appreciate the gesture though!
At checkout there was a $20 destination fee on the folio. I said that globalists get that waived; she just removed it without checking.
They were not set up to give premium wifi to globalists; I just chose the standard free one. Eventually I'm sure that they will get all this sorted out; they are so new to Hyatt that I'm not surprised that all the elite benefits are not worked out yet.
Staff was friendly (not just by NY standards -- they were legitimately friendly) and good. I didn't really use any of the facilities so I can't comment on those. I was told that breakfast is on the rooftop and they have a 24 hr gym.
Location is definitely good for nightlife. SoHo and East Village are both short walks.
Jun 1, 2019, 9:05 pm
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
My flight out of JFK was cancelled so I came back for another night. I did wake up in time for breakfast this time. Cold breakfast buffet on the rooftop -- nothing special.
This hotel has many things that normally cause me to dislike a hotel (small rooms, cold breakfast) but... I really like this place! I think it's the staff. They are very nice and friendly and laid-back.
I was talking to one of the FD staff when I checked out the 2nd time. She said they have very few suites and they tend to get booked up, so you would need to be very lucky to get a suite upgrade at check-in, even on a short stay. She told me the suites were very nice and big (though I haven't seen one) so it might be a good candidate for a TSU on a longer stay if you can find availability at booking. All the regular rooms are about the same size (2 configurations -- 2 double beds or 1 queen -- with the 2 double bed rooms being slightly larger). So, your non-suite upgrades are just to a higher floor with a view -- the room is the same.
She also said that they seemed to be much busier since they joined Hyatt, so that's definitely a good thing for the future prospects of the program and the footprint (and it means that the management likes Hyatt elites and are happy to provide the benefits -- there is no nickel-and-diming at all, and all benefits are provided with no issues)
Friendly staff, reasonable rates, and a desirable (to me) location might make this my go-to NYC Hyatt.
This hotel has many things that normally cause me to dislike a hotel (small rooms, cold breakfast) but... I really like this place! I think it's the staff. They are very nice and friendly and laid-back.
I was talking to one of the FD staff when I checked out the 2nd time. She said they have very few suites and they tend to get booked up, so you would need to be very lucky to get a suite upgrade at check-in, even on a short stay. She told me the suites were very nice and big (though I haven't seen one) so it might be a good candidate for a TSU on a longer stay if you can find availability at booking. All the regular rooms are about the same size (2 configurations -- 2 double beds or 1 queen -- with the 2 double bed rooms being slightly larger). So, your non-suite upgrades are just to a higher floor with a view -- the room is the same.
She also said that they seemed to be much busier since they joined Hyatt, so that's definitely a good thing for the future prospects of the program and the footprint (and it means that the management likes Hyatt elites and are happy to provide the benefits -- there is no nickel-and-diming at all, and all benefits are provided with no issues)
Friendly staff, reasonable rates, and a desirable (to me) location might make this my go-to NYC Hyatt.
Dec 26, 2019, 11:38 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold MM, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,770
I stayed here for 1 night mid November. Location was great for business, since I was able to walk to my meeting. My room rate included a free drink, but the rooftop bar was closed for a private function, so front desk called the bar and had them bring me a glass of red wine. Room was small but this is New York. No amenity of local beers as described earlier. Cold breakfast selection very limited and espresso machine wasn't working, so no cappuccino. Staff very friendly. This was the cheapest hotel in the area when I looked, at ~$240. All the Marriott and Hilton properties were more expensive.
Shanghainese restaurant nearby was good, actually had decent xiaolongbao, and had a long line waiting for tables at 9 PM.
Shanghainese restaurant nearby was good, actually had decent xiaolongbao, and had a long line waiting for tables at 9 PM.
Last edited by CIT85; Dec 27, 2019 at 12:25 pm Reason: Typo
Dec 26, 2019, 5:16 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: Delta Diamond/ Hyatt top tier(lifetime)
Posts: 652
Room size small - nice view and nice finishes. Staff super friendly and location is lively.
rooftop was nice but too cold to go outside for long.
had wine and fruit amenity in my room as a globalist.
rooftop was nice but too cold to go outside for long.
had wine and fruit amenity in my room as a globalist.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:31 am
#15
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
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Posts: 13,041
Fruit and wine in room (Globalist).
Breakfast is shockingly bad IMO. Cold, continental style. Basically a coffee and a muffin / croissant in the rooftop bar...
Breakfast is shockingly bad IMO. Cold, continental style. Basically a coffee and a muffin / croissant in the rooftop bar...