trd

I have stayed there at least twice a year for 20+ years . . . gone thru several "renovations" and while years ago there were MAJOR problems, lately I have had very little to complain about.

coiaflyer

I also have had very pleasant stays at this hotel. As a diamond I have always been upgraded to a suite, and been given regency access. If asking politely I am also allowed to eat the full buffet breakfast at the restaurant down stairs which has a great spread.

ENIAC

Not bad at all, as long as it is not absurdly expensive. The Regency Club is quite good but very crowded. I got a club level room, which was pretty small but otherwise pleasant. The soundproofing wasn't great. Covenient location.

It's not like NYC is full of great, cheap, empty hotels with big rooms. All the Starwood options are very expensive, and I think the same applies to other chains. So I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to avoid the GH. I must admit I have been tending to favor Chicago, San Francisco and Vancouver for leisure breaks.

Jamester

I concur with most people on this post - my last stay there last Christmas was very pleasant, the room was very tidy and clean. (read: bug free). I was a Diamond staying on FFN and given a nice regular room on the 15th Fl. (I think that's where it was).

Yeah, TripAdvisor is a hit or miss - gotta go with the majority of opinion there, not just one bad one.

Hope this helps!
Jamester

SoManyMiles-SoLittleTime

Just posted on this hotel last week.

Was there for one night last week, RC level. Room was small, very nicely redone. RC was great. Unlike a previous poster, I found it virtually empty (mid-week), both morning and evening. Fitness center top floor was also great. Yes, I had also heard some bad things about this hotel, but was pleasantly surprised. But there isn't much of a view and the rooms can be small.

sy7

I've stayed at this hotel many times (especially when it was routinely available for $37/night on priceline).

The easiest way from EWR to the hotel is to take the Airtrain to the NJ Transit/Amtrak station. You need to buy a ticket on NJ Transit to the Newark Penn station ($7-8). It is a 5 min train ride and the first stop. At the Newark Penn station, you can change to the PATH train. The ticket is $1.50 (you can pay using cash, PATH ticket, or NYC metro card). Only one PATH train serves Newark Penn station and it is the end of the line so you can board any open train. You stay on the PATH train until Exchange Place, the last stop in NJ (~20 min ride). The hotel is literally located right next to the PATH train station--you can't miss it when you exit the station.

If you want to be really cheap, you can take a bus (#62?) from EWR to Newark Penn station. It is $1.25 and takes 20-30 min (depending on traffic) to get there. Actually if you don't have to wait for the bus and traffic is light, it can be faster than the Airtrain/NJ transit combo, but that is pretty rare.

Weatherboy

I agree with other guests/visitors here, there are better places to stay than the GH NY. I probably won't return.

777 global mile hound

Upgrades have been declining seriously over the past year or so IMO but there has been musical chairs at the management level in many departments.

Rooms were renovated a few years back but more was spent on beds/decor and linens then real solid major improvements to the rooms or property.
Upkeep is running just satisfactory or below
As others have said there are better hotels for the money in NYC and far cleaner better kept for the money spent.
I would not be worried about bed bugs though. While no hotel is free from that kind of problem I would say it is still reasonably rare overall.......
Hyatt does have the training to monitor,watch and eradicate that kind of problem should it arise........

The Regency Club may be one real strength of the property. They do a bang up first class presentation with a wide variety of excellent offerings throughout the day.
Though the guest rooms lack refrigerators, mini bars, flat screen TVs, great size or views they are still by all means adequate and I would not hesitate to stay if I were you provided the rate was agreeable
Especially with the Regency Club floor or access. ^

The location is still a winner and while they have lost many of their best team members I still admire a number at the front desk who work hard,really like their job and many of their guests.It is a very busy challenging hotel.

Have a great stay in NYC ^

KansasMike

I just stayed in October and it was fine. The rooms are a bit small as are most in NYC. I was on the RC floor and it was great. Everyone was very pleasant.

For an NYC hotel, it is fine.

365RoadWarrior

Does anyone happen to have the evening hours for the Regency Club? Hors d'oeuvres hours and 'sit around and drink coffee' hours (no food)?

Thanks.

Johann8

The city is not sold out - but occupancy is very high. 12/12 of my hotel picks were sold out this week. Grand Hyatt was available...but for US$600/night....ouch.

777 global mile hound

There have been some serious growing pains at Hyatt and Gold Passport over the past 24 months. One thing thankfully very positive remains (Discussed here on FT in the past).Redemption availability. That IMO has set Hyatt Gold Passport apart from most other programs. A fair and reasonable separate award room /redemption inventory for points.

Should one want to redeem for Gold Passport points for NYC don't hesitate to check availability regardless of revenue availability at the time or not. In my own experience Hyatt has the rooms available consistently domestically for its Gold Passport customers more often then not.

This is especially impressive when SPG who frequently wins as best redemption globally typically doesn't have rooms. Even though standard rooms are available on the website. Or claims only deluxe rooms available by sorting its inventory to what best suits its needs

alect

I am new to Hyatt (well only one previous stay in UK). Going to be staying at the GH NYC OCt 14 for 5 nights. Just had my HH Diam matched to Hyatt Diam.

I did some reading especially of the GH NYC review post. I have some questions:

• check-in - is there a separate GP or Diam check-in? Where do I find it as I come into the lobby? Can I just go up to the RC to checkin?
• Is the RC floor upgrade assured or do I need to contact the hotel beforehand to affirm my expectations? Or do I need to mention it at check-in?
• If I don't get a RC floor room, can I still use the lounge for evenings and breakfast? Do I need my Diamond card for that? I don't have it yet, is there something else I need to prove my status?
• Amenity - do you get a choice or is there a standard one they send up?
• Any other pointers or tips to make sure I maximize the quality of the stay?

Thanks in advance.

broadwayboy

Did you make the reservation AFTER your status match? If not, call CS to make sure that your Diamond status is reflected on your GH NYC reservation.

IIRC, there is a small section at the Reception for Diamond/GP members.

They will give you a coupon to fill out for your amenity of choice.

Also, IMHO, the RC in this property is truly nothing special. It used to be closed on the weekends (but was opened 1 weekend I was there) so YMMV.

mmgm

When you approach the front desk, there is a Diamond checkin at the far left. It isn't always open.
You should have RC privileges if you are not on the RC floor. They will give you a key to access the elevator[31st floor] and the club itself. You might need to ask if they don't.