SocialAdept

From the top of my head I'm thinking the quality of the hard product of the rooms at RCBP is close to JW Marriott Marquis Miami, JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur and JW Marriott Bangkok.

TRAVELSIG

Comparing Grand Rapids Michigan and Manhattan are somewhat difficult.

There are a few very nice JW around- including Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Mexico City for example. This being said- I don't like nor JW nor RC that much- in Grand Rapids though the only two choices in the centre are either the Amway Plaza or the JW- which actually are not too bad for a city the size of GRR- in NYC I would tend to head over more to one of the luxury properties that are well discussed here on FT.

gengar

Would definitely avoid RC Battery Park. I only stayed there because I had to be in the area and there was a 3rd night free promo via FHR, but even with the 3rd night free it was awful value.

I booked a standard room via FHR and also put in my RC Rewards number (which has matched status from SPG Plat). At check-in, the FD agent hassled me about using my SPG AMEX rather than my AMEX Plat, and still seemed reluctant even after I told him the program rules. He finally relented after a while - not a good start.

I was given a water view room which looked out onto the Statue of Liberty from a distance; there's even a telescope in the room. The room is on the large size by NYC standards, but was also rather dated and just didn't feel that luxurious. And a lot of little issues make the room annoying - e.g., by the bed there's only one power outlet and only on one side of the bed, the closet is awkward and has clumsy French doors, the bathroom doesn't have any ventilation at all, etc. Also, the minibar was locked for whatever reason. Finally, the sound insulation is awful between rooms - at times I could hear the TV from the neighboring rooms as well as people talking, and they weren't even being that loud.

Major service failure as well one afternoon when I called for room service and was told the only room service operator was busy and she would call me back later. 25 minutes later I still hadn't received a call back so I left the property to get food.

FHR breakfast is only a $30pp credit - while I always prefer having a credit (as opposed to being limited to set menus), $30pp is pretty embarrassing given the breakfast set menu costs way more than that. [EDIT: It's been pointed out that the breakfast restaurant menu on the website lists some sets at $29, but I was only offered a brunch menu with a $46 set.]

Also, definitely keep an eye out for bogus charges on folio. The FHR property benefit is $100 for anything, which I attempted to use at the hotel bar. But the check (which I definitely signed, and the bartender collected right away) was never charged to my room. So, I wound up getting quite more than $100 "comped", but apologies to whichever guest might have gotten my massive bar tab in error!

Finally, don't even bother trying to get a cab here - especially on weekend nights. Make sure to have Uber/Lyft/etc. or transportation pre-arranged.

AttilatheFun

Both the American and European breakfast sets cost $29 according to the restaurant's menu posted online, so saying that they cost "way more" than $30 is a bit of an exaggeration, no? Even the room service menu has the American breakfast set for $34.

gengar

The breakfast set menu was $46, which I'd think would qualify as "way more" to pretty much anyone. Looking at the website, I guess that's the weekend pricing for "brunch". I did not try on a weekday so can't comment on what was actually offered.