zulu1128

Stayed at the Renn Times Square last weekend, and thought it was pretty good. No Exec Lounge, but free breakfast for Platinum, (plus wife/daughters) which was pretty good. First time staying on the square, since we were seeing some shows. Yes, it's kind of a zoo, but it was still pretty fun.

NYCtraveler

I have been consistently staying at the Sheraton Tribeca.....It is a busy tourist business hotel....I'm an ambassador bla bla and I rarely get any upgrades here, and they only have 1 suite. That said, you can book their king bedded room with a couch.....which is about 425 square feet with higher floors looking at the river.....These rooms normally sell in winter for $200-$240 per night....NO DESTINATION fee. Location 4 blocks from China town.....1 block from the heart of Soho.....its on an unfortunate street....Canal street near a tunnel entrance....However right next door to a 24 hour convenience store for water, sandwiches, bananas etc. Club lounge is far too small......but doable. Many fabulous restaurants in 3 blocks walking distance.....AND the ladies at the bar make a mean Martini Cheers! PS...in Spring,Fall and summer the rooftop club lounge space is fantastic.

helvetic

I've stayed at a bunch of the NYC-area Marriotts. It's one of the city with poorest representation in Starriott. There are no standouts, and nothing that can be had at a reasonable price. I have never stayed at the only two hotels in NYC that seem nice: the St. Regis and the Chatwell, because they are never reasonably priced (unlike many high-end Hyatts like the Andaz on 5th). Here are quick reviews of all the NYC area hotels I've stayed at w/ Marriott:

- Four Points Downtown: awful
- W Downtown: decent, but bad location, and a bit old looking
- W Times Square: dilapidated
- Maxwell: dreadful, falling apart, minuscule rooms
- AC Times Square: great restaurant, ok rooftop bar, basic decent room
- Moxy Times Square: tiny rooms, a bit too "corporate hip" but can be alright value in a pinch. sceny. decent bar / public spaces. fund design
- Sheraton Tribeca: old, messy, feels cheap. rooftop lounge has annoying service and bad offerings, but good views from the outdoor deck
- Sheraton Times Square: abomination
- Westin Times Square: 10x abomination 2.0. one of the worst breakfast offerings
- Aloft Long Island City: good value, cheap, basic, but joke of a breakfast. location is surprisingly convenient, very well connected for being across the east river
- Lexington Hotel: bad, tiny rooms, lousy bar, half of F&B shut down for… reasons
- W Hoboken: usually pricey, but nice modern rooms and good views of manhattan. good breakfast. solid bar. annoying NJ crowds. the only W in NYC that doesn't look like it needs a refresh. annoying to cross the hudson, but not a bad place to stay when the price is good and you're flying in/out of EWR


That's all I can think of right now, thought I'm sure there others, and every Manhattan Hyatt.

rogo

I've stayed here 4-5x over the years. It's been abused badly and plays like a 30-year-old dump more than a 10-year-old.

If the rooms were free, I'd stay there again. But that's my max price.

christianj

Boy based on these comments I hope you don't stay with MR/SPG much in NYC!

For me:
Sheraton Times Square - going downhill fast and the downstairs lounge situation is not optimal. Ok for one night at the right price if you want to be in that area.
Westin TS - rooms are starting to show their age and in need of a reno. The Platinum breakfast in the downstairs restaurant is a zoo.
W TS - I used to really like this hotel but I think a refresh of the rooms is needed.
Maxwell - would tend to agree that it is not my top choice in the city due to the run down and tiny rooms. I would consider it depending on the price.
Four Points Sheraton Times Square - a functional option in the city that sometimes has some really good prices. Rooms are starting to show their age and they are not huge but for a night or two it works.
The Lexington - used to have some of the best rates in the city but they have increased the price IMHO. Rooms can be tiny and I think the most recent reno is like lipstick on a pig.
Marriott Marquis - I HATE this hotel! To be honest it was the hotel that made me switch my loyalty from MR to SPG years ago.
Element Times Square - the WORST elevators in the city! If you don't have 30 minutes to make it down from your room floor do NOT stay here. Breakfast is horrible!
Four Points Sheraton Chelsea - a functional hotel at the right price
Sheraton Tribeca - felt like a Four Points to me due to the room layout and size. Did not like the location.
Four Points Sheraton Long Island City - decent option but I had a horrible stay since they put me in a suite below a huge party that went on far into the night. Area not the best if you want to venture out of hotel and not many food options.

helvetic

I try to avoid Starriott in NYC when I can. I think it has the worst offering relative to the city average anywhere in the world. It's absurd how low the standards are across every area property.

I try to stay with Hyatt in NYC, where all hotels are decent. Here's how I compare them:

- Park Hyatt - amazing, but only worth it on redemption
- Andaz 5th - a hidden gem. amazing hotel, easily as good as the PH (better breakfast offering), but can be reasonably priced sometimes. I've stayed here <$200.
- Andaz Wall St - bad location, but entirely fine hotel
- Hyatt House Chelsea - have stayed here MANY times, cheap and perfectly nice with a convenient location. almost always upgraded me to a suite. in-room laundry and kitchen
- Hyatt Centric - good atmosphere, breakfast, rooftop bar. hard to get an upgrade, and closer than i'd like, but nice decent sized room even at the base level
- Hyatt Union Square - great location, great bar, solid breakfast, got a ridiculous suite upgrade here. tends to be pricey

The only 3 NYC Hyatts I don't like are:
- Hyatt Place - mediocre, forgettable
- Hyatt Herald Square - tiny tiny rooms
- Grand Hyatt - awful, I HATE this place. massively packed, meh lounge with paid drinks. good location, but i usually go for the Andaz despite this. i don't like the front desk lines, i don't like the nickel and dimeing on every service (like holding a suitcase or printing). i don't like the conference crowds. i don't like that they refuse to put water bottles in the room out of cheapness. i don't like that it was developed by donald trump. i don't like the views. the only redeeming quality of this awful hotel is the location and occasionally cheap prices. never received a suite upgrad

Still, these are still better than most Starriotts in my list.

C17PSGR

Of all the places I regularly travel, NYC is the only place I don't have a definite go to hotel.

So, from my read of this thread and my personal experience, the only premium/luxury properties people don't really dislike are

1, JW Essex
2. Renn Times Square (it does have a lounge on the second floor overlooking Times Square)
3. Renn Midtown

And ... I'm going to try the W Union Square which doesn't have much feedback here. I'm not counting the St.R or RC which often charge far higher or the CY/Element/FP/FI/RI that I'll generally avoid.

Now ... if there was a NYC property that would deliver the program benefits as intended .....

FlightNurse

Coming to NYC in June for a wedding, the bride has special rates at The Maxwell, saw reviews plus most everyone here hates it, will skip it, We stayed at the Renn 57 last year, had a top floor room, over priced and the breakfast was a freak'n joke wont stay there again. Saw reviews for the RI Midtown East which is right around the corner for the Renn 57, reviews are glowing and the points is the same as The Maxwell and it only 2.5 blocks away I think we have a winner.

Having stayed at the IC TimeSquare most of the time, love the access to the subway plus we usually get an upgrade to a sky room. Hyatt usually has better hotels then most of the other brands in NYC but I haven't stayed at any of them.

Kacee

I've stayed at most of the Hyatts. Meh. Andaz 5 used to be good, but has gone way way downhill. Andaz WS, now a dump. PHNYC hugely disappointing. Union Square and Herald Square, tiny rooms.

Lately I just FHR it in NYC. None of the chain options are that great (though Conrad is not bad if you're okay with the location). Among the Marriott/SPG properties, I've had good experiences at Essex House, but have never booked a cheap room there.

christianj

I've stayed at most of the Hyatt properties in NYC as well and have been pretty happy overall BUT this comment on the PH surprises me considering all the complaining about the PH service levels and elite recognition on the Hyatt forum! Guess you have gotten lucky with your stays there.

christianj

I'm getting to the point that I will just book the best hotel even if it has no affiliations as well but I have to say I actually enjoyed my stay at The London NYC which has a HH association and is being renovated to become a Conrad. Holding out on booking it again till they complete the current renos.

helvetic

Interesting your experience with Hyatt has been so negative. I've stayed at the Andaz 5th a dozen times and probably 30+ nights over the past couple years and while it did have a few downgrades (like the breakfast moving to the bar downstairs), I've overall had consistently good experiences there. I've almost always received a generous upgrade, but even the one time I was in a base level room, I was still impressed by the size. I've found the breakfast to be one of the most generous in all of Hyatt (I mean, you can order as much as you want from room service, even spending hundreds of dollars if you choose). I've had a few billing issues (mostly breakfast on bill) but they were almost always resolved quickly and easily. The gym is tiny and there's no pool, but those are about the only problems I can think of.

The Park Hyatt, I agree, has some misses. The Andaz WS is not as nice as the 5th ave, but I'd hardly call it a dump. The Union Square Hyatt is all around decent and I've never been given a base room. Agree with you on Herald Square.

helvetic

You're right, I've been decently lucky. I am starting to remember a few service failures in my few stays here, and I wasn't thrilled with the low amount you're allowed to spend on breakfast now that I think about it.

Still though, a suite upgrade here and the pool facilities are very much high-end.

helvetic

I've stayed at a few boutique spots in the city too, and it can definitely be a decent option. Although, rooms can be tiny. I've stayed at the Quin, Ace, Gansevoort, Standard, etc.

Kacee

Hyatt used to have the best options in NYC, but the two Andaz have really declined. Andaz 5th is really only a reasonable option if you're Globalist or luck into a spectacularly cheap rate. Otherwise, there's no way it's worth the normal rates given the lack of basic services and amenities (including breakfast now in basement). WS the interior is literally falling apart, the service and breakfast are pathetic, and the property has always had problems with heating/cooling. I suppose it's a decent option if you're looking for a $125 rate on a winter weekend, but that's really about what it's worth these days.

These are basically the same types of complaints many have with the SPG/Marriott options. Dumpy properties with indifferent service and limited amenities. I feel NYC is now a city I need to take the program blinders off in order to assess overall value. Particularly with 5x AMEX now available on many FHR bookings.