Saturday, July 20, 2013

Ah, yes, the Hyatt at Grand Central

I am old enough to remember when this was the Commodore Hotel which was almost an integral part of the Grand Central complex, like the Biltmore and the Roosevelt.

Guess the Biltmore, beloved of F. Scott Fitzgerald and so famous in the 1920's, is just a really ghost of a memory now, having been turned first into a NY HQ for Bank of America and is I don't know what now.

Well, no intimate NYC "boutique" hotel, this! Just part of the "Glassification of NY," in terms of architecture...

You know, I have never met anyone at all who has stayed here..

Better give you their website here

http://grandnewyork.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

Well, we march on to see what people say...  (aha, they love it and they hate it!)

Grand Hyatt New York

3.5 star rating
241 reviews Rating Details
Category: Hotels  [Edit]
109 East 42nd Street at Grand Central Terminal
New York, NY 10017
(212) 883-1234
Inappropriate? Announcement
Book a Grand Club guest room & enjoy access to The Grand Club Lounge, including daily breakfast, outdoor space & more! http://bit.ly/QjobTH
Photo by Brandy B.
Standard king bed
9 of 89
Nearest Transit Station:
Grand Central - 42 St (4, 5, 6, 6X)
Grand Central - 42 St (S)
Grand Central - 42 St (7, 7X)
Price Range:
$$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
Paid

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241 reviews in English

  • Review from

    4.0 star rating
    6/10/2013
    I came here for the Innocence Project Gala, so this review is for the rooms as well as the ballroom.

    It is a beautiful, palatial hotel. When I came here to stay overnight w/ a friend, they were just starting renovating, so it wasn't as nice as it is now. It's much more modern and well lit than before. The ballroom is humongous! There were several rooms used for cocktail stations, and my companion and I became lost going from room to room.

    I probably wouldn't consider this place for an event, but would come to have a drink at the bar, or stay overnight.
  • Review from

    3.0 star rating
    7/17/2013
    Having stayed here during a heatwave, I really appreciated walking into my room after a sweltering commute to find my room at a brisk 68 degrees.  Thank You whoever did this.

    My room, confusing.  Half of it sort of modern, but the bathroom, from about 30 years ago.  With a shower/tub that just looked like it might have been from the famous knife scene in Psycho.  Scary.

    Then, there are wall outlets and jacks hanging halfway off the wall in the, I guess, part of the room that was renovated.

    Staff friendly.  But not enough of them checking people in and always a line with an annoying wait, to check in and check out.

    All this stuff might be nit pickin'... but at a whopping $450 a night, treat me like the King I am not.
  • Review from

    • 27 friends
    • 122 reviews
    5.0 star rating
    6/7/2013 1 check-in here
    No one is more surprised than me to give the Grand Hyatt 5 stars, but they deserved it.  I was crashing with visiting friends on a rollaway bed for 2 nights.  I got there early and went to stash my bag while I went to meetings.  I was greeted my a lovely young lady at the top of the escalator, who escorted me to the place to put my bag.  Nice!  Met my friends after a day of meetings.  They put their luggage in the bathroom as I had instructed, so I could check for bedbugs - checked all the beds - all clean.  The room was good-sized - we got a free upgrade by checking in on Yelp.

    We hit the bar the first eveing - nice place to hang out.  Really pricey, but nice servicee.  Like $14 for a glass of prosecco.  Ouch.  All the service people greeted you and were helpful.  The people that worked there seemed like they were happy to be there and happy to help you.

    Our room was spotless, amenities were nice, the rollaway was actually damn comfy and I had a blast with my friends, and it was convenient, since I was taking the train.
    Well done!
  • Review from

    1.0 star rating
    7/19/2013
    Came back to NY to pick up my daughter from Camp.  First time stayed at the Waldorf Astoria.  Wow - sure wish I was back there.  This place is modern but dark and dirty.  We had to complain this morning about the the lack of cleanliness of the room.  We have a suite with a bedroom and a sitting room.  Paying $680.00 a night and we are Hyatt Gold members.  Charged us $6.34 for a cork screw.  Seriously!!!!
    Not sure who did the reno's here but look out 2 years on as it all have to be done again.  The quality is so poor - so poor, that I wonder who would have ever signed off on this project.  So sad quite frankly.    My husband is livid.  So disappointed in the Hyatt.  Never experienced this at a Hyatt before.
    Don' stay here - more like a Motel 6.
    Laurie from Calgary.
  • Review from

    4.0 star rating
    6/6/2013 2 check-ins here
    Grand Hyatt New York is right next to the Grand Central Terminal building, and is spectacular as a hotel.  My room was a little small but very comfortable and very stylish in its decoration.  The refrigerator is hidden but it should be there.

    Bar and restaurant could be a little more central to the hotel and double as a coffee bar in the mornings, like the Miami Hilton, but there are a lot of breakfast choices in New York.  There is a little convenience food area near the lobby that is top-notch.

    Wi-Fi costs.
  • Review from

    • 4 friends
    • 9 reviews
    1.0 star rating
    6/27/2013
    Ok.  It is in the 90s and humid.  So, I arrive and the AC in my room is not working.  Should be a simple fix.  Sorry, no, this hotel clearly has some issues.  It is night three.  There have been many calls and walks down to the manager and still I sit in the relatively cool lobby without a solution.
  • Review from

    5.0 star rating
    5/4/2013 1 check-in here
    It has been a while since work has taken ,me back to the 212. But like riding a bike, I found myself getting reacquainted with my alter ego/New Yorker guy - You know the one, always walking fast, slightly impatient, never looks up and certainly never, ever waits for crosswalks.

    The hotel is beautiful and even more spectacular because I was in one of their penthouse suites. Yes, I stayed in a hotel room that was most certainly larger than most people's apartment in NYC.

    This room was so dialed in and celebrity oriented from the power black out shades to the obnoxiously overly complicated bath and shower fixtures.

    The entire time I was there in the room, I kept thinking "Who important or famous has sleep in this room?" Then,  that thought would creep me out and I would quickly move from that thought.

    Great location, friendly staff and clean and professional. Business travelers thumbs up!
  • Review from

    4.0 star rating
    7/3/2013 1 check-in here
    Excellent rooms. Clean bathrooms and they are not too cramped. Hotel was fully booked but housekeeping as quick to attend to our needs. They offered a free roll-away bed for our family.

    They have a snack shop inside so you don't have to walk in the streets to grab something if you don't want to order room service.
  • Review from

    3.0 star rating
    4/18/2013 2 check-ins here
    I came here for a two day conference and the facilities were great. The hotel employees did a fantastic job cleaning up between speakers and keeping the breakfast and lunch spreads stocked and fresh.

    If you check into the hotel on Yelp you get a free room upgrade. Good to know for future guests I may have in town!
  • Review from

    4.0 star rating
    7/12/2013
    Great hotel and location. Nice room, friendly staff. Good shower and comfortable bed. Close to a lot of attractions and not an outrageous price. The subway is right there to get to most other lines. I didn't eat here, I never eat at hotels. There is way too much awesome food in NYC. However, the hotel does have a little store with a lot of items. I think it was open 24/7 and this is super convenient and the prices are very reasonable. I will definitely keep this one on my list for future visits. Pershing Square right across the street is a great breakfast spot.
  • Review from

    2.0 star rating
    6/18/2013
    Location is great, rooms are nice, it's pretty decently priced BUT the porters (aka the bellhops) are so completely atrocious I would never stay there again. I checked in with a group of people and the porters watched us struggle with our bags and made no effort to help at all, what the heck? Then when we left we had the porters pull our bags from the rooms since check out was a few hours before we needed to leave for the airport. They just left our bags on carts in the lobby and didn't even lock them up or put them in a secure area, completely ridiculous. We also had some things delivered to the hotel and the porters again refused to provide any assistance with the packages. Instead they sent someone from the mail room who charged us $10 per package to deliver them to the rooms. I've stayed in New York several times before and I've never experienced poor service like this.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 6 reviews
    1.0 star rating
    3/26/2013 1 check-in here
    I checked in yesterday to attend a conference and the first room they put me in literally looked directly across to another bank of rooms.  I asked to change rooms and the next room was about 1/3 of the size but at least I had a small window.  The bathroom is so small that the toilet is literally touching the tiny vanity which makes it hard to use.  In the middle of the night I rolled over and found a screwdriver under the middle pillow!  It was old and had duck tape on it.  This was really bizarre and obviously concerning...needless to say I couldn't sleep.

    Today I reported the issue to the front desk manager (took many calls to reach anyone, put on hold multiple times etc.) and they didn't offer to do anything other than send someone up to see it.  No credit or room upgrade was offered.  Later today I ran into the housekeeping manager in the hall.  She was talking about the strange incident to one of her staff.  I told them it was my room and she said that they figured out that maintenance was in the room after they cleaned it and were working on the lights.  So that means maintenance workers were on my bed putting a screwdriver under the pillow?  And the sheets were not changed after they were in the room?  The room was not checked?  There was no follow up from the front desk and if I had not overheard the hallway conversation I would not know what happened.

    Needless to say I am still here but not looking forward to spending yet another night.
  • Review from

    • 1016 friends
    • 480 reviews
    4.0 star rating
    3/10/2013 8 photos 2 check-ins here
    DATE: Friday, April 27, 2012 - Monday, April 30, 2012
    ROOM TYPE: Grand King Room
    LENGTH OF STAY: 3 nights
    RATE: $256.12/night after taxes @ http://hotels.com

    ___________________________________

    We arrived in New York at 7am on my husband's birthday after a red eye flight from San Francisco and after leaving our bags at concierge for a few hours while we grabbed breakfast, they called us at around 12pm to inform us that a room was ready. (Official check-in time was listed as being 4pm,)
    ___________________________________

    - Location is great, being only 0.6-0.9mi to Times Square. (Broadway!)
    - Connected to Grand Central
    - Modern tasteful interior.
    - Relatively spacious rooms for Manhattan standards.
    - Comfortable beds.
    - Refrigerator in room.
    - LCD TVs.
    • Hallway [Afternoon, 04/27/2012]
    • Grand King Room [Afternoon, 04/27/2012]
    • Grand King Room [Afternoon, 04/27/2012]
    • Grand King Room [Afternoon, 04/27/2012]
 

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