Monday, October 21, 2013

Hyatt Place- Midtown (near Herald Square)

I noticed a couple of newer looking hotels around Herald Square (NYC has added something like 200 hotels in the last ten years) and this was one of them..

I could not find Yelp ratings for the other ones

The Trip Advisor ratings for this place are much better than the Yelp ratings, which are just middle of the road...with a sour apple or two (especially the one about bed bugs...the bed bug scare thing is years old now...one of my relatives picked them up after a conference at a REALLY fancy resort hotel...the damn things show up everywhere and places usually go to great lengths to hush up anything like that...But there is just the one report here and everyone else thinks the place is clean and well kept

You will see

Hyatt Place

3.0 star rating
12 reviews Rating Details
Category: Hotels  [Edit]
52 W 36th St
(between Avenue Of The Americas & 5th Ave)
New York, NY 10018
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 239-9100
Photo by Bethany M.
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Nearest Transit Station:
34 St. - Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R)
34 St. - Penn Station (1, 2, 3)
42 St. - Bryant Pk (B, D, F, M)
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
Free
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12 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 25 friends
    • 35 reviews
    San Diego, CA
    8/30/2013
    Clean and nice. Close to the Empire State Building.  Breakfast is awesome and so is the free wifi.

    Room service is hit or miss though.  They forgot to replace our soaps the other day and yesterday we didn't get any new coffee.

    Still a good place for the price.  Love Hyatt.
  • Review from

    Washington, DC
    6/7/2013
    So I'll start by saying I am a pretty big Hyatt fan but admittedly usually stay at the Grand Hyatt in NY.  The Hyatt Place is not the Grand Hyatt.  Check is was easy enough, although one of their computers wasn't working.  The room was nice - clean, comfy bed, view of NY, nice bathroom (later found out with low water pressure), on the 23rd floor.

    I obviously had not read other reviews before making my reservation so didn't know about the elevator situation.  Basically don't leave in a hurry. I was trying to get to a meeting and didn't realize that I was going to have to wait 9 mins for the elevator at 5:15pm, or the next morning 5 minutes and then we stopped 8 times on the way down.  Basically for a decent size hotel with 24 floors, you need more than 2 elevators!

    The breakfast which is included in the room rate is actually quite nice. They had a whole bunch of cereals, hot oatmeal, yogurts, fresh fruit, bagels and bread to toast, french toast, and an egg muffins.  Coffe and juices.  In fact I hadn't notice how late it was, probably because of the wasted time due to the elevator, and asked if I could take my breakfast to go and they gave me a box and a container for my oatmeal.  Very cool!

    Unfortunately it was rainy when I left the hotel in the morning, and they 1/ do not have umbrellas to borrow, 2/ do not have someone outside helping you get a cab, and 3/ are on a block with no buildings with overhangs so you'll get wet walking over to 5th or 6th avenues.  They will call you a car service for a $25 flat fee.

    The room was very quiet, bed was comfy, the blackout blinds worked so well I slept later than planned, the shower should be stronger, the breakfast was great, the elevators suck.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 48 reviews
    Berkeley, CA
    9/19/2013
    Bed Bugs! Disgusting.  It's true, I woke up to find bed bugs in my bed!! The hotel still charged me the full rate, and said I needed to wait 6 to 8 weeks for them to complete an investigation, despite the overwhelming visual evidence of the disgusting bugs. This hotel is not helping itself, either, with its policy of changing sheets every three days per guests stay. Aside from the bed bugs, this hotel is ok.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 20 reviews
    Pleasantville, NY
    8/24/2013
    Bracketed by two other business-style hotels on the same street, the hotel offers upscale biz-class accomodations in a conveniently located neighborhood (close to Penn Station and Grand Central, adjacent to the Theater district). The staff was personable, and even offered a free beverage at their "Galley" eating area (a bar, a Starbucks, and a small take-out deli) as a treat for checking in on my birthday. The king bed was very comfortable, and the room spacious. Came with a flat-screen TV, fridge, free WiFi, and the bathroom and shower were clean and in good shape. The complimentary breakfast is top-notch, and other hotel staff on the ball. As it is not a large hotel in terms of height, street traffic or construction during the week could be an issue. Otherwise, great value and features.
  • Review from

    ALLSTON, MA
    3/29/2013 4 check-ins here
    We had a three night stay at the Hyatt Place on our spring trip to NYC. Nice central location allowed for us to see a lot during our short visit.  This place just opened, so they could still be working out some kinks, but overall didn't have any negative experiences.  Biggest bummer being they only have two elevators, two very small elevators, which especially poses a problem near check-in and check-out times.  We took full advantage of the free breakfast offered every  morning between 6-9:35am. Pretty much everything you'd expect for a continental breakfast. Best to get down there earlier, because it got a bit crowded closer to the end of breakfast.

    The room itself was small, as to be expected in Midtown. We had a room with a king bed on the 15th floor and had a view of the Empire State Building with just a little bend of the neck. I was able to get a decent shot with the camera on my phone.  Bathroom was adequate size, low frills.  The first shower I took didn't get very hot but was warm enough for me to not complain. Other showers I took I was able to get desired temperature so maybe it was a fluke.  Mini fridge in the room so we were able to keep some snacks.  Plenty of channel options on the tv. We didn't spend much time at the hotel, but were very comfortable when we did.  Best nights of sleep I've had in a while.

    Again, no complaints. Decent hotel stay for what it's worth. Would probably stay here again due to convenience and comfort.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 49 reviews
    Escondido, CA
    4/11/2013
    I don't really know how to rate this hotel.  So I settled for in the middle.  The positives are very positive--and the negatives are not the fault of the people working there......

    The front desk people were nice;  Kevin the bartender was GREAT; the rooms were typical NYC size, but it was nice to stay at a hotel that has only been open one month.  The pillows were still fluffy, towels white and absorbent, and linens nice.

    The wifi is free. Only one nit--you had to reenter the codes every time you turned off your device or left the area. It didn't remember you. At least it's free and fast.

    Here's the deal though:
    The noise is AWFUL.  I am surprised the prior reviewers did not mention this.  Every building around is under construction/demolition.  If you stay here, demand a room ending in 1 or 2. On the Holiday Inn side at the back. Although I am a gold hyatt member since 1990, and was staying 4 nights, they said they could not move me to one of those rooms when I asked after the first night.  Plus I was on one of the lowest floors--I will guarantee you that the tourists on the elevators who were on floors 17 or 20 and bragging about their empire state building views were not hyatt members. What gives with that?????  However, when one of the two elevators broke on Saturday morning, and I had to walk up 11 flights with two cups of Starbucks and two muffins, I was VERY glad I was on the 11th floor.....

    I've stayed downtown, Battery Park, Chelsea, and East Side hotels over the last ten years and NEVER experienced this level of noise.

    I second everyone's comments about the elevators. The first two days no problem--Thursday and Friday  they were awful--slow and cranky. Saturday, as mentioned above, one of the two was out of service.  The scrum to get on was crazy.

    So, in summary--the hotel itself, its amenities, and the staff/management are great.  The location is OK.  The noise though, which can't be "fixed" is bad.  Just hope you get a room at the back......
  • Review from

    Providence, RI
    4/16/2013 1 check-in here
    When comparing this hotel... I feel that you need to compare it to other hotels in nyc and other hyatt hotels elsewhere.  I wasn't SUPER impressed with this one.

    The location on W 36th street is mildly convenient.  Quick access to just about anything - since it is New York..

    The view from our room was a brick wall of another building... considering the rooms are like nearly $300/night, I wasn't too keen on that.

    Room service.... oh, wait... they don't have room service.  They have you order what you'd like via the phone to the front desk... and then tell you to come pick it up at the front desk when they call you.  We ordered the nachos grande with grilled chicken breast.  It took a half hour for them to call and tell us to come down to get it..  So I pushed the button for the elevator..

    ...Bueller.

    Bueller....

    ..Bueller..

    BUELLER!!!!!

    This had to be the SLOWEST elevator of all hotels in all of New York.  I'm not kidding - 20 minutes for it to get to me on the 6th floor!  Outrageous.

    So I finally got my nachos grande... and there wasn't anything grande about it!  It was like a handful of Tostito multicolored tortilla chips, with a few spoons full of generic salsa and maybe 3 cubes of chicken....   THIS was $15??

    The water never really got HOT - it stayed lukewarm.
  • Review from

    Buffalo, NY
    3/18/2013 1 photo 2 check-ins here First to Review
    I really like the Hyatt Place brand and was happy when I discovered they opened one in Midtown!

    It's not a "full service" hotel, but from what I could see the only things missing were valet car service and room service (although they do have a 24/7 kitchen, you just have to go pick it up).

    Decent views for Midtown - from my room, I could see the middle of the Empire State Building (and the top if I leaned). The room was pretty small, especially compared to other Hyatt Places, but... it's Manhattan so I wasn't surprised.

    Free wifi, gym in the basement, and a free "continental +" breakfast (it was like halfway between continental and buffet).

    A good hotel for a great price, will definitely stay again!
    • Front
  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Chicago, IL
    5/10/2013
    I have stayed at this property twice since they opened in March '13.  The hotel is clean, the rooms are new, and the staff is very courteous.  However, the one complaint I would have are the elevators.  Both times I have stayed here, there have been extremely long waits for elevators.   For a hotel this size and the number of floors there are, two elevators is not nearly enough.  In fact, the first time I stayed, only one elevator was operational.   Unfortunate, because it's a nice hotel, but the waits to get to and from your room are unacceptable.  Probably won't stay here again sadly.
  • Review from

    Dallas, TX
    6/12/2013
    This hotel is in a very convenient location for business meetings - free WiFI and breakfast too.  This hotel is fairly new and some of the kinks still need to be worked out.  The elevators can take a really long time at "rush hour" and makes it frustrating.  The fire alarms went on and off over my two day stay and was quite annoying.  The staff didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but all of the guests were clearly getting annoyed.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    San Diego, CA
    7/4/2013
    Nice rooms, small but clean and well kept. The breakfast was very nice, eggs, sausages, fruit, cereal, oatmeal and French toast every morning. The hotel is well positioned to head uptown or downtown. We stayed on the 2nd floor so didn't need to worry about the elevator - I'd ask for a lower floor room if possible.

    As far as the view goes, well - there isn't any. But that was ok for us as we spent the day in town anyway.

    The staff were all very friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy working there . We were a family of 5 and used the pullout each night. When that was opened, the room got small really quickly.

    I'd stay there again.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 4 reviews
    Chicago, IL
    3/21/2013
    The property is actually fine.  Small but very clean & modern space that's very efficient.  I found more issues with the management & operations side.  The two elevators were both locked "in service" at the same times on 3 separate occassions in the course of a 10 hour period, making access to rooms or the lobby a but of a lengthy wait.

    WARNING TO GUESTS WITH CARS:  The website stated "free parking to guests" which does not exist, but they have an arrangement with a nearby garage for self-park or valet service at a fair price, for Midtown.  However, as the desk personnel or General Manager will not tell you this in advance - if you use the Valet service, you MUST stay with your car the entire time before the valet comes to pick up your car and you also must remain with it after the valet delivers it to the hotel.

    The driver brought the car, parked in front of the lobby door and brought the keys into the lobby to me.  I was waiting for my business associate to come down and in less than 3 minutes turned to find NYC Parking Police issuing a ticket on the rental car.  They explained to me that the hotel has elected not to pay for a guest loading area at the curb, so no cars are allowed to be there.

    A $115 parking ticket and a rude General Manager's comment "it's not our responsibility, it's your car.  I can't do anything about it." is not a pleasant start to anyone's day.

    While the actual room is fine, I find it unsettling to patronize a hospitality business that has no concern for guest hospitality.  I will never patronize this Hyatt again -with or without a car.

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