Patrick Larvie

Review of Grand Hyatt New York

Vertical warehouse. I've stayed in Grand Hyatts in...

Vertical warehouse. I've stayed in Grand Hyatts in Berlin and Tokyo that in no way prepared me for this. Over the course of three nights, I exchanged greetings with exactly three people, all of them housekeeping staff. This is a low-service hotel, more akin to a Holiday Inn than other Hyatts, even in the US. My corner suite was oddly laid out and even more strangely furnished. It could have been good, they opted for less than that. I'd stay here again but only if other choices were grim. The security guard asking to see room keys at the top of the escalator after 11 PM is a particularly tacky and soulless reminder that you're being warehoused.

"Destination fee": They tack on a $25 "destination fee" because doing so is easier than coming to your room and stealing the money from your wallet. Their claim that this enables them to offer benefits is nonsense: their "market" food credit enables you to stand in line in an overpriced convenience store. The wifi is the same as it always was and barely worked in my room. Anyone can download a walking tour of NY for free. This fee is outright theft.