I recall when the Hyatt had two properties in New York, one at the UN and the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central. Then there was one, and now there seem to be an ever increasing number – Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place and the regular Hyatt’s. I thought it was time to try something other than the Grand Hyatt, and so picked the Hyatt at Herald Square. About 4 blocks from Macys and 3 blocks from Penn Station, it seemed an ideal location.

When booking I was lucky enough to secure on of their suites.

I took Uber from JFK and having arrived in the lobby could not immediately see the reception desk. They are behind the lifts on the right. The two members of staff on duty were super friendly, thanking me for being a Diamond Gold Passport member, and hoping that I’ll enjoy the suite. On the 18th floor, 1801 faces the Empire State Building. One of only four rooms on the floor:

It was twilight on the 3rd July when I checked in and the view of the Empire State Building was spectacular:

The room featured an entrance corridor, large bathroom, bedroom and a large sitting room. As you walked in to the living area it was a flood of colour, forms and textures. In these days of cool understated hotel rooms, the Hyatt Herald Square has gone the other way with its riot of colour. This was the corridor with art pieces hung on the left wall:

The living room, with probably the largest TV I have ever seen in a hotel room:

The living room also had a sofa, and a table with two chairs:

The bedroom had a bed which took up most of the room, and was of the usual Hyatt Bed comfort level – great for a good nights sleep.

The hanging wardrobe is located adjacent to the bedroom. Large, heavy doors, allowed the bedroom to be insulated from any noise in other parts of the room. There were probably a dozen light switches and it took some time work out which lights worked from where. There was another, although smaller, TV in the bedroom.

The bathroom had a large, walk in shower, wash basin and lots of towels, although no bathrobe. (It is about twice the size you can see from the picture).

After a good nights sleep I awoke to a dull New York day, where the views of the Empire State Buildings were as stunning:

There is a bar located on the top floor, on a terrace, which you can access during the day, even when not open for service. Views both uptown and downtown are available:

The Diamond Gold Passport breakfast consisted of anything you wished from the menu, and the final bill I signed was about $50 – taken off the bill at check-out of course.

The restaurant is on the Ground Floor, adjacent to Reception – this was the menu:

 

I ordered the Eggs Benedict which came with a large bowl of fruit, Evian and orange juice refills:

 

The staff were friendly, although as I was early in the morning, there were no other customers.

During the morning I had been catching up with work when the WiFi failed and it stayed off for about 5 hours of 4 July – probably a very hard day to get support. The staff were apologetic.

I did have two other service issues – the phone handset didn’t work in the room and the toilet kept flushing. I mentioned this to the staff who apologised for the problem.

I think it’s a great property with keen, enthusiastic staff in a good location for shopping. I would strongly recommend it and if you can get a suite upgrade – do it, the rooms are super. I am back in about two weeks time and will have an ordinary room as the property is sold out – let’s see how different that is.