Exiting Penn Station, I pushed through the New York City crowds and tried not to get my eyes poked out from the plethora of umbrellas on the street as I walked a few blocks to the Hyatt Place New York Midtown-South.  The rain was unending and unavoidable, it started in the early morning and continued into the late night.  I was prepared to walk in the rain but that doesn’t mean I liked it – it was cold out (December), the streets were packed with holiday shoppers (and their various umbrellas from small to picnic table sized) and I was in search of the Hyatt Place because I won a free overnight stay at any location during a Twitter chat in January.  I was determined to use the voucher before it expired at the end of the month and see the holiday lights in the city.

 

The Plans – A, B and C

The initial plan was to take my nieces (plan A) to New York City during the holiday season to see a Broadway show and enjoy all of the holiday lights and festivities in the city.  Best laid plans they say…..my nieces schedule with their father changed so he had them on my NYC weekend so I plotted out a new solo roadmap for my Saturday night (Plan B).  I would go to a nice dinner then enjoy a Broadway show and on Sunday surprise my friend at Film Club.  Plan C was the final winner when my gay boyfriend said “I’m going to have a nervous breakdown if I don’t get away so can I join you?!”  Really, how can one say no to that without the guilt (a leftover from Catholic School)?  Of course you can join me….are you ok with a Broadway show?  Ok, sure, the Rockettes Holiday Show does sound fabulous……which is how I ended up walking in the rain to stand in the rain for Rockette tickets at Radio City Music Hall while my friend took the bus from Philly.

The Location

Located in Midtown South at 36th Street, the Hyatt Place was in the perfect location for me to walk from.  Bryant Park was three blocks away with a Christmas village and an ice skating rink.  The holiday windows at Lord & Taylor also a few blocks away.  Radio City was a good 15-20 minute walk depending on your speed and ability to dodge people and umbrellas (I was on boardwalk mode dodging and weaving the whole way, it was a fine dance that I do).

The First (of many) Smiling Faces

Walking to the hotel from Penn Station is not too bad but add the dodging of the umbrellas, the rain and a spot of wind well it’s enough to make anyone sad.  Approaching the hotel, there was no doorman welcome as this is not a full service hotel.  The small lobby desk was busy in the afternoon and a very happy lady was chatting with guests in the lobby.  She turned to me (I was a sad sight) with a beaming smile and a look that almost wanted to hug me to welcome me (she didn’t but you get the idea), I totally forgot about the rain and that I was dripping water.  It turned out she was the Guest Relations Manager, Charmaine.

She welcomed me to the Hyatt Place (my first visit to this Hyatt concept), acknowledged my status and gave me two bottles of water during the check-in process as well as Macy’s discount shopping passes. When she confirmed my name, reservation and the rate of over $700!, I was gobsmacked by the holiday rate (ok, not sure what other word fits well here).  I immediately pulled out my voucher and said “I’m using this and confirmed direct with Hyatt PR team”.  While she didn’t see that in the booking, she gave me a key and said “She would figure it out, no problem”.  Charmaine called me in the room to ask for more information and luckily I was able to email her all the contact information I had to sort it, which she did. Note that the hotel rates for a Saturday in February start at $180 King ($280 Double), a Saturday in June $360 King ($560 Double) and Hyatt does have special promotions and you can redeem points for a stay.

The Lobby

The lobby has a good amount of seating and work space.   The two elevators gave me a bit of worry at first as I waited and watched what floors they were on as a group of guests grew around me. The elevators turned out to be quick up, slower down as they stopped on the many floors to pick up many families along the way.

My Standard Double Room

The 18th floor is small with only eight rooms each a nice size.  With two quick lefts from the elevator, I entered my standard double room (there are only two room types – double bed with pullout sofa or a king).  Every inch of the room was maximized for use – two double beds, a pullout sofa, desk and ottoman.  I hung my wet, winter coat up in the small closet which had a safe and mirror.  The windows opened allowing fresh air into the room (which I always love) and a bit of street noise below.

The view of the water tower was nicely framed in the window so I instagrammed the photo using the free (and strong) wi-fi when I arrived.

The Bathroom

A good size, modern and functional but nothing that wowed me.  Water pressure was good which is a good thing given that the hotel was full. The toiletries were KenetMD.

Do You Eat There?

One problem I always have with staff restaurant suggestions is that many have never eaten at places they tell me to go.  I can’t trust that – I want to know you have experienced it before telling me to. So when my friend and I asked about Italian restaurants in the area, I asked “have you eaten there?” The front desk guy laughed and said “of course I have” and told me his favorite foods at Casa Nonna.   It was only a two blocks (short) up and a few avenues (long) away on 38th and before he could print out walking directions, his colleague had already beat him to it and gave it to us.  We had a fantastic meal and amazing desserts!

Food Options

This is a limited service hotel which means there is no restaurant on site per se.  They do have a front desk area with bottled drinks, packaged salads/sandwiches and pastries/snacks for sale.  There is also an interesting bar/breakfast room area that has a limited (but interesting) food menu 24/7 so you won’t go hungry.

The Hyatt Place is known for their breakfasts skillets which are included in the rate.  For most people, the breakfast variety will suffice – scrambled eggs, waffles, fruit, cereals, breads with coffee, tea and juice.  As I can’t have dairy, I was restricted to toast and juice.  The breakfast room had a good crowd on Sunday morning and there was never a line for food which was nice – everyone was polite.

Overall

The hotel staff made the stay memorable for my friend and I.  Given the limited service concept, I was a bit worried but just like using every inch of the room for function, the staff worked together to assist each other and assure that guests didn’t wait or have a worry.  This is a 5 star staff that enjoyed their jobs and it showed from the time I walked in to the time I had to leave. The hotel was good for all of my plans – with my nieces, on my own or with my friend.