01: Introduction: Premium transcon service between Los Angeles and New York
02: American Eagle ERJ-175 first class San Diego to Los Angeles
03: American Airlines Flagship Lounge, LAX
04: American Airlines A321T first class Los Angeles to New York (JFK)
05: Hyatt Times Square New York
06: Delta Sky Club, Terminal 4 JFK
07: Delta Airlines 767-300 business class (Delta One) New York to Los Angeles
08. Delta Sky Club, LAX
09: Delta Connection ERJ-175 first class Los Angeles to San Diego
Oops, I did it again. Remember how I mentioned before that I would do everything in my power to avoid staying at another Hyatt or Hilton on my next trip? Well, it didn’t turn out that way. To be honest though, I had booked this reservation before I made that promise so technically I didn’t go against my word.
And just to reiterate, I’ve got nothing against Hyatt or Hilton – they are my favorite hotel chains by far, but I would like to review different brands for the sake of making SANspotter.com interesting, so that diversification will have to wait for the next trip. But for now, let’s have a look at the Hyatt at Times Square in New York, shall we?
Just as in Waikiki, the density of hotels here in Manhattan is simply mind blowing. It’s pretty much impossible to make a bad choice due to the sheer amount of competition between them, so any hotel that is sub par doesn’t usually last long in environments such as this. That’s awesome for travelers – but stressful as nothing else I’m sure for the property owners.
Therefore, I wasn’t anxious at all as the taxi driver sped and weaved his way through Manhattan traffic on the way to the Hyatt. I had full confidence that it was going to be a good hotel, and I wasn’t disappointed as soon as we arrived and I saw the main entrance. It looked really good (and grand) from the outside.
The main lobby, however, wasn’t so grand. Don’t get me wrong – it was really nice. But it looked super hip and modern (much like an Aloft hotel) as opposed to a grand Hyatt. Anyway, the lobby was small and crowded – a far cry from the huge lobby of the Hilton Waikiki Beach I stayed in last month.
The style and design of this Hyatt was on-point. Every little detail looked as if someone thought really hard about it, which makes the designer in me a happy guy. A far cry from the cheap lobby of the Bellingham Holiday Inn Express which didn’t match the style and sophistication of the guest rooms!
My room was 3009, which was on the 30th floor with a decent view of the city. And since it was located so close to Times Square, I did have to deal with some of the bright neon lights flashing on the walls all night even though the curtains were fully closed. But it wasn’t overly annoying. I was still able to sleep very soundly.
The attached restaurant was pretty good as well. I had thought about ordering room service for dinner on my only night here, but I wasn’t in the mood to pay the ridiculous fees for such a service. So I trudged on down to the restaurant which ended up being a pretty good decision. The atmosphere was nice and the food was good!
I had planned to have breakfast the next morning in that same restaurant, but I was being lazy and I woke up a bit later than I had hoped to. Therefore, I decided to skip it and just head to the airport instead so I could have plenty of time to review the Delta Sky Club in terminal 4 before my flight. They would have food there, for certain.
I would highly recommend the Hyatt Times Square to anyone traveling to New York. The location is pretty much perfect – it’s not right in the heart of Times Square, but the fact that it’s two blocks away means that it is much quieter than it would be if it was situated right in the middle of that chaos. I’d definitely stay here again!
