After a one night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Westchester we headed into NYC for four nights.
We decided to book the Andaz 5th Avenue for the first two nights. The rate was about ~$280 per night, which is very good for this property, in my opinion. The Andaz 5th Avenue tends to be my go to hotel in NYC. Is it the most luxurious hotel? No. But I find it’s a great value, especially as a Diamond member, so when the rates are good it’s where I tend to stay.
While I’ve probably stayed at this hotel a dozen times, I just realized I haven’t reviewed it since 2011, so figured I’d write a follow-up review about the hotel.
I’ve reviewed quite a few other hotels in NYC, including the Park Hyatt, Hyatt Herald Square, Andaz Wall Street, St. Regis, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Times Square, Hyatt Union Square, Westin Grand Central, W Union Square, Westin Times Square, W Times Square, Le Parker Meridien, and more, so feel free to check out those reviews for more context on my overall thoughts of NYC hotels.
With that out of the way, we arrived at the Andaz 5th Avenue in the late afternoon. The hotel is located at 41st & 5th. Personally I don’t love staying in midtown in the sense that I find the immediate area to be chaotic. However, I appreciate the convenience of being in the area, since it’s quite easy to get downtown or uptown pretty quickly, depending on where I need to be.
Andaz 5th Avenue exterior
Andaz 5th Avenue exterior
The Andaz’s lobby is intimate, with the centerpiece of the lobby being the “host” stand. Andaz has a different check-in concept than most hotels in the sense that they don’t have a traditional front desk, but rather have hosts with tablets who check you in as you stand next to them.
In this case the friendly associate offers us something to drink while she processed our check-in. She confirmed Diamond benefits, and proactively offered us late check-out. We were assigned an accessible room with two double beds. I find upgrades for Diamond members to generally be limited at this property without using a Diamond Suite Upgrade Award, but that’s hardly surprising given the number of Diamond members who choose to stay at this hotel.
Andaz 5th Avenue lobby
Andaz 5th Avenue lobby
The Diamond welcome letter confirmed that breakfast could be had either in the restaurant, or otherwise via room service, which I appreciate. The letter specifically said that Diamond breakfast included one entree, juice, and coffee. Back in the day the hotel had no limit to how much Diamond members could order for breakfast, though they changed that policy since quite a few people abused it. At the time I believe the limit they added was a certain dollar amount, while nowadays it’s based on what you order.
Andaz 5th Avenue Diamond welcome letter
We took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Upon exiting the elevator we turned right to the far end of the hallway, where our room was located on the right.
Andaz 5th Avenue elevators
Andaz 5th Avenue hallway
We were in room 501, which was behind another door, so presumably this could be converted into a two bedroom suite if needed.
Andaz 5th Avenue hallway
Andaz 5th Avenue floorplan
The room was a good size (especially for NYC), with a large entryway with the room straight ahead and the bathroom to the right.
Andaz 5th Avenue view double room entrance
There were two double beds, along with a desk, to the right. Then a couch and TV were on the left.
Andaz 5th Avenue view double room
Andaz 5th Avenue view double room
The beds were extremely comfortable, which I’ve consistently found to be the case at Andaz properties. However, I was a bit puzzled by the lack of practical bedside outlets.
Andaz 5th Avenue view double beds
To the left of the beds was a desk with a rolling chair. The desk was a great workspace overall, though once again I’m puzzled by the lack of well positioned outlets.
Andaz 5th Avenue room desk
The couch in the room was large, though a bit awkward to sit on, given the strange shape.
Andaz 5th Avenue couch
The TV was mounted to the wall, and a decent size.
Andaz 5th Avenue room TV
The room had a great view of the New York Public Library. It’s a great view, though at the same time there’s a lot of street noise when your room faces 5th Avenue in midtown.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York room view
Back towards the entrance were some glass shelves on the right, which housed the minibar.
Andaz 5th Avenue room entryway
One of the things that makes Andaz unique is that all snacks and non-alcoholic minibar drinks are complimentary. However, over the years they’ve changed the snack selection. It used to be that they had nuts, chips, and chocolate, while nowadays they instead have Nourish Snacks, which I suppose are a bit healthier.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York minibar snacks & alcoholic beverages
The minibar was well stocked with soft drinks, including a Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, tonic water, sparkling water, and four bottles of still water.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York minibar drinks
I’ve always found the bathroom setup in both NYC Andaz properties to simultaneously be great and bizarre.
One thing that annoys me is that there’s no separation between the bathroom and the bedroom, so you’re fully exposed when you’re showering or at the sink. That’s a bit awkward, especially if you’re staying in a room with two beds, in my opinion.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York bathroom
The toilet is partitioned off from the rest of the bathroom, and was quite large, given that this was an accessible room.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York toilet
On the plus side, the showers at this hotel are fantastic. Water comes out of the ceiling mounted nozzle, the handheld one, as well as a foot bath of sorts. Again, my only complaint is that there’s not a door to the shower, so the temperature from the shower spreads throughout the whole room — personally I like keeping my hotel rooms really cold and showers really hot, so that doesn’t work all that well in this hotel.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York shower
Toiletries at this property are from Beekman, which are good though unmemorable.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York Beekman toiletries
Wifi in the room was high speed, so I appreciated that. Furthermore, I love that this hotel has proper blackout curtains, which can be controlled at the push of a button.
In terms of a couple of other unique features of Andaz, there’s complimentary coffee in the lobby in the mornings, as well as complimentary wine in the evenings. This is served in a room just off the lobby, which is a nice area to sit.
Andaz 5th Avenue lobby
Andaz 5th Avenue lobby
There’s even a computer in this area.
Andaz 5th Avenue lobby business center
I really appreciate that they offer complimentary coffee, and it’s a feature I’d love to see at more hotels.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York complimentary coffee
Meanwhile in the evenings there’s a wine hour at 6PM, with complimentary red and white wine. Obviously it’s not going to be great wine, though it’s a nice offering nonetheless.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York complimentary wine
Typically I get room service breakfast at this hotel, though in this instance we decided to dine in the restaurant, located just off the lobby.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York The Shop Restaurant
The breakfast menu read as follows:
I had a coffee to drink, which was served in a pretty cool clear cup.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York The Shop breakfast — coffee
To eat I ordered the lemon souffle pancake, which is excellent, and perhaps the breakfast dish the hotel is best known for. I’m not usually someone who orders pancakes for breakfast, but I make an exception at the Andaz.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York The Shop breakfast — lemon souffle pancake
Meanwhile my mom had an egg white frittata with multi-grain toast.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York The Shop breakfast — egg white frittata
Andaz 5th Avenue New York The Shop breakfast — multi-grain toast
The other feature of the hotel worth noting is the 24 hour gym, located on the basement level. It’s fairly well equipped, and doesn’t ever seem to be full, in my experience.
Andaz 5th Avenue New York gym
Andaz 5th Avenue New York gym
Andaz 5th Avenue New York gym
Andaz 5th Avenue New York gym
Andaz 5th Avenue New York bottom line
As a Diamond member I find the Andaz 5th Avenue to be a great value and a safe bet when the rates are reasonable. The rooms are mostly well designed and in good condition, the location is central, the breakfast is excellent, and I find the staff to be great as well. I’ve probably stayed at this hotel a dozen times, and certainly return whenever the rates are good, though I’d also like to try some more hotels in the city the next time I visit.
Do you have a “go to” NYC hotel, either because it’s just a great hotel, or because it represents an excellent value?
How strange, I *just* got back from NYC, staying in room 601 at the Andaz and there are definitely doors into the bathroom.
It was a great hotel, in a fantastic location - I will definitely stay there again.
I don't think the Andaz should lament its popularity with Diamonds. Ditch the Diamonds, and there's no point in flying the Hyatt flag.
Mr Lucky. Since you were staying at the hotel with your mom, do you exit the hotel room I to the hallway while your mom takes a shower given that there is no privacy between the bedroom and the bathroom?
I'm staying at that hotel with a co-worker in Nov, and don't feel comfortable being nude in front of him.
Just trying to understand the situation and layout of the room during shower time.
Thank you.
People complaining about "only" one entree being included in the diamond amenity? Really!?!?!? Oooh wait, because I am a diamond member I am entitled to the world..... There is the option to pay for an additional entree people!
No wonder they would have stopped the previous breakfast amenity, judging form the comments on tis blog the majority of the people will have taken advantage of it and order a couple of dishes!
Never been to NYC.
One entree per room? Really? Thank God other Hyatt properties are not so stingy.
The room resembles a Scandinavian prison cell. Minimalism I get, but that is dreadful.
I find it super irritating when hotels do not have a buffet breakfast and try to pass off one entree and 2 drinks as being enough for breakfast. When you order an american or full English breakfast in your room, you get eggs you get sausages and/or bacon and you get pastries and some other stuff now that's a breakfast how is one entree a breakfast.. I was just at the Hyatt Union square and...
I find it super irritating when hotels do not have a buffet breakfast and try to pass off one entree and 2 drinks as being enough for breakfast. When you order an american or full English breakfast in your room, you get eggs you get sausages and/or bacon and you get pastries and some other stuff now that's a breakfast how is one entree a breakfast.. I was just at the Hyatt Union square and the rate was similar to this depending if you were looking at before or after taxes.. and they wanted to allocate I think it was $25 per person... for breakfast.. they also did not have a buffet. Well everyday we had one entree each, coffee/tea/juice and that comes up to way above $50.. not including tip.... Also I think a breakfast should always be eggs and meat and one pastry... well anyways they end up comping the breakfast which ranged from 70-90 for 2 for the 3 mornings I had breakfast at the cafe
I find andaz needing a renovation. Furniture is dinged up and couches look very tired. Also find room not to be very clean a lot of dust and dirt around room. I find the breakfast very good and free drinks and friendly service a plus with a great location but what they charge could be better
Meh. Hyatt just doesn't excite me anymore.
Oh, my. That room--except for the bathroom--reminded me of my university dorm room. The view was lovely, though.
I will go out of my way to avoid the Hyatt-Sheraton-Hilton-Marriott crowd. The classic, traditional Carlyle has been my nostalgically favorite hotel; however, I have grown weary of the owners' refusal to give the place a proper & desperately needed renovation.
The NoMad is such a beautiful hotel! I could fall in love with the NoMad....
Oh, my. That room--except for the bathroom--reminded me of my university dorm room. The view was lovely, though.
I will go out of my way to avoid the Hyatt-Sheraton-Hilton-Marriott crowd. The classic, traditional Carlyle has been my nostalgically favorite hotel; however, I have grown weary of the owners' refusal to give the place a proper & desperately needed renovation.
The NoMad is such a beautiful hotel! I could fall in love with the NoMad. But it would be like falling in love with a gorgeous, beautifully dressed young man who chomps on gum.
Well this is funny. This hotel is in the same block as my office and I'm reading the review in front of the hotel while waiting on a friend for lunch.
Good to know how it looks inside.
What is the origin of the name 'Andaz' . - Is it Indian? Andaz means style - in hindi/urdu.
"Back in the day the hotel had no limit to how much Diamond members could order for breakfast, though they changed that policy since quite a few people abused it."
People like these are why we can't have nice things. I'm sure they'll find some way to justify their behavior though.
@C: Unless you're here for the credit card referrals, this may not be the blog for you.
I've stayed there many times also and there's always been a door between the bathroom and the bedroom, though sometimes it has it blended into the décor of the wall so well that it wasn't obvious where it was. I think sometimes it's been a pocket door, also. You should ask the front desk for help if you can't find it, and I think it's reasonable to ask for a different room if there really...
I've stayed there many times also and there's always been a door between the bathroom and the bedroom, though sometimes it has it blended into the décor of the wall so well that it wasn't obvious where it was. I think sometimes it's been a pocket door, also. You should ask the front desk for help if you can't find it, and I think it's reasonable to ask for a different room if there really isn't one and you're traveling with someone with whom the lack of a door is a problem. (Heck, I've been with my husband for 19 years and I still want privacy in the bathroom.)
Complimentary coffee (as well as complimentary breakfast, parking, pool and gym priviledges, and complimentary hotel shuttles etc) are a standard feature in many mid-range and low-range hotels, without having to pay $280/night. You should give those a try sometime, its amazing how you don't have to jump through hoops or spend $$$$ to become a diamond member just to get some basic amenities available as a standard in lower tier hotels.
The number of diamonds at this Hyatt is mind blowing. On a recent stay, I arrived early and my Splash suite was not ready. I grabbed a coffee from the Shop and caught up on some emails at the communal table behind the host stand. During my half-hour wait, I overheard the hosts describing Diamond benefits to at least 4 other incoming guests. You are absolutely correct about DSU upgrades here.
Great review!
The new breakfast benefit is really limited. If I want to try its famous pancake, I would have to give up an egg omelette, or to pay extra $$ for it.
Do you know the Diamond breakfast policy at Andaz Wall Street? Thanks,
I have stayed there multiple times and have always had a "door" to the bathroom. It is usually a large wall the sealing black door that matches the closets. Strange not every room has that
I also have the andaz 5th as my go to hotel. I find the diamond amenity strange though: a basic fabric tote bag for carrying your shipping items. They could definitely come up with something else more creative and memorable.
I know that generic hotel room "art" is often laughable but this room could really use some. Those bare walls give a rather institutional feel.
Great review. Wish I could find a rate like that for my dates!