Andaz Wall Street New York Review

Andaz Wall Street New York Review

15

The Andaz Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, is a foundation of Hyatt’s Andaz brand, being the third hotel to open under the Andaz flag (following the chain’s West Hollywood and London locations). There are no shortage of reviews of the Andaz Wall Street on this site (or on any other miles-and-points site), in particular because the hotel can represent an incredible value, especially on the weekends, when room rates can dip to around the $200/night mark (and sometimes drastically below).

Since its opening in 2010, the Andaz Wall Street has seen Hurricane Sandy inundate its lower floors, and it’s undeniably challenging for a 6-year old hotel to have had to undergo major renovations just to recover from a devastating flood.

I’ve personally stayed at the Andaz Wall Street twice before, in 2011 and in 2014.  In 2011, pre-Sandy, I recall a bona fide luxury hotel with warm, personable service, endless amenities, and a quiet but convenient neighborhood. My prior stay, in 2014, I found the hotel to have weathered the storm fairly decently, with the overall modern style of the hotel intact.

I stayed at the Andaz Wall Street recently, however, and was a bit disappointed to discover a markedly different experience (and a general sense of downhill slide that others have telegraphed in foreboding terms).

Andaz Wall Street lobby
Andaz Wall Street lobby

Check In

I arrived to the hotel around 4:00pm on a Friday, which unfortunately is a bit of a prime time to check in, and the lobby was crowded and buzzing. There’s officially no “reception desk” to speak of at the Andaz, although there is a kiosk with attendants to check you in and a line in order to do so. (During previous stays, I’d been greeted entering the lobby and checked in informally.)

In any event, I handed the agent my card and driver’s license and she processed my check-in while I got myself some coffee from a self-serve setup. It’s worth noting they also had a jar of delicious-looking cookies, though I abstained.

Andaz Wall Street lobby coffee station
Andaz Wall Street lobby coffee station

Next to the coffee station was an area where you could print our boarding passes and check in for your flight. It was handy, although I can’t help but wonder if those self-service stations will become obsolete over time as travelers move over to checking in and presenting their boarding pass on their own mobile device.

Andaz Wall Street lobby
Andaz Wall Street lobby

Ultimately, about 5 minutes later I was efficiently presented with my room keys to an Andaz Suite, which I was able to book at a fairly reasonable rate outright. Although the room was booked through Gold Passport with Diamond status, there was no mention of any upgrade, although I think there isn’t a whole lot of room to upgrade an existing suite with the existing room categories at this particular property.

The Room

The room itself was furnished beautifully and practically, with clean lines, comfortable and attractive furniture, and an excellent use of space.

Andaz Suite living room
Andaz Suite living room
Andaz Suite living room
Andaz Suite living room
Andaz Suite living room
Andaz Suite living room

My first impression, however, was also that the room was extremely dark, at 4:00 in the afternoon on a summer day. Despite having an obscene amount of windows for a Manhattan hotel room, my suite was on the gloomier side because I faced a wall of skyscrapers surrounding me, with few glimpses of the sunny sky. It was a very quintessential New York view, but from my understanding the Andaz Suites on the other side of the building face out toward the East River, and offer a great deal more light.

View from Andaz Suite
View from Andaz Suite

The entire suite was L-shaped and open, with the living “room” separated from the “office area” by a modular unit that doubled as a TV stand, minibar, dresser, and dressing area, depending on your perspective. I thought it was quite ingenious.

Andaz Suite dressing area
Andaz Suite dressing area

The desk area was spacious, and well designed, with benches stowed away underneath. I had to do some work from the hotel room, and found it to be a very comfortable setup.

Andaz Suite "office"area
Andaz Suite “office”area
Andaz Suite desk detail
Andaz Suite desk detail

The second television set in the room was installed on the desk facing the bed, which was at the other end of the room’s L-shape. Despite it being an open suite, I did feel like the living, working and sleeping areas were well delineated.

Andaz Suite king bed
Andaz Suite king bed

The bed was large and comfortable, with intuitive bedside controls for lighting and blackout shades. At the bedside was an iPhone docking device and speaker system, as well as a pair of earplugs and some advice on how to get a good night’s sleep. (I note the hotel room was exceptionally quiet, and Wall Street on the weekends tends to be less hectic than, say, Midtown, so I didn’t need the earplugs personally.)

Andaz Suite bedside table
Andaz Suite bedside table
Andaz Suite bedtime amenities
Andaz Suite bedtime amenities

There was a bit of wear and tear with the furniture, including a desk that was coming a part a little bit, and armchairs that were slightly stained. It wasn’t anything offensive and maybe it’s what you’d expect in a six-year old property, but there was certainly some upkeep that could have kept things looking spiffier.

Damage to guestroom furniture
Damage to guestroom furniture

What I found strange was the bathroom area, which was as equally part of the open concept of the suite as the bedroom or living area. Indeed, the sink and counter space is open to the room.

Andaz Suite bathroom area
Andaz Suite bathroom area

The bathroom was stocked with a tube of Colgate toothpaste, and amenities from Beekman 1802, a lifestyle brand from the Hudson Valley.

To the right of the sink was a huge room containing the shower and bathtub. The shower had both a rainshower and a direct spray unit, and overall the bath/shower room had a great deal of sexy appeal… as well as a clear glass door. In other words, there was no possibility of privacy in the suite, and showering would be an act clearly visible to anyone else in the room.

Andaz Suite shower/tub room
Andaz Suite shower/tub room

Although I find the lack of bathroom privacy to be irritating as a rule, I can generally let it go when it comes to suites or king-bedded rooms, which tend to be occupied either by a single person, or by a (romantic) couple. Still, I was surprised there was no sliding door to set off the bathroom area from the rest of the room.

More awkwardly, the toilet room, to the left of the sink, was only slightly less exposed, with a frosted glass door. It would seem to me even if you were madly in love with the person sharing your room, you might not want to be confronted with whether they were going No. 1 or No. 2 at any given moment.

Andaz Suite toilet room
Andaz Suite toilet room

Food and Drink

As I mentioned, the hotel offers complimentary coffee in the lobby, and a “wine hour” between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., with a bottle each of red and white wine available for self service.

During warm weather months, there is a beer garden off the lobby, which is an excellent idea. It was quite lively on a Friday afternoon with a Wall Street after work crowd (at least, the ones who hadn’t already decamped to the Hamptons).

Andaz Wall Street beer garden
Andaz Wall Street beer garden

As with every Andaz, the guestroom also contained a minibar and snack area where everything non-alcoholic was free. Unfortunately, as with every Andaz, it’s a bit of a sparsely stocked snack bar, with refills only once per day.

And that’s where all the good things I have to say about the food and beverage service at the Andaz Wall Street end.

I scratched my head when I found out that in room dining was only available for breakfast and dinner, during limited hours. That meant when I got to my room at 4:00 p.m. and wanted a snack bigger than a mini-bag of potato chips, I was out of luck. It seems ridiculous not to offer 24-7 room service in New York City, but it’s downright customer-unfriendly to not offer room service between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

My one experience with in room dining was ordering a glass of wine and a bowl of potato chips during “dinner hours.” I ordered a glass of the Sella Nara white wine, and the server brought me up a Stella Artois beer. No big deal to me, although the server seemed to suggest that this was my fault. When he returned with my glass of wine, he grabbed the old bill from me and insisted that I sign a new one (since the wine was a few dollars more than the beer), but I asked him to come back when I was ready.

He knocked on my door a few minutes later, this time with a curtly-delivered demand on not a request: “I need your bill back.”

Friendly service!

Luckily, I called in room dining and had it sorted out, and they took both items off my bill, which was generous. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like the server was actively aggressive.

Breakfast is, as usual, a Diamond amenity with Gold Passport and is given only in the hotel’s restaurant, Dina Rata, not as room service.

Andaz Wall Street breakfast menu at Dina Rata
Andaz Wall Street breakfast menu at Dina Rata

When Ben stayed at the Andaz Wall Street in 2014, he noted that on Saturdays and Sundays the breakfast benefit can be taken as a brunch, which is served from 7:00am until 2:00pm.

Unfortunately, the Andaz seems to have ditched its old restaurant concept, Wall & Water, in favor of a scaled-down one called Dina Rata. I showed up for breakfast at 10:45 a.m. and was told that the a la carte menu was available only until 10:30 a.m. on weekends, with a buffet-only option available until noon.

Andaz Wall Street breakfast buffet at Dina Rata
Andaz Wall Street breakfast buffet at Dina Rata
Andaz Wall Street breakfast buffet at Dina Rata
Andaz Wall Street breakfast buffet at Dina Rata

The buffet was actually high quality, if carb-heavy. The next day, I made sure to get to the restaurant for breakfast before 10:30, and I ordered off the a la carte menu. The food was nothing to write home about – especially at the quoted price points, although if taken as a free breakfast, it isn’t as big of a deal.

Location

The Andaz Wall Street is not the most conveniently located hotel for everyone; however, the Financial District is bursting with far more amenities than it’s ever had. The new Westfield World Trade Center Oculus, complete with an Eataly, is open just a few blocks away and across the street from the 9/11 Memorial.  Foodie-type restaurants and hidden cocktail bars are opening up by the month in hidden pockets of Lower Manhattan. And the new Governor’s Island park is a short ferry ride away, and well worth a visit. Points uptown are either a quick subway ride (noting that the Wall Street stop on the 2 and 3 trains is shut down on the weekends, for now) or easy taxi or Uber ride away. And what you don’t get in terms of immediate proximity, you make up for by being in a relatively quiet part of Manhattan, at least on the weekends.

So, no, Wall Street is neither the hippest nor the most happening part of New York, but rates to stay in Lower Manhattan are dramatically lower, especially on weekends, than just about anywhere else on the island, so it’s a trade-off.

Service

Service at the Andaz Wall Street was largely hit-and-miss, but memorably punctuated by mistakes or errors (e.g., my Diamond number was accidentally scrubbed from the room at check-in, and I was given a call from the front desk manager to tell me that my Diamond privileges would be revoked; it took my proactive investigation, rather then theirs, to prove their mistake) met, when corrected, with shrugs instead of apologies.

Between service bordering on ho-hum and, at the margins, verging into aggressively bad, and the scaled-back food and beverage program, I got the distinct sense that the Andaz Wall Street has decided to make a pivot.

When it opened, the Andaz was a decidedly luxury property. Unfortunately, the hotel in its off-the-beaten-path location cannot sustain the room rates required for a hotel to operate at true “luxury” capacity.

Instead, the hotel seems to acknowledge the fact it has spacious, luxurious rooms, cutting back instead on service and a food and beverage program. As a result, the hotel is busy, mostly with foreign tourists and wedding parties on the weekends. The hotel is not trendy and, at this point — even if its rooms were designed to appeal to the jet-set — it no longer even attempts to be.

Andaz Wall Street Bottom Line

I can understand that hotels must operate on a bit of a “pick two” situation: luxurious rooms, inexpensive rates, great service; pick two of them. You can have a boutique with great service, cheap rooms and a bare-bones decor, or you can have an expensive property with excellent rooms, impeccable service and, at the end of the stay, wildly expensive folios. The Andaz Wall Street seems to have chosen “inexpensive rates” and “luxurious rooms,” leaving service out to dry.

WompWomp

And that’s OK if you know it going in: if you treat the Andaz as a self-service hotel and just a place to sleep, you’ll appreciate the amenities and the value-oriented rates. Still, I’d have been better off had I simply had a self-service experience: instead, I actively experienced bad service on more than one occasion, which was a severe disappointment.

I recognize service standards are variable; maybe I caught everyone on a bad day. I’ve had terrific service at the Andaz Wall Street in the past, and certainly hope to again. However, what I do think is ridiculous is the truncated in room dining program, which actually made me laugh. Any Hyatt hotel that offers room service should offer lunch, period, end of story.

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  1. Bully Tsai Guest

    Oh crap I just booked this hotel last night, if I had read this review I wouldn't have done so.

  2. KeninDFW Guest

    A year ago I stayed at the Andaz in San Diego. I really liked our room. The shower was huge and all glass between the bathroom and the bedroom, very sexy concept and we had a great view of the distant Park where the Padres play baseball. Right in the middle of town so that was nice as far as location, but the street noise was a bit louder than I expected given it was...

    A year ago I stayed at the Andaz in San Diego. I really liked our room. The shower was huge and all glass between the bathroom and the bedroom, very sexy concept and we had a great view of the distant Park where the Padres play baseball. Right in the middle of town so that was nice as far as location, but the street noise was a bit louder than I expected given it was a more hotel/residential vibe vs. a downtown business vibe.

    But then I noticed several items were not what I expected. There was no restaurant on-site. The bar area was only open for limited evening hours, therefore no opportunity for a nightcap before bed. The self serve wine area advertised was no longer there. The rooftop pool was a nice with great views, we were told by the bartender it was the hottest rooftop bar in the city, but we never saw more than 10 people there so I'm not sure why it's the "hottest" rooftop bar.

    My point is that I feel the Andaz brand is very property specific. Some may be great, others not so much. I think Hyatt made a big splash about these properties and had certain expectations. But it appears the expectations have been ratcheted down a bit.

    The service was nice, but extremely limited. The Hyatt would have been a better choice for us overall.

  3. Jan Lucan Guest

    Sorry, but i strongly disagree, being in that hotel just right now. I think it is by far best floor/design/value for money u can buy in downton and also upper Manhattan. I do not see any poiint of relevance for 99.9 % of travelers what kind of special amenities are provided to the top tier travelers. As to the "food plans", I must say I appreciate that Andaz fesigned to do any serious cuisine, as...

    Sorry, but i strongly disagree, being in that hotel just right now. I think it is by far best floor/design/value for money u can buy in downton and also upper Manhattan. I do not see any poiint of relevance for 99.9 % of travelers what kind of special amenities are provided to the top tier travelers. As to the "food plans", I must say I appreciate that Andaz fesigned to do any serious cuisine, as only total dork can go for a dinner in a hotel food plan, when you are in NYC with all the collection of restaurants.

  4. Natalia Guest

    Don't you think the bill issue is because he is threatened by his boss not to miss the 5 dollar difference?

  5. Vincent Verbist Guest

    Hmm, I thought Andaz was ranked just below or above Park Hyatt. Good thing to know!

  6. shanti Guest

    File under: Not fit for an ageing queen.

  7. Jig Guest

    Service in New York is reserved for billionaires, since they are the only ones that seem to impress Manhattanites (speaking as one myself). Maybe in the occasional good restaurant, but otherwise fuggedabahtit!

    And the Wall Street 2/3 stop is definitely not closed on the weekends, just that the Wall St entrance at William St is the only one open on weekends.

  8. TQD New Member

    I recently stayed at the Sheraton New York Time Square and pretty much experienced the same level of service you received @nick. They just don't seem to care.

  9. Arnold Guest

    I stayed here recently and thought it was fine, nothing special, probably shouldn't be an Andaz. I had read previous reviews of Wall and Water and was pretty disappointed with Dina Rata — it was okay but nothing special or memorable. I thought the room decorations were extremely bland and wish it had been a true suite, since there's ample room. I booked it due to the low rate, and although I don't like the...

    I stayed here recently and thought it was fine, nothing special, probably shouldn't be an Andaz. I had read previous reviews of Wall and Water and was pretty disappointed with Dina Rata — it was okay but nothing special or memorable. I thought the room decorations were extremely bland and wish it had been a true suite, since there's ample room. I booked it due to the low rate, and although I don't like the area, there's lots of transit nearby. Anyway, I'm trying the 5th Ave Andaz next time, which I have high hopes for.

  10. RoloT Guest

    It could be worse Nick. I am staying in NYC tonight and I have sadly seen a decrease in hotel standards over the past few years for many brands, including Starwood. Please take a look at the Manhattan properties for Starwood. Except for the St Regis, it is basically a horror show.

    I ended up staying tonight at the Hyatt Herald Square. Certainly nothing to write home about, with zero suite options, exactly one...

    It could be worse Nick. I am staying in NYC tonight and I have sadly seen a decrease in hotel standards over the past few years for many brands, including Starwood. Please take a look at the Manhattan properties for Starwood. Except for the St Regis, it is basically a horror show.

    I ended up staying tonight at the Hyatt Herald Square. Certainly nothing to write home about, with zero suite options, exactly one diamond breakfast option....the restaurant and a general lack of service and quality. Decent rate comparitevly though. Then again, this declining service/property malaise seems to be hitting more and more hotels/brands.

  11. omgstfualready Guest

    LOVE the Venn diagram, smiley face included. All future reviews should include this with a pin point where the hotel landed!

  12. Gary Leff Gold

    I least coffee and wine are back. It's a huge leap at this hotel from back when the Andaz Suite was a junior suite and the complimentary Diamond upgrade, when breakfast was an event, and when it could be taken via a room service credit. The rates don't support the original concept, but I'm not sure the hotel lives up to brand expectations anymore either -- perhaps ought to be a Centric.

  13. ringingup Guest

    Glad I've picked the Langham Place for my stay in a few days!

  14. emercycrite Guest

    Excellent review and an even more excellent Venn diagram.

  15. Andrew Guest

    I pretty much agree with you, Nick. The f&b at this property has gone drastically downhill to the point where I don't even take advantage of the breakfast. With so many Seamless options, I don't need room service.

    I don't think I've experienced the poor level of service you did, but certainly, service is not what it used to be.

    Weekend rates at this property, though, are incredible, sometimes as low as $150/nt. So overall,...

    I pretty much agree with you, Nick. The f&b at this property has gone drastically downhill to the point where I don't even take advantage of the breakfast. With so many Seamless options, I don't need room service.

    I don't think I've experienced the poor level of service you did, but certainly, service is not what it used to be.

    Weekend rates at this property, though, are incredible, sometimes as low as $150/nt. So overall, still a decent value.

    I like your Venn diagram, and I think it does a pretty good job of representing the Hyatt properties in NYC.
    Andaz 5th: Great rooms, good service, on the expensive side.
    Times Square: Less expensive, derive is pretty good, but rooms are boring (and the elevator situation sucks).
    Herald Square: Inexpensive, great service, but rooms are small (although I kind of like them).
    Union Square: Rooms are luxurious (albeit small) and best location, relatively less expensive, but service very hit-or-miss (and let's not get into the $25 max for breakfast or the fact that they can never get the bill right)
    Andaz WS: Great rooms, inexpensive, service issues.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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Bully Tsai Guest

Oh crap I just booked this hotel last night, if I had read this review I wouldn't have done so.

0
KeninDFW Guest

A year ago I stayed at the Andaz in San Diego. I really liked our room. The shower was huge and all glass between the bathroom and the bedroom, very sexy concept and we had a great view of the distant Park where the Padres play baseball. Right in the middle of town so that was nice as far as location, but the street noise was a bit louder than I expected given it was a more hotel/residential vibe vs. a downtown business vibe. But then I noticed several items were not what I expected. There was no restaurant on-site. The bar area was only open for limited evening hours, therefore no opportunity for a nightcap before bed. The self serve wine area advertised was no longer there. The rooftop pool was a nice with great views, we were told by the bartender it was the hottest rooftop bar in the city, but we never saw more than 10 people there so I'm not sure why it's the "hottest" rooftop bar. My point is that I feel the Andaz brand is very property specific. Some may be great, others not so much. I think Hyatt made a big splash about these properties and had certain expectations. But it appears the expectations have been ratcheted down a bit. The service was nice, but extremely limited. The Hyatt would have been a better choice for us overall.

0
Jan Lucan Guest

Sorry, but i strongly disagree, being in that hotel just right now. I think it is by far best floor/design/value for money u can buy in downton and also upper Manhattan. I do not see any poiint of relevance for 99.9 % of travelers what kind of special amenities are provided to the top tier travelers. As to the "food plans", I must say I appreciate that Andaz fesigned to do any serious cuisine, as only total dork can go for a dinner in a hotel food plan, when you are in NYC with all the collection of restaurants.

0
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