Review: Andaz Wall Street New York

Ben Schlappig
Published: August 17, 2014
Updated: January 18, 2022
10

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I’ve stayed at the Andaz Wall Street probably close to a dozen times before, though it has been several years since I’ve last reviewed the property. I love the Andaz brand, and in particular love this property. Now, I never have a need to be on Wall Street, though what makes it so great is that rates are usually quite low on weekends. And I also kind of like how quiet the area is on weekends.

Going back a few years, this was one of only a few Hyatt properties in New York City. In the meantime we’ve seen an amazing amount of growth from Hyatt in New York, as they approach a dozen properties.

While I love both of the Andaz properties in New York, I’ve gone out of my way to try the other Hyatt properties in the city, so that I can review them:

Most recently I stayed at the Grand Hyatt New York, which was Hyatt’s first hotel in New York City
Prior to that I stayed at the Hyatt Times Square, which I thought was great other than the location
On that same trip I stayed at the Hyatt Union Square, which had a bit more of a boutique feel
My “go to” property in New York is the Andaz 5th Avenue, which is as close to perfect as they get, in my opinion

Anyway, in this case I just had a quick overnight in New York. I was arriving into Newark after 9PM, and was flying out the following afternoon to Tampa. So I decided to book the Andaz Wall Street, since on a Friday night the rate was ~$180, which is extremely reasonable for New York City.

The Andaz is located at the corner of Wall & Water.

Andaz Wall Street entrance

Once I passed through the revolving doors, I was greeted by a host, who processed my check-in in about a minute flat. The lobby area of the hotel is nice and spacious. Keep in mind that Andaz offers a complimentary evening cocktail reception in the lobby, so it is intended to be a “social” space.

Andaz Wall Street lobby

I was assigned room 1419, an Andaz Large King Room. I should note that I’ve found this hotel has gotten a bit stingier with upgrades lately.

A while back they recategorized their “Andaz XL” rooms as suites, meaning you technically need to use a Diamond Suite Upgrade to confirm into them. Previously Diamond members would automatically be assigned them based on availability. Nowadays I find I get them about half of the time.

Andaz Wall Street hallway

Andaz Wall Street room entrance

Andaz New York floorplan

Nonetheless the Andaz Large King Room is a great size, especially by New York City standards.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room entryway

The room featured a comfortable king size bed, and a lounge chair next to it.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room

The room has a semi-open layout, in that there’s a glass shield between the bathroom and bedroom area. I don’t mind that when in a king room alone, but it does get awkward if multiple platonic guests are sharing a room.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room

There’s a big “console” of sorts in the center of the room, where both the desk and flat screen TV are located. While the seat isn’t an office chair, it is quite comfortable, and there are several well placed outlets near it.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room

There’s also a “bench” you can pull out from under the console. I’m not sure why anyone would want to sit there, but it’s there…

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room

Across from the desk console is a big rotating closet, which is also where the minibar is located. Another one of my favorite Andaz features is that all non-alcoholic beverages and snacks in the minibar are free.

Andaz Wall Street complimentary minibar

Andaz Wall Street minibar

Since the hotel is on Wall Street, the views are unmemorable.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room view

Both of the Andaz properties in New York have really awesome bathrooms. There’s nothing that makes or breaks a hotel room quite like a nice bathroom, in my opinion.

To the left of the entrance was the sink and toilet.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room bathroom

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room toilet

Then to the right of the entrance is what I like to call the showering “compound,” as it’s a massive room which houses the walk-in shower and soaking tub.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room tub

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room shower

I’m not sure if it’s a recent change or if I just notice these things when I’m actually photographing them and writing a review, but it seems like toiletries have switched from C.O. Bigelow to Beekman. I did like C.O. Bigelow, but the Beekman replacements are good as well.

Andaz Wall Street Large King Room toiletries

One thing that both Andaz hotels in New York are really good at is breakfast. The Andaz 5th Avenue will let you do room service breakfast, while the Andaz Wall Street no longer allows that.

Still, breakfast is served in Wall & Water, and on Saturdays it’s a brunch between 7AM and 2PM. If you’re someone that likes to sleep in and usually misses breakfast, that’s good news since it means you can have your “breakfast” at 1PM if you want (a lot of other hotels will have breakfast and then brunch, and often your complimentary breakfast benefit won’t apply towards the latter).

Andaz Wall Street Wall & Water Restaurant

The restaurant itself is nice, with an “open kitchen” concept.

Andaz Wall Street Wall & Water Restaurant

The breakfast menu read as follows:

I seem to always stay here on weekends, and always choose the “Weekend In Downtown” option. You get the breakfast buffet, an entree from the menu, a cocktail, and coffee, tea, or juice.

The buffet itself is kind of quirky in that it’s not “traditional” with a large variety of items. Instead they just have a few things, but everything they have is excellent.