I was excited to check out the Hyatt Herald Square, which is Hyatt’s newest property in New York. As I mentioned in the introduction post, Hyatt’s New York footprint has been growing like crazy lately. In the past year they’ve opened the Park Hyatt New York, Hyatt Times Square, and Hyatt Union Square.
It’s nice to have yet another property, in another unique part of New York City.
I got a very reasonable “My Elite Rate” of ~$160.
Within my cancellation deadline the rate actually dropped to $120, which seemed extremely cheap for New York City.
Before I even review the hotel, I should mention something that I knew about the hotel going in — the rooms are really small. Rooms are 164 to 180 square feet, so are tiny by US standards. Also, while the hotel has a couple of suites, they don’t have any premium non-suite rooms, so as a Diamond member there’s not really much of a chance of an upgrade, aside from using a Diamond Suite Upgrade. I knew that going in from reading the room descriptions, and adjusted my expectations accordingly.
Anyway, the hotel is located on 31st street between 5th and Broadway, in a rather compact but modern high rise.
Hyatt Herald Square exterior
The entrance is inviting, especially with the chalk board promoting the bar outside.
Hyatt Herald Square entrance
Hyatt Herald Square entrance
I do love how Hyatt seems to be going for more of the “boutique” feel with many of their new properties, and this lobby is a perfect example. The lobby feels intimate and not like it’s part of a chain hotel. To the left of the entrance is an espresso bar.
Hyatt Herald Square lobby
Hyatt Herald Square Espresso Bar
Hyatt Herald Square Espresso Bar
Then there’s a small seating area in front of and to the side of the elevators.
Hyatt Herald Square lobby
Hyatt Herald Square lobby
Then behind the elevators is the reception desk to the right, and the hotel’s restaurant, The Den, to the left.
Hyatt Herald Square The Den
Hyatt Herald Square The Den
The check-in desk features just a couple of “stations,” and once there I was immediately helped by a friendly associate. I requested 4PM check-out for the next day (since my flight was only at night), and chose the 1,000 points as my Diamond welcome amenity.
Hyatt Herald Square reception
Also next to the reception desk is a small pantry where you can purchase snacks.
Hyatt Herald Square pantry
Hyatt Herald Square hallway
My room was located on the 6th floor, room 608.
Hyatt Herald Square room entrance
The hotel has just 122 rooms, and on my floor there were only eight rooms.
Hyatt Herald Square floorplan
Given my expectations of the room and knowing how small it would be, I was pleasantly surprised. The room featured a long entryway.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room entrance
Then on the right side was a sliding door which led to the bathroom.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room entrance
The room was definitely small, though also felt modern and fresh, as you’d expect for a hotel that just opened a couple of months ago.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room
The room featured a king size bed.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room bed
On the left side of the room was an open closet, and then the safe and flat screen TV.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room
Hyatt Herald Square King Room TV
Hyatt Herald Square King Room closet
On the opposite side next to the bed was a small fridge and then the coffee machine, which brewed Starbucks(ish) coffee.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room
Hyatt Herald Square King Room fridge
Hyatt Herald Square King Room coffee
Hyatt Herald Square King Room coffee
At the far end of the room by the window was what appeared to be a couch that was chopped in half. On the wood panel next to it was a small side table of sorts. I wasn’t sure if that was meant to be picked up and placed elsewhere or what.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room seat
Then to the right of the TV was a small vanity mirror and chair. My major complaint about the room is that there’s not really a desk from which you can work. As someone that works from hotel rooms for hours a day, that’s not good. But then again I also realize the space constraints they’re dealing with.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room TV
The bathroom was bigger than I was expecting given how small the rooms are. It was 10x more pleasant than the one at the Grand Hyatt New York, which has otherwise large rooms.
There was a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower. The one thing I’d note is that counter space was limited.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room bathroom
Hyatt Herald Square King Room shower
Hyatt Herald Square King Room bathroom
Toiletries were CO Bigelow branded, which is a fairly nice line for a mid-range hotel.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room CO Bigelow toiletries
The room had only a small window which faced a courtyard and made me sort of feel like I was in a prison. But when I woke up the next morning I realized just how awesome that is. I’ve never, ever been in a New York City hotel room that was so quiet. No joke, I slept for 14 hours that night, thanks to the comfortable bed, super-quiet environment, and black out shades.
Hyatt Herald Square King Room view
Breakfast is served at The Den, which is a cute little restaurant with just a handful of tables.
Hyatt Herald Square The Den restaurant
Hyatt Herald Square The Den restaurant
The breakfast menu read as follows:
I had a non-fat cappuccino to drink, which was quite good.
Hyatt Herald Square The Den breakfast — cappuccino
Then I had Greek yogurt with berries.
Hyatt Herald Square The Den breakfast — greek yogurt with fresh berries
And finally I had a veggie omelet, which was served with potatoes and salad.
Hyatt Herald Square The Den breakfast — veggie omelet
The food itself was excellent. The service was well intentioned but exceedingly incompetent. It was just me and one other person in the restaurant (a blog reader, actually), but there seemed to be about five servers. Instead of having one server serving me, they all seemed to be doing a little bit of everything. So once I sat down three servers asked me if I wanted anything to drink before I was served my drink. The same was true for ordering food.
I’ll certainly give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s because they’re new and still figuring out a rhythm, but goodness gracious, assign one server per table, especially in a completely empty restaurant where there’s no excuse for such disorganization.
In terms of the hotel’s other facilities, there’s a nice but basic gym on the basement level.
Hyatt Herald Square gym
Hyatt Herald Square gym
Hyatt Herald Square gym
Hyatt Herald Square gym
It’s worth noting that at breakfast it was explained to me that the Diamond breakfast benefit was for up to $25 per person. That seems a bit low, though beyond that I tend to think that since the rate is the same for one or two people, you should always get at least the two person allowance. But I also didn’t argue about it.
I also have to give a lot of credit to the Director of Rooms, Ashley, who was at the front desk. I needed to print and scan something during my stay, and she not only let me use the computer they have in the lobby, but proactively offered to go into their office and scan it for me. That was above and beyond, and much appreciated.
Hyatt Herald Square bottom line
Overall I was really impressed by this hotel, given what it is. I knew coming in that the rooms would be small, so I was actually pleasantly surprised by the way they were designed. If the price were right, as it was for this stay, I’d definitely consider returning. $120-160 is a heck of a deal for a chain hotel room in New York, especially with all the elite benefits you can potentially get.
That being said, if it’s priced the same as the other options in New York, like the Hyatt Times Square or Hyatt Union Square, I’d probably go with one of them, simply because the rooms are considerably larger. I don’t think I’d want to stay at this hotel if I were sharing a room with someone.
Anyway, it’s nice to have more Hyatt options in New York City, and I’d definitely consider returning in the future.
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