Country
United States
City
New York (NY)
Hotel
Hyatt
Notes
The Good
- Impressive lobby with private check-in
- Free WiFi for all guests
- Location, location, location
The Bad
- Closet-sized bathrooms
- No working desk in this room
X-Factor
- The Grand Club's outdoor terrace
Introduction
Boasting over 1,300 rooms in Midtown Manhattan is the Grand Hyatt New York hotel at Grand Central Terminal – birthplace of the Grand Hyatt brand and from which every new Grand Hyatt hotel draws a little inspiration.
Whether you're making a short business trip to the Big Apple or are settling in for a longer stay, here's what you'll find for business travellers at the Grand Hyatt.
Location & Impressions
Nestled on East 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues and adjacent to the Chrysler Building, the Grand Hyatt New York enjoys one of the most prestigious addresses in New York City.
Guests are greeted by roving hotel assistants in a high-ceilinged lobby with artistic sculptures and a water feature...
... and are personally escorted to either the standard check-in desks or the private check-in room for Club floor guests and both Platinum and Diamond members of Hyatt Gold Passport.
Check-in is swift and painless, and those with access to the Grand Club – Hyatt's hotel lounge – will find the service times for breakfast, snacks, hors d'oeuvres and evening drinks on the back of their room key.
While many hotels provide as much verbally or in a welcome letter on arrival, we think that having this on the room key (and thus, always in your pocket) is a really great idea.
Room
We were booked in a Hyatt King Executive room, but found it more akin to a suite owing to the separate sitting room at the entrance, complete with a TV...
... its own air conditioning controls and useful chair-side power points:
However, it's not a full-blown suite in the traditional sense – for example, the wardrobe is located in between the sitting room and the main door, rather than in the bedroom – but if your company's travel policy forbids 'suites', it's a great option to have.
The bedroom itself is mostly what you'd expect, with a bench at the end of the bed...
... iPhone (Lightning) and USB power on the left and regular AC power on both sides...
... modern artwork, blackout blinds...
... and a city view – in this instance, looking over Grand Central Terminal:
As does the sitting room, the bedroom also provides an HDTV set with (free) access to an array of subscription TV channels, although a proper working desk for business travellers is absent.
We were also surprised that the bathroom, while modern and featuring June Jacobs amenities, was incredibly small in the otherwise-large room...
... had a shower floor that had seen better days...
... and had a shelf located at forehead height if you're leaning into the sink – weary travellers, beware.
To its credit, we're told the hotel is working to remove those shelves from its rooms: avoiding the odd headache for its guests.
Work
Travellers in designated Grand Club rooms and Diamond Hyatt Gold Passport members staying in any room type can make use of the hotel's Grand Club lounge on the 16th floor...
... which we found rather conducive to productivity outside of the busy breakfast peak times, and which is also one of the most impressive hotel lounges we've experienced to date.
There's an array of seats – some with easy access to power outlets...
... a separate and closed-off meeting room offered free to guests with Grand Club lounge access...
... airline boarding pass printing facilities...
... and free WiFi. Standard-speed WiFi is complimentary in all rooms and averages usable download speeds of ~1mbps, while a faster in-room ~5mbps option is complimentary for Platinum and Diamond members, and for all Grand Club guests within the lounge.
Eat
The hotel's Grand Club also serves breakfast in the mornings, snacks and hot and cold beverages throughout the day...
... plus canapés in the evening. Alcohol including beer, wine and spirits is available for purchase – sadly, not for free – between 5pm and 9pm, with prices similar to what you'd pay at a bar, but with no need to tip on top.
Guests can also dine at New York Central restaurant with views over 42nd Street...
... serving up everything from soups and salads through to steaks, pastas, sandwiches and burgers.
We opted for something simple: the grass fed Angus burger on a brioche bun with bacon, caramelised shallots, lettuce, tomato and pickle with a side salad and found it more than delicious.
With a glass of wine, local taxes and tip, you're looking at around US$48 for a similar lunch – priced on the higher side of the equation, particularly with the plummeting exchange rate – but in what was also a nice and relatively quiet place to work after the meal.
Sure to be livelier at night is The Lounge at New York Central: the hotel's cocktail bar, adjacent to the main restaurant...
... and if you feel like a midnight snack, stop by Market in the hotel lobby – open 24/7 with a range of takeaway food and beverage options.
Relax
Fitness buffs are well taken care of with Hyatt's 24-hour fitness centre...
... but to truly unwind, we'd again suggest the Grand Club lounge and its groovy outdoor terrace:
If the weather's on the warmer side, stay indoors and kick back in comfy lounge chairs...
... or nurse a wine with colleagues at the lounge's cocktail tables:
Otherwise, you're only one subway station away from Times Square and the theatres of Broadway – and in a city like New York, there's always something to do if you have the time.
Heading to New York City on business? Also read:
- Five tips for riding the New York subway like a local
- American Airlines A321T first class review: LAX-JFK
- How to get half-price tickets to Broadway shows in New York
- 'Delta One' Boeing 767 business class review: LAX-JFK
- Ten great stopover cities for New York-bound travellers
- United B737 first class review: New York/Newark-Los Angeles
- Hilton New York Fashion District, Chelsea review
Chris Chamberlin was a guest of the Grand Hyatt New York hotel.
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
American Airlines - AAdvantage
13 Jul 2015
Total posts 273
Great review, Hotel looks like the rooms are due for a renovation - however the other features such as outdoor terrace, lounge, bars, etc look modern enough - so it's a good contrast at least.
Delta Air Lines - SkyMiles
14 Apr 2013
Total posts 326
I always stay at this hotel. Its my fav.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Sep 2011
Total posts 321
I'm a fairly regular guest at Park and Grand Hyatts. I stayed at this place a few years back. It was late autumn and the room was heated like an oven, but could not be cooled because the airconditioning was off for the season. Maybe that's changed but you might want to avoid the place - they certainly won't admit to the problem.
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