This is the second part of my review of the Hyatt 48 Lex in New York after I moved rooms due to noise issues, the first review was of the Penthouse suite.
After spending my whole day touring and sightseeing on the Big Bus around New York I was interested to check out what room I was allocated. I really didn’t care as long as I got a good night sleep away from noises. When we arrived in the hotel our room wasn’t ready so they asked us to wait in the lounge.
After about 20 minutes we were given the key to our room which was on the 16th floor. We didn’t have a balcony but the view was still nice, you could see some of the skyline and the renovations of the Intercontinental Barclay hotel which is just opposite the Hyatt 48 Lex.
Suite:
I very much liked the suite, it was decorated in soft colours and made you feel welcome. I actually much preferred this space than the Penthouse suite which felt more “cold”. We had a small kitchen just behind the entrance door which can be useful if you are having a takeaout. It also had it’s own wine selection if you needed a drink after a busy day of meetings or sightseeing. There is a small living room with a desk, an armchair and a couch to relax and rest.
The living room was a nice space where you could actually invite a few guests to have dinner or a drink if you wanted, though I would reconsider if any of you needed to use the bathroom. I think this is actually the strangest thing about this suite. Everything was great, however the bathroom has a mat glass and a sliding door that doesn’t close entirely. This does give you a feeling of being exposed especially if someone is in the living room talking or watching TV. I swear there was a gap of a few centimetres and unless I missed it there was no lock for this door.
Bathroom:
The bathroom was a nice size with a shower, there was plenty of surface space for your toiletries and actually the pressure of the water was much better than the penthouse suite. I guess this makes sense as I was 14 floors closer to mother earth. My only issue was with the bathroom door which I found strange and for such a nice room I think they should just put locks and make them close properly.
Room:
The room was on the small size however for a night sleep it was perfectly fine. You did have some space to walk around, there was a stand with a TV on and a wardrobe. The bed was comfortable however the weirdest thing was the bedlinen which was actually not big enough to cover the whole bed. I am serious and I actually have photos to prove it. I am not sure how the housekeeping decided to put this on the bed, however in the morning the whole sheet was off and I slept on the mattress. Which didn’t even have a protective cover. Quite a let down for me if I have to be honest but after the previous complains I just didn’t want to make a fuss and for them to think I was picky. I guess it was just my bad luck. I did take photos of this to show to the management but never did it.
Other than this everything was fine, the air conditioning unit was in the living room so I could not hear any noise and I did enjoy a good night sleep.
The next day I did have a late check out which was excellent as it gave us time to enjoy few more hours in New York before we ordered our Uber to JFK.
Overall the Hyatt 48 Lex did have some big issues for me. The most important being the noise with second being the small bed lined and the fact I slept on the mattress with no protective cover. I find that the staff were courteous but in many cases I felt I was bothering them. After my first night incidents they pretty much asked me how was my room every time they saw me. I became the “thats her” customer. In my opinion this hotel is targeted for the business customer who goes in sleeps and is out of the room the whole day. I would probably return to this hotel if I didn’t have any more options and the price is right. However I think I would just prefer a corner suite (with proper bedlinen) or a standard room.
I stayed in a few Hyatt properties and actually I love their brand. I don’t think the Hyatt 48 Lex lived up to these expectations on this occasion. The Hyatt properties in Europe are more expensive and more luxurious and the atmosphere is different, which is what I like about Hyatt. I did the Diamond status challenge and I do love the perks that come with it, even though I have three more suite certificates to use before February. I do go out of my way and do pay extra to stay in a Hyatt and I am planning to keep the Diamond status and do the required stays. However I would like a better and genuine service especially if I am paying $500 per night for a room in Europe or the Middle East. Especially now that they are expanding in Saudi Arabia it will be an excellent opportunity to check it out. I am planning to check out the Jeddah property they have and review it as well in 2015.