Hyatt Centric Times Square New York — Hotel in New York

OK. I always believe in discussing feedback with hotel staff if an issue arises and as such i did this. The room was fine, we were on the 38th floor so this gave us a great view over Time Square and the surrounding areas. The location was perfect if you wanted to be in the heart of all activities around Time Square. It was perfect for us, especially as we had been to this area a number of times before. In fact, the last time we were here, this hotel was just been built, hence why we booked it. The first issue was the Bar 45 Breakfast Restaurant. This was still shut down and we had not been informed of this. If you wanted Breakfast it was delivered to your room in a bag, just like a McDonald's...... We were told Hyatt did not want the Restaurant staff returning due to the cost with covid. So no real thought to the customer and what they want... if you want a proper Breakfast, New York style, go to Connollys Irish Bar, 3 buildings along, a much better deal then a Breakfast sandwich in a bag...... Connollys Irish Bar took most of our trade during our stay.... Now the biggest fault of this hotel..... In any hotel we have ever stayed in, no-matter where it is, "is the bar area". This is the "Heart" of any hotel where you can go for a drink anytime. Especially in NY where you go shopping, back to the Hotel to regroup and maybe a drink at the bar or in the evening for a nightcap. The Bar and the ambience is so important. Unfortunately this hotel DID NOT HAVE THIS. Bar 54 is based on the roof of this hotel and is NOT A SEPARATE ENTERPRISE. It was a bar where reservations for non guests were required...... We arrived last Thursday and did the normal thing, get changed, hit the City sights and go for Dinner then back to the hotel for a nightcap.... Upon entering the hotel at about 2145hrs, we asked the concierge if it was OK to go to bar 54 for a drink. We were told it was absolutely fine and as guests no reservations were required, especially at this time of the evening. Upon entering Bar 54 we were met by an Asian gentleman who was the meet and greet for the bar. We asked for a table for two for drinks only and was told without reservations we could not enter. I explained we were guests at the hotel and that the concierge said we didn't need reservations. The Asian guy ( i hate saying that but it is relevant) then started making excuses saying he had limited bar staff on and they couldn't cope. I again stated we were guests at the hotel and showed him our room key but again he made excuses stating there were no empty tables. I could clearly see there were plenty of empty spaces outside on the deck as well as empty tables throughout the bar area. I again challenged him and he swung his arms and said go in..... we had to look for a table rather then be shown to a table. The music in the bar was so loud it was actually hard to hear any conversation between my wife and I. The ambience was clearly not here. I noticed a number of other Asian couples arriving. I spoke to two of them and neither had reservations nor were they guests!!!!! This clearly made me think why were they let in but we had to go through a barrage of questions to get a seat.....!!! This actually made me feel very uncomfortable.... Lastly, whilst we were there I noticed a number of "Young Girls" there with older gentleman. The girls couldn't have been more than 17 years old and the relationship was definitely not father and daughter if you know what I mean. The hotel had clear posters and statements regarding been over 21 and Sexual Exploitation Policy...... I for one was very shocked to encounter what we did at Bar 54. During our 4 night stay we did not go back to Bar 54. As I said at the beginning of my feedback, I approached reception staff who refunded us @$120 from the resort fees that we never used. (This was not the purpose of giving our observations) The hotel staff were absolutely great at all times apart from our...

Hyatt centric - a gem in Times Square||Having just a couple of weeks earlier had [yet] another bad experience at a sister hotel of this property - Hyatt Union Square, I had concerns over how this similar branded property would fair - but as soon as we arrived, my fears were allayed. We were warmly greeted by warm and smiling faces - an amazing about turn from their BIG cousins just a few blocks up town. We were told that our room had been elevated to a higher floor so as to avoid the never ending hustle and bustle of the Times Square hood, yet our room was to have a quickly layout, yet with some view of the surroundings. Honestly, I was more concerned over the potential size of the room [we had a fair amount of luggage], and we didn’t want to be stepping over each other to cross the room to get to the bathroom. ||We were escorted to the room [4708] and our luggage transported on a trolley aided by a Front Desk clerk - something we found quite uncommon in the U.S. of A.||Upon opening the door, the room had a good feel, nice layout and quite spacious, even for us with lots of luggage. Our previous accommodations up town had been a junior suite, and to be honest, this room had far more character, and a better price point.||There was ample closet space to hang items, and even store a large folding suitcase on the luggage rack, and the request for a kettle to make tea, was quickly accommodated.||We required a Wine glass, and a request made via the Hyatt app, was also fulfilled quickly, as was the collection of laundry that was professionally processed. ||The room had a suitable desk with power sockets and connection ports, and these were handy since I needed to work in the room. Wi-Fi was acceptable, although the signal strength a little lacking in the bathroom. A mini-fridge proved handy to store items, and the Keurig coffee maker was replenished daily as was the free bottled water - but to be honest, these should be superseded by drinking water dispensers with people refilling their own water bottles. These along with the small plastic amenity bottles, should be ousted and wall mount dispensers installed.||From time to time, the tv signal froze, and I suspect this is a network issue, and not the fault of the hotel. There were ample power sockets scattered about the room, but one had to be mindful which were “always on” and those that were “mastered” by the “All off” switch. A bedside clock radio was handy especially since it had two USB ports, and there were was a wireless charger on the desk with USB-C ports. The mobile key feature worked.||Daily housekeeping was a blessing, and please remember to leave a tip - it’s a thankless task, and a few dollars left on the pillow can really make a difference to the outcome… Casting to the TV was a little hit and miss, and the hand shower should be replaced with something more ergonomic like a Grohe. Fast elevators whisk you from the lobby to your room. And the lobby shop a welcome facility for a snack, or a quick latte especially if it’s raining and a tad inconvenient to cross the street to Starbucks.||This property had a great vibe - there was a good service culture for which I feel compelled to point out. The staff were always accommodating to requests, even securing us a place on the roof top bar [Bar 54] so we could view the July 4 fireworks. I applaud the management team for instilling this culture into your operation, and quite frankly, the Hyatt at Union Square could learn a lot from you when it comes to hospitality and delivering customer service… Well done. ||Special Thanks to Daniel Barber, Michelle Ng, Jorge Lazo and Emily Chan. ||We will definitely recommend this property, and should the need arise, we...

If you look at the negative reviews, you'll notice a pattern - terrible reception staff and hidden/extra charges. This is a very common experience at this hotel and was also my experience.

Upon checking out, I saw hundreds of dollars worth of incorrect charges, which I eventually resolved with the member of staff at reception. He then assured me that these charges would be removed and confirmed this, with a printed invoice.

When I got back home, I later found out that they had still charged me for some of these incorrect costs, despite written confirmation stating the contrary! It's been almost 3 weeks and I still haven't had my money back! The e-mail communication is either non-existent, or very muddled. This communication is also a reflection of the verbal communication, that I received during my stay at the hotel. On top of that, there was no warmth, no personal touch, they all just seemed disinterested.

I've been to a lot of different countries and stayed at a lot of top Hotels (including Hyatt ones). This is clearly an average hotel, masquerading as a top one. It is much too expensive for the sub-par service provided. I was actually celebrating a special birthday and opted for a more expensive room with a view - nothing extra was given and there was not even an acknowledgement of the special occasion. I do also have a World of Hyatt membership but, that didn't even seem worth mentioning at a place like this, especially with how badly rushed check-in is.

If this is the premium experience that they provide, then I dread to think what you're going to get if you pay less than I did! Make the smart decision and avoid this hotel, because paying extra money for extra hassle and poor service, doesn't make any sense. There are plenty of great hotels around the area and some slightly further out, which are much better value for money. I wish I had opted for one of those instead!

P.S. The air con made a terrible rattling noise, the room was dusty, and the cleaning lady was extremely rude and unprofessional.

Update 1: This has nothing to do with the Destination Fee cost, or the initial Breakfast Package cost - the third party were transparent as usual and my Bank did not hold funds for longer than usual. It was the hotel staff who were not transparent/miscommunicated the T45 market charges, even after we double-checked, almost daily. As for the other issues, we gave the hotel the benefit of the doubt but, by the end of our stay, the experience had been consistently poor. I now finally have an e-mail from yourselves (dated 19th November), confirming your correction and will now wait 3-5 working days, until my refund has credited.

Update 2: The hotel never refunded my account and it took raising a dispute with my bank, to finally get my money back after 5 weeks!! I have never been treated this way in all my years of travelling!! The hotel staff should be ashamed of themselves!!!! Avoid...