Until recently, the only Park Hyatt that I’ve stayed in was the iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo.
We almost stayed at the Shanghai property, but opted for the Banyan Tree instead.
Typically I’ll visit New York City a couple times a year. But between having a newborn and a pandemic, I hadn’t made it back to the Big Apple since late 2019.
But with plans to host an Eighty Club event at Oak Hill in Rochester, it only made sense to stop by the City for a few days. Not to mention the fact, I was able to get a round in on the wonderful Lower Course at Baltusrol.
Since it was my first trip back in 3 years, I knew I wanted to stay someplace special.
This materialized as one night at the Peninsula, and one night at the Park Hyatt NYC.
Whether you’re a golfer looking for a luxury hotel in NYC or just on vacation or business, either of these places will lead to a special (and very comfortable) experience.
Despite being just a few blocks apart from each other, the two hotels couldn’t have been more different.
I found the Tokyo Park Hyatt to be showing its age a little bit during my last visit. The same could be said about the (still excellent) Peninsula NYC.
So how does the Park Hyatt New York compare? Did it live up to expectations?
Let’s find out.
First Impressions of the Park Hyatt New York City
The Park Hyatt New York is located at 157 West 57th St, in the One57 Tower.
This tower is part of the area South of Central Park that makes up “Billionaires Row” due to the high concentration of luxury condominium buildings that is home to many, well, billionaires.
Due to the publicity from this particular building and the opening of the hotel itself less than a decade ago, my expectations were high.
Upon walking into the hotel, you’re greeted by a handful of doorman and a bank of elevators that you take up a level to the primary lobby.
I’m not sure how I feel about the trend in elevated lobbies. It’s always cool to have a nice views. For instance, the 23rd floor lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas is great – but having to take two elevators every time you leave gets a little tedious.
After my cross-country flight, I arrived from JFK right around 5pm, and there was a lot of activity in the lobby. The main restaurant, “The Living Room”, is located off the elevators, and after you take a couple of rights you’re led to the front desk, and nicely appointed sitting area as well.
Despite some controlled chaos with families abound from all over the world, my check-in process was a breeze. I was offered a bottle of water, and given directions to my room on the 14th of 18 floors.
The Park Hyatt resides on the lower 18 floors of the One57 tower.
My initial thought of the hotel at this point could be described as modern elegance. There was nothing over the top or gaudy. Opening in 2014, you expect the property to be as up-to-date in both style and features as any hotel in the world, and it most certainly is.
But the lobby itself was relatively unassuming. Very nice, but aside from the high ceilings, there wasn’t necessarily anything that made you say “wow.”
A King Room at the Park Hyatt NYC
Despite the hustle and bustle of the lobby, once I arrived to my room on the 14th floor I was greeted with silence. The hallways were beautiful, and as I worked my way from the elevator to my room, I had a sense of calm float over me, as you often get from a true luxury hotel.
The room itself was everything you’d expect from a modern 5-star hotel with the Park Hyatt name.
It feels like it had been a couple of decades since the last renovation of my room at the Peninsula, and despite only having a standard room at the Park Hyatt as opposed to a Suite there, everything felt wonderfully modern.
Walking in, you were greeted with no shortage of storage space and mirrors. There’s a large closet to the left, as well as an armoire directly in front of you.
Despite being very nice, my initial reaction upon walking in is that it felt a little cramped.
These rooms range in size from 500-625 square feet, which for a hotel in Manhattan feels monstrous. But upon entering, it didn’t feel quite that big.
One nice surprise of this particular room was the corner view. Having a corner truly elevates the experience and more than makes up for the slightly cramped entry.
The more time I spent in the room, the more I enjoyed it and noticed the little details.
There was a branded Park Hyatt Covid kit with a mask and hand sanitizer.
There are automatic curtains and blinds.
A Nespresso coffee maker, which is one of those little indulgences that is truly one of my favorite aspects of staying in a luxury hotel.
The Bathroom in a King Room at the Park Hyatt NYC
Along with the corner views, the bathroom is one of the absolute highlights of staying at the Park Hyatt New York.
The term “spa-like” gets thrown around a lot, but in the case of this hotel? There’s no better way to describe the bathrooms.
From the wonderful lighting, and beautiful freestanding tub, to the robe prominently positioned on a hook on a wall – it’s a bathroom that just begs you to take a few extra minutes to enjoy some time to yourself.
But my absolute favorite feature of it?
The Le Labo amenities.
A few years ago I stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, and they had Le Labo shampoo and conditioner.
I knew nothing about the brand, but there was something about the fragrance and those amenities that has stuck with me ever since.
So when I saw the Park Hyatt also featured them, I was excited to see if they lived up to my memory.
And sure enough? They exceeded it.
The Bergamote 22 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are phenomenal.
They have a very unique earthy/woodsy scent that has similarities to the Rose 31 scent at the Fairmont – yet is still unique.
It’s also thick.
I feel like you need half as much shampoo or conditioner to get a thick lather when compared to any other products.
Ok, I didn’t intend to make this a Le Labo review, but honestly, they’re my all-time favorite bathroom amenities from a luxury hotel – and it’s not even close.
Other Thoughts on the King Room at the Park Hyatt NYC
The more time I spent in the room, the more I enjoyed it.
Yes, the entry feels a little bit cramped, but at the same time it provided ample storage for my large suitcase, camera bag, and golf clubs. To the point, I didn’t have to see any of them while living in the room.
The bed is everything you’d expect from a Park Hyatt, and feels similar to the Four Seasons beds I’ve raved about time and again.
When you’re spending upwards of $1k a night on a hotel room, you expect everything to be just right.
You expect a wildly comfortable bed, luxurious shower and bathroom, and basic amenities like bottles of water and coffee…
Fortunately, the Park Hyatt nailed everything about this.
While staying at the Park Hyatt Tokyo was a bit of a bucket list item, my time there definitely had some highs and lows.
My time at the Park Hyatt New York? While unfortunately brief, what I was able to experience lived up to all of my admittedly high expectations for what is widely considered one of the best hotels in New York City.
Park Hyatt NYC 1 Bedroom City View Suite
Ok, this is where our review takes a turn.
I originally stayed at the Park Hyatt NYC in July of 2022 in a King Room.
Well, I loved it.
So I came back.
My wife and I took a (very) quick trip to New York in December of 2022 for our first vacation away from our 2-year-old.
I wanted to make it special, so decided to head back to the Park Hyatt.
And even better? We got upgraded to a 1 Bedroom City View Suite.
It was a truly special experience (especially around Christmas time), but since I now have firsthand experience with two different rooms, I wanted to properly cover this as well. If you’re wondering if it’s worth an upgrade or if you’re a Hyatt Globalist and want to know what to expect if you get upgraded to this room – keep reading.
First Impressions of a Park Hyatt NYC Suite
We were on the 16th floor, and upon opening the door to the room, it immediately had a grander sense of space than the standard room.
When you walk into a standard room, the entry can feel a little cramped with the closets and the armoire for the minibar and coffee maker.
In a 1 bedroom suite, you’re greeted by a very long hallway that leads to the living room, and the entrance to the bedroom on the right.
As I noted in my Peninsula NYC review, having a hallway in your NYC hotel feels like the ultimate status symbol. In a city notorious for small and cramped hotel rooms, to have a room big enough to have a proper hallway is a luxury.
And with this suite coming in at massive 1,000 square feet – you really do feel like you’re someplace special when staying in this room.
There’s a closet in the hallway, as well as more closet space in the bedroom. So in the Suite, you certainly aren’t lacking for storage space for clothes, luggage, and whatever else you felt like bringing on your trip.
Like the standard King Room, everything in the Park Hyatt Suite feels modern and high-end.
And as someone who often wakes up early to get some work done, I really appreciated the desk in the living room which was a significant distance from the bedroom. My wife could sleep in, and I could make my Nespresso and answer emails without fear of waking her up.
The wall of automatic curtains is a nice touch that makes the room feel worthy of its address on Billionaire’s Row.
There’s a half bath off the hallway in these suites, so if you’re planning to host friends before a show or night out, you can easily divide social and private spaces.
The Bedroom and Bathroom in a Park Hyatt NYC Suite
The bedroom itself is very similar to what you get in a standard room. The bed is best in class and unbelievably comfortable.
So much so that every time you stay in a hotel of this caliber, you can’t help but ask “What bed is this? What sheets are these? Where can I buy this exact setup?”
We slept incredibly well all trip. And honestly, probably spent more time in the room than we should have on a 54 hour trip to New York.
But there are hotel rooms, and then there are hotel rooms.
This is the latter. Staying here is an experience in and of itself. This is especially true if you take advantage of everything else the hotel has to offer (which we’ll get to in a second).
The bathroom is huge, and there were a couple of upgrades when compared to a standard room.
The first is the Japanese toilet. Nothing like a good bidet to make you feel like you’re being well taken care of! Open the door to the bathroom, and the seat automatically lifts.
Is it overkill? Yes. Is it necessary? Of course not!
But does it make the experience of splurging on a suite all the more memorable? You bet.
There were also heated floors in the bathroom of our suite, which I don’t remember the standard room having.
The Le Labo amenities were prevalent and welcome as mentioned above. This time around they were “Tuberuse 40” the first night, and then got replaced with the “Bergamote 22” the second night. I assume they’re interchangeable among rooms based on what they added to the cart that day – but both fragrances are phenomenal.
I took my extras and they’re in my locker at my gym. Showering with them legit feels like a reward for getting a workout in.
Final Thoughts on a Park Hyatt NYC Suite
Let’s be real here. I don’t care who you are, if you get 1,000 square feet of luxury all to yourself two blocks off Central Park in New York City? That’s a special experience.
It’s memorable. It’s unbelievably comfortable. And yes, it’s expensive (especially around the holidays!).
If you’re traveling alone, it probably isn’t necessary to splurge for the Suite – unless you really like having a dedicated office space and sleeping area.
But if you’re traveling with a kid, or you want something really special for a romantic getaway?
A Suite at the Park Hyatt is among the very best hotel experiences you can have in New York City.
Park Hyatt New York Gym and Pool
On my first trip, I didn’t get to spend a ton of time in the hotel.
Once I landed I shot a quick YouTube video for my business within the room, but then took off to meet friends in the City.
But on the second trip, I made a point to soak in the Park Hyatt experience a little bit more.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Hyatt knows the value of a good pool.
The pool at the Park Hyatt Tokyo was the OG example of this.
With the much newer Andaz Tokyo they also had a fantastic pool with views.
And for the pool at the NYC outpost? They didn’t mess around.
Keep in mind, most of this building consists of wildly expensive condos. And the pool for the owners of these condos is shared with the Park Hyatt. So it should come as no surprise that they did a good job.
The pool at the Park Hyatt has soaring 3 story ceilings, views of the city, and both a hot tub and steam room to help relax.
During my time there, it was a melting pot of people:
- A crypto bro shirtless on his laptop
- A scantily clad attractive woman who spent at least 15 minutes trying to get the perfect selfie
- An older couple taking a nap
- And as I was leaving a family of 4 on vacation showed up.
There are much worse places to spend an afternoon than sitting in a lounge chair overlooking the pool and the city on the 22nd floor.
The steam room smelled of eucalyptus and truly lived up to its name. It was so steamy, I almost sat on someone’s lap when I walked in and couldn’t see them.
I do wish there were a dry sauna or perhaps a cold plunge either in the pool area itself or in the locker room, but these are minor quibbles. This is among the best city hotel pools in the world.
Despite not having a sauna in the locker room, they made up for it with the most ridiculous and amazing shower experience I’ve ever had.
A few months ago I thought the “experience shower” took the cake at the Waldorf Astoria Vegas.
And maybe it did from a technology standpoint.
The showers at Merion may win for sheer volume of water.
But for overall intensity? The 9 jets and 2 showerheads of the locker room showers here make for one of the most memorable showers you’ll ever have:
The gym is one floor up, and while not quite as big as the Peninsula a few blocks away, it is far bigger than most hotel gyms and is full of modern equipment.
And the views? Fantastic. Although I couldn’t help but wonder just how good they’d be from the upper floors of One57.
Dining at the Park Hyatt NYC
When it comes to 5-star hotels in major metropolitan cities, you often expect to have a few different dining options.
At the Park Hyatt however, there’s only one: The Living Room.
It covers everything from breakfast to happy hour to dinner.
I still haven’t had a chance to have a proper meal here, but we did grab drinks during this last trip.
I’ll be honest, I’m a cocktail snob. I’m on a quest to visit the top 100 bars in the world, and during this trip, we had a phenomenal experience at the #6 bar on the list, Double Chicken Please. So the next night when we had a couple cocktails at the Living Room before heading to the airport, I frankly wasn’t expecting much.
I figured it’d be a typical hotel bar with overpriced, mediocre cocktails.
But what I got was a pleasant surprise.
I had a “Soursop” which was far more interesting and unique than I anticipated. It’s a combination of cacao butter-washed mezcal, velvet falernum, soursop, cinnamon, lime.
It had some tiki vibes with the falernum, but the mezcal transformed it into something very compelling.
And yes, at $26 it’s overpriced – but that’s par for the course in a hotel bar at a property like this.
Using Hyatt Points to Stay
One thing worth mentioning is that the Park Hyatt is probably the nicest, easily accessible New York hotel you can stay at using points.
It’s anywhere from 35k to 45k Hyatt points a night to stay here. Which is a ton of points, when there are other Hyatt properties in New York that are perfectly serviceable for 15k a night or less.
All of my business credit cards are through Chase, and they transfer to Hyatt instantly at a rate of 1 to 1. For my first stay, I splurged and spent 40k points to stay here.
The second stay was 45k points/night – or 90k total.
And you know what? I don’t regret it for a second.
The partnership with Chase is nice as it truly opens up some options as it relates to 5-star stays, but in my experience, the Park Hyatt will be the cream of the crop here.
And if it’s still outside your budget, then here are some other great places to stay in NYC.
Final Thoughts on the Park Hyatt New York
If you’re looking for the “best hotel in New York City” you could certainly make the argument for the Park Hyatt.
You have spacious, large, modern rooms.
Fantastic service.
Limited, but extremely high-level amenities on property.
2 blocks to Central Park.
A 20-minute stroll to Broadway (we saw the Cursed Child).
Subway access just steps away.
It’s got it all. Sure there may be even fancier hotels. Bigger hotels. Smaller hotels. But for a property that pretty much has it all? The Park Hyatt is tough to beat.
After checking out I talked to one of the bellmen on the ground level and asked him to get me a cab.
It was only a 9 minute walk to the Peninsula where I was staying the next night of my first trip. But the last thing I wanted to do was lug 3 bags including golf clubs through Manhattan on a 95-degree day.
I told him that’s where I was heading, and he came back 20 seconds later.
“I’m just going to have our house car take you, it’s close!”
Seconds later they loaded my bags up in a new Mercedes SUV and whisked me away to one of their competitors. He couldn’t have been more polite, accommodating, and helpful.
It didn’t matter I was heading straight to a competitor. He genuinely just seemed eager to help and make my life as easy as possible.
This is what you expect from the best hotels in the world, And after two stays over the last six-months, I can safely say the Park Hyatt lived up to, and in many cases exceeded, my lofty expectations for my stays.
If you’re looking for the best hotel in New York? This should be on your shortlist.
