Park Hyatt New York Review: Stay in a $4000 luxury suite for $300

Christmas in New York is a must-see, so we decided to pack up the kids and take my mom for a weekend right after Christmas. Thanks to his frequent business travels, Bertaut has elite status with Hyatt. We have had some fond experiences with the Hyatt chain, so we chose the Park Hyatt New York. Our weekend getaway was part of our Christmas celebration, so we wanted it to be special and memorable, especially being our kids’ first visit to NYC. We wanted luxury, comfort, and convenience for our holiday activities. However, we also wanted a great deal on the hotel. Thanks to travel hacking, we were able to score luxury for less.

Bertaut has acquired a great deal of Hyatt points, so he was able to use the points plus cash option to reserve our room for 15,000 points plus $300. The all points option would set you back 30,000 points since Park Hyatt New York is a Category 7 property. He didn’t want to burn through his points given that we are planning numerous stays at other luxury hotels around the world in the near future.

Next, he used his Hyatt Diamond member free suite upgrade to score a Park Junior Suite at no extra cost or points, based on availability. We must have been extra nice this year, because we were upgraded to a Park Terrace Suite for no additional points or fees. The rate for our suite averages $3,000 per night but can go as high as $4,000 per night during the holidays, but we paid $300. Keep in mind that the basic room rate averages $700-$1000 per night, so this was a great value.

Another reason we chose the Park Hyatt New York was for its prime location with its proximity to Central Park. It was perfect for our holiday weekend because it is walking distance to Rockefeller Center, dazzling window displays, and the fantastic light show at Saks Fifth Avenue. We were able to take advantage of their courtesy vehicles and traveled very comfortably (in a Mercedes Benz) to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, aka The Met. This complementary service is another way to save money on transportation and we made sure to tip the driver well for this great service.

The hotel is also a short walk to Columbus Circle, Trump Plaza, and many high-end department stores. The great thing about the courtesy shuttle is they will drive you within a 10 block radius from the hotel on a first come first served basis. Park Hyatt has a truly great location in Midtown Manhattan for tourists and business travelers alike.

The Park Hyatt New York occupies the first 25 floors of the 90 floors of the One57, previously known as the Carnegie 57. The hotel is located directly across the street from the famous Carnegie Hall between 6th and 7th street. The hotel features 210 suites, 92 of which are luxury suites, a beautiful indoor pool (more on that later), a serene Spa Nalai, a nicely equipped gym with great views, and a delicious restaurant called The Back Room. So after the hustle and bustle of the city wears you out, there are plenty of ways to unwind and relax inside the hotel.

Upon arrival, we were greeted at our vehicle by a nice well-dressed gentleman who welcomed us, took care of our luggage, and inquired whether we would do valet or self-parking. Self-Parking costs $45, compared to $65 for valet parking for 24 hours (plus an extra $10 for SUV’s). Unfortunately there are no in and out privileges with the valet parking, but most travelers probably do not plan on driving around the city.

We noticed a long line of high end luxury cars lined up in front of the hotel, and found out that a Saudi princess was staying there. To my dismay, we did not set eyes on her during our stay, but I liked the idea of sharing a hotel with a real princess.

The Park Hyatt entrance is understated, elegant, and classy. The space heaters integrated into the ceiling were a nice touch during our winter visit and were much appreciated by people passing by on the sidewalk. While our luggage was being whisked away, we snapped some photos in front of their Christmas tree and modern first lobby. The kids could not wait to run around after our long drive, and were happy to explore.

The elevators lead up to the main lobby. The decor is modern and beautiful, just how I’d expect a luxury hotel to look in NYC.

We were escorted to our Park Terrace Suite by a sweet and elegant hostess. She gave us information regarding the hotel amenities and made sure we had everything we needed to feel at home. Please note that you must have a valid room key in order to use the elevator. If you happen to forget your key in the room, there are wall-mounted phones you may use to reach the front desk. You will have to provide ID to access your room. While this may seem like an inconvenience to some, it was reassuring to us to know that they have excellent security standards.

We stayed in the Park Terrace Suite 1714. At a generous 1016 sq. ft. the suite is especially large for NYC and had the feel of a large luxurious apartment rather than a hotel room. The lovely terrace provides north facing city views along with partial views of Central Park.

The foyer area had ample space for a large double stroller and featured full length mirrors and more closets than any traveler could ever need.

The foyer leads to a guest half bath and opens into a spacious living room and work area.

The minibar featured imported beer, wine, champagne, soda, peanuts, candy, and other snacks. We made sure the kids stayed clear of the minibar as they had their eyes on a giant jar of gummy bears and could have run up a $100 tab in no time. Sorry kids, not happening 🙂 One nice feature, especially for a family traveling with kids, was that complimentary water bottles, coffee, and tea were provided and were restocked as needed.

Our bedroom was nicely appointed and provided partial views of Central Park. The Terrace was spacious with equally pleasant views of Central Park on the north side and the city on the south side.

There was a second half bathroom off of the suite entryway, which was very convenient for a family of 5 traveling together.

Prior to heading to the pool, we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast at The Back Room, an excellent perk for Hyatt Diamond members. They allow a $45 credit per person for up to 4 people per room. We had $180 credit which allowed us to indulge in an extravagant meal to start off our day of sightseeing. Everything was delicious, including the lobster egg white scramble, blueberry pancakes, eggs benedict, omelette, roasted fingerling potatoes, and mixed berry smoothie.  Our toddler was getting a little antsy and just wanted to explore so we ate quickly to avoid a total meltdown.

The indoor swimming pool, spa Nalai and gym are all located on the 25th floor.  A room key is required to access the pool, hot tub, steam room, and locker rooms.

The hotel has a nicely equipped gym with nice views of Central Park and the city.

While we were out and about in town, housekeeping came back for turn down service and left a note and some gourmet chocolates for us, which was very much appreciated. Such is one example of the way the staff and management went above and beyond to ensure total satisfaction of their customers.

In summary, we had an amazing stay at the Park Hyatt New York for our Christmas weekend getaway in New York City (check here for tours and activities in NYC). We were beyond satisfied with the outstanding service provided by the staff from the very moment we arrived to the moment we left. All the employees we dealt with were genuinely professional, courteous and went out of their way to assist us.

We certainly enjoyed our time there and would recommend the Park Hyatt hotels without hesitation. We are visiting the Park Hyatt Maldives in a few weeks and are hoping to be blown away just as we were by its sister property in New York. If you liked this post, please sign up for our RSS feed for updates on new blog posts and our email newsletter for our tips to travel like a millionaire.