Review: The Time New York Hotel (Hyatt, Dream Hotel Group)

The Time New York Hotel is part of the Dream Hotel Group, a new acquisition by Hyatt. We tried the property so you don’t have to, you’ll thank us later. 

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Location

Not far from the corner of 8th Avenue on West 49th street, The Time New York is in the heart of the theater district and just a five minute walk from Times Square. The location was excellent for those looking to visit Broadway shows, and being close to the action in Midtown. Central Park is about 11 blocks north, and there were good metro subway stops nearby.

Address: 224 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019

Phone: +1 212-246-5252

Google Maps Link

Property

The hotel entrance on the street level is serviced by bell staff that accompany guests to the second level for check-in at the reception desk. There’s ample seating and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the parking garage across the street. A separate bank of two elevators takes guests to the rooms across 16 or 17 floors.

The staff we encountered throughout the property were exceptional and this review appreciates that at every turn, we had a helping hand.

Elevator Issue

During our three-day, two-night stay one of the elevators was out of service each day. Leaving with luggage from the fourth floor was a problem as the lift would go to the top floors and work their way down meaning that several passes of the elevator were full. We used the stairs often, but shouldn’t have to, and with luggage and two children, the limited use of the second elevator was a nuisance. It’s possible that the one elevator was down for maintenance and our timing was unlucky, but given some of the other issues at the property, I have my doubts.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is on floor four, two doors from our room, 405. There was a variety of equipment available in the hall of mirrors gym, but bell staff noted that they also provide passes to a nearby gym with more equipment – a nice touch.

Legrande Bar

On the second level opposite lobby seating is the Legrande bar. It looked upscale and dark but admittedly, we didn’t visit.

Goldfinch

The hotel’s street-level coffee shop had great equipment inside but wasn’t open any of the three days we were on-site. We arrived in the evening on the first day, and neither of the following mornings or afternoons did we find it staffed or open for business. There are plenty of places to get coffee in midtown Manhattan, but it seemed strange it wasn’t operational at all during our stay.

Serrafina

This location of Serrafina was open in the evenings we were in the property. There was a mix of executives and families. None of the photos I captured were worth sharing but the restaurant looked nice.

Room

I booked a double bed room with a city view. Many hotels in New York are space-restricted but this one seemed a little tight.

There were some interesting design choices. For example, the birdcage glass wardrobe at the end of the room was the entirety of closet space and seemed to take up more room than needed in the name of style, but went unused during our stay.

There was a large mirror over the desk with a TV built into the mirror itself. This was clever for space-saving efforts and replaced an ugly black box when not in use with a mirror instead, however, when the TV was on, the display was not very good.

On the desk was a snack bar but don’t touch them as it is triggered and guests are billed for the items removed from the sensor.

A bottle of wine on a serving table was to the left of the desk. We didn’t touch this either.

I paid extra for a city view… of the parking garage. At night, the Legrande and Chicago signs were in view.

The room was tired in spots. The edges of the beds were worn and dated. There was a large pink stain on the rug, one’s mind races to blood but it could have been a child’s drink or wine all the same. What it reflects more than anything else is a lack of attention to detail, different than attention to design which the room has in spades.

Bathroom

The bathroom was quaint and, like the rest of 405, designed well but the details show a lack of attention to detail. The sink faucet was chipped, the shower holder for toiletries was missing paint all over the place. Our shower gel bottle had been opened before we arrived. The most concerning detail was that the shower controls could be turned all the way around for a variety of temperatures that no longer followed the instructions on the handle. It was a mystery how hot it would get and for how long. The shower stall was also very, very tight.

Value

Hotel rates were unusually high across the city the week we were there and the value for money would be a challenge during our stay, in which I spent $1,017 for two nights inclusive of a $30 destination fee and 29,000 points for a third night. Paying $34 extra for the view we had was not worth it, if anything, it was a detractor as the city noise was very loud. Yes, it’s New York and there will be horns and jackhammers, and everything else, but I would not recommend paying a premium for the garage view. That said, normal rates appear to start in the mid $300s and climb, redemptions come in at 25,000/night. For us, it wasn’t worth it and as a point redemption, it comes in below our rate of 2¢/point.

I’ll add one final note that we had requested the same room throughout our stay, but our award redemption was a different type and the hotel was not able to accommodate us staying in our room, nor a late checkout or early check-in. I asked to have the night cancelled and refunded on the third day so we could book at another Hyatt property and management allowed this, something they did not have to do. I appreciated that from the staff, but still, it would not be enough to have us darken their doors again without a refurbishment.

What do you think? Have you stayed at The Time New York? How was your experience? 

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