Maybe it’s not you...it’s me?
Stayed in a junior suite for three nights in late November. The hotel was in a central location and things were ‘OK’ I suppose, but I travel regularly for business and pleasure and maybe it’s just me, but I remember a time when the Hyatt did more than just be ‘OK’. Examples included:
- Flying in from the UK, we were visiting New York for the first time to celebrate a ‘milestone’ (i.e. ends with a ‘0’) birthday for my wife. I mentioned this to the hotel in advance, and again when we checked-in and it was never even acknowledged. I’m not expecting champagne in the room (although I've had this from the Hilton in the past), but a smile and a ‘congratulations’ would have been nice
- Whilst we didn't get a “happy birthday” from the reception staff, we did get told our room wasn't ready (at three in the afternoon) and when we came back yet again at 4pm the member of staff just said “wait a moment” and walked away to obviously try and fit us in somewhere...15 minutes later I was still standing there until another member of staff asked if I was OK and went to find out what had happened
- To be fair, the room was a good size and with a nice view over Grand Central station. But no bathrobes, no tea and coffee making facilities, tiny bathroom and no HDTV. For a US Hyatt hotel, the absence of bathrobes and a kettle was surprising, but watching TV programmes that looked like they were received via a metal coat-hanger on stuck on the roof was really shocking.
- No free wifi, not even in public areas! I know it’s great fun for a hotel that has a large proportion of business travellers to charge for internet, but it’s nearly 2013 now and free wifi should be standard, not an added bonus
- When I inquired about going into the Regency (executive) lounge, I was told that I would not be allowed access because I was ‘only’ a Platinum member. So despite staying in a suite and having the misfortune to drop to the second-highest tier after being a Diamond Hyatt member for the past three years I was not allowed into the promised land of free canapés and soft drinks
That’s not to say it’s not a nice hotel, and it is in a central location. But when my baby is screaming at 3am and there isn’t a kettle to boil some water for his formula, my proximity to Spiderman the Musical didn't really seem like such an important factor.
So maybe it isn’t the hotel at all, maybe it’s me and I just ask too much, but I’ve shown considerable loyalty to this brand over the years and when it came to the crunch they didn’t deliver. I’m sure they will promise to do better next time, but I don’t plan to fly 3000 miles to celebrate another birthday any time soon.
There was a time when Hyatt was considered miles above the Hilton, but from now on I’ll be switching to the Hilton, and I’ll be telling my friends and colleagues to do the same.