There are seemingly endless choices when looking for a hotel in Manhattan. We were headed to New York for 2 nights and needed to be in the Theater District so I wanted a hotel around that area. Even with those limitations, I had many places to choose from. Some of them we’d stayed at before and others would be a new experience.
I had read several reviews about a new Hyatt property and cash prices were reasonable. It was in a good area for us, just 1 block from Bryant Park, so I booked two nights at The Grayson, an Unbound Collection Hotel.
The Grayson, an Unbound Collection Hotel
30 W 39th Street
New York, NY 10018
I booked the room for $183 per night. After New York City hotel taxes and a $30 destination fee, the total cost for the two-night stay was $495. Award night at the hotel cost 20,000 World of Hyatt points but I’d rather save Hyatt points for other hotels.
We didn’t land at Newark Airport until around 11:30 PM and arrived at the hotel at Midnight. The front door of the hotel was locked and we had to get buzzed into the lobby. The front desk agent checked us in and mentioned that we’d been upgraded to an Empire Room. This was a nice gesture as we booked the room under Sharon’s Hyatt account, and she has no-Hyatt status.
The hotel design is a mix of casual and professional. Classy but not pretentious.
Our room was on the 8th floor at the end of the hallway.
It didn’t hit us what the upgrade to an Empire room meant until we got to the room and had this view as we walked in the door. 
Only the rooms at the end of the hall have this view as the rest of the rooms face the building across the block.
The room is 250 square feet, which is about average for New York hotels. In my opinion, it could have been designed a little better as there are some tight squeezes.
The desk layout wasn’t great. While you have an amazing view, there’s little room to work at the desk.
Once again, we have a window from the bedroom to the bathroom. I don’t understand this trend in new hotel rooms. Does anyone like this feature?
The closet wasn’t large but it’s nice to have a place to hang clothes and jackets, which isn’t always the case at New York hotels.
The bathroom has nice features and the shower passes the test of not leaking water on the floor.
Finally, here’s a view of the Empire State Building during the daytime.
We stayed at the hotel several months ago and some of the bars and restaurants were closed. I understand that some of them have reopened since our visit.
The lobby area served as the bar/restaurant. This appeared to be where everyone was having breakfast.
The check-in area is towards the back of the first floor near the elevators.
There’s also a rooftop bar, Cima, that features tequila and mezcal. It was closed while we were there but we did go up to take a look around. The indoor space is very hip and I’m sure it looks great at night.
However, we went up to the roof to go out on the deck. Here’s where you’ll get views of the surrounding skyscrapers.
Final Thought
We were only in Manhattan for about 30 hours and didn’t spend much of that time at the hotel. But we did get a taste of the Grayson Hotel and we like what we saw. It’s on our list of “will return” locations in New York. The only problem I can see with that plan is that people have apparently started to notice this hotel and prices are going way up. I’m seeing $400 a night for September, and December rates are approaching $500 a night. Staying here might be a one-time thing and somewhere I’ll be happy I got to experience it when the price was right.
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4 comments
Although slightly creepy, I could learn to like the contemporary art you photographed on the window between the bedroom and bath. “Hanging man” or “Tribute to King Kong” or “Extreme bug hits windshield”? For a stay longer than a couple nights, I’d probably prefer the Empire State Bldg window.
You’re going to give me a window to the bathroom, I’m going to use it 🙂
Thanks for the review. I’m staying there in 2 weeks.
Recently stayed. Was not a fan. Breakfast was average with an unbearable wait.