My Birthday Weekend in New York – Part 2: Andaz 5th Ave

We devote thousands of hours of research to help you get Big Travel with Small Money. You support us by signing-up for credit cards through partner links which earn us a commission. Here’s our full Advertising Policy.

Don’t forget to follow me on  Facebook or Twitter!

• Part 1 – Trip Planning & Getting to New York
• Part 2 – Andaz 5th Avenue
• Part 3 – New York City

Daraius:  After the 1.5 hour debacle with the taxi line at LaGuardia, we finally reached the hotel at around 2 in the morning, and I was fervently hoping that Emily would like the hotel enough to forget about the long wait for the taxi. 🙂

Emily Jablon:   The hotel was very modern and unlike any hotel I’ve stayed in before.  The lobby consisted of a small check-in desk with laptops and there was very little other furniture.

The painting between the elevators was not like other paintings which I’ve seen in hotel!  Though it was perfect for a hotel with a hip image.

Emily Jablon:  We were very happy to find that our room at the Andaz was so nice!  We had the Splash Suite, which came with a large bathtub.  The room itself was very spacious and had high ceilings.  The room would have been nicer if there was a little more artwork to make the space more warm & inviting.

Daraius:  My original plan was to use a Diamond elite confirmed suite upgrade certificate to upgrade the entry level room to a suite.  I also wrote an email to the general manager from my personal email account.  I explained how excited we were to visit, that it was my birthday, and could he please upgrade our room if there was availability?

I received a note back from another manager that I was upgraded to the Splash suite, so I didn’t need to use my Diamond upgrade certificate.  I’m not sure if this is customary for the Andaz 5^th Avenue or if the hotel googled my name and found my blog, but I was thrilled with the room.

I especially liked that the hotel didn’t make us change rooms and let us keep the suite.  I had paid for the 1st night, but had used points for the 2nd night.

Emily loves taking baths and the splash suite had a big bathtub!

Check out my amateurish video, complete with jerky hand movements and blurry visuals, of the Splash Suite taken with my iPhone.

Emily Jablon:  As soon as you entered the suite, you see the minibar, desk, and a living area with a TV.

All non-alcoholic drinks and snacks are free and are replenished daily.  Emily liked the bumblebar and potato chips, but I preferred the free waters and soft drinks.  This is a great feature of the Andaz chain and I really appreciate how guests in all rooms (not just suites) get the free snacks and drinks together with free internet access.

Daraius:  There were 3 bottles of still water, 1 bottle of sparkling water, 3 cans of soda, 1 bottle of apple juice, 1 bottle of ice tea & tonic water, and another soft drink whose name I can’t remember.  We could drink all these for free and get them replaced the next day!

There were more drinks on the side.  Beer was $7, but the soft drinks, juices, and tonic water were free.

Daraius:  I loved lying on the couch and doing work on my laptop.  It was much more comfortable then propping up the laptop in the bed or sitting on the desk.

Emily Jablon:  The bathroom was also very big with a huge shower.

And a “his and hers” sink.

The highlight of the room was the large tub which almost had its own room!

The bathroom had nicer amenities than regular Hyatt hotels.

And also had a large tub to soak your feet.  Since New York City is a walking city, this was going to come in handy at the end of each day!

There was plenty of storage space, and I especially liked how there were all-in-one controls for the shades, lights, and air conditioning.  But there wasn’t much light in the bathroom – especially at night.

The bedroom was also very nice, and it had a gorgeous view of the New York library and the Empire State Building.  The bedding was very soft and luxurious. Again, I wished there was some colorful artwork to provide some warmth to the ultra-modern feel.

The next day, we ordered breakfast in our room.  As a Diamond member, Daraius received a $75 credit for breakfast.  We had lemon poppyseed pancakes with fresh orange slices, bacon, fried eggs and breakfast potatoes, a latte, carrot juice, a chocolate croissant, and seasonal fruit.

Daraius and I really liked the pancakes and breakfast potatoes.  I also liked the bacon and seasonal fruit.  It was very fresh and included a selection of raspberries, blueberries, apples, and strawberries.  I also liked my latte and my carrot juice.  I mixed the carrot juice with apple juice to sweeten it a bit.

Daraius:  I was looking forward to trying the lemon poppyseed pancakes which Gary salivates about.  Sure enough, they were as good as he said they were!  The portions were huge and I suspect that 3 to 4 people could have breakfast with the $75 credit if you shared the food.

Emily Jablon:

The next day, Daraius and I again ordered breakfast to our room. We liked the poppyseed pancakes with orange essence and fresh orange slices so much that we ordered them again.

We also ordered Brioche French toast and scrambled eggs with chorizo and breakfast potatoes. The French toast came with two giant slices of toast but was a little bland (especially compared to the orange poppyseed pancakes)! We also tried a jasmine pearl tea, carrot juice, and bone in ham. The ham was dry but we really liked the tea.

Afterwards, we explored the library/shop in the hotel.

There was free coffee in the lobby.

We also checked out the restaurant on the 1st floor.

Daraius:  I quite liked the Andaz 5th Avenue, and would stay there again for a weekend getaway in New York.  However, I wouldn’t stay alone at the Andaz 5th Avenue if I was in New York on business since there are cheaper options available.

It was extremely convenient for a quick weekend in New York, and the Diamond $75 breakfast credit saved us both time and money.  And all guests get complimentary snacks and non- alcoholic drinks in their room along with free internet access.  The staff were very friendly, and though the hotel has a “hip” urban vibe to it, I didn’t feel uncomfortable for being decidedly not hip!

On the other hand, my mom preferred the Raddison Lexington which had a much smaller room than her room at the Andaz 5th Avenue.  She felt that the Raddisson had a grander entryway and originally thought that the Raddison was the more expensive hotel, despite it costing half the price of the Andaz 5th.  I suspect that the white walls and sparse furniture of the Andaz 5th avenue may have contributed to her feeling that way.

This hotel is a top tier category 6 Hyatt and each night costs 22,000 points.  Sure, you can use 22,000 points (or the 2 free nights from the Hyatt credit card) for the really expensive Hyatt hotels in Switzerland, Paris, Italy and the Maldives, but that’s irrelevant if you don’t (or can’t) travel overseas.  Miles and points have no value if you don’t use them, so use them to create lots of good memories in ways which make sense to you!