Opened in November 2022, the Grayson Hotel (part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt) features 296…read moreguest rooms and can be characterized by having an "intentional design." While many boutique hotels in Midtown NYC are historic retrofits of existing 20th-century office buildings or apparel factories, the Grayson Hotel is actually a brand-new, ground-up development.
Designed by Marcello Pozzi of Architecture & Design (MLLO), the building sits in a historic, gritty stretch of Midtown near the Garment District. Pozzi and interior designers The Setting New York seem to have explicitly designed the structure to pay homage to turn-of-the-century New York industrialization.
Rather than hiding the modern building's raw bones, the interior relies on a juxtaposition of heavy industrial elements and understated "quiet" luxury.
My guest room featured raw, unfinished concrete ceilings paired deliberately with high-gloss lacquered wood, steel, glass, and some gold accents (like in the bathroom fixtures, lamps, etc).
However a hotel must include more than architectural and design details. As a frequent traveler and hotel customer all over the world, I highly prize a property's service over gloss. Unfortunately, my experience with some aspects of the service at the Grayson (I stayed several days), did not rise to the level of relaxed luxury the property seems to aspire.
The Grayson has several restaurants (Harta, Cima), but during my stay only one, Harta, seemed available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I went to the front desk and politely requested to have an opportunity to see Cima, a rooftop bar that is supposed to provide awesome views of the Manhattan skyline. However, I was told by the front desk that Cima was "not available"due to Fourth of July party events, and that if I wanted to view the rooftop bar, I had to purchase tickets for one of the events, and she showed me the prominently displayed post cards announcing them. Please note that I only requested to SEE the bar, not to drink or sit in it, and my ask was during daytime. As a paying guest during an extended stay, this did not sit well with me.
I did eat breakfast several times at Harta, but I was not impressed neither by the service nor the food. In one occasion during breakfast I asked for an a la carte omelette with salad instead of potatoes, but got the potatoes and no salad. The service during breakfast was brisk, with two managers pushing the servers to rush table turning, cafeteria style, as if there was a line waiting to be seated (there never was even a full house). During breakfast my breakfast experiences , I had both the buffet and a la carte items. The food was, in general, fine, but not exceptional. The perceived rush was definitely not a trademark of "quiet luxury".
I also had a drink and an appetizer at the Harta Bar, and the bartender told me that he did not have the ingredients for one of the featured cocktails (a Barcelona Gin and Tonic), which ended up being a plain gin and tonic.
On a positive note, I was happy to see that the Grayson did have daily room servicing, and this was unobtrusive and excellent, and my room was kept inmaculate.
I am providing this information as a constructive criticism, which I hope the Grayson management will take at face value.