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Review: Andaz 5th Avenue 1 bedroom balcony suite
I have a love/hate relationship with the entire Andaz line of hotels within the Hyatt brand. I love that they are “cool” and I also hate that they’re a bit “too cool” for school. My lovely lady and I flew to New York for a surprise Valentine’s day trip. I love surprises. In fact, you’re reading this while I’m on a surprise trip for my mom’s birthday. Anyways…I wanted something sexy and romantic and I also wanted to make use of a Diamond Suite Upgrade that would be expiring. I ended up finding a solid deal at the Andaz 5th Avenue and could use an upgrade to a 1 bedroom balcony suite. It’s primely located and I must admit…sexy as hell. Join me, if you will, in reliving the Andaz 5th Avenue 1 bedroom balcony suite.
Exterior. Right across from the New York Public library. Gosh, I feel historic and sexy 😉
It’s still sexy to say Gosh, right? K, just checking.
The Deets:
- When: Valentine’s 2017
- Where: New York City
- Loyalty: Hyatt Gold Passport
- Status: Diamond
- Upgrade: Diamond Suite Upgrade
- Benefits: Faster internet and free breakfast.
The thing I hate most about Andaz…check-in.
Am I that old? I just want a desk with an agent and a line to get in. I invariably feel like I’m looking around for a sales clerk at Macy’s when I arrive at an Andaz. If you haven’t stayed at an Andaz before there isn’t a distinct place to check-in or check-out. The worst I’ve seen is in LA….just random ipads and lots of steeped anger and twiddled thumbs.
Admittedly, the staff was very nice and we didn’t have to wait at all. In fact, check-in is much more clear.
My Andaz angst was a little misdirected as it was pretty seamless.
Our 1 bedroom balcony suite’s spirit animal is a black stallion. Ride it hard & put it away wet.
It’s modern and masculine. I loved the bathroom. Find the moon and howl at it.
It shows well at night and during the day.
And the Balcony…small, but outside. That’s huge in NYC.
Andaz has a free mini bar, except for booze. This one had a small kitchenette.
Wait…where is it?
Here it is. Even a dishwasher!
In the morning you can enjoy free room service…if you’re top tier.
We were diamond…those were the days. Now we’re something called Explorist.
Or you can have free breakfast in the restaurant. Couples who caffeinate together, stay together.
Each guest can order a main, hot, and cold beverage.
Looking to sweat it out? Head to the basement. The gym and the bar are there.
I’m pretty sure the bar is this way
Turn around…you’ll find the gym. Hope you like mirrors.
Overall:
Not going to lie…I loved it. Check-in and out worked. It’s probably because it was Valentine’s day and Miles ironed out all the details…thanks little guy. Miles fancies himself Brad Pitt in this Fight/Club alterego relationship situation we have going on, which isn’t too bad because that means I’m still Edward Norton. I digress. If you’re looking for something that is sleek, modern, and sexy I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the Andaz 5th Avenue. Wait. We paid $248 a night and had a great suite. In Manhattan that’s pretty good for a base room at a decent hotel. I’ve seen rates hit $500/600 at the Andaz…not sure it’s THAT nice, but if you can hit a good rate it’s pretty solid.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account openingÂ
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travelâ„
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travelâ„
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:Â
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.Â
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex®  and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travelâ„ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.Â
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.