Hotel Review – Hyatt House Jersey City, New Jersey

To say that this has been a long time coming would be an understatement. You see, I was watching this hotel with interest from the day it was announced that a new Hyatt House was coming to Jersey City, very close to the Hyatt Regency. I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency on a number of occasions (especially before it was elevated to a category 5 hotel) and even had a phenomenal suite practically right on the Hudson River, with an amazing view of the New York City skyline (see, Hyatt Regency Jersey City: Gorgeous Suite & Breathtaking View!) .

Anyway, I’ve been looking forward to staying at this hotel because Jersey City is so close to Manhattan (only one stop on the PATH train) and because there’s so much to explore in the area. So, I made a bunch of reservations, but the hotel was very slow to open. It finally opened late last year, and I finally made it there this past weekend (I will be there again this weekend!).

The Hyatt House, Jersey City is in a building that was once a bank. This is the entry.

All the cool stuff is on the highest level of the hotel – the Terrace Level. Upon entry you take the elevator to the Terrace Level, and check in there. This is the lobby front desk:

Also on the Terrace level it the hotel breakfast restaurant as well as the Rooftop bar. This level is what makes the hotel special. The rooftop bar is on two levels – the Terrace Level and the actual rooftop.

You can get some really cool photos of the NYC Skyline from this room. Oh, and here’s a tip – instead of eating in the breakfast restaurant, you can bring your food into this room and eat in here.

This is the Rooftop Level.

I booked a standard one bedroom suite over one year ago at a very good rate.

This is the hallway on the 4th floor:

My the living room area of the suite can be divided into a kitchen area and a living room area. The kitchen was pretty well stocked with a refrigerator, a sink, a microwave, a coffee maker, a stove top and a dishwasher.

There were plates and glasses in the cupboard and cutlery in the drawers.

The living room area had a sectional sofa (which opened to a bed) some ottomans and a television.

It was rainy outside (but warm indoors).

Here’s a better view the next day. You can actually see a bit of the Hudson River and New York City to the far right.

The bedroom has everything you’d expect: a bed, night tables, a television and a closet.

The bathroom had a nice shower and standard Hyatt House toiletries.

I was a bit intrigued (and concerned) when I saw earplugs out on the bedroom night table. I soon learned that there is a light rail stop just downstairs from the hotel. However, it seems that the trains do not run late at night and when they did begin in the morning, I didn’t find the sounds disturbing.

The breakfast at the hotel was very good, and the restaurant area was kept clean. I liked that the weekend hours were extended hours – Breakfast was until 11 a.m., which gave me a chance to relax and workout first (Fitness Center is reviewed in a separate post). The coffee was excellent, as always. The food was fine – and the omelet bar – is, in my opinion, what makes a Hyatt House a Hyatt House!

This is where I ate breakfast the second morning. Nice, right?

I found this Borrows Menu (at the front desk) interesting.

And there you have it. I think that the Hyatt House is a great option for tourists, and in particular family tourists because of the suite set up, including extra room, beds, and kitchens facilities as well as free breakfast. I also think it’s a great option for business travelers and, of course, extended stay travel.

Stay tuned for another post on the benefits of choosing a hotel in Jersey City over one in Manhattan!