When I’m not breaking the Internet by announcing fake breaking news that people have taken too seriously (please post your angry comments on that thread), I, much to my chagrin, have to travel for work. Next month, my duty as an officer of the court takes me to New York City. New York is not my favorite city in the world, it’s not even in my top ten. (So much for no controversy.)
Why don’t I like New York as much as other big cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Cape Town, Bangkok, or Flint, Michigan? The reason is that New York is unreasonably expensive. While hotels in similarly posh cities like Singapore or Tokyo charge just as much for the rooms, the level of quality is beyond compare. Check into any SPG hotel with platinum status in Asia and the room upgrade is over the top (see W Doha). Check into an SPG in New York and due to availability the chances of securing an upgrade are far less promising. In my experience, the same is true across all big brands though I’ll hold out judgment on Hyatt till after my stay at the Park Hyatt NYC.
Besides the false sense of entitlement of status being overlooked, my real issue is why isn’t there just a solid Aloft Manhattan Downtown that is reasonably priced? That way I can do my work, stay comfortably, and save the cash and points for unprofessional trips…
http://www.aloftmanhattandowntown.com/
Well I’ll be…
Depending on the nightly rate, maybe I won’t hate New York so much after all.
As luck would have it, the Aloft Manhattan Downtown opens a week after I leave.
