Daddy Travels Now – Miles & Points

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This is a recap of the different New York City hotel properties we visited during our December 2021 trip:

AC Hotel New York Downtown

Residence Inn by Marriott Manhattan Downtown/World Trade Center Area

Kimpton Hotel Eventi, an IHG property – Midtown

Why Gild Hall

When Nancy and I booked our trip to New York, we vowed NOT to pay for our hotel rooms, or if ever we did, we’d make sure that we’re getting a sweet deal. One of the properties we believed to be a great deal is Gild Hall. It’s a Thompson Hotel that’s part of Hyatt’s Boundless Portfolio. To put it simply, it’s a boutique hotel, and it’s located in Lower Manhattan. There were many other Hyatt properties that we could’ve booked, but Gild Hall was the only Category 4 property in Manhattan. What does that mean? When it comes to using free night certificates, we could use our Hyatt free night at any Hyatt property up to Category 4. All other Hyatts in Manhattan were Category 5 and above.

We chose to pay cash

Huh? Wait a minute? Why? My wife is a healthcare worker and there was a Healthcare Rate of $109 per night during our stay. There was a convention that was taking place during the days of our stay, and our rooms would’ve cost us $900 per night according to the front desk. So instead of using our free night certificates, or use 15,000 points per night, we decided that the $109 rate was such a steal, and that’s how we booked this property.

Close to all the other hotels we stayed at

The good thing about Gild Hall it was sandwiched between the AC Hotel and Residence Inn. It was only a few short minutes away. We didn’t have to take a cab to get to Gild Hall. Upon checking in, we were assisted by quite a few folks at the front desk – Angel, Paolo, and Rob. They were all so very helpful, provided us with tips, and easily helped us with our needs during check-in.

Our room

We were at Gild Hall for two nights. We were able to stay at their King Bed Deluxe and King Bed Premium. They looked identical, but the Premium room had high vaulted ceilings which provided a grand feel. I was able to take a video of the King Bed Deluxe Room.

The rooms didn’t exactly boast in size, but they were well-appointed. The theme was dark, gold and black tones, hallways were red – exactly what you would expect from a boutique hotel. If there was one thing I enjoyed most during our stay, it was the shower that had a great water flow that felt like I was being given a water massage.

As I had mentioned many times, staying in NYC hotel for us meant just having a need for us to sleep, rest, shower – that’s it. On the two nights we were at Gild Hall, that was all that we did. While hanging around the hotel would’ve been pleasant, but there’s life that was waiting outside the doors.

That Thompson signature scent

I forgot to mention. The moment we walked in, that Thompson smell, it’s distinct aroma that quickly took me back to the other Thompsons I’ve visited. I forgot to ask how or where to get that scent. Not sure if it was an air freshener or some Glade Plug-in, but it’s so distinct. I just looked it up. It’s by 12.29 and it’s called Velvet. It’s a signature scent for Thompson.

Overall impression

Which credit cards could make it possible for you to stay here for FREE?