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We have already reviewed which hotel brand is best overall, Ritz-Carlton Vs. Park Hyatt? Certain cities and resorts house both a Ritz-Carlton and a Park Hyatt hotel. These locations include New York, Washington, and Tokyo. We have also compared Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch vs. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in case you want to ski or enjoy mountain air at either of these two brands.
The Park Hyatt only recently opened in New York and is situated on the edge of Central Park. There are two Ritz-Carlton hotels. One is just a short walk up the sidewalk from the Park Hyatt. The other, the Ritz-Carlton Nomad, is situated in the heart of one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods. All three are stunning high-end hotels, but some have advantages over the others. Some have club lounges. Others have pools. We outline the best hotel for each category below.
We have outlined the best Park Hyatt hotels and best Ritz-Carlton hotels in case you want to delve further into each hotel brand.
1. Loyalty
Ritz-Carlton is a high-end brand under the Marriott umbrella. It shares this elite spot with St. Regis, BVLGARI, EDITION, and The Luxury Collection. These brands occupy a 5-star luxury category, with room quality and size, service, restaurants, and the hotel as a whole offering an ultra-luxurious setting. Ritz-Carlton is, therefore, part of the Marriott Bonvoy brand loyalty program.
Park Hyatt is part of the World of Hyatt loyalty program, and you can earn and redeem points for free nights in either of these programs.
Whether you are staying at a Ritz-Carlton or a Park Hyatt, you will earn useful loyalty points, which can be collected towards free nights.
It’s worth mentioning that these loyalty benefits are nowhere near as good as the benefits you get by booking via luxury travel concierge agents. If you book with our concierge agents, you will also get all your usual World of Hyatt or Marriott Bonvoy points during your stay.
Our travel agency partnership with Ritz-Carlton and Park Hyatt Hotels means you will also get brilliant free benefits, usually including breakfast for two, prioritized room upgrades (subject to availability), hotel credit, and more if you book with one of our agents. Our deals are almost always better than booking directly on the hotel website for both brands.
In Paris, New York, and London, you also get free club lounge access when you book an InterContinental hotel via our agents.
2. Style
There are two Ritz-Carlton hotels in New York; Ritz-Carlton Central Park, which offers a more traditional and generic finish but a great location, and the new Ritz-Carlton Nomad in New York, which has exceptional views and an ultra stylized finish that we love. We have compared the Ritz-Carlton Nomad vs. Ritz-Carlton Central Park if you are debating which Ritz to choose in New York.
Park Hyatt offers a very high-end finish. In fact, of all the major branded hotel chains (excluding Four Seasons), we think Park Hyatt hotels generally offer the most luxurious setting. In New York, the Park Hyatt is a new property based in one of the skinny new skyscrapers overlooking Central Park. It is just up the street from the Ritz-Carlton Central Park.
There is very little communal space at this Park Hyatt, with a very small bar and restaurant, unlike the Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, or the Waldorf Astoria, which have much larger communal space. I would probably pick the Ritz-Carlton Nomad as my first choice for its stylish design, even though I tend to rather like the style of Park Hyatts because of the lack of communal space.
The Ritz Carlton Central Park has loads of communal space, including a great club lounge, so pick this hotel if you want the Central Park location and communal space. Pick the Park Hyatt if you want large, brand-new rooms with incredible views. Pick the Ritz-Carlton Nomad for similarly impressive but different views and stylized settings.
For a look into a typically modern and stylish Park Hyatt, we recently visited the Park Hyatt Zurich. This hotel offers swathes of black marble throughout the double-level foyer. A beautiful lobby lounge with sophisticated clientele, a large fireplace, and art spattered around. The rooms are large, with lovely bathrooms that open up to the bedroom, and everything is immaculate.
We have also reviewed the Park Hyatt Vienna, which is another stunning refurbished Park Hyatt hotel, this time set in a tasteful conversion of the headquarters of an Austrian Hungarian Monarchy Bank, right in the heart of The Golden Quarter.
3. Location
As a general rule, Ritz-Carlton and Park Hyatt hotels are both centrally located in cities. In New York, the original Ritz-Carlton and the new Park Hyatt are both based on the edge of Central Park. We prefer this location to the location of the Ritz-Carlton Nomad.
4. Size
Park Hyatt hotels tend to be smaller than Ritz-Carlton hotels, which can be very large. The Park Hyatt New York has 210 large rooms. The Ritz-Carlton Central Park has 253 spacious rooms. The Ritz-Carlton nomad has 250 rooms, so there is little to choose between these hotels when it comes to size.
5. Rooms
Rooms at Park Hyatt hotels tend to be similarly large to those at Ritz-Carlton hotels. The rooms at Park Hyatt, New York, are between 500 and 620 square feet and have fantastic floor-to-ceiling windows. They are large and stunning. We particularly like the views from these rooms.
The rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Central Park start at 425 square feet. At the Ritz-Carlton Nomad the rooms start at 400 square feet, so both Ritz-Carlton base rooms are smaller than those at the Park Hyatt.
6. Pool and Gym
The Park Hyatt New York has a gorgeous swimming pool, jacuzzi, and sauna on the 25th floor on the opposite side of the building to Central Park. This is a reason to choose this hotel over both the Ritz-Carlton hotels, neither of which have a pool.
7. Club Lounge
Ritz-Carlton club lounges are some of the best club lounges in any city. We have outlined the best Ritz-Carlton club lounges. These club lounges cannot be accessed with high loyalty status.
At Ritz-Carlton hotels, you must book a club room to get access to their club lounges, there is not way to get free club lounge access at Ritz-Carlton hotels. In New York, both Ritz-Carlton hotels have a club lounge.
Most Park Hyatt hotels don’t have a club lounge. The New York Park Hyatt doesn’t have a club lounge.
8. Family Facilities
Park Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton hotel rooms are similarly family-friendly. The Ritz-Carlton Club lounges are very useful with young and older children due to the snacks that are provided throughout the day and the extra space to escape to.
If you want the best brand for family-friendly luxury hotels, it is usually best at Four Seasons or some Belmond properties like the Hotel Cipriani.
9. Price
Park Hyatt hotels tend to be some of the most expensive hotels in a city, but with a Park Hyatt, you tend to get what you pay for with large rooms, a higher level of luxury, and often unique surroundings.
The same is true for Ritz-Carlton hotels. They are expensive and excellent. Usually, the Park Hyatt New York is slightly more expensive than the Ritz-Carltons in New York.
For a more reasonable Ritz-Carlton or Park Hyatt stay, check out our review of some of the cheapest Ritz-Carlton hotels and the cheapest Park Hyatt hotels.
10. Conclusion
While both Ritz-Carlton hotels and the Park Hyatt New York are three of the most luxurious hotels in New York, these two brands offer very different features. Pick the Park Hyatt for large rooms and great pools. Pick the Ritz-Carltons for Club Lounges and more communal space. You can’t go wrong with any of these choices. They are all great hotels.
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