Review: The “Refreshingly Good” Thompson New York Central Park

As a born and raised New Yorker, I’ve always been somewhat ashamed of what this great city offers visitors when it comes to hotels.

I’ve quite literally seen closets far more luxurious and spacious than many rooms offered in New York for hundreds of dollars, and with nicer guest services too. By nicer, I mean that no service can be better than “New York” hotel service.

I say all that, because I was practically overjoyed with my stay at the Thompson New York Central Park. This wasn’t the case at all. The location is ideal, the rooms are large and everyone I spoke to at the hotel seemed actually glad to help.

It’s one of the best hotels in the city for the price point, with great loyalty recognition in the World Of Hyatt program as well.

Thompson Central Park: The Location

Somewhat like Sydney, New York is a great city to stay somewhere vital with great connectivity. It’s easy to get pigeon holed to a specific area if you don’t. It doesn’t get more vital in New York than Central Park, and located on West 56th, the Thompson is just a short walk from Columbus Circle.

You can get a subway virtually anywhere, and onward connectivity to LIRR and Metro North trains and other transport, in just a stop or two. You’re also on the doorstep of Central Park itself, and walking distance to live shows, theatre, great food and more.

For any NY history buffs, this property replaces the old Parker Meridien, a long loved New York City hotel, and is directly next door to Indian Accent, one of the best Indian restaurants you’ll find anywhere.

The Thompson: The Room & Spaces

The Lobby of the Thompson is instantly more impressive than the quirky glass doors that open up to the property. It’s large scale, artful and relatively simple to navigate. Check in to the left, elevators to the right, food and such straight ahead.

I stayed in one of the newly renovated Studio Suite King rooms, which was really outstanding.

Far from a shoe box, these new, modern rooms are really quite akin to a nice studio or even smaller one bedroom apartment with a sitting area and even an elevated “bar” desk. This proved an ideal setup for great New York takeout, from L’Artusi.

The room was tastefully decorated with playful splashes of color and soft touch fabrics which make weirdos like me really happy. Every detail appeared considered — and with the traveler in mind. It’s not “too” modern, but it’s not old world by any means. It finds a great space in the present.

Most noticeable, was the clever placement of power ports and the swiveling of the TV. You could easily turn the bed area into a TV, or mirror, depending on your tastes or the occasion. Being able to swap for living room viewing was fantastic.

Power ports were everywhere in the room at the Thompson Central Park, and wifi was very acceptable in terms of speed. No lags in streaming HD videos on Netflix. Phew.

Linens were high quality, and I the signature stripe doesn’t go unnoticed. Pillows were perfect and plentiful, and I’d say they can cater to all preferences accordingly.

A personal highlight of these gorgeous rooms was the D.S. & Durga toiletries, shower gels and products. D.S. is a great apothecary that’s far more curated than standard hotel offerings.

Facilities And Dining At The Thompson Central Park

There’s no pool here, and that’s pretty much the only downside. The nearby Park Hyatt New York solves that for anyone who finds that a dealbreaker, albeit at a much higher price point.

A huge fitness center has everything anyone from a treadmill walker to professional athlete could need, and there’s spa and wellness services on the same floor.

I can’t help but mention that staying here, you’re three blocks from the park — and you should really take advantage of fresh air and stellar biking/running paths if weather permits. It’s certainly more memorable than the Thompson gym.

I’m typically a fan of venturing out of hotels for food, particularly in cities like New York which outperform virtually all others on dining. I’m not saying you shouldn’t, but with the “hidden” Burger Joint, which many argue is one of the best burgers in New York, it’s ok to stay in.

Service And Vibe At The Hotel

The people of New York are famous for being blunt, and polite isn’t always a part of that. New York interactions are actually something I crave on a human level when I live elsewhere, but when it comes to service as a paying customer, I like kindness.

The team at the Thompson Central Park seemed just that — a team. Hotel colleagues seemed to share information and that translated to a great guest experience. I asked about something the night before, and the person on shift clearly relayed that to their colleague coming in.

These little things — not having to explain yourself all over again — are really nice.

As part of World of Hyatt, recognition for guests matters here, and the team seemed really happy to deliver recognition and benefits to guests. There was no “eye roll” or dispassionate speech about “thank you for being a loyal guest” – – you get the gist.

I forgot a few basics during some last minute packing and also needed some cutlery for my food, and these were delivered with an “of course” and a smile.

Thompson New York Central Park: Overall Review

This is a great “four star” hotel which really feels more five star. To me, it is. I traveled for work as a solo business traveler, but would eagerly bring my family along for a city break thanks to the location and room to spread out.

Rooms are well above average size for the city, the location is top shelf and you’re actually happy to get back to your room at the end of a busy day. That should be the standard in a major city, but it hasn’t been. I’m so glad that’s changing.

The Thompson New York Central Park is a great option using cash, or points from Hyatt, and Chase Ultimate Rewards Points converted into World of Hyatt. I can now say that I love the nearby Park Hyatt and the Andaz 5th not too far away, but this hotel, in terms of price to quality ratio, is a win.

Basically, Hyatt has this part of town well locked down. And yeah, others too. This hotel is an excellent choice for virtually any New York stay. Particularly, if you want a hotel you are actually happy to return to at the end of the day.

GSTP used 29,000 World Of Hyatt Points per night for this two night stay.