After a slow start, Hyatt is now kicking its Andaz brand into high gear. The fledgling chain, which competes with Starwood’s W and Marriott’s proposed Edition brands, will open at least three properties in the first half of 2010. The first was the Andaz Wall Street, which debuted earlier this week in lower Manhattan. A sister property opens in midtown Manhattan in late spring. And on Feb. 1, the two-year-old Ivy Hotel, a boutique property in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, will become the third property in the brand. The first Andaz opened in London in 2007, with a property in West Hollywood, CA following last January.

Like other brands in the up-and-coming lifestyle segment, Andaz tries to blend consistency with personality. While, as Hyatt President & CEO Mark Hoplamazian said during the Wall Street opening, each property reflects its location, community and guest profile, they also carry the Hyatt DNA in terms of high style, quality food and beverage and attentive service.

The Wall Street property perfectly echoes those traits. Designed by the David Rockwell Group, the 253-room property seems tailor-made for the dominant breed of young hotshot Wall Street traders that work, live and play in the neighborhood. The lobby, while small, has few of the trappings familiar in most hotels. The lighting is low, and the front desk is hard to spot since it is a low-slung table that separates two areas of the lobby. Instead of front-desk agents, “hosts” greet guests as they arrive and check them in using small hand-held tablet computers.

Other observation about the Wall Street Andaz, which was adapted from a former office building that will eventually include several floors of Andaz-branded condos:

• Guestrooms are large (345 square feet is typical) with high ceilings and seven-foot windows. Floors are stained oak with an area rug under the bed. Seating is contemporary and not very comfortable. The low, pedestal bad, on the other hand, is firm and extremely comfortable.

• Electronics abound in the guestroom, and most of it is easy-to-decipher. A bedside control panel operates lights and an electric blackout curtain. A large cube with no outside controls is a combination radio, alarm and iPod and iPhone dock. The handheld remote control is surprisingly intuitive.

• The pleasure of the large flat-screen TV is marred by limited channel selections and poor-quality HD. Plus, the remote is sluggish and slow to respond.

• The bathroom is all marble and glass with lighting that’s either too low or with controls that are too difficult to decipher. The roomy shower stall has a combination overhead rainfall showerhead and hand-held fixture. Amenities are from the upscale C.O. Bigelow unit of Bath & Body Works.

• The lounge, Bar Seven Five, and the restaurant, Wall & Water, are sleek and inviting. The lounge features a series of small tables which servers use to mix drinks. Seating is available at traditional tables for twos or fours or on high-top communal tables. A consultant developed the drink menu that leans to pre-Prohibition classic cocktails.

• The restaurant is accessible either by elevator or an extremely steep set of marble stairs (be careful if you’re drinking). The menu is cutting-edge and features ingredients from the nearby Hudson Valley. A 12-person chef’s table sits at one end of the room.