We spent two nights at the flagship St. Regis hotel in New York City in February 2007. What a wonderful stay – we’d go back again in a minute.
This hotel boasts a kind of hushed elegance that strikes just the right counterbalance to the hustle and bustle of New York City. The location, on Fifth Avenue in the mid-50s, is far enough away to avoid the crowds of the theater district but close enough to make getting around simple and straightforward. The lobby and public spaces are both grand and intimate and the hallways are hushed and elegant. The flowers and fine decoration everywhere make it seem the height of luxury. The hotel’s layout, design, service and amenities are all as top-notch as you would expect.
The highlight of our stay was the room. We were upgraded to an Astor Suite and greatly enjoyed the extra space. The rooms are traditional, but with modern amenities and the result is a nice blend of both elegance and technology that is not an easy thing to pull off in a hotel room. The St. Regis succeeds very well in this regard, probably because it has always been a high-end hotel and changes made during the renovation simply updated what was already there. We’re not sure if they added soundproofing during the renovation or if the hotel has always been so quiet: either way it’s a truly relaxing escape, with no outside sounds to interfere with the wonderful ambiance of the rooms.
The front desk service, housekeeping and concierges are all excellent. We particularly enjoyed the food and beverage presentations, complimentary pressing and shoe shines and “no problem” attitude of the wonderful butler service. The only drawback to our stay was the service in the restaurant and bar. We’re Four Seasons people and we’re accustomed to service in the bar and restaurant being one of the highlights of our stay at those properties. Despite the elegance and luxury of the St. Regis, the bar service was perfunctory at best and the breakfast service was slow and mostly unfriendly. That’s a shame, because the space (even with the current construction in the restaurant) is beautiful. We didn’t sit in the bar itself because the small space was overflowing with people (we sat in the lower bar/restaurant area instead), but it looked very nice and we’d recommend at least seeing it during your stay at this hotel.
This is not a hotel for families on vacation in New York City: it’s a more refined and elegant space than the typical tourist hotel. It’s probably also not a hotel for serious business travelers who need service beyond their rooms: the business center is a dark room off the staircase with what looks like discarded furniture and very little privacy. This is a hotel for people looking for an elegant, luxurious, relaxing place to stay in the heart of New York City. If that’s what you want, and you’re willing to splurge to get it, this is the hotel for you.










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