# Choice of Three Hotels in New York



## dcdapper (Feb 9, 2008)

I'm planning a long weekend in New York May 22-26. I've found three hotels that fit my price range, the Waldorf ($330+), the Muse ($220+), and On the Avenue ($260+). Any help on those hotels, or another suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Although I think the Waldorf lobby is one of the most beautiful examples of Art Deco I've ever seen, I hear the rooms (not in the towers, but the regular rooms) can be quite shabby and the service indifferent. I stayed there a long time ago and that was the case, but at least my parents were footing that bill.

I've had great experiences with the Kimpton chain, but have not stayed at the Muse. I'm not a fan of the Time Square area, but I hear the Muse is set off a bit. 

A friend recommended On the Avenue hotel, but she stayed there about seven years ago. Some of the online chat has been negative. I do, however, like the Upper West Side location.

Other favorite locations are the West Villiage and Gramercy Park.


----------



## Franko (Nov 11, 2007)

*Helping you to keep the thread in this forum.*

The doormen at The Waldorf are the best dressed out of all the hotels you mentioned.

F.


----------



## JibranK (May 28, 2007)

dcdapper said:


> I'm planning a long weekend in New York May 22-26. I've found three hotels that fit my price range, the Waldorf ($330+), the Muse ($220+), and On the Avenue ($260+). Any help on those hotels, or another suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Although I think the Waldorf lobby is one of the most beautiful examples of Art Deco I've ever seen, I hear the rooms (not in the towers, but the regular rooms) can be quite shabby and the service indifferent. I stayed there a long time ago and that was the case, but at least my parents were footing that bill.
> 
> ...


Umm... how is this a sartorial matter?


----------



## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

In (and slightly under) that price range, I highly recommend your checking out Beekman Towers hotel. It's a landmarked art-deco building at 1st. and 49th, with wonderfully large rooms, a great nightclub on the 26th floor and close to many excellent restaurants on 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues. It's been a couple of years since I stayed there, but at that time their service was impeccable and although their rates vary according to the date, for that long weekend their best rooms are approx. $300 per night including taxes and fees (BTW, these fees are frequently not included in the prices you get online and for this price hotel, are close to $50 a night).


----------



## Fuzzypuppy (Mar 30, 2008)

dcdapper said:


> I'm planning a long weekend in New York May 22-26. I've found three hotels that fit my price range, the Waldorf ($330+), the Muse ($220+), and On the Avenue ($260+). Any help on those hotels, or another suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Although I think the Waldorf lobby is one of the most beautiful examples of Art Deco I've ever seen, I hear the rooms (not in the towers, but the regular rooms) can be quite shabby and the service indifferent. I stayed there a long time ago and that was the case, but at least my parents were footing that bill.
> 
> ...


The rooms in the Waldorf are small but well-kept. It actually isn't much different from other "traditional luxury" type hotels in terms of room and service quality, in my experience. The Plaza, Essex House and Roosevelt were equally small and musty-feeling when I stayed there. If they are short on space, an upgrade to the Waldorf Towers can improve it a bit.

Have you thought about one of the more contemporary hotels? I thought the Swissotel (the former Drake) and the Tribeca Grand were both good, although both are a bit further away from the touristy areas. I once stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square, and it was quite nice actually, other than the bustle of the neighborhood.


----------



## dcdapper (Feb 9, 2008)

JibranK said:


> Umm... how is this a sartorial matter?


You are correct. I'm just getting the hang of this. Sorry.


----------



## dcdapper (Feb 9, 2008)

rip said:


> In (and slightly under) that price range, I highly recommend your checking out Beekman Towers hotel. It's a landmarked art-deco building at 1st. and 49th, with wonderfully large rooms, a great nightclub on the 26th floor and close to many excellent restaurants on 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues. It's been a couple of years since I stayed there, but at that time their service was impeccable and although their rates vary according to the date, for that long weekend their best rooms are approx. $300 per night including taxes and fees (BTW, these fees are frequently not included in the prices you get online and for this price hotel, are close to $50 a night).


Thanks. I'm going to look into Beekman Towers.


----------



## dcdapper (Feb 9, 2008)

Fuzzypuppy said:


> The rooms in the Waldorf are small but well-kept. It actually isn't much different from other "traditional luxury" type hotels in terms of room and service quality, in my experience. The Plaza, Essex House and Roosevelt were equally small and musty-feeling when I stayed there. If they are short on space, an upgrade to the Waldorf Towers can improve it a bit.
> 
> Have you thought about one of the more contemporary hotels? I thought the Swissotel (the former Drake) and the Tribeca Grand were both good, although both are a bit further away from the touristy areas. I once stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square, and it was quite nice actually, other than the bustle of the neighborhood.


Thanks for your help. Have you stayed at the Essex House recently? It's Web site says it has had a complete renovation. That was one I was going to try. The location is excellent.

I stayed at the Drake three or four years ago. I loved the room, but the price was considerably more and the service was just this side of rude. Have you heard anything about the Muse? I've had great experiences with the Kimpton chain, but I've never stayed at the Muse.


----------



## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

dcdapper said:


> Thanks. I'm going to look into Beekman Towers.


In my experience, your best bet for prices with them is through expedia.com.


----------



## dcdapper (Feb 9, 2008)

rip said:


> In my experience, your best bet for prices with them is through expedia.com.


Have you ever tried using tripadvisor.com? That one can call up several different brokers. I'm going to Beekman on both tripadvisor and expedia. Thanks for your help.


----------



## upr_crust (Aug 23, 2006)

*I can't comment on the interiors of the hotels in question, but . . .*

. . . I can comment on "On The Avenue", as it's in my neighborhood.

On The Avenue was a residence hotel prior to its recent remodelling (done within the last 5-7 years or so). From the Expedia photos and virtual tours, expect that the rooms will be small, in line with rooms in a former residence hotel (in their less well-kept days, known as an "SRO" (single-room occupancy) hotel). Beyond that, it's located in an active, though not hyper-active residential neighborhood, with easy access to a lot of things both locally (restaurants, etc.) and downtown (six stops on the local subway to Times Square).

The three hotels which were listed are in wildly different neighborhoods, though all are re-do's of older hotels, with a pronounced proclivity for smaller rooms. If you wish to be near midtown shopping, the Waldorf would be the choice; if you wish easy access to the theatre, the Muse would be a better choice, and if you wish not such a busy neighborhood as Midtown East or West, On The Avenue would be the choice (still with easy access via subway to Times Square).


----------



## dcdapper (Feb 9, 2008)

upr_crust said:


> . . . I can comment on "On The Avenue", as it's in my neighborhood.
> 
> On The Avenue was a residence hotel prior to its recent remodelling (done within the last 5-7 years or so). From the Expedia photos and virtual tours, expect that the rooms will be small, in line with rooms in a former residence hotel (in their less well-kept days, known as an "SRO" (single-room occupancy) hotel). Beyond that, it's located in an active, though not hyper-active residential neighborhood, with easy access to a lot of things both locally (restaurants, etc.) and downtown (six stops on the local subway to Times Square).
> 
> The three hotels which were listed are in wildly different neighborhoods, though all are re-do's of older hotels, with a pronounced proclivity for smaller rooms. If you wish to be near midtown shopping, the Waldorf would be the choice; if you wish easy access to the theatre, the Muse would be a better choice, and if you wish not such a busy neighborhood as Midtown East or West, On The Avenue would be the choice (still with easy access via subway to Times Square).


Thanks for your help. I've decided to go with the Essex House. It's about he same price as the Waldorf (regular rooms, not the Towers), but the comments here and elsewhere are much more positive. I love Central Park and the Upper West Side, so it seems that the Essex is it. I'll visit the Waldorf lobby, which can't be beat if you love Art Deco, and I'll have breakfast at Oscars. I was leaning toward the Muse, as I've had great luck with its chain. That would have saved me about $100 a day, but I decided to splurge.


----------



## babycatcher (Apr 6, 2008)

Have you considered the NY Palace? Many rooms have great views of St. Pat's Cathedral, and it is centrally located to great shopping on Madison....


----------



## The Other Andy (Jan 9, 2008)

How about the Dylan. It is right across from Grand Central, so it's convenient to everything, the rooms are nice and new, and the bathrooms are awesome.

Here is a pic of me in a bathroom at the Dylan just before a night of Russian-style debauchery this past January. Note the floor-to-ceiling marble . . . .


----------



## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

dcdapper said:


> Thanks for your help. I've decided to go with the Essex House. It's about he same price as the Waldorf (regular rooms, not the Towers), but the comments here and elsewhere are much more positive. I love Central Park and the Upper West Side, so it seems that the Essex is it. I'll visit the Waldorf lobby, which can't be beat if you love Art Deco, and I'll have breakfast at Oscars. I was leaning toward the Muse, as I've had great luck with its chain. That would have saved me about $100 a day, but I decided to splurge.


I enjoyed the Essex House, but I stayed there when it was owned by Starwood, not Jumeirah. The room was large, the bathroom was huge, and the restaurant off the lobby had a wonderful breakfast buffet for $22.

I stayed at the Waldorf exactly a year before you went. My experience there was so incredibly positive it was like those hotels.com commercials with the mink bathrobes and hand-blown bubble baths.

There were to be four of us the first night, and two the rest of the trip, so I booked a suite for one night and a regular room for three. I had to wait several hours for a room, because they gave me a suite that I could keep for the entire stay, at the regular room rate.

If you call from the airport when you arrive, they'll have your paperwork ready to sign when you get there, in a little office away from the horrible check-in line.

We got to breakfast just as they were wrapping up in Peacock Alley. There were two of us, but they charged us for just one breakfast and sent us off with so many leftover pastries we lasted two more days on it!

I don't know where the Waldorf is that people complain about on tripadvisor - I saw no tiny rooms, insolent staff, or overpriced food.


----------



## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

I am partial to the W Hotel near Time Square. Of course, the only problem is that it's near Time Square....


----------



## obiwan (Feb 2, 2007)

Since our office is in Times Square I stay at hotels in that area, to date the Millennium on 44th at Broadway has been my favorite. Large rooms and bathroom, good service, our corp rate was $258 a night.


----------

