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Waldorf=Astoria Review
REVIEW 2:
This is my second review of the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC. (My spouse and I stayed there in mid-November 2010; see my other review that follows.) We found ourselves back at the Waldorf in January of 2011, despite saying in my last review that there were other choices in town. So let me explain ... Shortly after my review was posted (I also completed an online survey from an independent company reviewing the hotel), we received a letter apologizing for the mistakes we experienced during our November 2010 stay, and offering us a complimentary night in an Astor Junior Suite to make amends. If you can splurge on an upgraded room, this category is quite spacious, with a large sitting area with desk, sofa, two wing chairs, side and coffee tables, large TV, and a wet bar with a sink but no refrigerator; the wet bar area also a lack of appropriate glasses and utensils should we actually want to use the area to prepare a drink. (There was a minibar, but that was in the bedroom, not in the living room area.) French doors (mirrored, not transparent) separated the living room from the bedroom, where there was a king-size bed, two night stands, a small closet (which I think was the only closet for the large room), a dresser (containing the minibar) and a second large TV. The bathroom was large by any bathroom standards (so for a NYC hotel room, it was huge) with a separate shower and soaking tub and double-sinked vanity. Each room had its own window or windows, and each had its own thermostat. We took advantage of using this room to the fullest, visiting the city on an incredibly cold January weekend. (Living 1.5 hours away, we visit NYC often, so we were able to just relax and watch some movies rather then brave the cold city streets for sightseeing.) As Hilton Hhonors Diamond members, we were offered two free drinks in any of the hotel bars (we chose Sir Harry's; the coupon was good for any type of drink) and two free bottles of water. Unlike at other high-end Hilton properties, there is no executive floor at this property, and no free breakfast is offered other than a coupon to Starbucks for a beverage and pastry, but as with our last stay at the WA, the lines at Starbucks were ridiculously long, and we did not redeem our coupons. The hotel provides free wi-fi to its Gold and Diamond members; however, we did not get free movie promised as part of Waldorf perk (the hotel claims not to participate in that part of the program). We used the Diamond check-in area with minimal problems - another guest arrived just after our check-in began, and it was clear that he received preferential treatment over us because he was a repeat customer. I don't mind if that sort of thing occurs, but don't “rub it in my face”. There was a private event happening on Saturday evening in the Park Avenue Cocktail Terrace/lobby area; therefore, hotel guests could not exit on the Park Avenue side of the hotel. During the event, guests were directed to the Lexington Avenue entrance, which wasn’t a big deal, but it would have been nice if a card or memo was left in the room instructing guests of this detour. As it was, I had arranged to meet my spouse at the Park Avenue entrance to depart for dinner, which caused a bit of running around when the private event ended after I had left for our meeting point (and was directed to Lexington) but then opened again in time for my spouse to be waiting at Park. To summarize, we had a good (second) stay, particularly with our Astor Junior Suite accommodations, but I maintain my “bottom line” from my last review - there are other great hotels in town that I’ll probably try next time.
REVIEW 1:
My spouse and I stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria for one night in mid-November 2010. We live in Pennsylvania, so we often spend a night in the city so that we can enjoy dinner or a show. This is our second time staying at this property (the first was several years ago). As others have said, it was once a great hotel that now requires some updating. It still retains a prestigious name, but its service level leaves something to be desired. My spouse is a Hilton gold member (only one night until Platinum status), but we didn’t feel that we received the same perks that we do at other Hilton properties. Namely, there is no dedicated check-in line for anything below Platinum level (but at that level, there’s a room/office, not just a desk).
We arrived around 12:00 noon on a busy Saturday afternoon, and spent about 30 minutes in line for check-in. The property could use some velvet rope dividers in the lobby – there are so many check-in desks, yet everyone is supposed to know to queue up at the center one and then disperse accordingly. After checking-in, we were told that our room was not ready, but to supply a phone number which they would call if the room was ready prior to 3:00 pm (it wasn’t, so we didn’t receive a call). We were told to check our overnight bag with the bellman, which we did, and that upon returning to the hotel at check-in, we would just need to request our key, because we had already given our credit card information and been assigned a room number. When we returned hours later, again there was an enormous line for checking in. There was no indication that we would be able to bypass that long line, even though it was our second time standing in it. After speaking with the concierge, he directed us, along with half a dozen other people, to one of the leftmost reception lines for the abbreviated check-in process. But when each of us reached the desk, the clerk asked us each to go back to the main line. Very confusing – it seems that no one knows what the other is doing in the lobby. Even though there were two of us, one could not fetch the overnight bag while the other checked in, because the bellman wouldn’t release the bag without knowing our room number, and we couldn’t ascertain the room number without waiting to check in a second time. This situation must occur frequently at the hotel, yet they’ve made no provisions to ease the process.
Our room was fine – small but in decent shape at first glance. The air conditioning did not work, however, and the windows could be cracked opened other than by calling the maintenance department (it was a very warm fall weekend). We suffered in the uncomfortable temperature until about 10:00 pm, then finally called the front desk. We were told that the hotel was old and on a one-pipe system, meaning no circulating air was available other than the humid, warm air from the outside. The maintenance man could only open one of our two windows, and the one that did open could only be raised by about an inch. So it was a rather unpleasant night temperature-wise. Because we realize that is an old hotel, we tried to overlook the heating and cooling problem. Our bigger problem was the sound and vibration that came from the main ballroom until 12:00 midnight. I realize that it’s the “city that never sleeps”, but we wanted to! The vibration from the music was more of a problem more than the volume – hard to understand, because what else could have been causing the vibrations and pulsations than the music? We were assured by the front desk that the music would stop by 11:00 pm, but our room vibrated until at least midnight, which was a little late for us.
Needless to say, upon check-out the next day, no one asked how our stay was (I guess our call to the front desk the night before was noted on our record, and the clerk knew better than to ask). As Gold members, we were given vouchers for the Starbucks continental breakfast (pastry and drink for each person), but the line was so unreasonably long, that we didn’t even bother. Everyone was waiting for coffee to brew! It’s a coffee shop! On a Sunday morning! I think that this Starbucks outlet is overloaded – I’m sure it was not built with intention of feeding half the hotel guests. As someone else said, we expected more from the Waldorf-Astoria brand in terms of its treatment of Hilton Hhonors members. There is no lounge access, no upgrades. The lobby, while beautiful, is usurped by the outrageously-priced $95 per adult Sunday breakfast buffet. As another poster said, in this enormous hotel, is there no other place to do this but somewhere that is overrun with people checking in and out, and the germs that we bring in on our shoes and luggage? It seems like a prime spot for a health-code violation! I can’t imagine paying over $200 for two adults to eat in the lobby, with guests and visitors traipsing in and out – I can’t believe anyone actually pays for it at all! We also got a voucher for two free drinks from any one of the bars – not a bad deal because they had a value of $20 each (and guess how much a martini costs: $20!)
We won’t stay here again – there are many other high-end properties in the city from which to choose, as well as many preferable Hilton-associated hotels. And if we thought that our problems ended at check-out – not so! When we arrived home and checked our credit card statement, there was an additional $26.13 charge that we didn’t make. It is still pending an investigation by American Express. If it was our charge, why wasn’t it part of the final bill that we signed when we checked out? The bottled water that we removed from the weighted electronic mini-bar two minutes before our departure was included in our final tally (and then removed because we were gold members), so what could this charge possibly have been? I know that it’s a small amount, but I shouldn’t have to pay for something that I didn’t buy or use, and they shouldn’t charge me after the fact.
