Manhattan Luxury Hotels?
 

My understanding is that the Waldorf is more than a little past its prime and the Mandarin Oriental is the current standard bearer for over-the-top luxury. Is this correct? Does anyone have any suggestions for a very nice, relaxing luxury hotel (around $1200 - $1500 per night in early November) for a long weekend "holiday at home?" Uptown or downtown, east side or west.

We LOVED our stay last year at the Sofitel. It was centrally located and our suite was sweet.

Hope this helps...
Debi

New York has several top-notch luxury hotels - some stark/modern - like the Mandarin Oriental - some very luxurious/traditional - like the Ritz Carlton.

(I have done 2 meetings at the former and the service - esp the efforts of the concierge to meet the needs of extremely high maintenance guests - was extraordinary. Also - great restaurants and bars in the building.)

For that amount you should get either a deluxe room with view or a suite.

Do you have a preference for style, location and view?

(The Sofitel is quite pleasant - but defiitely not in the same luxury category.)

We live in an UWS pre-war, so a downtown modern hotel might be a nice change of pace. It's our 10th anniversary and we can't leave town at that time, so we are taking the money we would have spent on an anniversary trip and splurging on a decadent weekend here.

Trump International is nice, and the location is good.

I'd go with one of the traditionals, like the Carlyle (upper East Side), or, one of the newer midtown ones like the Peninsula or Four Seasons. If you really want to feel like you are away, the Ritz Carlton at Battery Park City has lovely rooms.

To get away from the UWS I definitely agree on the Ritz Battery Park City. It feels like a whole different universe. Everything new and great views of the harbor - esp from the tres trendy rooftop bar.

I'd suggest the St. Regis or The Palace.

I think the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park recco is an excellent one, the rooms and views are superb. Some other thoughts are:

The Inn at Irving Place in Gramercy Park, for some pre-Civil war luxury. I have not stayed in the rooms, but have eaten and had tea there and have always thought it was charming and luxurious at the same time. Take a look at http://www.innatirving.com/

60 Thompson in Soho with fresh modern rooms, in a great neighbourhood of shops and restaurants, with a very good Thai restaurant and a wonderful rooftop bar open to the sky. You could get one of their duplex suites. Take a look at http://www.60thompson.com

I guess a lot depends on what you want to do (location). I don't know that the MO is "the standard bearer." I think Trump, Four Seasons, St. Regis and RC may be just as good in the service dept. if not better. Here are the options I'd include:

Mandarin Oriental
Four Seasons
Trump
Ritz Carlton Central Park
The Lowell (all suites with working fireplaces)
RC Battery Park

The Sofitel is great, but doesn't compete with these. Check out the amenities at each and see which appeal to you. Some have pools, spas etc. some not.

Happy anniversary!

Forgot, in Soho, check the Mercer as well as 60 Thompson. Don't know either will come even close to the others in luxury, but might be a fun location.

IoC - While I certainly don't owe you an explanation of why I asked the question, here goes. What I know of most hotels in NYC is limited to the reception spaces. When my family or friends come to visit, they either stay with us or a hotel in our neighborhood, like the Lucerne. Dragging a two-year old around to hotels all over Manhattan so I can ask questions or look at rooms would be a nightmare, for me and my daughter, so I thought I would ask the question here, of people who might have stayed in some of these places or might know of one or two that I might not have thought of, like the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park. Good enough?

For those who gave me some very helpful suggestions of places, thank you very much.

Are there no babysitters in NYC?

Are you kidding? The St. Regis is the standard to which I measure all other hotels.

My second choice in no particular order:

The Four Seasons
The Pierre
The Mandarin Oriental
The Carlyle
The Penninsula

bgans, you realize the NYC Marathon is the first weekend in November which will drive already expensive hotel rooms through the roof?

GoTravel - I scheduled my wedding around the marathon (I ran it the year before and friends were running it that year), so, yes. Thanks for checking - we are looking at the weekend after.

Don't feel bad, I had to schedule my wedding around University of South Carolina football games!

I've stayed at the Four Seasons, the Palace, the Waldorf and the Trump. You're right about the Waldorf. Four Seasons and Trump rooms are better than the Palace rooms (and the Palace Towers rooms are better than the rest of the Palace...)

Definitely the St. Regis, Peninsula or Mandarin Oriental.

bgans, what do you do when you have to go grocery shopping or run any other errand? It isn't like you have to visit every hotel in New York. Narrow your search down to three and visit those hotels.

http://www.jumeirahessexhouse.com/

If you live uptown though and can't get away, I'd imagine you'd want to feel as if you were - and therefore would head downtown.

The Inn at Irving Place is really plush. Just had tea there last week. Like a gracious home, and I believe, the key to gramercy park - a luxury in itself!

I'm really curious why ImitationofChrist cares. :)

Seriously - there are (at least) two ways to get this question answered - visit some number of hotels, or ask someone else who might know. Why is it so awful that bgans chose a different method from what you would have chosen?

One could even argue that this method is more comprehensive, as it might allow bgans to come across a hotel that she wasn't already familiar with. Maybe that's not necessary for them to have a good time, but it's certainly not harmful to anyone here.

Today has been a testy day around here. It's not even the full moon for another week!

I'm not sure about the Inn at Irving Place. I've heard they have lots of wedding showers etc. and it can get loud. Not sure rooms and staying there is as charming as going there for tea. Reviews on tripadvisor not good.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._New_York.html

Yes, you are correct that the MO is the current standard bearer for over-the-top luxury. Their spa is fabulous and the rooms are gorgeous, not to mention the service. The St.Regis is really nice and I particularly love their tea service on Saturday/Sunday afternoons, but it's a bit stuffy and a little outdated decor-wise (nevertheless you'd still have a wonderful experience there). Personally, I love the modern hotels: Hudson, Gansevoort, 60 Thompson & the Mercer. Totally ditch the downtown Ritz Carlton...ugh. Highly overrated, the decor isn't that nice and there is NOTHING to do down there, plus there's a lot of ongoing construction down there as well.