NYC hotel comparison-Regency vs. Waldorf

Old Feb 7th, 2003, 07:01 AM
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NYC hotel comparison-Regency vs. Waldorf

Could you please give me some opinions of either one of these hotels...location, service, decor...ect.

thanks in advance!
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 08:19 AM
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Can't comment personally, but here are the reviews I saw for the Waldorf on www.biddingfortravel.com. (Unfortunately, there were no reviews for the Regency)....(Review #1) "Having heard all the wonderful things about this hotel before I even came to the US, I am very disappointed by what I saw when I finally get a chance to stay here last week on a business trip. This is supposed to be the legendary hotel, the grande dame of all New York properties, yet the very moment I walked into the building, I see stained carpets and dirty stair linings, it pretty much hinted at what is to come. The experience got worse when I arrived at the lobby. It is noisy, with people eating in the lobby buffet and kids running around, screaming like there is no tomorrow. The air, if you can imagine, is a mixture of air freshener, cooked food, human perspiration and dirty carpet all rolled into one.
To its credit, the staff is very friendly and efficient. The room is nice and comfortable, though the furniture seems a little worn. I asked the front desk if I had been put in a staff room, and they guaranteed that my room was recently renovated. Furnitures include a large king bed, an ergonomic chair, large work desk, 2 phones and an armoire. All in all, I would say this hotel pales in comparision with other 4 stars in the area (With the exception of Inter-Continental). It is worth it if you pay less than 100 dollars, but no way I will pay full price for this hotel."
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 08:21 AM
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Another review of the Waldorf from www.biddingfortravel.com - Review #2: "I have just returned to England from your fabulous country, having stayed in four hotels. The jewel in the crown was the Waldorf Astoria, pleasant staff, immaculate room with two huge beds, not a quibble that there were 4 people in my party - hubby, two 14 year old boys and me, they just gave me the best room they had for that number of people. All for $98 a night (booked on priceline) for Tues, Wed and Thurs nights. We fell in love with the place and it was one of the highlights of our vacation. Secure, safe, welcoming, luxurious, what more could we ask?"
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 08:22 AM
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Another www.biddingfortravel.com review of the Waldorf: (Review #3)"I just returned from a 3 night stay at the Waldorf and can honestly say I was impressed. The lobby is one of the most impressive I have ever seen. I have stayed in some of the finer hotels in the world and this is one of them! We also stayed at the Mariott Marquis and the only downside of comparing the two was that the Waldorf was a smaller room.I booked 3 nights all on separate reservations through Hotwire ($127 minus $25 bonus). I had phoned ahead to ask to put all 3 together. Check-in was quick, the girl at the desk was great and even upgraded us to a executive room on the corner. We did not have to check in and out daily as they combined it all into one. The room was beautiful with very high ceilings and elaborate crown mouldings. The windows were covered with the most elegant draperies. We had a king size bed (the most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept in BTW) with a down comforter, a huge armoire which held a TV, serving tray with coffee pot, ice bucket and stemmed water glasses, etc. There was a big comfy chair and a nice desk complete with a fax machine. Everything was in excellant condition. The bath was all marble and had a tub that was deep enough to soak in! Every evening our bed was turned down when we returned and every moring there was a USA Today at our door. We could not have been treated better by all the staff. It did not make a difference if we had paid $400 a night or $100 from Hotwire! I would not hesitate to stay there again! Just as a note they did not add any energy charges to our bill as the Marquis did but I did notice that phone calls were quite expensive, don't remember exactly how much as we used our cell phone."
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 08:23 AM
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Another www.biddingfortravel.com review of the Waldorf - Review # 4: "I stayed at the Waldorf recently for two days and I must say that I had a great time. From reading some other reviews I was a little worried that this hotel wouldn't quite live up to my expectations, but I have to say that it surpassed them. I arrived a little after one and was able to check in without any wait in line. The security at the door wasn't very thorough, but it was nice to have them there and checking IDs and bags. The lobby was very elegant and quiet, and it was very relaxing just stepping into it. The elevators were very quick and got me to my room on the 13th floor without much wait. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very normal sized room (large for NYC standards). The room was very well decorated with an EXTREMELY comfortable king size bed with down comforter. By far one of the most comfortable hotels beds I have been in, and I have stayed at some very nice hotels. The bathroom wasn't anything special, but it was a fair size, had a nice shower and included all Neutrogena products. The turndown service was a very nice touch as well. All in all I really enjoyed my stay at the Waldorf. They did the little extra things that makes a nice hotel great and I really appreciated it."
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 08:24 AM
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Another review from www.biddingfortravel.com for the Waldorf - Review # 5: "What can one possibly say about this fabulous hotel that isn't already general knowledge? It's the Waldorf-Astoria. THE WALDORF-ASTORIA! Check-in went smoothly and quickly. I made a few requests--high floor and 2 beds--and both were honored. I was given 2 choices of rooms that were available (I checked in very early, around noon). One thing to note, none of the rooms in the W-A main hotel has an in-room safe, and only a handful of those in the Waldorf Towers has them. I could not get a room there, as the clerk told me they had a different reservation system for the towers. The fact that I used priceline was never mentioned. The public hotel areas and the room I was in (as well as the other rooms I had a chance to peek into) were absolutely gorgeous, and completely live up to this hotel's reputation. The beds are incredibly comfortable, and the bathroom was amazingly spacious. Shelf space is not an issue in the bathroom here--aside from the huge counter space around the sink, you also get a full sized medicine cabinet to store you toiletries. The tub was wonderful--long and deep, and wonderful for a late-night relaxing bath. Water pressure was excellent.My room was spacious by NY standards; there was an armoire with the TV and mini-bar (extremely expensive mini-bar, I might add) and dresser space; a desk with 2 phone lines; and an armchair as well as the 2 double beds. The closet was very large and spacious enough to store a couple of very large suitcases. Maid service was wonderful, they practically jumped out of their skins to accomodate any request and were extremely friendly (so please tip them well!) I dined via room service for one night and at Oscar's (one of their 4 hotel restaurants) for breakfast one morning. As expected, the meals were extremely expensive: $30 both times (including tip), once for a simple sandwich and fries and once for a basic egg/meat/toast breakfast. There are many inexpensive delis/restaurants along lexington ave. to use as alternatives, as well as a couple of food eporium type places to pick up drinks etc to have in your room for snacks. If you are a wine buff, there's an excellent wine/liquor shop (Beekman's) just down the street on Lexington which has a fabulous selection of wines at very reasonable prices. This hotel is also convenient to the subway, with a stop at 51st and Lexington that has a couple of different lines coming through.
I did feel like one of the little people whenever I strolled through the lobby--not as a result of the staff, but because of the typical hotel clientle decked out in their floor length mink coats (women AND men) and dripping with their jewelry. Absolutely a first class hotel all the way, with the old school charm but all the modern conveniences one desires in a hotel."
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 09:50 AM
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Wow, what reviews!!! I'm simply amazed. I've stayed in about a dozen midtown New York hotels over the years and I would rate the Waldorf as the lowest of those I've stayed in!! Our room, we asked to change and we couldn't, was not only tiny (as many other NYC rooms are) but had the noisiest plumbing in the world -- we heard it all night. The old world decor looked very tired -- faded draperies, worn bedspread, and even more worn carpeting. The room was heavy and dark and claustrophobic. There was a big rust streak in the tub from the faucet. It's been about 10 years, so I'm sure all rooms have been renovated, but it was not a hotel I'd want to go back to. Compared to much cheaper hotels maybe, but not to other hotels which generally run in the same category.

And don't confuse the Waldorf with the Waldorf Towers which I understand to be wonderful.
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 10:44 AM
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Patrick, You are not alone in your critique of the Waldorf Astoria. I think biddingfortravel reviewer #1 above wasn't pleased with the Waldorf Astoria either. And I just found another recent bad review of the WA on www.biddingfortravel.com. So, Patrick, you are not alone. Here it is: "Waldorf Astoria is run down. I stayed there in February and was very disappointed. Perhaps it was a nice place a few decades ago, but it's certainly not a 4* in my book. The air was extremely dry and I had static electricity the whole time. The room was dark and dank and the bathroom just not very nice. Certainly, it is a tolerable place and seemingly safe, with a convenient location. If I were paying only $100 or so, it would be a good deal. However, don't expect 4* quality when you go there. Also, it took me about 1 1/2 hours to check in because they couldn't locate my reservation. They first insisted that I pay for the room until they could find the confirmation. I refused because I didn't want to end up being out-of-pocket. So, I had to wait quite a while until they cleared it up."
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Old Feb 7th, 2003, 10:59 AM
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I was there for 30 days on business and started out with a very nice room but was then moved due to renovations on the floor. (I had to beg to move even though the workers on the floor wore masks!) None of the rooms I looked at came close to the first room's quality, and I ended up with a corner room that was Holiday Inn quality at best - and much smaller than the first room.

The staff was extremely hard to deal with and even downright annoying at times.

Yes, I'd stay there for $100, but no more than that!
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