The Plaza - New York

Hi

Am due to go to the Plaza Hotel in new York next year. History and reputation say it is THE hotel to go to in NY full of tradition, elegance and style....

However, from what I have read on the Tripadvisor web site (reviews from travellers) the majority of people have said the rooms are small and dirty / in desperate need of a revamp, the decor is fading, it is expensive, service is lacking. Hardly a good word to say infact.

Does anyone here have first hand experience of what 'looks' like a beautiful stately hotel? (We are staying in a Fairmont Deluxe room).

Thanks.

I've never stayed in the Plaza myself but i would take anything you read on tripadvisor with a pinch of salt....people tend to go on a rant when they're unhappy and then don't say anything when there satisfied....i've stayed in many hotels that have had negative views on tripadvisor and they have been fantastic.

It's worth joing the Fairmont Presidents Club, if you're not already a member. You can sign up on-line (http://www.fairmont.com)and you start getting benefits immediately. When I joined (admittedly three years ago now) I got room upgrade vouchers with my welcome pack.

[RichardMannion]

Not directly related but I utilised the Waldorf=Astoria when I did my trip on Concorde in December 2002 for 3 nights, obviously is this the other historic hotel in NYC.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement, I found the staff to be rude, arrogant and unhelpful. I think it may be fair to say that me and my younger brother do not fit the profile of the typical Waldorf customer but that is no excuse, especially when has shown loyalty to the Hilton brand (I'm HHonors Diamond). They lied about club room availability, and said I was already in the best available room (which was nice but it certainly was nothing special) - so standing in front of the senior check-in agent and calling up Centurion and asking them to check for Superior rooms yielded some result. The director of rooms realised their mistake in judging a younger customer, and they did offer me 2 free nights to be used within 12 months and some other goodwill gestures - which was good of them, but it was the initial impression and treatment that still stands out - a big prestigious hotel, does not mean top end service.

If I was going again to nYC for a special occasion or with a girlfriend, then I would potentially look at the Plaza as I know we have a good rate with them.

But one of the W hotels would also be up on the list too...

Thanks,
Richard

I'm hoping to stay in the W Times Square in the near future, and to link this with another thread, mitchja has recently stayed there and rates it highly in his trip report. It looks like a very modern funky place from the Starwood website and the location seems spot on too.

I wouldn't recommend the Plaza. The hotel is in a state of disrepair. My wife and I were walking by it last year and noticed one of the window sills not far from the main entrance had actually rotted off. My wife, who grew up in New York and returned frequently while her father still lived there, has told me never to even consider it. We were actually standing across the street from the hotel in June and considering going into the bar to have a drink, when the couple next to us--the guy sported a skull tattoo on his arm, the girl was wearing a halter top--said aloud, "Let's go into the plaza and buy a beer. That place is on TV a lot." My wife and I turned around and had a drink at the Pierre instead. I've had a few friends stay at the Palace, and they said never again. Too many "Tourists" with a capital-T, poor service, and sub-quality rooms for the money. I'd recommend The Mark, a Mandarin Oriental hotel on the upper east side with special rates as low as $299 a night. A number of other luxury hotels can be booked at reasonable rates if you're willing to search for deals.

Sorry, meant to say Plaza instead of Palace. This pain medicine I'm taking for a running injury has the best of me. A hotel to consider if you want to stay near Times Square is The Muse. I stayed there in April and got a very good rate. The rooms were nice and it is less than a block from all of the action on Times Square.

quote:I'd recommend The Mark, a Mandarin Oriental hotel on the upper east side with special rates as low as $299 a night

I rated the Mark a very good hotel but extensive renovations are due to start anytime now.Will be interested in Bazs up coming trip to the NY MO.

[mitchja]

quote:Originally posted by onionz
I'm hoping to stay in the W Times Square in the near future, and to link this with another thread, mitchja has recently stayed there and rates it highly in his trip report. It looks like a very modern funky place from the Starwood website and the location seems spot on too.

Onionz

Keep your eyes on the photo gallery as I've just uploaded a few pics of my Urban Suite room. If you require any more info on this hotel just let me know.

Regards

Thanks guys for all your help and info - makes interesting reading and gets me in the mood for what to expect!

Can't change now, so just hope all OK when I get there; I've put in a request for a room upgrade (one above Fairmont Deluxe) to try and get Central Park views, so hopefully that may improve the room aspect; lets hope the service and decor pleasantly surprise me - I guess I'll go in with an open mind!!

Thanks again. (Thanks HelenF aswell, I'll give joining the Farimont Presidents Club a go!)

quote:Originally posted by mitchja

quote:Originally posted by onionz
I'm hoping to stay in the W Times Square in the near future, and to link this with another thread, mitchja has recently stayed there and rates it highly in his trip report. It looks like a very modern funky place from the Starwood website and the location seems spot on too.

Onionz

Keep your eyes on the photo gallery as I've just uploaded a few pics of my Urban Suite room. If you require any more info on this hotel just let me know.

Thanks James, great pictures. I'm interest in any methods you have encountered of securing a good rate? Last time I looked, it seemed that booking a good time in advance via the Starwood site yielded a good result. How does the Urban suite rank alongside the Wonderful rooms, Spectacular rooms etc.?

[mitchja]

Onionz

Both times I've stayed their I booked using special offers, last weekends was a 'stay for 2 nights and get 20% off' rate. It's been booked since May this year. Other than a seperate bedroom, there's a few more gadgets in the Urban Suite. (multi-function printer, muti CD player as apposed to a single one). You also get 1 and 1/2 bathrooms, first one off the bedroom with usual shower WC and sink, there's another one off the living room with just a WC and sink. The Spectacular room I was in 2 years ago was facing Times Square I think I was on the 32 floor. This time my view was the mostly the Morgan Stanley (I think) building across the street but I could see the top end of Times Square. I was on the 18th floor this time. I think the spectacular rooms are just on higher floors than Wonderful rooms but basically the same other than that.

It is quite an expensive hotel but the special offers do make it quite reasonable.

Regards

Thanks for the useful advice .