Luxury Hotels - Waldorf Astoria NYC...think again!

I have stayed in the WA dozens of times over a 30 year period and take my word for it...find another hotel in NY. It is a shadow of its former self and it will take years to return (6 year renovation). Awakened in my suite at 7:15 am. by jackhammering which continued all day (they are contracted to work 9-4), water was turned off one day (1-5 pm)...and that means no toilet. Furniture was beat to heck. Phone signals were so bad, I had to go outside to call. NO ROOM SERVICE...they are "re-vamping". All for hundreds of dollars a night.

Hasn't it always been a mess? I stayed there about 10 years ago and did a behind the scenes tour. Even then, I was told they spent $25m per year just on standard maintenance and upgrades and that the cost of a full upgrade was prohibitive. That said, the room I had then - 2 rooms merged into 1 - was pleasant. The Towers is even worse, we stayed there about 5 years ago when my GF insisted, even though I knew what to expect. Peeling wallpaper etc. That said, on a $ per square foot basis, the Towers suites offered decent value.

It was interesting to see that InterCon recently had to pull the sale of The Barclay next door because, again, no-one wanted to step up and face the costs of a very necessary full renovation.

Edit - this article sums up my view perfectly! http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/6/28/234925/898/hotels/Hallelujah_The_Waldorf_Astoria_Is_Finally_Getting_ a_Makeover

Front desk upgraded us to the Waldorf Astoria Towers and we had a phenomenal stay. Other friends weren't as lucky and didn't get the Towers room.

That is one of the problems...you might get a nice room, or you might get a dump. You spend half a day negotiating for a decent room.

Funny that the White House hasn't dumped this place yet.

That is one of the problems...you might get a nice room, or you might get a dump. You spend half a day negotiating for a decent room.

Woke up to jackhammering on the first morning. Politely complained to the front desk, and was upgraded to an outrageously large suite in the Towers. Overall I was very content, but you are correct in the fact that the WA (1-26) needs some time and work to get back to the standard that it's reputation commands.

Skip the meals at that place - guaranteed that you'll do that once you go to NYC Dept of Health's Restaurant Inspection website & lookup its most recent inspection reports - on findings & violations cited.

The employee mess hall (a/k/a cafeteria) is graded separately and it's worst.

As employees attending fundraising functions in the ballrooms, we had the "privilege" of paying only the staff courtesy rate of $250 p/p for rubber chicken on a silver plate.

As for the heads of state affairs, apparently it's the security setup that counts - besides, you don't really believe that the POTUS is really staying around that long and actually going to eat the stuff.

This is indeed a terrible hotel...regular level or Towers. Avoid at all costs. Same for the IC-Barclay.

As for the heads of state affairs, apparently it's the security setup that counts - besides, you don't really believe that the POTUS is really staying around that long and actually going to eat the stuff.

Indeed, there is also access to the train tunnels. When potus is there, an escape train is stationed directly underneath the hotel. You can see it if you come in on a low track number at gct.

there is also access to the train tunnels. When potus is there, an escape train is stationed directly underneath the hotel. You can see it if you come in on a low track number at gct.

very interesting

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3087301/ns/us_news-security/t/bush-escape-train-under-new-york-cityhotel/
"The platform and adjacent tracks are normally used as a yard for out-of-service trains"
http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/gct61.html
"On Metro North trains leaving Grand Central, look out to the right as the train leaves the station"
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20010203-52.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nVv0rMyjzQI
http://trainjotting.com/category/track-61/

This is indeed a terrible hotel...regular level or Towers. Avoid at all costs. Same for the IC-Barclay.



Indeed, there is also access to the train tunnels. When potus is there, an escape train is stationed directly underneath the hotel. You can see it if you come in on a low track number at gct.

Thanks! Super interesting to learn.

This is indeed a terrible hotel...regular level or Towers. Avoid at all costs.
.

Granted, my sample size is 3 in the last 18 months, but I've had very pleasant stays at the Towers. IME, they have been extremely generous with Diamond upgrades, and assuming they aren't overflowing with dignitaries, they have some pretty awesome suites to dole out.

I have been to the Waldorf but never stayed there. Seems like a bit of a mausoleum to me.

I typically stay at the Towers whenever I am in NYC -- it is like a "home away from home" for myself and my family. Service is fine and the suites are large and range from very nice to gorgeous. We are treated very well there and our upgrades, for the most part, are fantastic. It is also good value for NYC. Have not tried the Waldorf=Astoria part of the hotel and don't intend to!!

Living in NY, I typically don't stay in hotels in NY but I made the mistake - roughly 2 years ago - of staying overnight for a meeting that was at the WA and scheduled to start around 8 a.m. I thought it was a good idea and would allow me a bit more sleep time.

I was mistaken.

It turned out my room had no heat - did I mention this was in February? The front desk manager offered me the choice of a space heater or a new room, adn I chose the latter. I was happy with the new room and the move itself and went to bed. An hour later, I was awakened by a knock at the door. A bellman was delivering "my" space heater.

So much for getting more sleep.

In the past few months, I've been to multiple formal dinners in the ballroom. The food during the cocktail hour was quite good but the food served for the actual dinner was just so-so. What really bothered me was the comfort (or lack thereof) of the chairs. I found their standard ballroom chairs really uncomfortable and, after the first dinner, minimized the duration of my stay (which happily meant I minimized how many speeches I heard as well).

I have stayed in the WA dozens of times over a 30 year period and take my word for it...find another hotel in NY. It is a shadow of its former self...

Hasn't it always been a mess? I stayed there about 10 years ago

..you might get a nice room, or you might get a dump. You spend half a day negotiating for a decent room.

I used to stay at the W-A a lot in the early '90s when my company (news organization) had a contract deal there... always hated it. Shabby, threadbare, indifferent service, and sometimes you'd get a rotten little shoebox of a room. I'll never forget whacking these huge thick funeral-parlor curtains one night while waiting for my use-up-your-whole-per diem room service cheeseburger and seeing billows of dust swirl out everywhere. Then the shower tap control came off the wall in my hand. Begged the bosses to let us stay somewhere else without success. Never understood the allure of this old place. Prefer Hampton Inns.