Starwood Preferred Guest - Starwood New York City- Let's Rank 'em...

I hate having to do this, but in light of the ubquitous rude "use the search feature" comments, I offer this disclaimer:

Yes I do know how to use it. Yes I did use it. Yes I am posting this anyway.

Why? Because there is nothing like this recently, and because I felt like it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

That being said, here's my question.

I'm going to NYC in a few weeks with some friends. We're mid-20's males. We are married, and are not bringing our spouses.

Here are the rates I have gotten thus far at hotels we are considering. Please rank and provide comments:

W NYC- $189
W Court- $205
W-Tuscany- $219
W- Union- $259.50
Essex House- $219
St. Regis Club at Essex House- $299
St. Regis- $375 (using SPG 50)
Sheraton Russell- $189

I'm leaning towards the Court, with some leanings towards the Russell, Essex House, and regular W.


Please advise. I am a platinum and would like a suite, and not a broom closet, which is why I am leaning away from the regular W, which I hear offers only broom closets.

Thanks in advance. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

i say go for the St. Riges... for a $375/night you gonna get there grand delux room (not the standard one.. which is also very nice ). the grand delux room is like a mini suite.. you gonna love it.. and i wont talk about the locatin.. otherwise i would go for the essex house.. usually they are very good in upgrading platinum to suites.. here is what i would do.. make reservations in both St. regis , Essex hous .. try to confirm a suite upgrade at the essex house the day before your arrival date .. if what you get is "oh, we are out of suites for your dates" then cancel it and hed to the wounderful St. Regis.. if you get a positive reply from the Essex house cancel the St. Regis reservation..

good luck

I would go for the St. Regis at the Essex House. The Essex House is always pretty generous with upgrades, etc. Plus the location can't be beat. There's Whiskey Park down the street, which is a pretty good mid-20s bar.

The St. Regis on 5th may be a better location, but I wouldn't call a grand deluxe room a mini suite. Plus, unless you have a history of stays there, they are pretty much loathe to upgrade you to anything.

Oh, and...the Court and Tuscany are pretty nice and have two hip bars in them. That said, they are sort of out of the way on East 39th street. The Essex and St. Regis are much more conveniently located.

[This message has been edited by jja (edited 05-08-2001).]

I like the W Union Square of all the NYC Starwoods. The staff and location are superb. The suites aren't as nice as the W Tuscany but they are nice. They don't charge for 800 calls either.

I used to like the Essex House but it is in a real torist spot for those who like to do that stuff.

If you want a confirmed suite, I woul go for the Essex House or the W Tuscany/Court since they all have a high ratio of suites.

Also, the W Tuscany/Court have a 239 hot rate which includes full breakfast for 2.

W NYC and Sheraton only a block apart and 10 minutes walk from 1/2 price ticket booth in Times Square. Close to Letterman, NBC (Today show outside), Carolines Comedy club and better shopping.
My advice save the $ and blow it on other things, you don't want to do anything in your room anyway. BTW both are nice, make sure you get a referbished room.

Having done a little more searching, I got the Essex House down to $199 and the Tuscany for $179.

Thanks very much to those who posted. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I'm leaning towards the Essex House now, but still can be swayed.

Keep those opinions a-flowin'

Have to agree with HalifaxBuoy. Stayed on a free friday at the St. Regis in Sept. 99 and got a double upgrade as a plat to a fantastic room, wonderfully romantic, restaurant Lespinasse excellent, though pricey - but since you're not taking spouses it would be overkill.

Also not clear on how many you're putting in each room, but you're right W's tend to have smaller rooms - and the furniture ... it's all about fashion not comfort.

jja, last time when i was there like a year a go or so .. i got the same rate 350 somthing using UA50% off i booked 2 rooms one with king size bed and the other with 2 double beds. the UA50% off is available only on the grand deluxe rooms not on the standerd ones.. so when i checked in i asked for upgrade for both rooms.. she said i have bad news for you... first we dont have any upgrades available .. second we downgraded you on the 2 double bed room to a standred room cause we dont have grand deluxe rooms with 2 double beds... she escorted us to our rooms and said if there is anything that u didnt like let us know.. the king size bed room (grand deluxe) was like a mini suite, bed room and small living room with large TV.

the 2 bed room was standred room. but still nice.

i wounder if they have different types of grand deluxe rooms.

have fun in NYC.. look try to visit the spy bar.. you gonna have lots of fun there.. but you must have the hotel make reservation for you. and try the OU bar too wonderful.. if you are staying at the St. Regis just tell them i am a St. Regis guest.. they gonna check and let you in.. i used to go every single weekend to new york city in 1999

have fun.

I stayed at the Sheraton Suites @ Lincoln Harbor for the Freddies and had a great stay. It's RIGHT across the harbor, there's a ferry that runs until 1am, $5/person each way. The hotel itself is nice, its a guarnteed suite, and with a UA50, it runs about $140 on weekdays, probably less for a weekend.

Can't disagree with the wise words noted above from KSA - and it's especially nice to see you posting from Riyadh! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Regards! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

A Grand Deluxe at the Regis does have a living "space", but i have never seen one that was totally separate from the bedroom, i.e., closed off by french doors, other than in a suite at the hotel.

jja, yes indeed, the living area is not separate from the bedroom. thats why i called it mini suite.. other wise it would have been a full suite. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

thanks doc.. but i am in the US now http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif.. i'll be heading home in few weeks

regards

I have always found the Russell to be a nice change from the larger NYC properties. The rooms vary in size and design (have character).

Of course, rankings will depend on the purpose of your stay....

My wife and I stayed (on points) at the Sheraton Man...over the Easter weekend. We had no complaints....we visited the Essex House and decided that it was not worth the extra points (or money if that were to be the case) to stay there........

Cheers,

Mykol

I found it interesting that you left out S/Manhattan and S/New York...I suppose you did it on purpose for obvious reasons.

I was facing a similar situation as you are now. Last year when I was planning how should I spent my FREE WEEKEND + some paid nights in NYC, I first went for the W NYC then switched to the Essex House. Now that I think back, I really think we should have chosen one of the W Hotels. The reason is because that I found Essex House is very luxurious, beautiful but a bit too heavy for my taste. If you have your spouses with you, Essex House would just fit the atmosphere in my opinion. But if you are all young guys, then I think Essex House doesn't really fit the style if what you're looking for is a great time in NYC (unless you are there for business).

W NYC is not recommended for the tiny rooms. W The Court is just as good as W Tuscany if not better even though the latter is a Cat. 5. The price you got for The Court is very, very attractive. Aside from the price factor, I think W Union Square would be the best choice for its location, its atmosphere and its service (attention to details).

The St.Regis and co. are not very appropriate for the same reasons as the Essex House.

Sheratons? Russell is the only candidate b/c the other two are...let's just say they are useful when you don't have other choices. But I would not recommend Russell on the basis that the Sheratons are more fit for business type of stay than casual. Its style is formal, business oriented and a more standard occidental style of service, nothing special or unique to make the stay 'outstanding'.