There is never going to be consensus on the St Regis New York, not least because of expectations one might have of THE St Regis which immediately risk being unreasonable. Bear in mind also that a lot of money in the Upper East Side doesn't necessarily get you that much hotel or service. I rarely spend over $1,000 for a room and it has always felt relatively special, except that in the St Regis New York it's just not that special.
I saw how the hotel can really turn on the charm for repeat or high spend visitors (for them), but as an SPG Platinum member spending more than I had on any hotel all year (in 200+ nights) after 10min waiting at check in while known guests were moved in front of me in the queue, I ended up in a room without proper windows and under some kind of aircon duct meaning it was super loud. I had to wait 15min just for a seat at the King Cole bar which was like going back to the 1980s. In comparison to something like the Nomad Library bar 25 blocks down the road, the drinks were more expensive, but both the quality of the drinks and the service levels were several levels below. For a similar price I could have gone on holiday to Bermuda.
If you're going to spend a lot of money on a trip (by St Regis standards), if you've secured a way of getting special recognition or if you're a repeat visitor then the place is genuinely special and you will receive a warm and elite reception, but be wary if you're marking a special occasion by saving up for a base level room and hoping for magic. New York in general and the St Regis in particular is not a place I'd recommend for that.