It's a dumb term that's been given its own meaning by the points community - as if the ability to stay in a hotel room is something anyone should be proud of - but like any other term even if considered "misused", I think we can grant the OP the benefit of discussing the topic that OP wanted to discuss rather than sidetrack the thread every time this term shows up.
Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
I hesitated about putting Andaz Fifth Avenue (NYC) on my list. I think it was better when it first opened. Similarly, even Andaz Wall Street was very good (but not aspirational) in the beginning, but I refuse to go back after the flood (tried it once before and after, the second time was a big mistake). For an aspirational stay in NYC, I'd probably lean toward some of the former Starwoods or maybe an independent hotel not in LC.
I've felt like NYC in general has a lot of "luxury" hotels that are mediocre. Staffing tends to be a huge problem (for many reasons I won't get into) and this necessarily affects service levels. The Chatwal is the only place I've stayed that came close, but it still had its shortcomings (noting I've only stayed once). I think that's why I just stick with Andaz 5th... because at least it's not offensive. I guess that's my NYC benchmark.
And yes, no doubt Andaz 5th was much better when it first opened (although to be fair, one improvement is actually that the current TSU suite is better than the DSU suite back then, which wasn't even a true suite).