I recently completed an enjoyable stay at the Roosevelt, my first in ten years. The rooms have been refreshed in the interim, but the property was otherwise as I'd remembered it: beautiful, well-maintained, and professionally staffed.

I booked a king one bedroom suite for a modest premium over a standard room. With the current Hilton Impresario fourth-night-free promotion, the average nightly rate was under $450 including taxes. (I expect it would have been less were it not for a Saints game during our stay.) We were upgraded three categories to a Waldorf suite one day prior to arrival. The suite was spacious and nicely appointed, but as noted above oddly situated such that the bedroom had no windows. The photos on web site accurately reflect the layout and accommodations.

We arrived on a busy Saturday afternoon, so there was a bit of a wait at check in even though all positions were staffed. I appreciated that our agent was trying to work quickly, but he could have done a better job explaining the Impresario and Hilton Honors benefits; in fact, he made no mention of them at all until I asked. Frankly, the property should provide a written explanation to avoid confusion. Happily, all other service interactions (valet, bell desk, concierge, housekeeping, and dining) were excellent. Housekeeping visited twice daily; turndown included water and chocolates.

The Impresario booking afforded us daily breakfast for two and a $100/stay credit for food/beverage or spa. The breakfast credit was limited to $60/morning, which was on the low end of sufficient considering entrees at Fountain Lounge cost $18-26 and the buffet $31 before tax and tip. Seeing that the 500+ room hotel was sold out on our first night, I reserved a table for breakfast the next morning. By the time we finished eating, a line had formed. Subsequent days were quieter. On two mornings, we opted for the more casual Teddy's Cafe and were pleased. The Impresario benefits stacked with the standard $50/day Hilton Honors food & beverage credit, and all credits were limited to hotel-managed outlets, meaning Domenica restaurant was excluded. (Pool bar was closed for the winter.) Credits were not applied entirely correctly at checkout, but everything was resolved quickly via e-mail.

Note that the hotel's ornate Christmas decorations are a popular attraction, and on weekend evenings the lobby and bars were packed with revelers and selfie-takers to the point that it was a bit annoying. Thankfully the lobby was much calmer during the work week.

In all, had a great stay and hope to return before another ten years pass.