That is a very good deal, all of the suites in the St. Regis at Essex house have views of Central Park and are quite nice. The normal price differential is $500; however most of the suites are set up for entertaining which may not be what you had in mind. The problem with the Essex house is inconsistency, it has a highly variable product which ranges from fairly poor to superb. The constraints of the building are no excuse. However this hotel has been like this when it was a Nikko (pre-starwood) and I forget what it was before that -- so it has nothing to do with Starwood policies or management. It is what this hotel is, and what it's market will bear. I stay there whenever I want to eat at Ducasse; otherwise I stay at the Westin TS now. In the context of dinner at Ducasse, the St. Regis prices are quite low.