I wouldn't call most of the hotels mentioned in that article "luxury," however.

I thought the statistics were interesting. Anything that helps meet overall demand should be a help.

Well, after considering many options, we've decided on The Plaza for a short three night winter stay.

Through FHR, third night complimentary promotion (many of the hotels mentioned here also have this promotion).

We booked an Edwardian 5th Avenue suite, so we are fine if we do not receive the FHR room upgrade.

Highlight will be The Book of Mormon! Museums, Central Park, and great food are all on the agenda too.

Ooh, what food?

Enjoy the trip!

From thin crust NY pizza, to NY bagels, to Jewish deli's, we'll see what we can fit! Breakfast at the Plaza thanks to FHR.

Has anybody tried the Todd English Food Hall? I am sure we will step down there at one point to take a look.

Our kids don't enjoy the rigmarole of fine dining, but my partner and I will head out somewhere nice one night. Where we go will depend on what we feel like that night (and what's available on a Tuesday).

If you don`t book in advance your options will be shortened

Yes, tell that to my partner... :)

We'll find something that will make us happy. Hopefully the concierge is a good one.

I haven't tried the Todd English food hall but we did try several others in the Plaza food court during our December trip. Everything we tried was top notch. Should be a great trip.

Anyone heard anything about a new hotel called "The Quin?"

http://www.thequinhotel.com/

Entry level rooms are 300 sq ft which seems a bit sad for a new hotel claiming to be luxury.

I did a site inspection of the Quin in November about a week after it opened. The rooms are on the small side, but they didn't feel too tight. This was a total gut job of the building, but they had an old footprint to work with. The issue for me was the views - I didn't like the street-side views looking onto 57th street; I would definitely request a high floor and a location in the back of the building where rooms actually do have a park view.

It is definitely a boutique property but they have all of the right ingredients to be a great luxury option: the sales manager came from Mandarin Orienta, the Duxiana beds are a nice touch, and the design is well thought out. I loved the finishes they chose in the public spaces and in the lobby and they have eye-catching art on display everywhere. It is great option if you plan to spend most of your time out and about the city, but space could be an issue if you wanted to spend a lot of time hanging out in the room or lobby.

The bar/restaurant was not open yet when I was there so I can't comment on that side of things.

I snapped a few quick photos for my own memory, so these aren't great, but might give you a realistic idea of size.
http://flic.kr/p/kdZNYg
http://flic.kr/p/kdZMvg

From the looks of it I'll pass on the Quin. It could potentially be an acceptable four star option if the rates are reasonable, but it clearly is not at the level of the city's high-end boutique hotels like The Lowell, The Greenwich, Crosby Street Hotel, and The Mercer.

The Viceroy is another new four star property. Although the rooms look tiny, it seems some have terraces and good natural light. Even the suites (apart from the penthouse) appear to be barely of adequate size. Dr. Dre branded stereo systems are not a good sign... Nevertheless, I suppose the Viceroy could be a good choice if the price is right.

New York is always a tough choice for us.

I really like the spacious rooms at the Four Seasons (and they do have great service).

But, the Ritz Carlton Central Park has the best views, and a great club lounge. We also got engaged here.

Meanwhile, the Peninsula has the gym and spa I wish the other two properties had.

Usually, I choose on price between RCCP and the Four Seasons. Haven't tried the Peninsula yet...

I too have found New York tough. Because there's no property that is overwhelmingly good considering what it costs. It's pretty much the same when it comes to London or other "high priced spread" cities in Europe IMO.

BTW to RichardInSF - 300 SF is ridiculous IMO for any purported luxury hotel room for anything other than a night or two stay if you're a single attending something like a conference. I have stayed in such tiny "luxury" hotel rooms in the past - and don't find them luxurious at all. Robyn

OK, sadly we never made it to a pizza place nor a Jewish Deli. (Plaza concierge recommended Katz and Carnegie deli's by the way.)

We tried a hot pretzel from a cart, but it was awful and afterwards my partner noticed a costco sized box of pretzels that the guy was serving from. Disappointing.

Bagels: Essa bagel. 3rd avenue between 50th and 51st. Fantastic, wonderful bagels cooked exactly like they should be! Exterior crust nice and hard, with the spongy, doughy, delicious interior. Perfect.

Breakfast at the Palm Court was very impressive. The quality of the items on the buffet was a 9 or 10 out of 10, and the menu items we ordered were equally delicious and perfectly prepared.

Room service at the Plaza also very good. Not as fast as I'd like for some pretty simple orders though. Expensive, of course.

FHR breakfast credit is $80 for a breakfast for two, which is easy to exceed.

Regarding a review of our three night stay at the Plaza in an Edwardian 5th Avenue Suite, I am still thinking about how to share it. I am not sure if The Plaza is shooting for a target demographic that we do not fit, or if it just does not live up to it's reputation and hype. I want to be fair, so I'll think on this some more.

You cannot beat the Plaza's location though.


Frankies Spuntino (570 Hudson) was a wonderful place for 8 of us - 4 children from 8 to 18 - to dine after we enjoyed a chilly, snowball fighting walk along the entire High Line. Great meatballs, beet and avocado salad, roasted vegetables, grilled calamari, pasta, gnocchi, ocean trout, bread, desserts, etc. Very comfortable environment.

We dined at Esca before the show, and also had an excellent dinner here.

Book of Mormon was a lot of fun. Museum of Modern Art a great 3 hour visit.

Central Park buried in 2 feet of snow was a wonder to behold. As soon as they had the paths clear (which was pretty quick) we were able to walk for miles (it felt) along all the pathways. Unforgettable.

All in all, a short great trip to NYC. One of the children may end up in college there (we visited the University during our stay as well), which would give us many excuses to visit!

It sounds like it was a fun trip, I am glad you enjoyed New York. If you like the Plaza's location, there are much better hotels to choose from right nearby. I would second Goodmorning2U's above recommendations of Four Seasons, The Peninsula, and Ritz-Carlton Central Park. I would also suggest the Mandarin Oriental.