Haven’t started there, granted, but I don’t understand how the Ned Nomad is being considered luxury by any stretch.

Fair enough. Most such lists include venues we here would consider outliers.

Indeed. "Our" definition of luxury is not the common one.

The rates surely are.

truth! My fav and go-to is def not luxury (Bryant park hotel) but looks more appearing than that place!

I think Warner and Four Seasons should think of the employees who filed a class-action lawsuit against them. I feel sorry for the employees. Warner is pretty rich but those employees who lost their jobs and severance pays are not.

I thought qualified staff is a rare good at the moment.

Any recent stays? What's my best bet for Jan 2024

I have an upcoming stay at the Aman and will report back.

Definitely interested to hear about the Aman.

I think the St. Regis is a very solid option although been a long time since I last stayed there. I will be staying at the Park Hyatt (first time for me) in October, which is probably one of the best point redemption options available.

I think I mentioned this before, I live in NYC and my top 3 favorites are the Mandarin Oriental, St Regis, and the Peninsula. I would say that the Peninsula is the most special place to stay out of those three.

I also am a lifelong nyc-er and this is a huge question. I think it really depends on what kind of luxe you're after. NYC has something for everyone.

If you want old-school NYC class, there's the Mark, Lowell, StR, Carlyle, Waldorf (when it’s done!). Some still love places like Plaza, Pierre, Sherry, tho for my tastes they haven't always 'kept up’. A little too ‘old world’…..

If you want Euroclassique stylings you've got Baccarat, Crosby St, Fouquets, Langham, Cipriani, so many others.

Many of the other luxe brands' properties in NYC are certainly excellent iterations of their (fine) respective marques, but don't necessarily feel particularly NYC to me. They have excellent locations within NYC, offer stunning views of NYC, some are housed inside bonafide NYC landmarks...... but the hotels in and of themselves might not feel super NYC . Not really a bad thing, right? We look for consistency across brands above almost all else. Just an observation.
I'd put many of the usual suspects here, some with more than one spot in the city - Aman (haven’t been let inside, only photos, but i did hang out in their jazz club, it’s called “Jazz Club”. So very NYC!!), MO, FS, RC, Hyatt, even Pen. The Peninsula is a truly superior hotel by any city’s standards, no question - all of them are, really - but i can’t say it feels much different to me (once within) than Pen's equally-fabulous Chicago or LA locations.

Then there’s all the bubbing-under ‘upscale’ places that aren’t considered true luxury (here in this sub, anyway). So many options it makes one’s head spin.
Soho Houses, 1hotels, Editions, Equinoxs (!), Thompsons, Sixtys, Virgins, Nobus, Fairmonts, Viceroys, Restoration Hardwares......seriously, the gamut. And they seem to be asexually reproducing here, both overall and within brand.
Those types of places are way more hit/miss than the top-shelf, of course, but i’ve found total gems in there. And, of course, at a considerable discount from the insane rates at top level.
Edition Midtown (Mad Park a better location, Midtown just a better hotel).
1hotel Brooklyn (not Park/Manhattan),
Conrad Midtown (not Battery Park - Midtown location ,formerly The London and the place has great bones. and one of the largest base-rate rooms in Manhattan).

I also keep hearing great things about the Chelsea Hotel reno. Had dinner at El Quiote but haven't done a walkthru yet. The rates are sensible, the reno is supposed to be super hi-end, and there may not be a more 'New York" hotel in the city.

The new RC in Nomad seems pretty darn fantastic (by any standards, but especially for brand). F&B not really special, the hard product (and views) are quite great. But maybe not great enough to justify the obscene rates currently on offer.

I’m still dying to give this new Aman a shot on a staycation w wife; may very well soon do, now that the rates seem to have adjusted down to only obscene. The joint looks amazing, of course.

New York not the #1 luxury market in the universe, but there’s still just so much stuff here to choose from. More and more by the week, it seems.

I have yet to stay at a hotel in NYC that was not a disappointment. Compared to the hotels on offers in Paris (Le Meurice, Athenee) and London (Claridge, Cadogan), NYC hotels do not come even close. They just can't get all three elements right, rooms, location and service/amenities. Either the location/amenities are good but the rooms are bad (Plaza) or the opposite (every hotel in Midtown). The stuff downtown all looks like tenements or in its in the most boring neighborhoods imaginable. Blame NYC zoning, you can't turn residential or office buildings into hotels.

Sad to say, but you're much better off buying an apartment in the W Village or Gramercy or Central Park and staying there when visiting. That or go to Brooklyn. I like the 4 star hotels in Brookyn far better (Wythe, One) than Manhattan.

Wowzers, that's a fairly sweeping indictment of the luxury hotel market in NYC.
It'll never be Paris or London - whether one considers hotels, food, culture, zoning laws, etc - it's true.
Those cities have a millennium+ head start on any American city.

But over the last several decades, I've spent quite a few nights at - as a totally random example, not really near the very top of anyone's NYC lux list - The Greenwich Hotel.
IMHO, that particular neighborhood (tribeca) is the inverse of 'boring', the property feels nothing like a 'tenement', and the rooms are darn nice.
Is it Athenee or George V or the Connaught? Of course not. It's not even trying to be.
I'd say a hotel like the Mark gets closer, but it's still not quite the same.

NYC may disappoint many used to (relatively) ancient properties in (relatively) ancient cities. It just cant compete in the same way with many (most) other top worldwide urban markets. I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles.... on the world stage, these are 'toddler' cities in comparison to most other markets.

It is still the Mark for me. The rest are expensive and blah. Though I agree with an earlier poster about the Greenwich, which has its charms.

seeing rates around 1800.00 a night which is lower than i thought it would go for August.... Interesting to know how busy the hotel will feel.

Just checked out of the Aman. It is far far better than anything else in New York. Hard product, soft product and food are all great. It actually seemed like a relative value for the price paid. They are only using half the rooms right now so it definitely didn’t seem crowded. They also don’t let people that aren’t staying there or club members eat there, so it is seems very quiet.

Even the base rooms at the Aman are as big as the suites at some other New York hotels, so I think you can’t really compare the price of a base room at the Aman to a 350 square foot room elsewhere price wise. The bathrooms at the Aman are bigger than many of the rooms I have had at other New York hotels over the years.

Gosh, I should hope it would be quite something with entry level room at rack $3,200. Source is the linked NYT gift link below, article dated 23 Aug 2022, almost a year ago. Rate could have declined in the interim, or not.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/t...smid=url-share

Base rates are $1750 now which is much more palatable.

Ah. Yes, more palatable.

With the amount of debt that project is apparently carrying, i'm interested to know how (and how long) the property stays open. As Aman.

For any given hotel, autumn rates in NYC should be close to peak, not deeply discounted.
With the hotel 'half full', as per Valveking's report, i really wonder........

Check back in after labor day then.... August is dead in NYC + the actors strike

I have the sense this rule isn't as firm as the marketing team wants people to believe. A lame Canadian influence'er was having drinks at corner bar this week

I've heard Bill Gates (club member) eats there all the time with his new paramour.

Of course summer is dead in NYC compared to fall or the holidays. I just wouldn't necessarily expect to see base rates at 1/3 to 1/2 of what they were at open. Even during summer. Not coming out of covid, with a brand new Aman opening to much press/fanfare - the kind of hotel NY has never seen! - in an international city.
Can't say how much the SAG/aftra strike effects travel to NYC. It certainly must, but maybe not like L.A.

I see rates over Columbus Day, mid December, etc still well below open rates. I guess I'm just surprised to see....... availability. At this point, anyway, after rates have clearly made a sizable adjustment. It's not 20 keys or anything, but it's also far from a 'large' hotel. Not a single date is sold out. First week in Dec seems to be the only time without a base-rate room available.
Impossible for me to know what the break-even data is, and I'm very much rooting for it to succeed.
Just find it somewhat surprising.

I live in NYC and can tell you that I'd find it very hard to believe a hotel charging 3k per night for a base room will survive at those rates. The only timeframe that they could possibly fill up at those rates is from September through December. In any event, I hope I'm proven wrong....

How is the Pierre compared to hotels like the St. Regis and the Pen?

The Pierre and the Carlyle are both a little worn and need freshened up, the St Regis & Peninsula are both much better in my opinion.

The Carlyle is definitely not worn out as its just renovated last year by Tony Chi. IMO too comtemporary for its own sake. Prices also skyrocketed after the refurb.

The main draw about the Pierre is its good price, service and location.

Can you elaborate about the St. Regis? As I’m looking to redeem my points for a stay there but I am under the impression of it being run-down and having lousy breakfast

Maybe the rooms look good, the lobby area of the Carlyle is untouched and tired. I was just there for lunch at Dowlings within that hotel a few months ago. The Mark across the street is a much better choice to stay at if you want to be on the Upper East Side.

The price and location of the Pierre is great but again unless the rooms have been recently refurbished it's tired too, although the lobby area is nicer than the Carlyle and the restaurant Avra which is next door is great.

The St Regis is in a prime location, has a beautiful lobby, and the rooms have been refreshed. It is not run down at all. Astor Court is so so which is where you have breakfast and afternoon tea, the King Cole for a night cap is awesome plus you have the Polo Bar right directly across the street for dinner. I would use points and stay there.

The Mark looks fabulous, but $1,400 a night for a base room...?

Well, these days …

I remember a time when the Four Seasons Downtown was $525 a night.

And that was only six years ago

Yes, well, in between there was a worldwide pandemic that sent the luxury hospitality business kattywhumpus and, now, we’re here only six years later and I don’t like it either.

Makes using points at the St Regis or Park Hyatt look pretty good!

We are going to be back in New York in a few weeks and want to try something new. I am looking at the Whitby and the Baccarat. Does anyone have any recent experience at either of these? They both look great, but in wildly different styles.

I love the Baccarat. Been there a few times recently. They don’t have a formal restaurant but the bar is fun and food is actually quite good. Service is excellent with evening turn down.

Thank you. That is what we are going to do. Rooms look a little small, but the public spaces look gorgeous.

Yes, the rooms are small and most rooms don't have a tub. Also to keep in mind, the rooms are on lower levels so those facing 54th street maybe noisy.

Going to be in NYC the last weekend in Feb. Looks like the MO is doing a usual "stay longer" rate - Buy two nights get the 3rd free type deal. That takes the base room price down to around $725/night (including tax). Can't really beat that right? - Great location, great rooms, etc.
Anyone recommend an alternative for early 2024 with that same lower price point?