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Old Dec 15, 2003, 1:24 pm
  #31  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: London, UK
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Sorry got cutoff ! meant to say doorman spent most of time down at Columbus circle searching for taxis as roadworks made access difficult.
Overall stay was very dissappointing but to show balance must add that the restuarant - asiate was excellent though service a little erratic eg had to ask twice for wine list.
We paid over USD 750 on a buy 1 night get 1 free, at effectively USD375 a night this hotel would struggle at its present service levels, on full price it has not got a hope unless it gets 200% better, having said that given we stay at MO out of choice very much hope it does, still at present I'd say its destroying the brand.
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Old Dec 16, 2003, 11:51 am
  #32  
 
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<<wlock >

OK service was crummy. But how was the room though? Was it small, decent size? Bathroom? View?

Thanks.


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Old Dec 24, 2003, 2:32 pm
  #33  
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Nice report, Doppy. Much more detailed than mine.

It seems that we had similar issues with the hotel.
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Old Apr 2, 2004, 4:01 am
  #34  
 
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One hotel we were glad to check out of - Part 1

I had high hopes for our visit to Mandarin Oriental New York and had emailed the Manager in advance to way lay any concern from reading messages on here. As this was my partners first time in New York I wanted to make sure we had no unnecessary issues or problems. We had several communications between staff and were assured that we would have a memorable stay, I had booked the stay through Centurion Travel Services. In my mail to the manager I requested a quiet room on a high floor away from elevators and service entrances, basically a room that would be quiet. The Manager had personally assured me that he would be present throughout our stay and that "It is our mission to delight our guests".


THE RATE: FHR/Centurion Card Rate (Buy one night, get the next free).
Premier Hudson View Room on the 51st floor for $575 per night.
Amenities included were lunch for two at Asiate, 4pm Checkout and Breakfast.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Where do we go?
We were collected from JFK by a stretch limousine (surprise for my partner) from our long haul flight and arrived at the hotel around 6pm on Friday. On arrival rather worryingly there was no doorman or bell boy. My partner and myself were left to drag our bags in to the unmanned reception area, we then made our way to the lift which turned our to be the entrance for the residential apartments! The entrances are well designed, contemporary fused with classic style, but with no staff or signs its easy to enter the wrong door. I assume this was unusual, as with previous Mandarin Oriental hotel stays we have always been met by a doorman and bellboy's.


CHECK-IN: Fast, efficient and courteous.
We eventually made it to the reception and were checked in by a very warm and courteous staff member who proceeded to take us to our Premiere Hudson View room on the 51st floor. The hotel was jam packed so they had been unable to upgrade us as had been mentioned in our previous correspondence, but this was not really a big deal.


The Room No 1: Delightful, small, but noisy.
The Premier Hudson River View Room was delightful, small, but very well furnished with a wonderful bathroom and views of NY/Hudson River. As we settled in we were surprised to hear a lot of banging, on investigation it appeared that our room was located directly opposite a service entrance. Unfortunately the doors had little if any sound proofing making the noise rather unbearable. As we had previous correspondence with the manager and staff I had assumed there was some mistake and returned to the check in desk. On return it appeared that they had no other rooms available, and I asked to talk with the Duty Manager. After a short while I was then shown a room next door, but as you can expect this still had issues with noise. I returned to the reservation desk to be met by a rather abrupt and cold duty manager, I referred to my correspondence previously with the General Manger, but his had little if any impact. The Duty Manager then went on to inform me that due to the configuration of the hotel "a large number of the rooms suffer from noise".

Nearly an hour later, frustrated, tired and late for a meeting, the Duty Manager informed us they found a room but that we had to wait for housekeeping to freshen it up. As we were already late we told reception that as long as the room was quiet to go ahead and move our bags.


SECOND IMPRESSIONS: Queue to get in!
On our return we found that our hotel had become the number one spot in New York and that we had to queue to gain entry I explained our situation but was told to wait in line as I had no room key!


THE ROOM No 2: Comfortable Trump Tower view with small bathroom.
Eventually when we regained entry we found ourselves moved down to a room on the 43rd floor with a wonderful view of the Trump Hotel (Supposedly Park View)! The room was again comfortable and nicely decorated although not as pleasant as the original and with a smaller bathroom even though the room was classified an upgrade. There was no note in the room or message from the manager which would have helped in a small way to placate the situation. Instead every detail about this hotel that now went wrong had became a very big nagging one.


THE LOUNGE: Quiet and peaceful at 6am....
Unable to sleep partly due to jet lag and also the annoyance of the situation I went down to the lobby to write an email to the manager conveying my concerns. I arrived in the lobby at 6am and found that there was no one around, and I mean no one, so I went behind the reception desk and called the operator to order some tea. Eventually staff arrived 20 minutes later as did my tea.

In the meantime I put together an email for the manager and logged on to the hotels WIFI network to send it. Yet again I was faced by another problem the hotels WIFI setup was not functioning so I asked to speak to the next Duty Manager and presented the email on my laptop. He was exceptionally courteous and understanding of the issues and assured me that he will do all that he can to put us into a nice room. I reasserted that we did not want an upgrade just a room as originally agreed "on a high floor away from elevators and service entrances".


THE ROOM No 3: Large cold and unfinished.
We were out for the rest of the day and returned to the hotel at around 6pm on Saturday. At reception we picked up our keys for our new room located on the 42nd floor 9 floors down from the original, although I believe we were meant to be impressed by the fact we had now been placed in a suite. The suite was cold and unwelcoming with no carpets just black floor and occasional rugs, compared to the other rooms this one felt inferior in finish. Again no note or message from the manager. It also appeared to be located right on Columbus Circle meaning that the noise levels were higher than any of the previous rooms!

Understandably we were at the end of our tethers and realised that this hotel was never going to be able to deliver on service or promise, something we found very disappointing for a member of the Mandarin group. As previously arranged I spoke to the Front Of House Manager informing him of my dismay at the hotel and its handling of our situation. What is the point of extensive communication with the hotel's General Manager when the requests are ignored. In all fairness he did wish to resolve the problems, but as we were departing the next day we felt there was really nothing they could do to restore our faith in this hotel.


THE RESTAURANT: Tasty, consistent and visually stunning.
On Sunday we were joined by a friend for lunch (Brunch) in the hotels restaurant which was very enjoyable, infact the breakfast and Lunch were about the only 2 times this hotel really lived up to the Mandarin vision.

Breakfast was always greeted by a complimentary smoothie of the day. On the first morning we had the delightfully refreshing melon, lime and strawberry followed by the full cocked American Breakfast. Everything was extremely well presented and tasteful.
Second day we opted for melon again and some pancakes/Waffles. Pancakes were formed in a giant stack with fresh berries accompanied by whipped cream, butter and maple syrup. Service on each of these visits was always attentive but never intrusive and the views were stunning.

Brunch was another treat although ran very late due to our friend being held up in traffic. The restaurant manager informed us that the kitchen closed at 3pm so we had to order in his absence. The staff were always courteous and handled this situation very well.

As it was late and the restaurant was due to close we decided to take our tea and coffee in the lobby, but on transfer were told by another member of staff we would have to wait an hour for a table as the hotel lobby is very popular! Understandably we gave that a miss.

/continued
glbremner is offline  
Old Apr 2, 2004, 4:02 am
  #35  
 
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One hotel we were glad to check out of - Part 2

PART 2


CHECKOUT: Embarrassing...
Then came check out with the Duty Manager from our first night, the bill came out and contained errors. Firstly it contained extra charges for lunch which was complimentary and secondly it contained charges for 2 nights when we were on the Centurion offer. Starting to feel like a pariah I noted these mistakes to the rather disgruntled Manager who went onto inform me that as my reservation had been made by Platinum Travel the offer of the free night was not valid. Thankfully I had a confirmation from Centurion Travel in my suitcase and found this rather needless situation a prime example of the hotels attitude. To placket the manager I travelled down 35 floors to our stored baggage and collected my paper work, queued up for the lift and returned to the reception. After some more discussion she begrudgingly removed the 2nd nights charge, however had she referred to my correspondence with the manager this embarrassing situation would have been avoidable.

When presented with the bill I noted that she had removed all charges for Lunch and informed her that we were only entitled to 2 complimentary meals. I wished to pay for the correct charges and not have the bill erroneous either way. She reinstated cost for 1 lunch and drinks and we settled up our bill before quickly departing happy in the knowledge that we were finally leaving.


Summary: Not what you expect from Mandarin Oriental Hotels.
My partner and myself had a wonderful weekend in New York and a memorable stay at the Mandarin Oriental, but for all the wrong reasons. This hotel fails to live up to the values of this superb group and failed to tackle problems when they had the opportunity. Indeed the hotel has many wonderful aspects and is a visual delight, but I'm sorry to say that it is a victim of its own success. Queuing up to get into your own hotel, queuing up to sit in your own lobby and being given assurances that are not met does not fit a 5 star hotel, far less a Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

I wrote to the Manager with my concerns and received a prompt responses. He was apparently present all weekend throughout my stay, however whenever I asked for him I was told he was not working the weekend of my stay. I have never felt compelled to write to a hotel after a stay and hate to bring about negative comments, but the experiences we encountered simply should not happen. If last year the manager had informed me that it was "not possible" to deliver the room requested, as he informed me in his recent email, we would have chosen to stay elsewhere. Instead what followed was a cacophony of errors and farce that so easily could have been avoided.

I'm uncertain we will return to the Mandarin Oriental, New York and will not be recommending it on the basis of our experiences. We have been left with a very bitter taste and tainted view of the Mandarin Oriental hotels which we had always held in high regard, think twice before staying here.
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Old Apr 3, 2004, 4:59 pm
  #36  
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Rough review

It's a shame that they can't get it right yet. What a waste of money having a hotel in such a prime spot and not be able to service it properly.

Mandarin Oriental better take note of these reviews. They should be better than this!
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Old Apr 4, 2004, 12:38 am
  #37  
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GLBremner - what was the date of your visit?
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Old May 16, 2004, 9:28 pm
  #38  
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AMEX FHR upgrades

What have peoples experiences been in terms of AMEX FHR upgrades at this property? I have a premier central park view room booked at the ridiculous rate of $850/night (booking through AMEX was $45 cheaper than what was otherwise available), and am hoping that at least this will get me a bump to an MO executive suite.
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Old May 17, 2004, 6:42 am
  #39  
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My experience wasn't favorable.

Originally Posted by Blumie
What have peoples experiences been in terms of AMEX FHR upgrades at this property? I have a premier central park view room booked at the ridiculous rate of $850/night (booking through AMEX was $45 cheaper than what was otherwise available), and am hoping that at least this will get me a bump to an MO executive suite.
I was in the exact same booking situation. Upon checkin, I asked about an upgrade, and was told that I was upgraded. I asked to what - and they said Premier Central Park View. I said that's what I booked - and I got an "oops." After the desk agent tinkered with the computer for a few seconds, I was told "sorry, no suites are available" - which I didn't believe - but didn't push. I was going to call reservations once I was in my room and inquire to see if a suite was available for that evening (not mentioning the upgrade request) - but I was pretty fed up with the check in process - and just took what I got.

Also - they were very sloppy dealing with the breakfast credit. I really dislike having to dicker when I check out - but they clearly didn't apply the proper credit. Ultimately resolved favorably.

I'm sure your aware the FHR program offers free continental breakfast for two. Nearly all hotels will let you apply the price (and related taxes and tips and general room service surcharges) to a higher priced breakfast item. This hotel said they would - but the exact price of the continental couldn't be determined. The door-tag menu said one price, the bound in-room menu said another price, and the bill from the waiter said a third price.

* * * * *

I really wanted to try the Mandarin - having all the dining options in the building is great. However, for the price ($850/nt - or $3,500 for the stay!) I think I'd try the RC CPS (in the old St Moritz building) if doing it again.

Last edited by NYBanker; May 17, 2004 at 6:44 am Reason: Added remark about RC CPS
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Old May 17, 2004, 6:58 am
  #40  
 
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FHR Upgrades

NY Banker my stay was on the 26/27 March 2004.

With regards to upgrade, on arrival I was told no upgrades where available as the hotel was full, however during our stay we visited 3 different rooms including a suite. The Suite's are actually not that nice and rather cold in style/decor, I think you will find the premier central park view room the best option. These rooms are also the quietest, but make sure your on a high floor.

On the other hand I would be tempted to recommend you stay elsewhere after our experiences, this hotel lets the Mandarin Chain down with fundamental flaws.
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Old May 17, 2004, 7:47 am
  #41  
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Originally Posted by NYBanker
Also - they were very sloppy dealing with the breakfast credit. I really dislike having to dicker when I check out - but they clearly didn't apply the proper credit. Ultimately resolved favorably.

I'm sure your aware the FHR program offers free continental breakfast for two. Nearly all hotels will let you apply the price (and related taxes and tips and general room service surcharges) to a higher priced breakfast item. This hotel said they would - but the exact price of the continental couldn't be determined. The door-tag menu said one price, the bound in-room menu said another price, and the bill from the waiter said a third price.

* * * * *

I really wanted to try the Mandarin - having all the dining options in the building is great. However, for the price ($850/nt - or $3,500 for the stay!) I think I'd try the RC CPS (in the old St Moritz building) if doing it again.
You are right that most hotels are really good about the FHR amenities, but unfortunately there are many out there that don't give them to you unless you ask. I think I'm going to start making a practice of both saying something and reporting them to AMEX (although I'm not sure whose side AMEX would be on: they want to keep their customers happy and I'm sure there are many properties that are anxious to participate in the program, but on the other hand AMEX doesn't want to disuade the hot high end properties from participating in the program).

Based on reviews I've read by you, glbremner and others, my preference would have been to stay elsewhere (FS, CP Ritz, Trump), but this is all I could get. It's interesting that when every other hotel in NYC is sold out, the MO still has availability.

Last edited by Blumie; May 17, 2004 at 7:53 am
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Old May 17, 2004, 1:57 pm
  #42  
 
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Out of pure curiousity I will be having my first MO NY stay next weekend on the Centurion deal. I can't belieive these guys are charging $585/night on a weekend holiday...but when it is 2 for 1 I can deal with it.


I'll pass along my thoughts.
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Old May 17, 2004, 10:14 pm
  #43  
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So far I'm not getting my $850 worth

Consistent with NYBanker's experience, I checked in this evening and there was no mention of an upgrade or any other FHR amenities. I asked about an upgrade, and the front desk clerk told me that I was in the highest room cateogory, which is a flat out lie; I'm booked in the Premier Central Park View Room, which should upgrade to an MO executive suite.

In any event, while the room is very nice with nice amenities, it's not particularly large, and the view of the park is really a spectacular view of the Trump International Hotel, around which you can see a little bit of the park.
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Old May 18, 2004, 12:33 am
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Blumie
I asked about an upgrade, and the front desk clerk told me that I was in the highest room cateogory, which is a flat out lie; I'm booked in the Premier Central Park View Room, which should upgrade to an MO executive suite.
Perhaps they have a policy not to upgrade above Premier CP View Rooms - in which case, that's fine. If that is their policy, they should state it clearly - not the misstatements that you or I have gotten.

(FS Palm Beach won't upgrade to Premier Rooms or Suites - but they tell you that - Amex doesn't know it when you book, but the hotel makes it very clear.)

* * * * *

Keep an eye on your breakfast charges!!!
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Old May 18, 2004, 12:34 pm
  #45  
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Originally Posted by NYBanker
Perhaps they have a policy not to upgrade above Premier CP View Rooms - in which case, that's fine. If that is their policy, they should state it clearly - not the misstatements that you or I have gotten.

(FS Palm Beach won't upgrade to Premier Rooms or Suites - but they tell you that - Amex doesn't know it when you book, but the hotel makes it very clear.)
You may be correct, although I always though that AMEX was on top of which rooms don't upgrade. When I made my reservation, I specifically asked the AMEX rep what category this upgrades to, and was told MO executive suite. But perhaps the front desk clerk was trying to tell me that this room category doesn't upgrade.

Did you take advantage of your free lunch when you were here? If so, how did it work? I was not given a certificate when I checked in, so if I use this amenity, I guess I'll have to stop at the desk and ask.
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