SkiAdcock

Someone would have to notify the property, either in advance or at check-in. It should be noted that not all properties deliver champagne & other goodies. Some people mention special events like birthdays or anniversaries & get nothing at all.

Cheers.

PBQ

Lots of differing stories about lounge access.

We booked two rooms in mid- February - there will be 5 guests total.
DH is gold, me, 14 year old, 11 year old and Grandma. FOr simplicity, I hope all 5 of us can get complimentary breakfast!

I'll post back our lounge access.

scubadu

Ummm... I'm not all that versed on Marriott, but comp breakfast for five, with only one elite member, seems quite a stretch IMHO, particularly since only one child is under 12

Regards

swintec

Taken right from the activity guide, word for word, that i received in December (bolding mine as i think it pertains to your situation):

================================================== ==
PLATINUM & GOLD MARRIOTT REWARDS MEMBERS Located on the lobby level of our hotel we have an Executive Lounge, exclusively for our Platinum & Gold Marriott Rewards members. At check-in you will receive a Gold Key to get access into the lounge and the hours are listed on the back of the key. The last hour of the breakfast on the weekends does tend to get busy so if you would like sit without a wait we recommend coming in earlier. Please review the rules of the lounge prior to your arrival:

•Only the Platinum or Gold Member gets access with one additional guest. If you have booked multiple rooms only your room gets access with one additional guest.

•The lounge is only for the member themselves, so if you are not traveling and have booked a reservation for a friend/family member under your name, they will not get access.

•Food cannot be taken out of the lounge.
================================================== ==

They have a great lounge and I think the numbers work (financially) for it as long as the rules are followed. Whats that saying, "this is why we cant have nice things"?

Although I am surprised they do not allow the members children. Why not just add the extra costs on to your reservation for the extra three people, if possible? A quick call should be all it takes.

svo242

Looking at this hotel vs the Ritz Central Park or the St. Regis. Hope to be Marriott/SPG plat by the time of stay. I see St. Regis available on cash and points, but Ritz and JW are also pretty good point values in terms of SPG-Marriott conversion (one bed suite available at JW for 28,000 SP). Any suggestions/preferences? Thanks!

sammyindc

JW will give you lounge access as a Plat/Gold.
Ritz won't give you lounge access unless you get a club room or use upgrade certificate if you have the Ritz card.

They are both within a block from each other.

Kacee

Just stayed here for one night. Booked a "Manhattan Suite," upgraded at check-in to what was described as a "Park View" suite which meant that one window in the bedroom had a view of the park. Suite was very spacious but furnishings were dated and really beat up and there was no cohesive design - just random pieces thrown in the room. On the plus side, the bed was super comfortable.

Had problems with the automated lighting. Lights in the living room kept turning themselves on and are very difficult to turn off . . . you have to press and hold each switch for several seconds. Entire system should be scrapped.

Lounge breakfast was very nice, but service was nonexistent.

Overall a pleasant stay but disappointed by the state of the room. Mine was really desperately in need of a full remodel. Might stay again if the price is right, but not the "go to" property I had hoped it would be.

dc2005b

I was also here this weekend, booked on points and received no upgrade as Plat. They were selling Junior Suites and regular rooms until day before arrival but slowly dwindled to nothing and was told they ultimately sold out. I was doing express checkout on the tv and saw the rewards redemption room charge listed as $353 which was about $31 more than they were selling the room for, thought that was interesting.

My King room had a window into the internal courtyard and supposedly was the biggest in the category but agree things were a little dated. The carpet did not seem very clean and the shades/blinds were frayed around edges but the bed was nice, bathroom was clean and I didn't hear any noise from outside. I agree with Kacee about the difficult light switches, just replace them with regular ones.

Instead of thinking lounge, think decent but very busy cafeteria! The front desk was nice to mention at check in to go early as it gets very crowded towards the end and they weren't kidding. It is not open in evening on Friday or Saturday, just for breakfast.

Overall, a fine stay with good location but I will try someplace else next time.

joshua362

Keep in mind that that cafeteria is the same buffett that is offered in the restaurant accessed on the other side and I shudder to think what the cash cost is. $35, 39? pp? Definitely one of the better lounge breakfast's in the Marriott system (US).

Kacee

This was a super cheap weekend in NYC. I originally booked a junior suite about a month ago at over $500, then watched the rates drop. Changed several times, and wound up with a master suite at $462 (with junior suite down to $363). They were selling the basic rooms for $239 (AAA rate) on Thursday and Friday nights.

PBQ

I booked a junior suite and was upgraded to a one bedroom family suite when I asked upon arrival.
The other room we booked was a regular queen room for one person.

When I checked in with my children standing behind me, the receptionist gave me our keys, explained how to get to our room and explained that we were welcome, with our children, to visit the lounge.

Each morning and evening the four of us entered the lounge without any questions by the Marriott staff.

I booked the junior suite (then upgraded to the one bedroom) for $385, $360 and $425/ night... fyi

Lovethecabin

i agree. My husband hates lounge breakfasts and buffets in general and he was quite pleased with the breakfast at the Essex House. (In the interest of getting moving in the morning, I forced the family to eat in the lounge 4 of our 5 mornings). Most of our Marriott stays are on the East Coast so that's my frame of reference but it was definitely the best we had in recent years. As said above, it was breakfast off the restaurant buffet, not the typical lounge offering.

dcchi

Among domestic Marriott-brand lounges, in my experience Essex House is by far the best in terms of food and it's not even close. The breakfast is superb in taste and selection (quantity and quality). On weekday evenings, if you don't want to go out, the meal offering can truly serve as a dinner (as opposed to heated appetizers which is the case in most other places).

The seating area's not huge, and I don't like that cell reception is difficult there, but those are minor quibbles. Also, I was told once that I couldn't take food out of the lounge (as I had been doing regularly as I prefer to eat in my room while watching TV), but again, I can live with the tradeoff.

joshua362

Absolutely. The best 45,000 point lounge I've been to in a long, long time. Contrasted to the SF JW.

My very minor quibble is a shot of good vodka is $16+ and they insist on serving it so you can't even try and even it out...

dayone

Many would consider that an amenity.