JW Marriott Essex House, New York City (Manhattan) [Master Thread]
 

Booked a two night weekend point stay at the Essex House for 90K points. I had originally booked the Times Square Renaissance but changed my mind thinking this would be a better place and it was a good call ( thanks No Clu for pushing me over the edge on that change).
Checked in around 5:30 PM and was upgraded to a junior suite (king bed). Selected the $10 F&B credit for my amenity. The front desk associate did a great job welcoming me to the hotel and providing information. It was our anniversary and they delivered a small complimentary bottle of champagne and with chocolate covered strawberries about 30 minutes after we arrived. :)

The room: Nice and spacious with the windows along the east and south side walls. I had a partial view of Central Park from the east side windows. Good sized bathroom with a large shower and separate tub. There was a huge workstation and drawers along the east side wall that ran about 1/2 of the length of the room.

The "famous" lights: I've seen comments about the lighting system in the rooms. Not sure if that was here or on some other site like Trip Advisor. The primary room lights (spots along the windows) worked like dimmers where you held the switch down to slowly turn on (and up) or turn off the lights. A small blue led indicated off. The bathroom lights just required a single push. There were individual lamps as well. All the lights slowly go from on to bright and then the reverse for on to off. Be patient with them and they work just fine.

The Concierge Lounge: As previously reported, this is a new lounge just recently opened. It is located on the first floor next to the B/C elevator bank. Large white doors, you can't miss it. The decent sized lounge is only open for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday which was fine for me since we were out on both nights.
I would rate this CL as serving one of the best breakfast spreads of all the Marriott's I've stayed. Pretty much all the big items: eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, cereal, several types of fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, bagels and bread. There was also smoked salmon with all the trimmings.

The location: Well it is on Central Park South between 8th and 7th Ave so you are walking distance to the park obviously as well as plenty of shopping and restaurants. The Columbus Circle subway station is about a four minute walk away. We even walked back from the Gershwin and back from Hells Kitchen (47th and 9th) with no problem since the weather was decent each evening.
If you are a cigar smoker there is a nice shop on 7th where you can purchase your favorite smoke and then enjoy it there. We saw the Rev. Al Sharpton enjoying a smoke with friends on Saturday afternoon.

I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a very nice NYC hotel in a prime location.

Oh and that $10 F&B credit? We never used it so on check out they told me they would convert it to points. Another nice touch to a nice weekend.

Thanks for the detailed trip report! Much appreciated.

Even though this hotel is on the Marriott list for the lounge being closed on weekends/1,000 points instead, I'd heard a rumor it was going to be open on the weekend & that the lounge offerings would be robust. The management wants to make this one of the top NYC Marriotts.

Cheers.

We stayed at the Essex House back in March using our rewards points. I believe we spent 35K or 40K. We were there one night on our way back to Atlanta following an 8 day trip in Ireland. Since we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary, I mentioned it to the desk and they kindly upgraded us to a suite. It was a spectacular room. Lots of space, Central Park view, full bathroom with tub. It was certainly the largest room I've ever had in NYC. I'll definitely stay at Essex House again if I need to be in that part of the city.

Sounds great. I've just booked 3 nights at the end of October. Good to hear that the lounge has opened.

I completed my trip last week and had a chance to check out the new concierge lounge. Overall, it was a great stay and the new lounge is a very nice addition to the experience.
I had booked a manhattan suite and was offered an upgrade to a central park suite when I arrived. My last stay at his property was in a manhattan suite on a high floor that gave us sweeping views of Columbus circle as well as the western side of Central Park. I told them I would be perfectly content if I could get the same type of room so I turned down the upgrade. I have stayed in the Central Park suite before and didn't particularly like my room layout so I didn't want to chance it.
The concierge lounge is located in the elevator vestibule that services the upper floors. Even though I had heard of its general location, I missed it when I checked in but it is so obvious I had a "duh" moment when one of the staff showed me where it was. The hours for all day access are Monday through Thursday from 6:30am to 10pm. Breakfast is served from 6:30am to 11am Monday through Sunday! Evening offerings are Sunday through Thursday from 5pm to 10pm.
Wednesday evening was the only time I was able to check out the evening offerings as I had other plans on Thursday and the lounge was closed in the evenings on Friday and Saturday. They had the usual fare with crackers, cheeses, etc. but also had a couple of hot items, eggplant lasagna and a veal pasta. There was an honor bar that also had complimentary sodas, water, etc. The staff was very attentive and friendly. I don't want to claim this is as good as the RC club lounge but the service level was closer to that than the other Marriott concierge lounges that I have been to. For example, I asked what time the desert was going to be offered and one of the staff brought us a sampling of all of the deserts. They were also quick to bring refills of beverages and clean used plates off of the table.
I also really like the atmosphere of the lounge. The lighting in the evening was subdued and soft music was playing. Many of the other concierge lounges I have been to have somewhat harsh lighting as well as less than desirable furniture. I found this lounge to be very comfortable. There are several different areas to sit. Some offer privacy and others more in the open seating.
I also had breakfast in the lounge every morning. Scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage and bacon were the hot offerings. Bagels and a lot of assorted breads, pastries, cereals were also offered. There is a large refrigerated area on one of the walls stocked with fruit, juices, cream cheese, smoked salmon, and many other items. The lounge was pretty busy when I was there around 8:30 to 9:30 but never so crowded that it was difficult for my party of 3 to find a place to sit.
Overall, it was a great visit and this has become my favorite Marriott property in NYC. There are a few cons but they get overshadowed by the pros.

I stayed here back in June prior to the lounge being open. I paid about 35k points per night.

Once I arrived, the counter upgraded me to a Central Park View Room immediately (as a Gold) and apologized for the lounge being closed. They offered me 2 buffet breakfasts and a 2500 points per night "rebate".

I used the concierge several times and they were amazing. Always helpful and friendly.

The room was on the 5th floor with a huge king bed, a massive bathroom with a huge soaker tub and a big couch along the wall.

The famous lights were fairly interesting. I liked them though some may find the lights behind the bed annoying.

Overall, one of the best Marriott hotels I've ever stayed at. The service was top shelf.

I'd stay here again without hesitation.

First (correction: second ever post) from a long long time lurker...

Thanks OP for posting this and the others for their comments. I've booked a rewards stay the weekend of Sept 27th. I'm taking my wife there from Boston for our 10 year wedding anniversary. I'm glad to hear the great reviews. I'll post mine once back.

While we won't be in the hotel much - dinners at celebrity chef restaurants (yay!) and a show at the Gershwin (like the OP) - it sure would be nice to get a good room upgrade for the wife. Wish me luck :-)

Stayed Saturday night 9/7; lounge was open Sunday. Very elaborate food choices; excellent quality

I just go Marriott Gold yesterday. I am thinking of booking a room for late October weekend.

Let me just make sure of this, isn't one of the benefits of Gold status a free breakfast? If so, is it at the Concierge lounge? Also, do you ever get free parking ($65 for 24 hrs)?

quickest answer is to look at Sharon's sticky -
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...-weekends.html
and find out that -
* NY City / JW Marriott Essex House New York / CLOSED; Breakfast in lounge on weekends (nice breakfast); 08/21/13 update

No re: free parking AFAIK. Often the parking is run by a separate company.

Cheers.

FWIW, I was charged $7 for a couple of local phone calls (trying to track down my cell phone), as a platinum member.

I don't really care that much about the 7 bucks, but the practice of nickle and diming your best customers while hiding in fine print about not being a "participating hotel" is a deterrent to my returning.

Staying at the JW Essex House right now. Checked in last night and got an upgrade to a suite. Room is nice, very spacious for New York standards.
However not at all impressed with the Executive Lounge. Not sure if it's because of the Thanksgiving holiday but it's way overcrowded, dirty (food on the floor), plastic cups for orange juice. Servers running around like chickens with their head cutoff, lounge attendant telling people there is a 30 minute wait. I expect more from a JW Marriott.

Wow - that's so unlike prior reports. I'm assuming (hoping) that's not the norm.

Cheers.

I hope this is due to the timing of the day before Thanksgiving at a hotel on the parade route.

I will be there in a couple of weeks to see if it has calmed down any.

Abe Simpson rant alert...

My mom, dad and I stayed at the Essex House before it closed for a major renovation and rebadging, in December 1989. (We also saw Grand that weekend, featuring a very, very young, unknown Jane Krakowski who stole the show). We left the day the hotel shut its doors. Only one elevator worked, and we were staying on a top floor. Knowing the hotel was going to close, the manager told us to take what we wanted. I still use an Essex House bathrobe, shoe bags and a laundry bag. After my parents passed away, I took the ice bucket, glasses and church key they had liberated. They also took a shower curtain, but I don't know what ever happened to that.

Apparently, after "The War" when the blackout was lifted, NYC turned on all the lights for the first time and partied all night. Legend has it that the first two letters in Essex House didn't relight, earning the hotel a nickname for a generation.

I just got a call a voicemail in the room from a manager apologizing for the wait and the crowd in the lounge this morning. Weird has it happened right after I posted on here ... Maybe they are monitoring this thread but the call and apology was appreciated.

Also, lounge is closed on Thanksgiving and hotel is offering 1,000 points instead of breakfast. Restaurant is fully booked and not accepting walks in either as it is on the parade route. Having Thanksgiving brunch buffet at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park in the afternoon so won't hurt to get a very light breakfast that day.

[QUOTE=No Clue;21863399]I hope this is due to the timing of the day before Thanksgiving at a hotel on the parade route.

Was there weekend before last. Lounge was one of the better Marriott lounges I've visited in the U.S. Staff was attentive and kept it well ordered. Upside of not being there on a holiday.

sounds great, seems working before the christmas

Not impressed at all with this hotel. Check in (at $500/night) as Plat and was shown a nice low floor room facing the back in need of renovations. The entire place just feels OLD.

Update on the stay now that it's completed.
Overall had a great stay and really enjoyed the hotel. Other than the Executive Lounge being overcrowded because of Thanksgiving, everything else was perfect. Thanks to a fellow FTer who forwarded my previous post (about the lounge status) to someone at Marriott, the service was excellent following that.

Front desk manager who checked us in on Tuesday remembered my last name throughout the stay and always greeted me as Mr. sammyindc every time he saw us in the hotel. Was also able to get access to the VIP section to watch the parade thanks to him.

Lounge was pretty quiet on Friday morning, but they were still using plastic cups (one of my pet peeves). Had breakfast in the restaurant on Thursday which was the executive lounge buffet (they just opened the door to the lounge and the buffet was set up there - but instead of being free if was $37 a person.

I would go back on future NY visits and it was worth it for enjoying the Thanksgiving parade.

FWIW, I've stayed there a bunch of times since the lounge opened this year, and it's always had plastic cups, so I don't think that was related to the thanksgiving rush.

Also, the lounge used to have an espresso machine, but they removed it a few months ago, which makes me sad.

I find plastic cups or plates tacky in a lounge.
They had a coffee/tea station set up but no espresso machine.

The room I stayed at last June was not old at all. In fact, I thought it felt more like a room from a W hotel than anything else with the mood lighting.

I completed my stay last weekend. Overall, it was another good experience.
I wasn't offered any upgrades this time but it is the Christmas season and the hotel seemed very full.
The lounge was much more crowded than previous visits. On the busiest day, we had about a 15 minute wait to eat breakfast. They were also out of coffee when we arrived which took about 10 minutes to replenish. They decided to open up the restaurant seating for us and we were free to come and go to the lounge area plus had the benefit of waitstaff. Although we didn't have to pay it, we were presented with a bill for $115 for two adults and a child buffet breakfast which also included a gratuity. Having seen what the restaurant charges for a kids bowl of pasta, I realize we would have really had to pay this much if we weren't gold/plat elites. I do appreciate the concierge lounge perk.

The restaurant is pricy. Had dinner and breakfast there (when the lounge was closed) a few weeks back, and while good, prices were a bit high even for New York.

For 2/14 weekend I'm debating both Essex at 45K/night and Lexigton (Autograph) at 40K/night. I've stayed at Essex when it was a Westin many years ago. I always like the quaint feel of the property.

It seems like the extra 5K is a no brainer, though, but comments about the Lexington are also generally positive.

Anyone here care to compare the two in terms of room comfort, size, staff, amenities, etc.?

Stayed here a couple of decades ago when it was part of the Hotel Nikko chain. Great location and some great park views. However it is the only hotel where I was expected to stay in a room without a bed (the staff told me "many of our Japanese guests prefer to use a floor mat") - naturally I declined.

I expect it will be a good addition to the Marriott NYC offerings.

It would be no brainer for me, too. The Essex House wins.

I've stayed in both, although my sample size is pretty small.

Room size - JW wins. I posted on the Lexington thread about how small my room was. I had to put away the ironing board so I could move around my room. Bathroom at the Lexington was tiny...no place to even put toiletries in the morning.

Room comfort - JW wins. Old world charm (some would say it's just "old" but I like that). Lexington is "modern"...nothing detracting from comfort but.

Amenities - JW has the lounge, but since you'll be there over the weekend, I don't think that applies.

Staff - (nothing to really compare)

Having stayed at both (albeit it, the Essex was a Jumeriah then), I'd hands down pick Essex. While I appreciate the value of the Lexington when accumulating points, there is no way that place is worth 40k points per night.

For those who have stayed in suites with a Manhattan view vs Central Park view which is better?

Generally speaking, the central park view is better. We did get a Manhattan view suite on a high floor that had a great view of Columbus circle and the southwest corner of central park. The rest of the times we had a manhattan suite, the view was fairly limited to nonexistent because of the close buildings nearby.
Having said that, I have stayed in a central park suite that theoretically had a nice view but the windows were sort of small and it wasn't very conducive to sitting and taking in the view.
The staff has been very accommodating in the past for my requests to change suites because of the view or room layout.
I do like the hotel and it has become my favorite Marriott in NYC.

A heads up that the lounge is closed for renovations. Coupons are being given instead for an appetizer and soft drink in the evening and for continental breakfast in the morning.

Breakfast was a huge letdown...two boxes of cold cereal and three small pastry items. A far cry from what is normally in the lounge. There seemed to be lots of complaints that I could overhear from people using the coupons...certainly this isn't what anyone was expecting.

I contacted someone re: the lounge renovation & received the following info:

"Brand new renovation to be opened on 4/18. Last lounge version was a temporary solution. New one will be MUCH better experience."

I'll update the exec lounge sticky to reflect the lounge is undergoing renovation until April 18th & that coupons are being provided instead.

Cheers.

I am amazed as I was there just 2 weeks ago and the lounge looked modern, large and more than adequate to me! Maybe not for NYC standards....

Just spent 3 nights here in a Manhattan suite over the weekend. I had seen the unfortunate news on this thread about the lounge being closed upon arrival. They gave us coupons for continental for Friday morning .. Agree fully with previous poster that it was very basic and less than any nice lounge would have on a normal morning. Also to my chagrin, I pressed hard but ultimately failed to get coupons on any form of free breakfast on Sat or Sunday morning even though had the lounge been opened, we would have gotten a nice breakfast. Wrote a fairly strong email back to hotel management ..

Also for what's it worth found housekeeping to be subpar and even turn-down now is something that has to be requested.

Had hoped this was going to become my favorite Marriott hotel in Manhattan but will probably return to Hotel 57 in the future.

Very interesting.

I was only given a voucher for breakfast.

But I'm only gold. Maybe you need to be plat to get the appetizer/soft drink voucher as well.

No upgrade, no late check out allowed, no lounge: was not a good visit for demonstration of loyalty.

One of the worst Marriotts ever. I wouldn't attempt to stay here for any reason.

Wow. I've only had a handful of stays but this place wouldn't even come close to the bottom (although my last stay was during the lounge renovation and there were a number of other issues that happened).

Care to elaborate?

Here is the story I posted on Tripadvisor

“I moved before staying the night”
2 of 5 starsReviewed 1 week ago NEW via mobile

I guess if you reserve a park view or suite this might be the place to be. Despite being one of Marriott's highest level elite members (invitation only) I was given a room that looked upon an endless grey wall. Basically a jailyard view. No piece of sky. No tree. No garden or city view. Simply a grey wall and mechanical shafts!

Yes ok, they were nearly sold out. But I booked my room months ahead and there is simply no excuse for this. I don't expect an upgrade to the presidential suite but I certainly expect more than a jail cell or else an advance note that would warn me to perhaps look for alternate accommodation. Out of my 2200 nights at Marriott in the last 15 years this was easily the biggest insult I have experienced. Yes I was offered a better view room but it was small queen size, reserved for someone's anniversary already and after seeing stains on the sofa I lost my desire to even talk about it. Essentially I was being walked without the compensation normally given. There was simply no better way to tell me that my business wasn't welcome at this property. Even for NYC this was unexpected.

I had the standard apologies of course and was thinking not to post a review. But really, there is no mention on the website "fully obstructed window" or some such thing. Just shows up as King Room: Platinums and PP be warned...especially on busy days.



Ps: the new residence inn on 54th has fantastic views.
Stayed April 2014