Nov 5, 2018, 1:41 pm
Last edit by: bhrubin
Concierge email address: [email protected]
Expert Review (posted to Luxury Forum) from March 2018 including description of Table 55 at the King Cole Bar:
https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...ular-stay-2408
Expert Review (posted to Luxury Forum) from March 2018 including description of Table 55 at the King Cole Bar:
https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...ular-stay-2408
St Regis New York City NYC [Master Thread]
Nov 17, 2018, 3:17 pm
#256
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Seat 1A
Programs: Non-status paid F/J (best value for $$$)
Posts: 4,124
Looks like you got one of the Grand Suites. Which room# was it (303, 403, 503, 603)?
Nov 26, 2018, 7:03 am
#258
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
Recently completed a single night stay over the last weekend. We went a week early to celebrate our 6th anniversary as I wanted to stay here and they had no award availability for the day we wanted. I applied SNA cert and it cleared into Astor suite with 4 days to go - I was very happy with this.
I had booked afternoon tea reservations at 3 PM and asked F&B manager for 2 glasses of champagne and a dessert - both were offered complimentary which I appreciated. When I had made the reservation I had clearly mentioned that my wife is a strict vegetarian who doesnt even eat egg and asked would it be a problem to accommodate her dietary needs - I was assured it would not be.
I got in around 1 30 PM - the plan was to have a light lunch before tea. We also had dinner reservations at the Nix - a single Michelin star vegetarian restaurant. The FDC said the room was not available yet but if we were willing to wait till 5 or 5 30 we would be upgraded to the Madison suite - I thought why not and said yes. She took a note of my number and said she would call me when the room is ready.
We moved our tea reservation to 4 and headed to a little Italian place just down the street for some lunch.
At our tea when I mentioned that my wife is a vegetarian the waiter gave us a very condescending look which immediately put us off. I clearly told him that I had mentioned this when I made the reservation to which he said he will check with the Chef about what can be done.
After consulting with the chef he did give us some choices but frankly they were sub-par. At $65 I dont think its worth it. In stark comparison at ritz central park my wife really enjoyed the choices which were made for her. They served a dessert - chocolate and salted caramel bomb which was pretty amazing. It had a Happy Birthday Tag on it - this is after the waiter wished us Happy Anniversary. My wife was given sorbet for dessert.
After tea we got to the front desk at around 5 15 - I had not gotten a call that the room was ready till that point , they offered a deluxe suite which I gladly took. I guess the Madison suite was not ready yet. They sent the luggage to the room a few minutes later.
Now for the biggest letdown - everyone here raves about the Butler service at St, Regis - I never even saw them. They did not even show up at my room - I did have the privacy sign up but some one came twice - once to deliver my luggage and second time to deliver some bath gels which I had asked for but I dont even know whether they were the butler or not.
The suite - no doubt huge looked dated with the furniture and the bathroom mirrors showing signs of wear and tear. I was assigned room #307 so no view to talk about either.
We had to cancel our dinner reservations as we were pretty full from lunch and tea - this was the reason we went to NYC so that we can eat at Nix - it was my fault that I booked tea and late lunch. We decided to come back at a later time.
During breakfast the next day I decided to try the Astor Omlette and I was actually impressed by it. Sorry for the poor lighting below:
My wife had oatmeal and potatoes as basically those were the only options she could get - this time the waiter was much better and he did not make any snide remarks or faces.
I have to say I was not overly impressed by the rooms or the service. We kept comparing to the Luxury Collection Hotels in Peru - frankly the FS marriotts at Buffalo, Washington DC had better service than this one.
I dont know if it was me but the luxury in the rooms seemed a bit forced - thats the best way I can put it. I frankly had trouble understanding what warrants such high prices at this hotel. Safe to say I dont think I would be returning to this hotel pretty soon.
I had booked afternoon tea reservations at 3 PM and asked F&B manager for 2 glasses of champagne and a dessert - both were offered complimentary which I appreciated. When I had made the reservation I had clearly mentioned that my wife is a strict vegetarian who doesnt even eat egg and asked would it be a problem to accommodate her dietary needs - I was assured it would not be.
I got in around 1 30 PM - the plan was to have a light lunch before tea. We also had dinner reservations at the Nix - a single Michelin star vegetarian restaurant. The FDC said the room was not available yet but if we were willing to wait till 5 or 5 30 we would be upgraded to the Madison suite - I thought why not and said yes. She took a note of my number and said she would call me when the room is ready.
We moved our tea reservation to 4 and headed to a little Italian place just down the street for some lunch.
At our tea when I mentioned that my wife is a vegetarian the waiter gave us a very condescending look which immediately put us off. I clearly told him that I had mentioned this when I made the reservation to which he said he will check with the Chef about what can be done.
After consulting with the chef he did give us some choices but frankly they were sub-par. At $65 I dont think its worth it. In stark comparison at ritz central park my wife really enjoyed the choices which were made for her. They served a dessert - chocolate and salted caramel bomb which was pretty amazing. It had a Happy Birthday Tag on it - this is after the waiter wished us Happy Anniversary. My wife was given sorbet for dessert.
After tea we got to the front desk at around 5 15 - I had not gotten a call that the room was ready till that point , they offered a deluxe suite which I gladly took. I guess the Madison suite was not ready yet. They sent the luggage to the room a few minutes later.
Now for the biggest letdown - everyone here raves about the Butler service at St, Regis - I never even saw them. They did not even show up at my room - I did have the privacy sign up but some one came twice - once to deliver my luggage and second time to deliver some bath gels which I had asked for but I dont even know whether they were the butler or not.
The suite - no doubt huge looked dated with the furniture and the bathroom mirrors showing signs of wear and tear. I was assigned room #307 so no view to talk about either.
We had to cancel our dinner reservations as we were pretty full from lunch and tea - this was the reason we went to NYC so that we can eat at Nix - it was my fault that I booked tea and late lunch. We decided to come back at a later time.
During breakfast the next day I decided to try the Astor Omlette and I was actually impressed by it. Sorry for the poor lighting below:
My wife had oatmeal and potatoes as basically those were the only options she could get - this time the waiter was much better and he did not make any snide remarks or faces.
I have to say I was not overly impressed by the rooms or the service. We kept comparing to the Luxury Collection Hotels in Peru - frankly the FS marriotts at Buffalo, Washington DC had better service than this one.
I dont know if it was me but the luxury in the rooms seemed a bit forced - thats the best way I can put it. I frankly had trouble understanding what warrants such high prices at this hotel. Safe to say I dont think I would be returning to this hotel pretty soon.
Nov 26, 2018, 10:29 am
#259
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,054
At our tea when I mentioned that my wife is a vegetarian the waiter gave us a very condescending look which immediately put us off. I clearly told him that I had mentioned this when I made the reservation to which he said he will check with the Chef about what can be done.
After consulting with the chef he did give us some choices but frankly they were sub-par. At $65 I dont think its worth it. In stark comparison at ritz central park my wife really enjoyed the choices which were made for her. They served a dessert - chocolate and salted caramel bomb which was pretty amazing. It had a Happy Birthday Tag on it - this is after the waiter wished us Happy Anniversary. My wife was given sorbet for dessert.
After tea we got to the front desk at around 5 15 - I had not gotten a call that the room was ready till that point , they offered a deluxe suite which I gladly took. I guess the Madison suite was not ready yet. They sent the luggage to the room a few minutes later.
Now for the biggest letdown - everyone here raves about the Butler service at St, Regis - I never even saw them. They did not even show up at my room - I did have the privacy sign up but some one came twice - once to deliver my luggage and second time to deliver some bath gels which I had asked for but I dont even know whether they were the butler or not.
The suite - no doubt huge looked dated with the furniture and the bathroom mirrors showing signs of wear and tear. I was assigned room #307 so no view to talk about either.
We had to cancel our dinner reservations as we were pretty full from lunch and tea - this was the reason we went to NYC so that we can eat at Nix - it was my fault that I booked tea and late lunch. We decided to come back at a later time.
During breakfast the next day I decided to try the Astor Omlette and I was actually impressed by it. Sorry for the poor lighting below:
My wife had oatmeal and potatoes as basically those were the only options she could get - this time the waiter was much better and he did not make any snide remarks or faces.
I have to say I was not overly impressed by the rooms or the service. We kept comparing to the Luxury Collection Hotels in Peru - frankly the FS marriotts at Buffalo, Washington DC had better service than this one.
I dont know if it was me but the luxury in the rooms seemed a bit forced - thats the best way I can put it. I frankly had trouble understanding what warrants such high prices at this hotel. Safe to say I dont think I would be returning to this hotel pretty soon.
After consulting with the chef he did give us some choices but frankly they were sub-par. At $65 I dont think its worth it. In stark comparison at ritz central park my wife really enjoyed the choices which were made for her. They served a dessert - chocolate and salted caramel bomb which was pretty amazing. It had a Happy Birthday Tag on it - this is after the waiter wished us Happy Anniversary. My wife was given sorbet for dessert.
After tea we got to the front desk at around 5 15 - I had not gotten a call that the room was ready till that point , they offered a deluxe suite which I gladly took. I guess the Madison suite was not ready yet. They sent the luggage to the room a few minutes later.
Now for the biggest letdown - everyone here raves about the Butler service at St, Regis - I never even saw them. They did not even show up at my room - I did have the privacy sign up but some one came twice - once to deliver my luggage and second time to deliver some bath gels which I had asked for but I dont even know whether they were the butler or not.
The suite - no doubt huge looked dated with the furniture and the bathroom mirrors showing signs of wear and tear. I was assigned room #307 so no view to talk about either.
We had to cancel our dinner reservations as we were pretty full from lunch and tea - this was the reason we went to NYC so that we can eat at Nix - it was my fault that I booked tea and late lunch. We decided to come back at a later time.
During breakfast the next day I decided to try the Astor Omlette and I was actually impressed by it. Sorry for the poor lighting below:
My wife had oatmeal and potatoes as basically those were the only options she could get - this time the waiter was much better and he did not make any snide remarks or faces.
I have to say I was not overly impressed by the rooms or the service. We kept comparing to the Luxury Collection Hotels in Peru - frankly the FS marriotts at Buffalo, Washington DC had better service than this one.
I dont know if it was me but the luxury in the rooms seemed a bit forced - thats the best way I can put it. I frankly had trouble understanding what warrants such high prices at this hotel. Safe to say I dont think I would be returning to this hotel pretty soon.
They really should be able to do nice vegetarian options for breakfast besides oatmeal and potatoes too.
Nov 26, 2018, 10:52 am
#260
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
I think the F&B manager should be ashamed for saying one thing and not having it prepped on the floor. I know attitude is a NYC thing but that's not what people want to see for their special diet friendly anniversary tea.
They really should be able to do nice vegetarian options for breakfast besides oatmeal and potatoes too.
They really should be able to do nice vegetarian options for breakfast besides oatmeal and potatoes too.
Nov 26, 2018, 11:14 am
#261
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
@Ksw299 I’m so sorry your stay wasn’t to your liking.
(1) If you’d notified the hotel in advance about your wife’s vegetarian restrictions, then there is no reason the hotel shouldn’t have been prepared for your tea. Even on the spot, I’d have expected better handling. I would expect the hotel to both comp your tea and offer a future comp’d tea for you and your wife—if you were willing to give them a second chance. The surly waiter should be disciplined appropriately. We had a surly front desk attendant on check out who was most unhelpful, though the concierge team took care of us with sincere apologies; we were sure to identify that attendant for management. If you haven’t already contacted a hotel manager about this fail, I might encourage you strongly to consider doing so.
(2) I’m surprised your wife couldn’t find options for breakfast. Their regular breakfast menu does offer a host of options available for any vegetarian: bread and pastry basket, fresh fruit and berries, grapefruit brûlée, Bircher mueslix, yogurt, granola parfait, steel cut oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc. I am uncertain what other breakfast options would be considered appropriate for a vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs?
(3) I’m sorry you didn’t call for butler service or that your butler didn’t introduce himself or herself to you. Your privacy sign may have had more to do with that than you imagine. If you ever give the hotel another chance, calling for butler service is most appropriate, especially if they cannot contact you due to a privacy request. We call and ask for butler unpacking and packing. We call and ask for butler morning coffee service. We call and ask for butler shoe shining and pressing. We often call and let them know they can knock or ring a doorbell even with the privacy sign up—since that is directed more for housekeeping and other departments.
(4) I am most surprised you found the room decor dated and/or tired, actually. Especially in a suite.
It’s unfortunate that your short stay wouldn’t allow much more service interaction. So you’re left with the shortcomings you experienced. I hope you can find a hotel more to your liking in NYC.
(1) If you’d notified the hotel in advance about your wife’s vegetarian restrictions, then there is no reason the hotel shouldn’t have been prepared for your tea. Even on the spot, I’d have expected better handling. I would expect the hotel to both comp your tea and offer a future comp’d tea for you and your wife—if you were willing to give them a second chance. The surly waiter should be disciplined appropriately. We had a surly front desk attendant on check out who was most unhelpful, though the concierge team took care of us with sincere apologies; we were sure to identify that attendant for management. If you haven’t already contacted a hotel manager about this fail, I might encourage you strongly to consider doing so.
(2) I’m surprised your wife couldn’t find options for breakfast. Their regular breakfast menu does offer a host of options available for any vegetarian: bread and pastry basket, fresh fruit and berries, grapefruit brûlée, Bircher mueslix, yogurt, granola parfait, steel cut oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc. I am uncertain what other breakfast options would be considered appropriate for a vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs?
(3) I’m sorry you didn’t call for butler service or that your butler didn’t introduce himself or herself to you. Your privacy sign may have had more to do with that than you imagine. If you ever give the hotel another chance, calling for butler service is most appropriate, especially if they cannot contact you due to a privacy request. We call and ask for butler unpacking and packing. We call and ask for butler morning coffee service. We call and ask for butler shoe shining and pressing. We often call and let them know they can knock or ring a doorbell even with the privacy sign up—since that is directed more for housekeeping and other departments.
(4) I am most surprised you found the room decor dated and/or tired, actually. Especially in a suite.
It’s unfortunate that your short stay wouldn’t allow much more service interaction. So you’re left with the shortcomings you experienced. I hope you can find a hotel more to your liking in NYC.
Nov 26, 2018, 12:06 pm
#262
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
@Ksw299 I’m so sorry your stay wasn’t to your liking.
(1) If you’d notified the hotel in advance about your wife’s vegetarian restrictions, then there is no reason the hotel shouldn’t have been prepared for your tea. Even on the spot, I’d have expected better handling. I would expect the hotel to both comp your tea and offer a future comp’d tea for you and your wife—if you were willing to give them a second chance. The surly waiter should be disciplined appropriately. We had a surly front desk attendant on check out who was most unhelpful, though the concierge team took care of us with sincere apologies; we were sure to identify that attendant for management. If you haven’t already contacted a hotel manager about this fail, I might encourage you strongly to consider doing so.
(1) If you’d notified the hotel in advance about your wife’s vegetarian restrictions, then there is no reason the hotel shouldn’t have been prepared for your tea. Even on the spot, I’d have expected better handling. I would expect the hotel to both comp your tea and offer a future comp’d tea for you and your wife—if you were willing to give them a second chance. The surly waiter should be disciplined appropriately. We had a surly front desk attendant on check out who was most unhelpful, though the concierge team took care of us with sincere apologies; we were sure to identify that attendant for management. If you haven’t already contacted a hotel manager about this fail, I might encourage you strongly to consider doing so.
I have stayed at all kinds of hotels in NYC (Moxy, FFI, Edition, Ritz carlton Battery Park,Marriott , Lexington Autograph collection) and even some Airbnb's - we visit there multiple times a year as we live in CT.
My main concern here was at this price point the service should be pretty outstanding. As I mentioned in my previous post I have had better service in FS marriotts. May be I was expecting too much this being a top luxury brand and all.
They did offer something at tea for my wife - its not like they didn't do anything but the options offered just did not please her. At the ritz central park we were blown away by the service at tea and the options offered - here not so much.
I plan to send a note to the F&B manager - I frankly do not want him to comp anything. I do think the waiter needs to be reprimanded a little - I never tell the waiters anything then and there as I am very afraid what they might do with my food (I have seen enough videos to scare me and no matter what anyone tells I always stand by this).
(2) I’m surprised your wife couldn’t find options for breakfast. Their regular breakfast menu does offer a host of options available for any vegetarian: bread and pastry basket, fresh fruit and berries, grapefruit brûlée, Bircher mueslix, yogurt, granola parfait, steel cut oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc. I am uncertain what other breakfast options would be considered appropriate for a vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs?
(3) I’m sorry you didn’t call for butler service or that your butler didn’t introduce himself or herself to you. Your privacy sign may have had more to do with that than you imagine. If you ever give the hotel another chance, calling for butler service is most appropriate, especially if they cannot contact you due to a privacy request. We call and ask for butler unpacking and packing. We call and ask for butler morning coffee service. We call and ask for butler shoe shining and pressing. We often call and let them know they can knock or ring a doorbell even with the privacy sign up—since that is directed more for housekeeping and other departments.
I usually do not complain that much - but when you market yourself as an ultra luxury brand there is certain standards to be met.
(4) I am most surprised you found the room decor dated and/or tired, actually. Especially in a suite.
It’s unfortunate that your short stay wouldn’t allow much more service interaction. So you’re left with the shortcomings you experienced. I hope you can find a hotel more to your liking in NYC.
Nov 26, 2018, 12:30 pm
#263
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
I have stayed at all kinds of hotels in NYC (Moxy, FFI, Edition, Ritz carlton Battery Park,Marriott , Lexington Autograph collection) and even some Airbnb's - we visit there multiple times a year as we live in CT.
My main concern here was at this price point the service should be pretty outstanding. As I mentioned in my previous post I have had better service in FS marriotts. May be I was expecting too much this being a top luxury brand and all.
My main concern here was at this price point the service should be pretty outstanding. As I mentioned in my previous post I have had better service in FS marriotts. May be I was expecting too much this being a top luxury brand and all.
Price point reflects the supply and demand of Manhattan as much as the fact that the StR is a 5 star luxury hotel. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that a hotel is perfect, however. You know that’s true when a Westin in NYC can cost $600 a night, putting the $900-1000/night rate at the StR in perspective. It costs more because it’s comsidered better and therefore can command even higher rates, but it doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It just means it’s more pleasing to more people more or most of the time compared with other hotels.
That being said, we’ve had issues not unlike yours at many 5 star luxury hotels. We had a very subpar stay at the StR Washington and StR Dubai (no longer a StR). We also had a very subpar stay at the Aman Summer Palace in Beijing, a very subpar stay at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, a very subpar stay at the Liberty Boston, a very subpar stay at the Four Seasons Lanai, the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, the Halekulani Oahu, etc. Things still can and do go awry at excellent hotels when the staff member of the moment screws up or the management fails to respond appropriately. If you take a look at the Luxury Hotels Forum, you will discover service misses and fails at almost every luxury hotel in the world.
To my mind, how a hotel responds to problems is just as important an element of service as trying to get it right in the first place. Our StR New York stay was amazing, but it wasn’t perfect. I complained on site about issues I had with the operator delivering butler service and about the surly front desk attendant; those were handled quickly and with aplomb. Our Aman Beijing screw ups were far more severe, and yet the GM comp’d a night and offered us a free dinner by way of further apology. The StR Bora Bora was an amazing stay for us but again not perfect; when we complained about some service fails after our first day, the GM assigned us our own butler 24/7 which solved all of our issues and made it clear the hotel was on top its service recovery. We had a spectacular stay from that point forward. The Upper House Hong Kong and the Lodhi New Delhi both had air con fails on the first nights of our stays—yet both hotels had tremendous service recovery and made it up to us such that we still consider those amazing stays and gladly would return again.
i hope that might be helpful perspective. You’re most entitled to not like the StR NYC, but just be prepared that almosf all, if not truly all, luxury hotels can have similar letdowns. At least you know you like the RC Central Park!
Regarding the butler service - may be when I stay at a different St Regis I will try that. When they brought up the luggage assuming it was the butler shouldn't they offer to unpack at that points of time? As i said may be I was expecting way too much.
I usually do not complain that much - but when you market yourself as an ultra luxury brand there is certain standards to be met.
Either way, I’m most sorry you were so displeased with the StR NYC.
Last edited by bhrubin; Nov 26, 2018 at 12:53 pm
Nov 26, 2018, 12:56 pm
#264
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
I completely understand. I think your expectation may have gotten the better of you, even as that often happens to me, too. I just warn you that all luxury hotels—even those considered the best in the world—can and do make mistakes.
Price point reflects the supply and demand of Manhattan as much as the fact that the StR is a 5 star luxury hotel. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that a hotel is perfect, however. You know that’s true when a Westin in NYC can cost $600 a night, putting the $900-1000/night rate at the StR in perspective. It costs more because it’s comsidered better and therefore can command even higher rates, but it doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It just means it’s more pleasing to more people more or most of the time compared with other hotels.
That being said, we’ve had issues not unlike yours at many 5 star luxury hotels. We had a very subpar stay at the StR Washington and StR Dubai (no longer a StR). We also had a very subpar stay at the Aman Summer Palace in Beijing, a very subpar stay at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, a very subpar stay at the Liberty Boston, a very subpar stay at the Four Seasons Lanai, the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, the Halekulani Oahu, etc. Things still can and do go awry at excellent hotels when the staff member of the moment screws up or the management fails to respond appropriately. If you take a look at the Luxury Hotels Forum, you will discover service misses and fails at almost every luxury hotel in the world.
To my mind, how a hotel responds to problems is just as important an element of service as trying to get it right in the first place. Our StR New York stay was amazing, but it wasn’t perfect. I complained on site about issues I had with the operator delivering butler service and about the surly front desk attendant; those were handled quickly and with aplomb. Our Aman Beijing screw ups were far more severe, and yet the GM comp’d a night and offered us a free dinner by way of further apology. The StR Bora Bora was an amazing stay for us but again not perfect; when we complained about some service fails after our first day, the GM assigned us our own butler 24/7 which solved all of our issues and made it clear the hotel was on top its service recovery. We had a spectacular stay from that point forward. The Upper House Hong Kong and the Lodhi New Delhi both had air con fails on the first nights of our stays—yet both hotels had tremendous service recovery and made it up to us such that we still consider those amazing stays and gladly would return again.
i hope that might be helpful perspective.
I’m sorry to say that it likely was a valet who brought your luggage to the room and not a butler. You need to call to ask the butler for unpacking and packing. Of course, the butlers also might have tried to call or introduce themselves on their own—but for the privacy sign you had on your door.
I hope my shared experiences above might allow you to rethink your approach and expectations. Ultra luxury or luxury or not, things still can and do inevitably go wrong. Even at the world’s best luxury hotels. When things do go wrong, even at the best hotels in the world, sharing your dismay and asking for the hotel to make it right is the best way to both ameliorate your dissatisfaction and improve the service level for the remainder of your stay. Not complaining is your right, too, but I find that results only in further dismay.
Either way, I’m most sorry you were so displeased with the StR NYC.
When we stayed in RC NOLA in Aug 2016 to celebrate my wife's birthday they did not deliver a cake which they were supposed to at the stroke of midnight. I had this confirmed multiple times via emails and even by FDC the day before. When I called room service at 12 15 AM they had no idea what I was talking about. I did complain to the concierge team member I was interacting with - she was very sorry and they comped us the cake when they delivered it the next day. When I filled out a survey stating I was not very happy the F&B manager called me and gave 100k points as a courtesy - for 2 nights free stay as we had a 4 night stay.
Nov 26, 2018, 1:01 pm
#265
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: New York
Programs: MB-LTT , HH-Diam., HGP-Expl.
Posts: 778
Although service failures are inevitable, they are hopefully infrequent. If a hotel's employees recognize a problem and make a prompt and sincere effort to rectify it, I am more comfortable that the same mistake won't happen again and that any future concerns will be handled in a similar manner. If issues are exceptionally handled well, a guest may end up more impressed with the hotel than if the stay had been uneventful.
Nov 26, 2018, 1:01 pm
#266
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
I completely agree with you - I did not come here to rant BTW - I also know you are not saying that. I thought I had to share my experience here as you guys had helped with so many tips. This being a single night stay is the reason I did not complain that much. Service failures do happen - we are all humans by the way - I agree that I should have brought it up then and there. I should better manage my expectations as I think luxury hotels here in NA simply do not offer service standards offered elsewhere. The Equinox LC in Vermont and LC hotels in Peru have a world of difference.
When we stayed in RC NOLA in Aug 2016 to celebrate my wife's birthday they did not deliver a cake which they were supposed to at the stroke of midnight. I had this confirmed multiple times via emails and even by FDC the day before. When I called room service at 12 15 AM they had no idea what I was talking about. I did complain to the concierge team member I was interacting with - she was very sorry and they comped us the cake when they delivered it the next day. When I filled out a survey stating I was not very happy the F&B manager called me and gave 100k points as a courtesy - for 2 nights free stay as we had a 4 night stay.
When we stayed in RC NOLA in Aug 2016 to celebrate my wife's birthday they did not deliver a cake which they were supposed to at the stroke of midnight. I had this confirmed multiple times via emails and even by FDC the day before. When I called room service at 12 15 AM they had no idea what I was talking about. I did complain to the concierge team member I was interacting with - she was very sorry and they comped us the cake when they delivered it the next day. When I filled out a survey stating I was not very happy the F&B manager called me and gave 100k points as a courtesy - for 2 nights free stay as we had a 4 night stay.
I suppose the big question is whether or not you’d ever return to the StR NYC (or the RC Nola)...
Nov 26, 2018, 1:24 pm
#267
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
I’m so pleased you took my comments in the spirit in which they were intended. It sounds like we’re on the same page despite having had such different experiences here at this particular hotel.
I suppose the big question is whether or not you’d ever return to the StR NYC (or the RC Nola)...
Nov 26, 2018, 10:17 pm
#268
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,054
I usually do not return to the same property unless there are literally no options elsewhere. The exceptions being RC battery park - triple points promo, Lexington Autograph collection - double points promo. I am on a quest to get to atleast 100 distinct Marriott properties - I am at 42 right now - being a leisure traveler its a bit difficult. I might consider returning back to StR NYC again you never know. I will reach out to the manager and if I hear a satisfactory response back from him I might re-consider. RC NOLA - I am not so sure as there are so many Marriott properties on the Canal.
Last edited by Aventine; Nov 26, 2018 at 10:23 pm
Nov 27, 2018, 5:31 am
#269
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
I would recommend taking things to the top for more of a response than middle management (since you were already in touch). One that impresses me most with StR is that they take legitimate services failures seriously and sincerely. @bhrubin has testified to that time and again.
I loved the service so much at RC Central park that I kind of expected the same thing here - as others have said its hit or miss.
There are definitely some positives:
1. I loved the Astor Omelette and the complimentary bloody mary that came with it.
2. I really appreciated the effort of the first FDC to put us into a Madison suite - even though it was not possible at the end.
Nov 27, 2018, 8:34 am
#270
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: BOS
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, Mosaic
Posts: 1,050
The prebooked veg high tea miss and waiter attitude definitely would go in the service column for me.