callmedtop

Interesting recent experience. Checked in last Friday for a 2-night award stay as a Titanium. Had been upgraded to a Madison Suite on the app 24 hours prior as a Titanium. At check-in they confirmed the suite, then grabbed a manger from the back. He explained they were oversold on our 2nd night due to the UNGA, and offered to move us to another hotel (for 2nd night only) in exchange for a refund of 2nd night points + covered 2nd night.

We agreed to be moved to the Carlyle on 76th and everything was pretty smooth. Things got a little touchy with things like breakfast - he agreed to cover breakfast at the Carlyle, then in the confirmation email later that night he said he would give us 8,000 Bonvoy points to cover breakfast. Uh, what? A quick call fixed that and now breakfast was covered directly by the hotel.

Our one night at the StR was great, and breakfast (in-room) was much improved relative to our most recent stay. Laundry service was late by an hour which was a little touch-and-go as we had a wedding that night. They were very apologetic. The move to the Carlyle was relatively seamless, and the Carlyle really took care of us with a mega suite upgrade to a Carlyle Suite. Had a great night there - wish it had been longer. Breakfast at the Carlyle just feels so much more luxurious than that of the StR, but that’s a topic for a different day/thread.

Regardless, the StR handled the overbooking well, offering (but not forcing) a move to a equally luxurious hotel for a fair/generous compensation. Props to the FO manager Petro who managed everything quite seamlessly.

ntamayo

Sounds like the StR resolved to your satisfaction; just wondering if being walked on the 2nd night still should’ve qualified you for the $200 + 140k?

Kacee

It wasn't a walk, it was a voluntary rebooking.

daniellam

Tip: Whenever possible, try to avoid this hotel during the UN General Assembly, US Open, Fashion Week etc.

Ripley62

We have two nights this weekend, I was going to use point but between a very good elite package, booked into a Grand Luxe room, an AmEx offer and a good AmEx retention offer it made sense save the 170k points. So maybe I’ll be one step up the ladder from those with a base room. I’m not expecting any thing dramatic. Actually since the hotel is sold out, not even any suites show as bookable I doubt we'll get an upgrade.

What I was surprised by after all rave reviews of concierges at this hotel was I didn’t received an email or and contact in advance or our arrival about plans or reservation. I did online check in and started a chat. The Butler replied but except for requesting the room not have any flowers because my wife is allergic and especially to roses. I also mentioned I saying this because it is both the weekend of our anniversary and my wife’s birthday. The reply was he would have the concierge contact me with information on how to order Roses. So it appears this is a case of assuming what someone is writing without actually reading. Admittedly except for in house requests a butler isn’t best person to be answering chats begun at online checkin. They’re likely fairly busy and not normally at 'desk' or terminal.

Concierge emailed a couple hours later, maybe because I did online check in but it seemed it was because of the chat with the butler but no information or requests were conveyed. The normal question of arrival time and plans. We're driving and it’s normally 3 hr. to the tunnel. So depending on Friday afternoon traffic and how close to noon we can leave arrival at best after 4pm. I wrote my wife had already made dinner reservations at the hotel. The one request was I had was my wife want one of the Saint Regis robes could it be ordered, put on the room bill and delivered with a short note “Happy Birthday” on Saturday morning. Lastly I ask about the museum benefit and was MoMA open again after the exhibit change.

a few hours later a rather interesting reply. One that reminded me of what I’ve over the last few decades come to expect of the AmEx concierge service, ie no better than I could google. With the added bonus of the agent, I’m having difficulty now call him even with the listed credentials a concierge. I got a longish and a bit condescending reply about the extensive renovation to MoMA, maybe I should have added the word space to Exhibit in the question. Or maybe actually read the Times this weekend to see that it was open but that wouldn’t have answered the question if the tickets as a benefit had switched back to MoMA. I always find it bit funny when those I’m paying for services put up an attitude it good way to eliminate the incompetence. That was funny actually. But really closer to Marriott level service instead hotels of equivalent level or at least rates.

the real problem was surprising the robe, easy request with three or so days advance. Nope not even the slightest effort put forward. I got one line. They’re exclusively sold on line with a link. Now, ok I’d expect that at most hotels. I have to im not generally a big user of concierge services because in the modern world they just seem inconvenient and take longer to use. But under the right circumstances are very helpful and worth the inconvenience. This was certainly not what I’ve received from the concierge staff at RC's Club Lounges I use nor at the Carlyle in the city. But it does calibrate my expectation for the Saint Regis.

looking forwards to the weekend visiting some old haunts. But at this point it doesn’t seem like the StR will influence me regularly change my NYC luxury hotel choices.

Normally my stays in the city I’m just looking for a comfortable bed in an acceptable location. So the StR rate hotel isn’t part of the decision metrix.

controller1

IIRC you can purchase a robe in the gift shop.

Ripley62

That’s what I would have thought and what in my initial request mentioned but it’s not what the concierge said in the reply. it will be interesting to see if the gift shop does have them and thus if the hotels concierge couldn’t even be bother with that.

I was trying to make it a small surprise it’s not like it’s a major gift and it really didn’t seem like a very difficult request. even if it wasn’t current available at thr hotel a few days not a problem delivering wise from the online store.
with the hotels reply I told my wife. She went on line and order another Ritz robe, this one more of a winter weight. The RC uses the same online store as the StR as do all the Marriott brands. The store called shortly after she put the order in on the website, a shipping address problem the agent volunteered, without prompting, to ship it at no additional cost for arrive at home on Friday morning. which we decline. The store's agents are ironically titled as concierges,

this is an extremely minor thing and I wrote too much about it. we won’t enjoy our stay any less it’ll be just another funny example how what use to be the minimum acceptable level has been supplanted by the image of service.

Ripley62

The hotel no longer has a gift shop, actually jewelry store is probably a better use space.

controller1

That must be a recent change. However, every time I was in the shop I was the only customer.

So, now there are two jewelry stores? There has always been one on the righthand side of the lobby. The gift shop was down one flight of stairs.

Ripley62

I didn’t go look for it after I ask the front desk agent when checking out. I assumed it would be down stairs near the salon or Spa.

Ripley62

I have to say my first stay at this St Regis is one of the worst stays at luxury hotel I’ve had, this is in contrast to our only other St Regis stay, Florence earlier this spring, which was easily one of best.

i booked an elite package directly with Marriott, it was a very good rate plus I had three different and stackable AmEx offers on my AmEx Bonvoy Brilliant card. For the last month my account showed Grand Deluxe room, which I thought was what the package booked. At checkin the agent said I was upgraded to a Grand Deluxe room. Ok what ever. I didn’t expect a suite and the grand Deluxe is a large enough room also for two night stay I really don’t care if we're put in a suite.

What I do care about and what even Manhattan hotels that are less than a fifth the price can do is provide a comfortable bed and a good nights sleep. That’s something that at least in a feather free room the St Regis doesn’t seem to care to do for its paying guests. . That option produces the removal of the comforter which is replaced by a lite cotton blanket. I’m not sure if anything was done with the mattress, most hotels of this level have some feather bed or mattress topper which is change to nonfeather on request so the sleeping experience isn’t degraded significantly. Not the NY StR.it was the firmest mattress I’ve slept on, my shoulder still hurts, outside of camping or a $20 Asian hotel. I’ve also never stayed in a full service hotel room that didn’t even have extra blankets in the room.

then there was breakfast. So a $65 charge on folio that arrived vis email early Sunday morning. That would have been for coffee, 2 OJ, a fruit plate and lox and bagel order. That last came with mini bagel, I’m sorry this is New York not Duluth deliver a good bagel on top of that the cream cheese was the size of a ping pong ball not enough to cover one half of a real bagel. . I had to call in the order since house keeping wasn’t thorough enough to replace the breakfast card from the previous guest. Oh and even though I mentioned very clearly to the butler via chat before arriving that my wife was allergic to Roses the breakfast table arrived with a rose. As above I mentioned the robe/concierge thing of course that was too hard a taste to attempt also.

second morning. Similar breakfast, breakfast card still not replaced with a new one even after mentioning it. Lox and bagel, lucikily they were out of mini bagels but the bagel arrived burnt And even after mentioning the parsimonious amount of cream cheese once again the same small ball.. This time though coffee and tea, 2 OJ, a cheese omelette, bacon (which arrived as 3 pieces that were cold/room temp) 2 slices of Rye bread All for bargain sum of $190. oh yes and another Rose but that’s my fault since I forget to mention when ordering for it to deleted.

At checkout, it took the desk agent a while but she said those room charges would removed. Like an idiot I trusted her and didn’t request a printout to verify then and there. Sure enough the emailed folio had the one $65 breakfast still there, and the $190 breakfast was reduced to $72, which is worse than not removing it since it shows she actually went into my account changed something and then to my face misrepresented what she did. It took two telephone call to have it removed from my bill since other than the inept concierge I don’t have the hotels email, thanks to Marriott and the folio is sent on a no reply email account.

on the other side of the coin the King Cole Bar was as good as alway, I’ve been a number of times, but this was my wife’s first, this the first time two nights in a row. They had good seats for us and Saturday night welcomed us my name and remember what we were drinking the night before. Dinner at Astor Court, after a long Frida it was easy option and a true pleasure. in my earlier email with the hotel concierge I mentioned my wife had already made reservation but it seems he booked up again. Thus she had to spend time with open table to not be penalized for not showing up. just further showing at least to my requests the hotel concierges was just about as valuable if not less than my experience with AmEx concierge over that last couple decades.

the meal was very good, Juan was great, he advised me against the veal chop but the lamb instead, which was excellent. We started with truffle risotto, it was advertised as being pumpkin risotto but luckily adding truffle must have eliminated the pumpkin. A surprising amount of truffle savings also. All with a respectable Pomerol, my wife’s favorite appellation. Juan also brought out glass of a very nice and inexpensive Malbec, Juan is originally from Argentina. As I said not a formal dinner but the kitchen produced an excellent meal and the service was exactly what made an enjoyable time.

i also have to say $88/night for parking a large SUV in midtown isn’t really bad especially considering it’s on folio instead of an outsourced charge as normal. The bellman and doorman staff are excellent.

what really surprised me is after all the times checking into one of Marriott/Starwood’s better brands where the questions about if this was special occasion which gets annoying actually like we'd only do it for that reason. we check in her and it is one in fact, our 9 anniversary and Saturday was my wife’s 49th birthday, and nothing. It’s one thing if they wouldn’t have known, but because of my earlier request via email it seem the front desk agent did since at check in she wished up a happy anniversary and that was the sum total of it. I really only expect what I’ve paid for, that why the the bedding, mattress and breakfast over charge are unforgivable. But considering the excellent treatment we’ve gotten p, even just this year, at the StR Florence, the Gritti in Venice, a half dozen Ritz Carltons and even three JW,s to get what was easily the most marginal stay I’ve ever had at a supposedly decent hotel is to say the least surprising.

Maybe next time I’ll park, have dinner and drinks at the St Regis, thus avoiding the aspects they don’t seem want to value paying customers.

EuropeanPete

IMO King Cole's bar is not one of Manhattan's better bars nowadays: the drinks are about 30 years out of date and service can be terrible. I would not visit the St Regis for the bar...

Ripley62

I can see that this was prob the first time in a decade since I’ve had a drink at the Cole. Not bad though when it’s an elevator away.beside that we were at another not exact current bar beforehand the Campbell apartment.

pWei

Yes, I wouldn't visit St Regis just for the F&B when there are so many other options.

daniellam

I guess that's one of the reasons why they charge a $50 destination fee which can then be used as a food and beverage credit plus other extras.

It's a way for them to force guests to go to their F&B venues which may otherwise be empty (since there are so many options in NYC).