Overall

Was a disappointing stay, but OK for a night or two - wouldn't be interesting for longer than that. Look at nearby Peninsula property instead. Also have heard the Chatwal is appealing as well.

Inconsistent/disappointing service (except for Butler!), unusual room issues and nightly fee even for rewards bookings all don't add up to the usual St. Regis property expectations.

Ratings

Check-In: 2.5/5 - Below Average

Room: 3/5 - Average

Location: 5/5 - Excellent

Service: 2.5/5 - Below Average

Overall: 3.25/5

Rating Notes:

(5 Point Scale, 1 = Poor, 2 = Below Average, 3 = Average, 4 = Above Average, 5 = Excellent; Ratings take into account normal expectations for a luxury hotel property in the US.)

Check In

Rating: 2.5/5

I flew into LGA airport and arrived to the hotel around 3PM in the afternoon. I listed the arrival time in the reservation online as 3PM in hopes that I'd have a room ready before the hotel's usual check-in time of 4PM. When I arrived to the hotel, there wasn't much going on in the lobby, only a few people. I booked the Superior room on the Marriott app using Bonvoy rewards points for 3 nights (12/23 to 12/26) -- the redemption was 75K each for 1st and 2nd night, and 85K for 3rd night on Christmas. Before check-in, I noticed that the app showed me in a Grand Luxe room (two-room type upgrade from entry-level Superior room; rewards stays can only be booked into the entry-level Superior room). At check-in, the front desk asked if I have stayed before at the hotel (I have once a few months before this stay), and acknowledged my Ambassador Elite status. I tried applying 3 SNAs (Suite Night Awards), which were denied prior to check-in. The front desk agent acknowledged that my SNAs were denied but didn't give a reason as to why; The Marriott app still showed that 5 different suite types were available for sale at time of check-in. When I asked why my SNAs didn't clear, the front desk agent went into the back office and came back with the offer to upgrade me to one of the available suites (the 5th Avenue suite in particular) for an additional $1,000 per night. I declined this offer because I thought it wasn't a good value for me, considering I was originally trying to use 3 of my 10 Suite Night Awards. After I declined this offer, they said that my room wasn't yet available to check-in and told me to leave my things in the lobby and come back when they'd call me. I left my belongings checked with the front desk and they wrote my name and cell phone number on a little post-it. The front desk agent told me he'd call shortly. After walking around 5th Avenue & the neighboring area for about a hour without a phone call, I decided to walk back to the hotel and try my luck in person. By the time I arrived, a long line of guests going back to the elevator area were queued up to speak with either of the two check-in agents to get to their rooms. They promptly gave me keys and I was on my way to the room.

My main disappointment with check-in was the fact that my SNAs were denied without a reason, that even as their published top-tier elite I didn't have a room ready, & that I was offered a cash upgrade to a suite that indicated revenue management gamification (withholding upgrades and devaluing the rewards system entirely).

Don't get me wrong - I'm very appreciative of the double-room type upgrade that came with the acknowledgment of my rewards status, but the differentiation presented between my last stay as a Gold (mid-tier) and now as a Ambassador (highest tier) elite member is negligible. 

Room

Rating: 3/5

The room was very nice and well-appointed - very large, only other luxury room similar to St. Regis room size in NYC is found at the next door Peninsula. Decor was very art deco/glam/old school and really liked it; Furniture was functional and very aesthetically pleasing. Most rooms (except designer suites) stick to a mix of bold cold velour/velvets, mirrors, and gold accents. The rooms also have small control panels (one stationed next to bed and one on the desk) that allow lighting controls and temperature controls, as well as turning on privacy or housekeeping door lights (only lighting worked for me).

The A/C unit showed an error on the control panel saying it had a network fault (didn't work with the smart panels), but still could be controlled manually. The A/C control panel wasn't accurate and was about 3-4 degrees off from actual temperature. Had to set the A/C fan on HIGH and turn it down to 66 degrees to get to desired temperature of 70. (Temperatures in Fahrenheit) 

The bathroom did have significant wear and tear (see photos) & was unusually compact/small (smaller than closet). Whenever you'd take a shower, half of the bathroom floor would be flooded and there were always completely sopping towels on the floor due to this. Water pressure is very high/good, though. Plumbing for the sink had an issue where a high pitch whirring sound would start sporadically. Wallpaper falling off, visible grout/humidity issues, and such can be seen in photos as well. 

The room had two TVs -- Both rooms have a 40" (or so) basic HD Samsung TV with the usual Marriott entertainment software. Watched about 20 min of background TV on the living room TV and shut it off after getting annoyed that the audio sounded muffled and the speakers sounding blown out. Not a big deal as not much time was spent in the room (more things to do in NYC than watch TV).

The room had two phones (one cordless, the other corded) -- the cordless phone's battery was old and needed replacement -- phone call "shut off" as I was speaking. 

Photo of Living Area (photo taken from entryway, wide-angle/fisheye):

Photo of Bed area (1st door in back on right is Bathroom, 2nd door closer on right is Closet, wide-angle/fisheye):

Photo of Entry & Closet areas (wide-angle/fisheye)

Photos of Bathroom issues:

Service

Rating: 2.5/5

Service didn't seem like a 5-star hotel, more like a normal Marriott. Front desk agents were a bit snobby, and service wasn't detail-oriented by any regard. The property seems to be a bit on the profit-maximizing side of things right now.

The $50 daily fee, which is applied to both paid and rewards bookings, is strange. You can use the fee amount toward a few different options including local museum tickets or F&B credit.

I used the F&B credit for each night - a ginger ale & one fruit plate, final bill was $50.59. Take a look below and see if you think it's worth that:

Here's a photo of the card I was handed at the front desk to explain use of the $50 nightly fee amount & a letter I received on day of departure offering points in exchange for late check-out:

The only exception to the less than average service -- the St. Regis butler assigned to my room block, Pavel. Pavel was amazing - I took advantage of the morning tea service twice. Pavel was very friendly and very prompt. His business card also explains that the hotel offers E-Butler service where you can email butlers; Haven't tried it, but seems interesting. 

Depends on which Butler you get if they tell you about the complimentary services - but if they don't tell you, you should know that every stay comes with free coffee/tea service before noon daily, free packing and unpacking services, and free pressing of 2 garments.

Location

Rating: 5/5

Excellent location - right on 5th Avenue. Proximity to shopping, Central Park & Rockefeller is very convenient. 

Other Notes

• A few days before my stay, I called the front desk to confirm that the Bentley house car would be available during my stay. The front desk confirmed this and let me know it just came back from service (was in the shop) and would be available. Upon arrival, no Bentley. Asked doorman, said if house car was there... and then he told me the Bentley was still in the shop. They advertise the Bentley house car everywhere, and the front desk wasn't informed well.
• Front desk check-in area seemed very overwhelmed during usual check-in times. Agents were hurried.
• Christmas/Holiday decorations in lobby were very nice, had gingerbread house and lights up/trees above the check-in area. 

• The front desk says tips are included with breakfast benefit at Astor Court; Not true - be sure to tip waitstaff out of pocket. Gratuity is only included for in-room dining.
• 22% Mandatory Gratuity for in-room dining + $8 mandatory service fee

Here's the drycleaning/pressing price list: