phant0m

Stayed last year and while it is a nice hotel to stay by name, I felt the same way. Especially in a city like NY, I was never at the hotel to enjoy the hotel anyways.

Marykatesmom

No mention of my Ambassador status at check in, the upgrade was already in their system, I had to inquire about breakfast and this is the first year we did not receive a lovely platter of cookies and a written thank you.

So why bring up out of the blue at checkout that they have quite a few Ambassadors and Titaniums at the St.Regis?

Mr. BoH

Yeah I have experienced that same comment from this property several times as well. While it is probably true (I would guess the St Regis NYC has one of the highest concentration of Ambassador guests of any hotel in the world), it is not clear what they are trying to accomplish, other than to make sure you don't feel special.

Kacee

They are exceptionally good at that.

ElevatorEnthusiast

I went to Starbucks today in NYC, and the barista was very friendly and even asked proactively about my milk choice. She must have gone to a different hospitality school.

beachfan

If I was to request one of the nicer Grand Luxe rooms, what should I ask for. (I might ask for “larger”but hoping for better advice here.)

beachfan

If I was to request one of the nicer Grand Luxe rooms, what should I ask for. (I might ask for “larger”but hoping for better advice here.)

Marykatesmom

Exactly!

Adelphos

Some would say managing expectations (another way of making "sure you don't feel special") is a good practice for most businesses (or for people in general)

daniellam

Ask for room facing 55th Street.

lost_in_translation

It might be good practice for a Walmart, but no, it’s not a good practice for a luxury hotel that wants to be able to charge over $1,000 per night.

Kacee

It's possible to manage expectations without telling your customers they're not important.

svo242

Had a quick one-night stay here in November, and while nice, I echo the sentiments of service being a mixed bag.

Service
Check-in was nice enough, although the FDA did not realize we had two rooms booked until we told her, and one room was not ready until almost 6pm. King Cole Bar was packed and understaffed on a Saturday night - we witnessed a tiff between two employees right in front of us, with the bartender complaining to the hostess that she was letting too many people in ("you can't keep doing this to me!"). Not exactly professional, but I did feel for the bartender.

Before the stay, I called to ask when the champagne saber was, and was told 6pm. After it still had not happened at 6:10pm, I asked 3 different employees: one said, "oh that's weird, I don't know why they didn't do it yet", another said "it happens at 6pm" without acknowledging the time had passed, and another seemed confused and said they would ask someone, but never did. I finally went back inside the bar at 6:20pm, only for them to do it 5 minutes later (as I found out when I checked again at 6:30pm). Small thing, but I was bummed I missed it and no one was able to provide an answer.

Breakfast service was fine, and we did receive the full American Breakfast credit for one room.

Room - 2 rooms on FNAs
We asked if a suite upgrade might be possible (thru our Ambassador - noting we were flexible on check-in/check-out times), and then before our arrival, the hotel upgraded one room to an Astor Suite, which was very nice. Also had a fun welcome amenity to celebrate a birthday. One room was ready at about 3pm (the suite) and the other room was not ready until almost 6pm - we were offered a $150 credit for the inconvenience, although I had to inquire about it twice, as the first person who offered the credit did not actually process it. Suite was beautiful, the standard room was rather dark as it had one small window that directly faced a brick wall of another (very close) building - but totally fine for one night.

We would certainly return, but the level of service was definitely a bit disappointing this stay.

FreeNight

My recent experience essentially indicated 1) poor hires, 2) poor training, & 3) ineffective hotel and brand management. All are linked. Having management that cannot effectively assess a candidates' desire to serve probably doesn't realize that no amount training will be effective.

Ability to provide a guest a proper welcome and avoid bringing up their shift woes should be the absolute minimum requirements for hotel staff - pretty much anywhere, let alone at the St. Regis. I've had more pleasant interactions at Courtyard Marriott hotels, numerous times - by people that actually care and understand their role and position.

Obfuscated benefits are inexcusable. Just list them on a card or website like many other properties.

And regarding whether a night is paid for with dollars or points, by irregular or regular guests, by no status or high status guests, the guest should not feel any negative impact or treatment. Bonvoy is the "game" that Marriott wrote the rules for and rolled out, Marriott should play by them.

Marykatesmom

In years past long pre-Covid, I would call my butler and ask if I could get a single seat at the King Cole Bar. He would call me when it was ready. I would go downstairs walk past the line and sit in the seat waiting for me. Now THAT, was service! And really, wasn’t an extreme request. I loved the bartenders there!

But I understand your sentiment. One sentence in at 4:10PM, my FDA was asking for a break. While I was right in front of her. Then did it again, after she had to tell me the room still wasn’t ready. Would have been rude if the Wegmans checkout person did that to me, let alone what is supposed to be one of the premier Marriott properties.