Hmmm. Difficult question!

Probably will take the plunge, but it would be an easier decision if they gave the points!

hahaha. :D

Well, you can always walk over to the Carnegie or Stage Delis and get a good sandwich.

For breakfasts at LPM, I just walked around the corner on 6th Ave, and there was a good deli that made bagel sandwiches. Typical NYC neighborhood deli.(it's on the West side of 6th, a few stores South from the corner.) I always ask the doormen at NYC hotels where the good deli is.

-David

Actually, only staying there cause could not gift it to anyone and I have a concert to attend at Carnegie Hall.

As I live nearby, will probably go home to have breakfast/lunch/brunch.

Thanks again for the info.

NJ

Wow ... the two most recent reviews of this hotel over on TA are really interesting reads! They are entitled:

"EXTREMELY RUDE & OFFENSIVE SERVICE" &

“Horrible -- No Air Conditioning or Water/Shower pressure"

On a side note, I had a similar experience with the lack of air conditioning on a stay and I had to literally "fight" to get a fan in the room as I was told they had essentially run out of fans for the guests requesting them! I asked them why they didn't just go down the street to a store and buy more fans! I did get my fan after I got off the phone call (which took far longer than it should have)!:td:

At the risk of veering too far off OT, I have to reply the Burger Joint is good, but the Shake Shack is better! :)

Has anyone else heard the clip in the taxis around NYC from the Burger Chef at the LPM? He goes off on a tangent about how when people go to California, the first thing they do when they get off the plane is go to In-n-Out and it amuses me :p

Geez ... yet another horrible review of the hotel over at T.A. - this one entitled: “Disappointed Traveler”. Notice the reference to the problems with guest relations at this hotel in this review? Hopefully, "Mr. Lurker" is taking good notes on all of this for SPG upper management. Is that now 3 or 4 horrible written reviews on TA in the past few weeks on this hotel? Perhaps some good news ... management is back to responding to the reviews over there now (check out their replies). On a personal note, I had my worst experience in my entire career of staying at SPG properties at this hotel this past Summer. Perhaps some personal good news for me as well ... I was contacted by SPG upper management today as well and we discussed in detail my stay and the problems associated with it. I hope to report on that as well perhaps as early as next week ... but I am feeling good that it is SPG management at work once again to ensure that the incredible quality of its brands are protected.

Far be it from me to be a dissenting voice but after 2 nights in a room little larger than a cupboard at the W Union Square, my experience at the LPM was a pleasure.

Are they charging you $6.50 for this service too?

Most people here don't take T.A. reviews that seriously. FT is a much better source of reviews/info about a property for frequent travelers.

-David

Jaejaez - I forgot to ask about that! Good point! :D

Had a nice one night stay. A refreshing change from the W New York where I usually stay.

A little long on the checkin... Long line...

Was amused by the water glasses in the bathroom... They were actually tall shot glasses... Hadn't seen that before....

Just completed a two night stay this week. I was optimistic, but unfortunately, this hotel lives up to its sub-par reputation on Flyer Talk. Room was on the dirty side. Beaten up. I paid for and was given a Junior Suite in the Towers. Bed was very low and very uncomfortable. Front desk check in staff was aloof and borderline rude. No acknowledgement of Platinum status or benefit. One huge issue: The room temperature was literally close to 80 degrees. The windows don't open and the A/C didn't work. Unbelievable for a room that went for $750 per night. Best part-I forgot my toothbrush. My fault. It happened a few weeks ago at the Four Points Midtown and they sent up a complimentary toothbrush and toothpaste. When I called down at the Parker Meridien and asked about a toothbrush, I was told there would be a $10.00 charge. There are many better hotels in New York for significantly less money with more professional, service oriented staff. This was my last stay there.

"When I called down at the Parker Meridien and asked about a toothbrush, I was told there would be a $10.00 charge."

You are Lucky ... I am infomed that the going rate for the toothbrush / toothpaste is $20 over there !! Perhaps the $10 was just for the toothbrush with no toothpaste?

On a related note, I just had the pleasure of working with "John Price, Customer Service Supervisor, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide". John reviewed in detail (his quote to me was that he spent "several hours" reviewing the file on my case) the circumstances surrounding my last stay at this hotel and the treatment I received. In short, John provided me the apology I had hoped this hotel would have provided to me. John made sure that EVERY point I was billed for the 2 day stay was returned to me along with a little extra for my trouble. The exact way you would expect Starwood to handle this situation being the world class hotel chain that it is. To me, at least, a hotel needs to reflect the SPIRIT of what Starwood is all about, or, no matter how great a location it may be in, the experience will just not be right for not only the platinum guests but nearly any other guests as well.

Thanks again Starwood for looking out for your loyal customers!! It IS great to know that you truly care about the treatment we are receiving at your hotels!!

Worst value, worst cat 3-5, worst in 1 year
 

I'm staying at this absolute dump of a hotel right now. I got in on a late night flight and I'm too tired to go back downstairs to complain to management--but tomorrow I will definitely give an earful.

They put us in the smallest room they have, a total shoebox, when I know that there are dozens of suites available on SPG.com. As other's have noted, the A/C doesn't work so the rooms in December are like 80 degrees while it is 30 degrees outside. The front desk person was a total aloof poser.

If you are a platinum you would be wise to steer clear of this dump. It would be worth staying if it was a category 2 and charged $50/night, not a penny more.

Zpat - Yet another "1 star" review for this hotel over on TA in the past week or so entitled "So dissapointed" speaks to the issue of heating in the rooms.

Starwood Lurker ... John Price told me you are closely monitoring FT and/or TA with respect to this hotel for Starwood upper management. I will end up spending nearly 75 nights in Starwood hotels this year and the (2) nights at this hotel this year were, without a doubt, my worst experience EVER at a Starwood property. When you read about $10 or $20 fees for a toothbrush/paste, $6 or $8 fees for essentially renting empty wine glasses for the evening and so many other things ... I get back to my comment about the SPIRIT of Starwood for all guests, let alone Platinum guests. I have resigned myself that I will never hear the apology I am owed from management at this hotel and it is disappointing that during a 42 straight night stay at your properties this past Summer (for which 40 nights were simply amazing) that I still think about the 2 horrible nights at this hotel. I plan on "moving on" but I truly hope "Starwood Lurker" that you do keep a very close eye on the comments from guests staying at this hotel. I came too close to "throwing in the towel" with SPG after my last stay here.

Piling on but with one good side note
 

I stayed there Wednesday night of this past week. I won't go into any details beyond saying - what everyone else says about this hotel is true. The worst part about it is that I needed 2 nights for plat so I had to take a pass on the absolutely wonderful London hotel to stay at this dump. I was in NYC for a month project this summer and they put me at the London - at first I protested because the London has no loyalty program but then I gave up. The London has all suites. If you stay there a lot, they move you up to one of their master suites (room #04 on their higher levels). The beds (beat anything that W or Westin has), the vibe, the gym, the flat screens in both rooms, the general "newness". I wanted to call up the LPM's GM and have him/her come over to my room to have tea. I am done with LPM. Starwood has a huge oppty to have a solid brand nearby the 6th avenue business district and they've missed it. I might do the walk from the element on 39th but that's 15 blocks for me.

So here's the only good thing - you can put burger joint on your room tab. It's the only saving grace of this place.

Well, now I am concerned. I have a stay at LPM this coming weekend using Free Weekend nights that I booked at the end of the summer so Mrs. Grover and I could see NYC at Christmas. It seems the reputation and performance of this hotel has declined since that time: hot rooms, surly service, uncomfortable beds.

I don't have a lot of other SPG options in the area and the Free Weekend nights must be used by the following week. Any suggestions on making this stay as enjoyable as possible?

moving on ...

You never did say anything about what they did to you, but since you stayed there, you have been mirroring TA posts here. Do you really need to keep doing that? TA is still there and those reviews aren't going anywhere.

In any event, they must have really pissed you off to the point that you keep checking TA and keep reporting on negative TA reviews here on FT.

What amazes me about this property is how some of us seem to like it for what it is (see SanDiego1k's recent report, for example) and so many of you report horrible experiences, like $10 tubes of toothpaste and $12 room service charges for glasses, etc, etc.
Vive la difference.

-David

LIH Prem - I mentioned the other day that I plan on "moving on" following my most recent discussion with Starwood concerning this hotel. I spend time reading reports on many of my favorite hotels as well - and there are many Starwood hotels that I hold in the highest regard - you can be sure of that. I am fairly new to FT ... it was recommended to me just a few months ago by an employee of Starwood. You have obviously been here quite a while and have posted a great many posts. I have taken what you said to heart and my goal has always been to be a productive member of this website.

I was QUITE pleased with my reward stay last weekend at the Times Sq Westin.

It depends on what is important to you. I had family in tow, and always want two rooms. In turn, I want SOME sort of platinum recognition, thus LPM and W is out. The Westin has a club open 7 days a week, and I was upgraded to a high corner suite, with connecting room. An EXCELLENT stay.

Sorry if I came off overly strong there.

I just meant that I went back through the thread and there's a post where you eluded to a bad stay but never said what happened, and I'm guessing it must have been pretty bad. That's all I meant.

I have read lots of your other reviews and posts. You are doing fine here. Nothing to worry about.

This is a strange property because it gets such a wide range of mixed reviews.

-David

Thank you David !

Just finishing up a two night stay at this hotel on points. While I didn't get an upgrade, the room was a decent size for two people, especially compared to other NYC hotels. The hotel (and New York) is crazy busy, given that it's two weeks before Christmas.

No problems with noise, dirt or heat anywhere in the hotel.

Our flight back tonight was cancelled and rescheduled for much later and the hotel did whatever they could to accomodate us. To me, that's worth more than a bigger room.

I wouldn't hesitate to return to the LPM on either a points or a paid stay and would definitely recommend that others stay here as well.

Nice Stay
 

We completed our 3 night (award/free weekend nights) stay yesterday as well and am pleased to report no problems at all. Service was courteous and prompt. The room was clean and bed comfortable. No trouble with the heat.

We bought up to the Jr Suite (+$99/night) and felt the extra space was worth the price.

I would be happy to stay at LPM again.

I just canceled a reservation based on this thread.

I've had two stays here recently and have been very pleased.

--Number one: location, location, location. Great for walking and public transit.
--The staff is very courteous, friendly, and helpful.
--The rooms are comfortable (was upgraded to a jr. suite on one stay; hotel was full and jr. suite unavailable on latest stay)
--Points posted accurately and quickly for me.

I'm looking forward to my next stay here!

After some of the review, I was a bit worried about putting my sister and her family in this hotel. In the end, I am very pleased with the professionalism of the staff. The two girls (9 and 12) enjoyed their time, esp the heated pool, and milkshakes from the burger joint (and calling ahead not only got them through faster, but also got them milkshakes which they were running out of (!) at the end of the night.

The junior suite, while small compared to other cities, was sufficient to sleep 4 (2 adults and 2 children). The housekeeping were also very good with the come and go schedule of sightseeing.

Street noise was not an issue on the 20th flr.

The kids got a kick out of the cartoons in the elevator, though I had to refrain from pointing out how politically incorrect some of them were!

Terrible stay at Parker Meridien
 

I CANNOT recommend this hotel and would suggest that you stay elsewhere. I am a Gold Member

There were numerous problems- heat not working, phone not working, multiple phone calls to get a simple item, a lot of noise. When I complained to management, the response was rather cold with an unwillingness to take responsibility or to provide adequate amends. I even took the time to speak with the general manager, but he refused to be helpful, was not interested in knowing what the issues were and was hostile. Clearly quality and customer service are not important to this hotel’s management. It was a major disappointment, and very unlike my other Starwood experiences.:.

Wonderful stay!
 

Had much trepidation after reading the nasty stuff herein, but just got back from a two night stay during the NYC Blizzard of 2010...highly recommended hotel!
We have stayed here for two nights after Xmas as our "family treat" after Xmas every year for 5 years, and once again this is our favorite place in NYC! Perfect location and great accomodations. None of the issues aforementioned.
I booked an offered upgrade to a Jr Suite for us and had a separate park view King room for kids, both on the 25th floor. Both were well-maintained and very nice rooms...no complaints! I am beginning to wonder if there is a concerted effrot to dis this hotel!?
Staff was uniformly friendly and the bathrooms were spotless. Great fun for the entire "crew!"

Already planning our stay for next year! ^

I stayed at 25+ starwood hotels last year and I would rank this one at the very bottom of the list. Checked in around 8pm. The snobby FD agent flat out lied and told me the entire hotel was fully booked and refused any upgrade while I could see every type of room on sale on spg.com. Didn't won't to argue since I was there for only one night. Went up to my room and the room was old, tired, and tacky. Would Never return.

It is amazing to read the range of reviews for this hotel, from wonderful to awful. We've always enjoyed it but appreciated it for what it was - certainly not a luxury hotel but the typical Junior Suite upgrade combined with the location work well for us.

As to this poster, if I were you I would certainly not let it rest there. If you have legitimate complaints and you feel you were both brushed off and treated rudely by the staff and even the General Manager, you should call Starwood Customer Service. I have no idea what they might offer you if your issues are valid but if people who experience unresolved problems will complain where it might do some good, perhaps we can see the number of bad reviews decrease. Then we all win. And I truly believe that Customer Service wants to hear about such issues so they can do something to solve problems.

It's fascinating to me how the "worst" Starwood hotel declarations almost always begin with "and they lied to me and wouldn't upgrade me..."

I'm going out on a limb and guessing that if this poster had been upgraded, somehow the room would have seemed less old, less tired, and less tacky.

Oh well, I guess hell hath no fury like an SPG Plat scorned...

Regards

FIY I did not ask for a suite when I checked in. I asked politely if they have any park view room and was brushed off.

I do not rank this hotel at the bottom of my list because I didn't get the upgrade. It was the attitude of the front desk and the management when I tried to follow up. I've been in worse condition rooms and refused upgrades but ended up having a nice stay as long as I was treated with respect.

Burnsy - I feel your pain.

My last (personal disaster) stay at this property had absolutely nothing to do with not receiving a Jr. Suite upgrade upon check in and in my view nearly everything to do with the attitude of management at this property (and as I reported earlier once SPG Customer Service completed a protracted investigation of my personal stay, all points were returned to me for the stay and then some).

On top of that, as I recall, every stay at Starwood properties since this hotel has been wonderful for me ... for nearly 4 months now. I even got a message the other day from Guest Relations at an SPG property asking me if I would consider returning to see them again this coming Summer! I can't wait to stay another 50-75+ nights this year in Starwood hotels.

I've moved some of my NY stays back to this hotel after the departure of the W Court and Tuscany. Had two stays booked in January, but just saw that the Parker Meridien is not participating in the first quarter double points promo, so I cancelled those and rebooking at other NY properties. Not sure why this hotel still seems reluctant to fully embrace SPG.

Although doing so hesitantly, staying here Saturday night on points.
Is my first trip to NYC, and I have a huge travel crush on the Parker in Palm Springs, so am hoping that I'll fall in the "love it" half of the reviews. (First night is the Intercontinental on Times Square)

I just got an offer in my inbox
offer code SJPGKCD - Upgrade to one of our tower rooms for a view of central park for only $49 more, or one of our spacious Junior Suites (most of them have huge walk-in showers too) for only $99 more.

Two questions -
* which of these would I be eligible for auto upgrade to as a Platinum?
Although it is a points reservation, I'm almost always upgraded with those at most Starwoods anyway
* are the tower rooms / Junior Suites worth the $$$ to guarantee?

Thanks for the advice.

You'd be eligible for either if they are still available at time of check-in. During my two stays there, I've been upgraded to a park-view room and a city-view (lower floor) Deluxe room. The Deluxe is quite spacious -- especially for NYC. There is something about having a park view, too, of course.

For just 1 night, I would think that the odds are good for an upgrade of some sort. So unless you are set on a guaranteed upgrade or on getting a specific type of upgrade, I'd take chances at check-in.

Their website has photos and very good floorplan diagrams to help you decide. The floorplans also show the square footage of each. Here's the sample room photo that shows a basic park-view room:
http://www.parkermeridien.com/images/img_rooms.jpg

"10% Off" Google Ads rate with SET code 302513. (Link for booking.).

Source page on parkermeridien.com found from a Google Ads ad.