Of all the places on our recent trip to NYC, this was the toughest to review. My wife and I recently stayed 8 nights here at the end of May, for our honeymoon. Overall it was an excellent experience, and I have lots of good things to say about it, and a few criticisms as well.
My favourite thing about the hotel is the location - it was so wonderful being in this exclusive area of NYC, somehow right next to Park Ave, and yet somehow rather quiet. The people that live in Gramercy Park are very fortunate.
We also loved the decoration of the hotel, and especially our room. (909). We were up high enough that there was never an issue with noise. We found the bed and the room to be extremely comfortable and slept quite well. I personally loved the original photography and furniture. The reviewers who said the hotel is very dark are all correct - the difference is that it didn't bother me. I loved the deep red walls and plush furnishings, and found the dark wood in the bathroom to be very tasteful. The mini bar was stocked with items ready for a party, with full bottles of gin, patron, and even a selection of wines. Holy moly.
We took advantage of both the rooftop terrace (for two breakfasts) and Maialino, the delicious Italian restaurant downstairs. Maialino especially should not be missed.
What challenges me about this hotel is judging if it was a good value or not. It's hard to say, seeing as we could have stayed at other very reputable locations and paid a lot less - (eight nights here adds up quickly). We chose the location specifically because of the location, art, history, and decor, to which all of it was great, which is why I have given the hotel four stars.
Because it was our honeymoon, I emailed in advance to let the staff know. I also let them know upon check-in that this was our honeymoon. I believe personalized welcome/thank you note, or fresh flowers, or a bottle of wine would be something that most other hotels of this calibre would provide. I believe it's a mistake on the hotels part to not do things like this for special events. If the management reads this, please take the suggestion - just leaving a handwritten note with a few chocolates makes a big difference when you know the couple chose your location for a honeymoon.
I thought that I had a moment great service when the day before checkout we received a call asking if our stay was satisfactory (it really was great), and if we needed them to arrange a towncar for us. "Yes, that would be great!" I gave them the times of our flight, and they said they'd call back with the time our towncar would arrive. Fifteen minutes later they called back to say everything would be arranged and that the cost of the towncar is $180.
"Hold up! This is over double what it costs to get to the airport."
"This is the rate we've negotiated with the towncar service."
"Well please cancel it - I can make the call myself."
After taxes, tip, and tolls, it cost us $80 to get to the airport. It's really not good service if it costs you $100 for them to make a phone call on your behalf.
I would probably give the hotel 3 and a half stars if it was an option, but we really did enjoy the hotel, and the location, and it was a wonderful honeymoon all the same.
