Le Meridien New York, Fifth Avenue

The staff at the door, desk, bar, and restaurant were genuinely lovely, especially the cheerful doormen and a new bartender who worked nearly every night during my Jan 11-17 stay. The restaurant food was great, and I liked the little appetizers the chef brought with the meal. They also gave us $20 coupons each day for the restaurant. The room made the long stay hard, though. Coffee pods, cream, and stirrers weren’t replenished. After two days I called, and they brought some up, but still left out items I’d specifically requested. That happened again on a separate occasion. Maybe housekeeping needs better pay. The room was noisy, with doors slamming at night, and a faulty closet light across from the bed kept switching on all night. I asked them to unplug it, but they never did. There wasn’t a proper work desk either, just a tall stool and narrow console table, which felt lacking for a Midtown hotel. I paid a lot for a long stay, and the service fell short enough that I don’t think I’d return.

The room was comfortable enough and I slept well, though the pillows were very flat, if manageable. It was small, as you’d expect in Manhattan, and there wasn’t a proper desk area for working. I also found the faucet very wobbly and the shower conditioner container was broken. Le Meridien Manhattan is clean and well located. Most of the staff were welcoming, which made check-in and the stay pleasant. The attached bar and restaurant were decent and handy after a long day in the city. A solid stay overall, though some room details need attention.

Barry at the front door really made our stay. He greeted guests by name, was always smiling and kind, and helped us figure out the best way to get from one place to another. He noticed we didn’t have an umbrella when rain was expected and sent us off with a couple. We needed them within minutes. We also watched him give that same level of care to everyone. The hotel is well placed for walking to Herald Square, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square. Barry’s warmth made us feel like we were at the Ritz Carlton, and I’d gladly recommend the hotel and come back because of him.

I called the hotel after checkout about a $250 smoking fee on my invoice. I was sure it was a mistake, but the assistant manager said the fire alarm had gone off because of smoking. I was astonished. I’m a 35 year old professional woman and would never smoke in a hotel room. No alarm went off during our stay. I said that if anything, the space heaters running all night could have triggered it. A smoking smell would have been noticed by housekeeping, room service, our neighbors, or anyone in the hall. He wouldn’t remove the charge, and they had never made up for the freezing night without heat. A terrible experience for ONE NIGHT in NYC. I’ll never stay there again. When we arrived around 7:30pm after a late flight, the room thermostat read 48 degrees and the heat wasn’t working. We told the front desk on our way out to dinner. Back at 3am, we found two space heaters outside the door. I had to sleep with one inches from my face to avoid getting sick, and I was still cold. There was no real apology or other accommodation. The next day, we asked three times for towels and room service, then waited 35 minutes. The breakfast order was wrong even though the phone agent had repeated it back correctly. By then we were tired, annoyed, and ready to leave. The lobby was nice and the room looked fine at first, but that didn’t last.