The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria

The Waldorf is beautiful, but at this price I expected a more polished stay. The room let us down too: the windows were small, and the water pressure was so weak we wondered whether the shower head was broken. Service felt under-trained. We were directed to a museum across town that turned out to be closed, taken to our room by the wrong elevator, and had a staff member enter without knocking. None of those things alone was a dealbreaker, but together they stood out. Is it the best Waldorf we’ve stayed in, or the best hotel in New York? No to both. I’d suggest stopping in to see the lobby and take a few photos, then going back to the Park Hyatt. Our previous stay there felt perfect, especially going up to a room with a bath in front of a floor-to-ceiling window. There are other luxury hotels in midtown to choose from.

For Mother’s Day, I treated my mom and myself to the spa. It’s beautiful, the amenities feel luxurious, and the services were great. What stood out most was the care from the staff: when I called about a small billing issue, they sorted it out impeccably. As a business owner, I know that takes both good training and choosing the right people. Thank you to spa supervisor Lyndsay (Lindsey?). I’m reviewing the spa and customer experience, though I hope to come back for a stay. I’d never seen the hotel before its renovation, and the result took my breath away. It may be the most gorgeous hotel I’ve ever been in. The service also really is five star. I’ve stayed at Ritz Carlton hotels and taken their service courses, but experienced lukewarm, even discourteous, treatment there despite all the talk about customer service. At the Waldorf, the service matched the promise.

The elevators are one of the few things that still feel authentic. The rooms, though, have the look of an upscale Holiday Inn, and the corridor doors use plastic-looking wood that misses the warmth it seems to be aiming for. The friendly staff mean well, but the scripted training shows, especially with guests who have stayed at a lot of places. You can see them doing their best, even if the choreography is noticeable. They’ve taken what used to be a genuinely lovely lobby and made it a breakfast room and multipurpose space, with music that doesn’t quite fit. The whole design leans toward theme-park opulence, earnest grandeur that feels theatrical instead of refined. If you’re visiting from out of town, it’s a perfectly good version of the Waldorf as a theme park. Otherwise, the atmosphere may feel a little meretricious. The hotel seems more convinced by its performance than I was.

Peacock Alley was a highlight, with live music, the big clock, and grand piano setting the mood. We loved the Devil’s Martini, a special edition for The Devil Wears Prada, which was partly filmed here, and the wine list, especially the Brunello. They even surprised me with red velvet cake made at the hotel. Earlier, tea at Yoshoku was unique and just right, not too sugary, with dishes and ingredients I hadn’t tried at another tea. We celebrated my 30th birthday with a staycation. My partner arranged room decorations through a service the concierge helped him hire, and the hotel also gave us champagne and chocolate mousse cake. Everyone we met remembered us and my birthday, and made the occasion feel special. I think we were upgraded to a junior suite, which was very spacious. The hospitality felt personal, with attention to the little details. I won’t forget this stay and hope to return.