As part of the SPG Amex Stars program I participate in, I recently stayed at the St. Regis New York City. This is an iconic, 110 year old hotel which just underwent a 90 million dollar renovation. This is a Category 7 SPG property, meaning free nights here ordinarily cost 30,000 Starpoints per night. However,…
Continue reading: St. Regis New York Review
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While I agree that older hotels aren't necessarily my style, this is, bar none, my favorite hotel in the US (and a top 5 in the world).
Classy without being antiquey. Great service without being overbearing. Location can't be beat. Lots of history.
A 10/10 in my book.
Had similar experience about two years ago. Stayed for five nights in early December. At check-in, I knew there was a suite available on the internet so when I was told I was upgraded to a Grand Deluxe, I politely mentioned that the website is advertising a suite and if it is available, I would be grateful. She must have taken 5 minutes playing with the keyboard and finally said the people are checking out now and they can call me when the room is available. Took about an hour to get the call and we returned.
I was blown away by the Madison Suite - two full baths, etc. As amazing as any upgrade we've ever had (with the possible exception of the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok but that's another story!).
Like you, it takes a lot for me to redeem that much and not because I don't have them - I just feel more secure when there are lots of Starpoints in my acct. That said, we used them for the St Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico in March and are returning there next February. Look forward to returning to the St Regis but I imagine we'll first check out the new Park Hyatt NY when it opens.
"Could I ever imagine paying the $700+ per night rates at the St. Regis? Heck no..."
I'm not against paying $700+ per room per night for a splurge but it had better be something truly amazing to command that kind of money. The St Regis hotel seems nice enough but nothing I saw in this review impressed me nearly enough to fork over that kind of money. In addition to a straight pass/fail on the cash cost I'm curious what level of money you would consider a good value if they happened to have a sale the next time Wall Street tanks the economy?
@ Dax -- Well keep in mind that $700+ per night is actually really reasonably by five star New York standards. For example, I think this hotel is objectively MUCH nicer than the Ritz-Carlton Central Park, where rates start at $800+ per night. So you're paying for the name and location, really.
Observing the other guests, it sure seemed like I was one of the only American guests -- most were Russian or Middle Eastern, where $700+ per night is nothing. But that's the beauty of points, they allow us to stay at properties like these as well.
It's tough to say how much cash I would spend to stay here, since I'm not in a financial situation to regularly drop that kind of cash. Ultimately if the economy tanked and prices were cut in half, I'd probably consider other economical Starwood options as well. So that's tough to say...
Lucky,
I'm totally with you on not being enamored by the "old world" hotels. An example that comes to mind is the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco. I'm sure at one point it was a great hotel, but it is just so far past its prime that I would never go back.
The St. Regis definitely looks nicely refinished!
Lucky,
"A vast majority of my travel is self-funded, "
how do you do all these travel with self funds? 🙂 Oh I forgot.. You are "Lucky"
Endre
I stayed there probley over 5 times and I love that hotel. When I am there I usually stay in the Resedence club so the rooms are a bit different. Where is the new reception area because when I will there in the middle of June they still had one desk by the entrence ? Also are you going to post a review of the Breakers Palm Beach that you stayed at?
"Eons ago my dad used to be in the banking business in New York, and if I had a dollar for every story he had told me over the years about the King Cole Bar, I would’ve retired by now. 😉 "
You survived za Zherman accents?
Lucky- Great review as always. In my next life I think I want to come back as you!
As I live in New York, I've never stayed in any NYC hotels but have checked out rooms at the St. Regis. I was impressed but not blown away, and I preferred those of the Peninsula across the street. How would you compare the two hotels?
Another thing I think you should be explicitly lauded for is for your transparency with respect to any potential financial disclosures / conflicts of interest. It is something we think would be taken for granted but lots of people, especially in the travel profession, don't seem to take that seriously.
@ digital01 -- Totally agree. When I think of "shabby chic," the Mark Hopkins is actually the first hotel that comes to mind.
@ endre -- Hah, more accurately I should say it's not funded by any airline/hotel. Ultimately I make a living through this blog, so it's you guys that are funding it. Thanks! 🙂
@ Ted -- Didn't see a desk by the entrance. Do plan on posting a review of the Breakers -- thanks for your interest!
@ Troy -- Yep, which is one of the crazier things I've done, though it was for my mom's 60th birthday, which is why. Ultimately IF I were to spend a ton of money on a hotel it's much more likely to be a resort, where I'll actually spend close to 24 hours per day "on property." Meanwhile when in cities I don't spend as much time in the hotel, so don't get as much value out of it.
@ Adi_T -- It does amaze me how many people don't disclose comped stays/travel, so it's the least I can do (both legally and ethically). I haven't stayed at the Peninsula, so can't comment on it, unfortunately. Sadly there are no good ways to redeem points for stays there.
My understanding is that the St. Regis is the most expense hotel in NYC until the Park Hyatt opens next month.
Will I beat you there for the first review? I'm there the second week in September.
Lucky, one of the things about the blog design I dislike is that the "related" articles at the bottom of a post clearly have no date filtering on them. And if I were using a device that didn't have "hover" options, I wouldn't even know that 2 of these "related" articles are from 2012. I don't know how hard it would be to fix that, but I don't think a post from 2012 about a long-gone Starwood points giveaway is actually related content. This basically means I never click on the "related" content because I expect it to be vastly out of date.
So, there was this guy named Oliver staying at the St. Regis New York who had a $1k bespoke suit jacket ruined by the laundry staff... oh wait different... 😉
@ Lisa -- I appreciate the feedback, and it's certainly something I'm looking into. I'm giving the new blog a few weeks to test itself out, and then may make some tweaks. The "related articles" section apparently over time has a "smart feature" whereby it will display more relevant articles based on what people click. Trying to see if that becomes the case. Thanks for the patience.
@ Ginny -- I think I tipped $5 for coffee/tea. Didn't really use any other services.
The St. Regis NYC was night 1 of my honeymoon (before we flew out of JFK the next day), back in 2011. Used an SPG50. We were upgraded to a Fifth Avenue Suite (very similar-looking to yours). I wish I had known just how awesome it would be in advance so that I could have called all my friends in NYC to come over and have a party 🙂
I give it 10/10 and has to be in my top 5 worldwide. It is a wonderful way to spend the weekend in NYC with your wife. Treat yourself and use a Platinum upgrade, you will be glad you did.
One other tip, use the concierge. If he sends you somewhere they will seat you immediately and at the best table. They also treat you like a king (and brought free appetizers at several restaurants), those guys pull a lot of weight!
Lucky,
fabulous report, as always.
I always wondered about the mini bars....
1. Do you ever use them?
2. Can you still play the old trick and buy a warm bottle of beer from the store drown the road and switch it out with a nice cold one from the bar?
3. How do they keep track of what you have consumed from the bar? Do the housekeeping staff check to see what you have taken over the previous night? If yes, what do they do if you decline housekeeping?
Keep the posts coming!
Joe
@ Joe -- Thanks! Don't usually use the minibar unless it's late at night and I'm really thirsty. Only other time I've used it is at InterContinental hotels when I was a Royal Ambassador member, as complimentary minibar beverages was a benefit. Hotels with minibars usually have an attendant that comes by to refill them every day. Otherwise some have sensors, so if you move anything you'll automatically be charged.
Assuming it's exactly the same beverage/bottling, it may be possible to do that...
@ digital01
I completely agree with you about the Mark Hopkins.
A number of years ago I had a project that had me commuting every week from the US east coast to San Francisco. My "home base" was to be the Mark Hopkins for six months to a year. After two weeks/two stays I said "forget it" and just moved into a corporate apartment near Union Square. While it was nice seeing the fog roll onto the top of Nob Hill for a spell, the Mark Hopkins just made me...depressed, for lack of a better word.
Another example is The Drake in Chicago; great history, great views from many rooms, but simply run down and only touch-and-go service.
That said, I'll still go out of my way to stay at some of the older historic hotels, but that's more on account of I love the historical elements of them (e.g., Carrera Hotel in Santiago) or the views (Carrera again, just as an example).
@ Joe,
Some hotels have a minibar whereby you're charged the instant the item is removed (some Westins have this "feature").
What I'll sometimes do is have housekeeping remove the contents of the minibar so I can use the fridge the way I see fit - I do this at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, for example. It's not that I'm cheap, but it's because I'm not stupid - there's a Walgreen's right across the street where I can stock up on soda, milk, snacks, etc.
I love staying here,
when I come to NY it's old world and NY at its best, my wife however is not a fan she feels it's a bit over the top with butler service. So I most often stay when I'm on my own. Wish we had this in Australia, but then it would not be New York.
Wayne
@ Lucky: " It does amaze me how many people don’t disclose comped stays/travel, so it’s the least I can do (both legally and ethically)"
Yes, it amazes me too. I know it's ethically wrong, but is it actually illegal to do so? I think that reviewers should be required to disclose if they are receiving any financial or other incentives, though I understand that can be hard to monitor, let alone enforce.
@TravelinWily:
What I’ll sometimes do is have housekeeping remove the contents of the minibar so I can use the fridge the way I see fit – I do this at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, for example. It’s not that I’m cheap, but it’s because I’m not stupid – there’s a Walgreen’s right across the street where I can stock up on soda, milk, snacks, etc."
Do they allow you to do that? I'm surprised. My preferred option is where they just have a fridge you can stock up yourself (I've stayed at a couple of Intercontinentals and Hiltons where that's been the case) though that's not as lucrative for the hotel.
@ Lucky - slightly better bathroom situation than GH NY 😉 BTW, do I recall correctly that a hotel doesn't know you are doing it as part of Amex Stars program? You pay for stay yourself and then Amex reimburses you or something like that, right?
Cool looking property in a historic building.. agree though, the cash prices (and even points) are too high for me. Plus the breakfast menu.. $42 for the American Breakfast? Wow.
I see your ageist attitudes toward people applies to hotels as well. You millennials are so obsessed with "style"... it just confirms your superficiality. Did you work out longer than your normal two hours in order to compensate for the chocolate consumption?
Love the NYC St Regis! We stayed here for two nights a few weeks before you visited - I thought the room, bed, and the bathroom were all fabulous and the service was very attentive. We were there with my two small children so we had two rooms across the hall from each other – so it was very convenient. The property definitely has a "smaller hotel" feel to it vs some of the larger SPG and Hyatt NYC properties - and the location can't be beat. My company has negotiated a significantly reduced rate so we were able to stay at a fraction of the normal rack rate... so it was definitely worth it to stay here! We are hoping to head to the St Regis Bahia Beach next.
Endre---You're a fruit. What difference does it make where he got the money from? It doesn't make you any better anyways.
Do all St. Regis hotels offer (complimentary tea/coffee, packing/unpacking, free shoe shine)?
Will remember that when I go stay at St. Regis Osaka.