After staying at the St. Regis in both Bal Harbour and the Maldives, I have become a big fan of the brand. I was looking for an opportunity to stay at the original and famous hotel, built to great acclaim in 1904. It was opened by John Jacob Astor, who died on April 15, 1912 on the Titanic – one of the ship’s wealthiest and most famous passengers. Not many hotels in North America have much in the way of history, but this is an exception. The hotel has a timeless elegance which takes you back to the early days of the 20th century when this was a meeting place of New York socialites and the city’s elite.
The cost to stay at the St. Regis New York was $1292/night USD ($1,740 CAD) including tax or 88,000 Bonvoy points.
I opted for the points rate since we had an 85,000-point free night certificate earned from a US American Express card. Thus we only needed to use a 3,000-point top-up in addition to the certificate. Once there we would earn 50% bonus points on incidental charges by being a Platinum Elite Bonvoy member and 5X the points per dollar spent by using my Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card.
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The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for free stays at more than 7,000 hotels around the world is with the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card (and/or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card).
In addition to the great welcome bonus on both cards, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on all purchases and 5 points per dollar at Marriott locations. And each year, you’ll earn a certificate for one free hotel stay (35,000 point value) and 15 Elite nights toward your Marriott Bonvoy status.
The St. Regis New York has an enviable address, located at 5th Avenue and 55th Street in midtown Manhattan. It is just steps away from Central Park, Fifth Avenue shopping, the Museum of Modern Art, and Rockefeller Center. Many midtown attractions are within walking distance, while the rest of the city is easily accessible via subway. The station at 5th Avenue and 53rd Street is 2 blocks away.
LaGuardia airport is 35 minutes away by car, with Newark and JFK being 40-50 minutes. Note this is outside of any traffic delays, and at peak periods it can take much longer than this. Newark also has an express train which will take you to Penn station in Manhattan. This is the best choice if arriving during periods of heavy congestion, from which you can continue to the hotel via subway or a short taxi ride.
The hotel’s main entrance is on the south side of 55th street. There is a limited amount of space due to the fact that there is no separate entrance off the street, but it is a very upscale arrival area complete with the hotel’s historic façade, and touches of brass and a red carpet at each door which is kept meticulously clean. We arrived on foot from the Conrad Midtown hotel a few blocks away, and were met by a friendly valet who promptly welcomed us to the property and took our luggage for us.
The moment you enter the lobby, your are instantly transported to the highest levels of early 20th century glamour. Accents of marble, brass, and gold prevail throughout, and the area is filled with beautiful decorations and lighting: multiple crystal chandeliers, a gorgeous ceiling painting, fresh flowers, and antiques such as a grandfather clock and a vintage letter mail box. Even the stairs are a work of art.
We arrived several hours before check-in time since we were transferring between hotels, so our room wasn’t ready yet. The friendly front desk agent took our details and said she would call us when our room was ready. We then proceeded to tour around the area on foot and have a late lunch. We returned to the hotel before being called. It was still a few minutes before check-in time so I don’t believe our intended room was ready yet, however the front desk staff found us another room that we could check into right away. We received a two-category upgrade to the Grand Luxe room on account of our Platinum status. We were given the keys and told our luggage would be brought up to our room for us. We only had a small amount with us and could have taken it ourselves, but hey this is the St. Regis! The very act of a guest carrying their own luggage to their room I believe is unthinkable. 😉
Unfortunately at the time of our stay, the restaurant and bar were closed for renovations. I had hoped to have a famous St. Regis breakfast and evening cocktail at the property, but that wouldn’t be possible this time. In lieu of the Platinum breakfast benefit, only the paltry bonus points were available as a welcome amenity.
We proceeded up the elevators to the 15th floor and down the beautiful guest corridors. I once again admired the vintage stairs. Just so…much…marble!
Like the lobby, the room itself was a visual feast. It opened with a foyer with a large closet which included an extra bathrobe and the room safe. The St. Regis logo was prevalent throughout, including even on the ventilation system.
The main area had an incredibly comfortable king-size bed, gorgeous light fixtures, a working desk, sitting area, mirrored wall, all filled with old-world charm. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
There was ample storage space, as well as a mini-bar and high-end bar amenities.
The bathroom was just perfection. Double sinks and separated bath and shower with brass fixtures, another bathrobe along with plush towels and spa amenities, and even an anti-fog mirror with built-in TV. And the marble train continued its journey through here in full force!
The 15th floor gave the standard New York view of more buildings…..
The room also featured the tech that St. Regis is known for to have all the room controls at your fingertips.
Unfortunately since the King Cole restaurant and bar were both under renovation, our only option for a St. Regis breakfast was room service. It was unfortunate that the hotel did not grant this as a perk of Platinum status considering it was the only option.
And my goodness the in-room dining menu prices are something to behold. As a fan of luxury properties, and having spent time both in New York and at the St. Regis in the Maldives before, I’m fully accustomed to the sometimes eye-popping levels of prices that hotels seem to fabricate out of thin air. But this was just really pushing the envelope. I had a plate of eggs benedict and my wife had a simple granola with some fruit on it. The bill for this was $100 USD ($135 CAD). We also received complimentary tea since that is a feature of the provided butler service.
A number of years ago, there was a Canadian politician named Bev Oda who got in hot water since some of her high travel expenses came to light, including glasses of orange juice which cost $16. Well, at this hotel they were $25 per glass once you factored in taxes and tip. And this isn’t some special freshly-squeezed orange juice, this is just regular stuff out of the carton that you can buy for $5 for a large bottle at the grocery store. So Bev, eat (or drink?) your heart out!
Nevertheless, no St. Regis experience would be complete without it, so we still ordered despite knowing the costs. And I can report that it was served with all the usual style you would expect and was delicious. And as it happened, the room service associate who delivered our food was quite chatty and we discussed the ongoing hotel renovations and the in-room dining in general. He noticed we didn’t have any juice and offered to bring some up to us complimentary. So we did in fact get to have it without a $50 additional bill for it, and overall did have very good service in our room.
If you have drinks at your hotel’s bars and restaurants, don’t forget to charge these expenses to your room bill, earning up to 17.5 points per dollar based on your Marriott Bonvoy status!
When you check out, pay with your Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card to earn 5 points per dollar!
The hotel has a pretty solid athletic club featuring ARTIS equipment by Technogym. It is open 24 hours a day, and there is an attendant on call. There is also chilled towels, fruit, bottled water, and earphones provided.
There is a complimentary house car available on a first-come, first-serve basis. It cannot be reserved in advance. I have heard in the past that this was a Bentley, however for us on this occasion it was a striking black Mercedes. We were able to get a very nice ride to the Broadway district where we would be enjoying an evening of theater. It was a very stylish way to get there! The car is available to take guests anywhere they’d like within a 10-block radius of the hotel, and is a very nice addition to the service.
No stay at the St. Regis would be complete without making use of the butler services provided. The standard complimentary services include:
Of these, we only used the tea service, but had it delivered at the same time as our breakfast. The butler team is also happy to help with other requests. In the evening before getting back to the hotel, I requested via the Marriott app on my phone for a hot bubble bath be drawn up for my wife. When we got back to the room, full turndown service had been performed, along with a perfectly prepared hot bubble bath.
In addition, it also came along with a nice bottle of sparkling wine and chocolate-covered strawberries! Now I had contacted before arrival to mention that it was her birthday, so I imagine this was a combination of a welcome amenity/birthday surprise along with a terrific turndown service. There wasn’t an opportunity to do this before since we arrived at the hotel early so didn’t have a previously-prepared room. We then left soon after for our evening activities. So we were very happy to have both the bedroom and bathroom prepared for the night along with this nice surprise.
We had a short but wonderful stay at the St. Regis New York. I do love old-world charm when it’s done properly, and that is definitively the case here. The rooms are luxurious but feature all the modern technology you could want.
The staff are friendly and they are available to offer any service you could want to ensure your stay is, in St. Regis terms, as exquisite as can be.
Would I pay $1,300 USD+ to stay here? No, and nor would I for any hotel in New York. Let’s face it, in this city you just don’t spend that much time in your hotel. So it’s best to find a solid, comfortable place in a convenient location for where you want to be that fits in your budget.
But if you have the points for it, and particularly using a free night certificate, then I would say this is an excellent use of them for a night or two on a special occasion. The hotel is absolutely beautiful, perfectly located, with wonderful staff. It has a magical feel to it beyond most other hotels you will find in the area. I will definitively return another time, when the renovations are complete so we can try the King Cole restaurant and bar on the next visit.
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