Review: St. Regis New York | Marriott Bonvoy

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 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!

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.

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:

• Coffee or tea service in your room: This can be asked for anytime. If you wish, they can delivery this after your morning wake-up call and will also draw your shades, and bring you the day’s newspaper and weather forecast.
• Unpacking & Packing Services: Have the butler unpack your belongings and store your luggage so you can settle in for your stay. Before departing, they wil assist with folding all your garments to pack.
• Garment Pressing: Up to two garments per person, per day.

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.

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