As part of a professional conference in the American business capital, I had to make a short visit to the Big Apple.
Booking
I booked this hotel about 3 months before my arrival, using the Marriott Bonvoy app.
For this stay, and given that my Ambassador requalification in the eponymous loyalty program is assured, I used points for this purpose.
And even in points, the number that’s asked for isn’t sweet at all, close to 110,000 points a night. But it’s still better than the $1,500 per night charged on a cash stay.
Arrival
Following the advice of my Ambassador Marriott, I did not proceed with the online check-in formalities prior to my arrival at the hotel.
The day before my arrival, I saw that I was upgraded to a Manhattan room, a Junior Suite with a beautiful view of Manhattan.
A few hours before my arrival, I noticed a much larger upgrade to a Liberty Suite, one of the highest categories.
From JFK, where my flight from Boston arrived, I took the AirTrain to Jamaica, then the LIRR to Penn station, less than a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
I arrived at the hotel shortly after 4pm and was immediately attended to by a receptionist. She proceeded with the check-in formalities, including taking a credit card hold, and confirmed my upgrade to the Liberty Suite while offering me a glass of Prosecco, which I declined.
She then took me to the elevators, introducing me to the various food and beverage outlets. Very professional and not too intrusive.
Suite
The suite was located on the 33rd floor of the property.
The entrance led to a corridor, which also included a shower room. Strangely enough, the closet in this hallway did not allow hangers, so there was no place to store your coat.
The entrance led straight into the living room, and the first thing that struck me was the absolutely extraordinary, completely unobstructed view of lower Manhattan. Probably the best view I’ve ever had in New York, far superior to the excellent one from the EDITION.
The living room was elegantly decorated, with a large sofa and coffee table, facing a large TV.
Next to the large bay window was a dining table, which I used as a desk.
The living room was separated from the bedroom by a sliding door.
The latter was of a very nice size.
In front of the bay window were two armchairs facing the very comfortable king-size bed flanked by two bedside tables.
To the left of the bed was the pathway to the bathroom, with a large closet for unpacking a week’s belongings.
A sliding door separated the sleeping area from the large bathroom, which hqd a bathtub and shower, as well as a separate toilet.
All in very good taste.
Finally, here is the video tour:
Hotel facilities
The hotel is equipped with a gym and spa, co-located on the second floor of the property. Unfortunately, I did not use the spa during my stay.
Gym
I used the gym on both mornings of my stay. Unfortunately, it’s blind and quite small. I did not have access to the machines I normally use. Nevertheless, the equipment was of excellent quality, and bottles of fresh or room-temperature water were provided.
Catering
The hotel has several food and beverage outlets throughout.
The Bazaar by José Andrés – Dinner
For my first night at the hotel, I booked a table with the concierge at The Bazaar, the hotel’s signature restaurant located on the second floor of the property.
I arrived a few minutes before my reservation time and was immediately seated at my table, a beautiful corner table with an unobstructed view of the room.
The hostess was charming and welcomes me to my table.
To start, I ordered a superb Japanese whisky aged in oak casks.
For dinner, it was a mix of raw fish and wagyu beef, which was excellent.
I topped it off with a small portion of Jamon iberico, which was also excellent.
The Wagyu beef sushi was also perfect.
All in all, an excellent evening.
I dined there again on the second evening, and I have to say I was impressed by the service: I was welcomed like a king by the head waiter, who looked after me throughout the meal.
The waiter remembered exactly the whisky ordered.
This time, as an aperitif, I had a Whisky-based cocktail, the Leatherette, which was excellent, a kind of old fashioned revisited.
For dinner, I had a shrimp tortilla, tuna empanadas and surf & turf yakitori.
Then, the tortilla was very original but very fragile.
The tuna empanadas were excellent, but I was no longer hungry.
The surf & turf yakitori: I never had anything so good, cooked to perfection.
Finally, a gift from the chef, the salmonetta, a kind of very fine sashimi.
Zaytinya – Breakfast
On both mornings of my stay, I had breakfast at Zaytinya.
The decor is very well done, reflecting the Greek-Lebanese orientation of the place.
The breakfast menu also reflects this orientation.
On my first morning, in addition to an espresso, I had eggs Benedict, but the smoked salmon was literally forgotten! But I had no time to wait for my dish to be made again.
Zaytinya – Lunch
On one of the days, I returned to the hotel in the middle of the day and chose to have lunch at the ground-floor restaurant.
I quickly made my reservation online, then went downstairs to settle in.
The welcome was very pleasant and I was seated at a table.
The service was really long, and my order taken after a good quarter of an hour.
Room Service – Breakfast
For my second morning at the hotel, I used the room service breakfast order card.
I ordered French toast, with a service slot between 7.15 and 7.30.
At 7.15 sharp, the room service waitress rang and placed my breakfast tray on the dining table in the lounge.
Se was smiling and cheerful, making small talk with me as she served.
The French toast was good, but exceptional. And almost $40 is still really overpriced, even with the extraordinary view from my suite.
Service
Clearly, the service was a notch above any hotel in the Big Apple. However, there were a few hiccups, such as the wait in the restaurant during my lunch, which is not acceptable when half the room is empty.
Departure
Departure formalities were straightforward and carried out with a smile.
Bottom line
An excellent New York experience. With a real effort to live up to the brand’s reputation, almost reconciling me with the American hotel business.
Itinerary
For your information, here’s the itinerary I followed:
| # | Type | Post |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lounge | American Airlines Admirals Club, Boston Logan (not reported, find review here) |
| 2 | Flight | American Airlines Domestic First, Boston Logan – New-York JFK, Embraer 175 (unreported) |
| 3 | Hotel | The Ritz-Carlton NoMad, New-York |
| 4 | Lounge | American Airlines & British Airways Soho Lounge, New-York JFK T8 (not reported) |
| 5 | Flight | American Airlines Domestic First, New-York JFK – Boston Logan, Embraer 175 (not reported) |
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