Gramercy Park Hotel — Hotel Review Rating: 5.0 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reviewer: John P.
Updated: May 12, 2010

 Scene

Was that Sting? "I'm good with faces," says an Australian shooting pool in the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel. "And that was Sting." That's all the confirmation I could get for my celebrity sighting -- staff at the hotel are forced to sign confidentiality agreements, so they're no help -- and it's so uncool to start asking questions anyway.

Even in a recession, people are clamoring to drink $18 cocktails and be part of this celebrity-studded scene. One would expect no less from Ian Schrager, the architect of culture who brought the world Studio 54 in the '70s and practically invented the hipster boutique hotel in the '80s and '90s.

The hotel itself was built in 1925 and is steeped in bohemian history. (Humphrey Bogart got married here and the bar was a favorite haunt for Babe Ruth.) In 2006, having recruited the artist and filmmakerJulian Schnabel as interior designer, Schrager reopened the Gramercy Park Hotel, offering a redesign heavy on velvet, old-world goods -- like the matador's jacket in the lobby -- and world-class art. (Warhols litter the top floor, and Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring pieces seem almost casually placed.)

But this place isn't just about the lounge scene; it takes its other responsibilities seriously as well. The rooms are luxurious, handsomely designed, and state-of-the-art. The business center has 24-hour secretarial staffing and enough equipment to support a modest business titan in a pinch. And the fitness center has new gear and dynamite views of Gramercy Park across the street.

All this comes at a very high price, of course. But for those looking to place themselves in the center of cool, the Gramercy Park Hotel is currently the place to stay in New York.

 Service

The Gramercy Park Hotel is staffed by young, attractive types no doubt selected to blend with the glittery clientele. Indeed, they casually interact with guests, yet also manage to be very professional and attentive.

I arrived 10 minutes before check-in and found a small line at the front desk. The fire in the oversize fireplace was crackling and the lobby smelled like wood smoke. (I later learned the scent came from a candle that was designed by Le Labo especially for the hotel -- and is available in the minibars for a mere $150.) A front-desk clerk soon offered to bump me up to a loft room from a superior room if I was willing to wait. I was, so a call was made to housekeeping ordering a rush on the room. Meanwhile, I headed for the roof-deck lounge and had a drink in my hand within seconds. Just a few minutes later the front-desk staff called me on my cell phone to say my room was ready. My key was soon delivered, and a luggage porter brought my bags to my room.

In other words, the service is fast, thorough, and seamless.

During my stay I made numerous requests of the staff and each time they were answered efficiently and with casual friendliness. For instance, I called the front desk to request a loaner iPod -- a special and much-appreciated amenity. The iPod, packed with great playlists, arrived at my room in four minutes. A toothpaste delivery took just under 10. When I ordered room service, the woman who answered the phone knew the menu well and made recommendations. My flatbread pizza arrived in 20 minutes. I also asked the staff to let me into the private, gated Gramercy Park across the street, and they happily walked me over.

Service lagged a bit at the Roof Club during breakfast -- my order was mixed up and my server briefly went AWOL -- but that was my only minor quibble. Maybe the changing economy is forcing the hotel to encourage more warmth among the staff, or maybe after almost three years in business the hotel has ironed out the wrinkles, but I disagree with the TripAdvisor TripAdvisor reviewers who complained about cold, pretentious staff members.

 Location

The Gramercy Park Hotel sits on a quiet block of Lexington Avenue just before the street runs into private (meaning locked) and beautifully manicured Gramercy Park. Many of the hotel's rooms look out on Gramercy Park itself, which is easily the dominant feature of the neighborhood that is named after it. Only those who live on the park -- and hotel guests -- are allowed access, so it's lightly trafficked.

Gramercy Park (the neighborhood) is mostly high-end residential and generally lacking in popular tourist attractions. That said, it's a five-minute walk to Union Square, site of the city's premier farmers market and a major subway hub. A few minutes beyond that is Washington Square and all of Greenwich Village.

Cabs are pretty easy to flag down in front of the hotel, and doormen are happy to help flag them. Park Avenue, which has more shops and services, is one block west. Third Avenue, one block east, has lots of bars and restaurants and more nightlife.

At night, a small herd of paparazzi gather outside the Gramercy Park Hotel waiting for the glitterati to make an entrance to the Rose Room. But during the day the block is quiet.

 Airport Transportation

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 plus tolls and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. (More information on the shuttles can be found here and here.) Public transit is also available for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and can involve a lot of lugging bags up and down subway stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

 Rooms

Handsome. Old-world. Bohemian-chic. These are all words that come to mind to describe the rooms at the Gramercy.

I was bumped up from a superior room (220 to 275 square feet) to a loft room (370 to 440 square feet) for no extra charge. (Oyster reporters are undercover, so I know I wasn't getting special treatment.) I definitely recommend the rooms along the Lexington Avenue or Gramercy Park sides of the building. Others are just as nice and big -- some bigger -- but a park view is worth fighting for. (The Park Avenue suites are significantly larger and have fantastic views of the park, and prices to match.)

The king beds are, in my experience, as comfortable as beds can get, with pillow-top mattresses, luxuriously heavy comforters, and velvet throw blankets, a Gramercy Park Hotel signature.

A really unique feature is something the hotel calls an "English Drinking Cabinet"; I'd call it a flip-down bar. It comes with a mini iPod stereo -- loaner iPods are available from the front desk and come loaded with great playlists like vintage soul, jazz standards, future sounds, world music, hip-hop, and love music -- fancy glassware, tons of munchies, an intimacy kit, T-shirts, candles, and shaving products. (Needless to say, it's all very expensive.)

No cookie-cutter bathrooms here. The vanity area is open to the bedroom but can be closed off by French doors. The toilet and shower/tub each have their own walled-off areas. A window and a tiled seat in the shower, and the giant soaking tub, are particularly nice touches.

The toiletries -- including ginger soymilk hair wash and shea rice-milk conditioner from Hamadi, as well as Lather exfoliating body soap with oatmeal -- have been selected by the editors of Allure magazine. The shower is so powerful that the drain has a hard time keeping up.

 Family

An excellent choice for parents with big budgets and a desire to make the scene while the kids are safely sleeping upstairs. Double rooms are available and some rooms, like the deluxe loft, have pull-out couches. Cribs and rollaways are free upon request and will fit into most standard rooms. Child-appropriate DVDs are available at the front desk. And one mother I spoke with said the hotel booked a really wonderful babysitter whom she planned to use again the next night.

Plus, how often will your kid get an opportunity to run around in a "private" park?

 Features

The clean, up-to-date gym features four new cardio machines (with great views of the park), new free weights, a punching bag, free mini-bottles of Poland Spring water, and plenty of towels. Personal trainers are available by appointment.

The Aerospa is connected to the fitness center and offers a full range of spa services. An hour-long, deep-tissue massage is $173 plus tax and tip. Facials are $180.

Last but not least, the business center is unusually well equipped (and staffed) with a 24-hour, multilingual secretarial staff, video-conferencing, audiovisual equipment, and conference facilities for up to 50 people.

In-room Wi-Fi is available for $15 per day.

 Cleanliness

Staff members seem to be constantly sweeping, cleaning, arranging magazines, and just generally tidying up.

 Food

The tasty food at Maialino is authentically Roman, not to be confused with the basic pizza-and-pasta Italian food so often found in New York. For example, antipasti here include fried artichokes, suckling pig's foot, and tripe with pecorino and mint. The atmosphere is casual but stylish, with checkered table cloths, exposed beams on the ceiling, and marble-topped stations offering bread and salumi.

Maialino is open for breakfast (entrees $4-$13), lunch (entrees $9-$24), and dinner (entreees $13-$34). Brunch is served on the weekends from 10 A.M. until 2 P.M.

Food is also served at the Private Roof Club (for all three meals), the Rose Bar (lunch and late night), and the Jade Bar (lunch). I had breakfast at the Roof Club, where the spread included eggs, bacon, bagels, fruit, and pastries. Service was lagging but the atmosphere of the sun-drenched roof deck more than made up for it.

Room service is available 24 hours a day. My order, a flatbread pizza, arrived in 20 minutes. It was pretty basic but good.

 Drinks

The week before my stay, Janet Jackson was spotted in the Rose Bar admiring the artwork, Kid Rock was seen outside smoking a cigarette, and Chace Crawford was there having a business meeting. The night I was there I saw Sting.

The Rose Bar is one giant room, with an oversize fireplace, rich velvet couches, and a high ceiling. It feels a little like the living room of a magnificently decadent castle, but one where Andy Warhols and Keith Harings hang on the wall. Once behind the velvet curtains, guests are completely transported to a different place. And guests pay for it, too: Cocktails are in the $18 range. On the other hand, the tournament-size pool table is free.

You don't casually stroll into the Rose Bar after 10 p.m. and expect to get a table unless you've been on the cover of a fashion magazine or won a Grammy in the past year or so. Hotel guests do have an edge in the jockeying, however. They're entitled to jump the line if people are actually waiting to get in, and guests can book reservations for a table through the concierge. This is strongly suggested if you hope to sit down, but even reservations aren't a guarantee.

The Jade Bar, meanwhile, connects the lobby to the Rose Bar and gets a strong after-work crowd as well as the overflow traffic from next door.

The Private Roof Club and Garden, on the 16th floor of the hotel, has a retractable roof and outdoor terraces filled with lush tropical plants. In spring, it was pretty dead by 11 p.m. -- everyone was downstairs in the Rose Bar. But in warmer weather it's the place to be.

 Weddings

• Wedding Size: Up to 120 for a ceremony, seated dinner, and a reception with dancing

• Ceremony Location: The private roof club and garden

• Photographers and Videographers: No in-house photographer required, but hotel can recommend outside vendors at several different price points; no fee for outside vendors

• Music: No live bands allowed; the hotel can recommend DJs at several different price points.

• Food: You can choose between a cocktail reception with passed hors d'oeuvres and three-course plated dinner and/or buffet stations (must call for pricing). Kids', kosher, vegetarian, and gluten-free menus available on request.

• Spa Treatments: There's no in-house spa or salon, so you'll have to schedule an appointment elsewhere.

• Honeymoon Suite: Many honeymooning couples opt for one of the hotel's six suites.

• Airport Transportation: None provided

 Bottom Line

The Gramercy Park Hotel currently sets the bar for New York cool -- hence the celebrities in the lounge and the paparazzi on the sidewalk. It offers ultra-luxe but small rooms done up in high Boho-chic style, a gorgeous gym, and a young, attentive staff. True, even guests sometimes feel excluded from the glamour-fest in the bar. But the place is utterly unique.