Jumeirah Essex House Rating: 4.5 Pearls

Midtown West, Manhattan, New York City

South Gate restaurant and bar

The classic New York luxury of the Essex House evokes a more glamorous time, when men wore hats and women wore gloves. That timeless charm is enhanced by close proximity to the world-class shopping on Fifth Avenue, the world-class museums, and the world-class urban-pastoral playground that is Central Park.

The 515-room Essex House was purchased by the Dubai-based Jumeirah Group in 2006 and went through a top-to-bottom redo that modernized the hotel but also played up its Art Deco history. The lobby, with its magnificently elaborate floral arrangements and marble columns, is grand, but still has some cozy nooks to hang out in.

In those nooks, you're likely to see a mix of business travelers and vacationing families. And the demographic seems to skew older; younger couples tend to stay closer to the downtown nightlife scene. The Essex House is more expensive than the less iconic, less well-located Benjamin, but it offers a similar level of luxury and also features an in-house spa. The Trump is right down the street and costs about the same; guests there get slightly bigger rooms and even more exacting service but none of the Old New York ambience.

One of New York's go-to luxury hotels for notable names. Sheryl Crow has been photographed walking out of the golden doors, and Angelina Jolie is rumored to own a penthouse in the Essex House.

I wasn't lucky enough to spot either of them, but my stay was punctuated by numerous celebrity (and quasi-celebrity) sightings. Thanks to a Discovery Channel event at nearby Lincoln Center, I caught glimpses of Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch and Mythbuster Jamie Hynman. In the South Gate bar I saw former slugger Reggie Jackson and Mike Shanahan, coach of the NFL's Denver Broncos. Mitt Romney ran by on the street outside. And on the third floor, celebrity political pollster Mark Penn was waiting by the elevator.

Luggage racks

While the staff were all incredibly friendly and the concierge was well informed, the overall quality of service seemed slightly off for a luxury hotel in New York.

Check-in was a minor chafe. At 3 p.m., the two-person front desk staff was busy helping two demanding guests, so a half-dozen other guests and I were left waiting in line for about 30 minutes. Later, management explained that the front desk is usually busy from 3 to 6 p.m. Other guests I spoke to said their check-in experience was fine. Still, not a good start.

When I ordered a continental breakfast, it was promptly rolled through my door 15 minutes later; the server arranged it next to the bed and offered to pour coffee. A toothbrush request was fullfilled in a quick 10 minutes as well.

The lapses in service extended beyond the slow check-in. I found a bag labeled "iPod adapter" when I arrived in my room, but there was no iPod adapter inside. I called the front desk, but the replacement bag didn't contain an adapter either. (It had an Ethernet cable.) I gave up after that.

The concierge was well informed and offered solid if standard suggestions on what to do with kids (the zoo) and restaurant recomendations.

I spoke with one couple who had stayed at the Essex House eight times. Why were they so loyal? They explained that it was because the staff is always responsive and really friendly to their child. So maybe I got the Essex House on an off day. Still, I found the service at the less expensive Benjamin to be superior -- and at the similarly priced Trump International down the street, I found the service far superior.

View on a Larger Map

The Essex House is located just across the street from, and on the southern edge of, New York's magnificent Central Park. The heavily touristed crosstown street it sits on, Central Park South, is a mix of high-rise hotels and tony apartment buildings. Retail is sparse on these park blocks, so there's very little indigenous street life; virtually everyone you'll see there will have a camera hanging around their neck. A row of idling horse-drawn carriages usually sits on the park side, their drivers trying to lure tourists into a pricey lap around the park.

Just a block west is Columbus Circle, dominated by the enormous Time Warner Center.

Visitors will feel safe walking around the Essex House at night, but common sense dictates they should generally avoid going deep into Central Park after dark.

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 conventional 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 involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.

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

The Essex Guest Room

The rooms are decorated in soft, understated tans and browns -- a smart way to make the relatively small space feel bigger. (Of course, at about 300 square feet, they're by no means the smallest luxury hotel rooms in New York.) The efficient arrangement of furniture aids the cause. A wood unit under the window packs in many uses: desk, minibar, snack drawer, desk drawers, bureau drawers, and paper compartment.

Understated doesn't mean uncomfortable. The beds are close to the best I've slept in (only those at the W Times Square were better, in my opinion), with 300-thread-count sheets, a down comforter, plush pillows, and a Sealy Posturepedic mattress. Some may be disappointed that standard rooms have only queen-size beds, but that's typical in space-limited NYC.

The leather desk chair is executive-worthy, and with a lamp, power plugs, and an ample work surface, the room is actually a great place to get work done.

The 40-inch Philips flat-screen TV receives HD channels, and guests can order movies on demand as well.

I do have one serious complaint: The high-tech phone/lighting/temperature-control system is annoying and hard to master. The device controls the lighting, the thermostat, and the fan via a clunky touch screen. It was so complicated that I couldn't turn off all the lights at night and was forced to cover some with towels to darken the room. Even after I thought I'd figured out the system, a motion sensor kept adjusting the lights when the door opened -- and sometimes for no apparent reason at all. In my book, a light switch works just fine, and dimmers work even better. Why mess with what works?

The gym

The fitness center is one of the best you'll find in any New York hotel, thanks to the recent redesign. There are plenty of cardio machines (some with TVs attached), weight-training equipment, and a separate yoga/stretching room. The blond wood floor and windows give the fitness center an airy feel and personal training, and yoga instructors are available upon request.

A full-service spa is attached to the fitness center, a rarity in New York. Locker rooms are plush, with relaxation areas, saunas, and steam rooms. The facility closes at 8 p.m. but the fitness center is open 24 hours a day. Guests looking for a hotel with a spa can also consider checking out the Benjamin.

The lobby offers a popular, daily afternoon tea service, from 2 to 6 p.m. For $45, you get scones, jam, finger sandwiches, and, of course, tea.

Central Park, directly adjacent to the hotel

Forget about cramming a rollaway into one of the standard rooms. But cribs are available and will probably fit, and the hotel also has numerous multiroom suites. Like most New York hotels, this one will arrange baby sitters though a third-party agency.

But the real attraction for families lies outside the hotel doors. Central Park, right across the street, offers countless playgrounds, a sizable zoo, climbing rocks, paddle boats, a carousel, a puppet theater ... in short, in decent weather, more fun stuff for kids than you're likely to have time for on a single vacation. The awesome Museum of Natural History -- think dinosaurs and dioramas -- is also walking distance on a nice day or a quick taxi ride up Central Park West. And how can you pass up a visit to FAO Schwartz?

Guests praise the family-friendly staff. Two parents I spoke to said employees had been particularly kind to their daughter, one reason they'd returned to the hotel eight times.

Our room was spotless, as was the rest of the hotel, from the fitness center to the lobby to the restaurant and bar.

South Gate

The South Gate restaurant is off the lobby. Chef Kerry Heffernan, brought in after the hotel's 2007 redo, receives high critical praise. Check out this review of the restaurant from New York magazine and Eater's review for a more in-depth critique of the food.

The South Gate's bar offers a decent range of classic and specialty cocktails, and its floor-to-ceiling windows and comfortable leather seats make it a supreme vantage point for watching the stream of shoppers, joggers, camera-toting tourists, and carriages on Central Park South.

The Essex House also offers 24-hour room serivce. For inexpensive casual meals, guests can always walk two blocks west to the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle. Those looking for a major splurge might check out Jean-Georges in the Trump International at Columbus Circle (reservations required).