The New York Palace — Hotel Review Rating: 4.5 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reviewer: Kate M.
Updated: May 14, 2010

 Scene

The Palace's famous façade, originally constructed as a private mansion in 1882, twinkles among a sea of Midtown skyscrapers. The original building was made into a hotel in 1980, at which time the 55-story hotel tower was added to make way for the 900 rooms.

Minimalist or subtle the Palace is not. It's filled with gold flourishes, columns, marble, chandeliers, and statues. I personally don't find it tacky, but some might. This Yelp reviewer had an interesting take on it: "Tacky, way overdone, but ... nicer than the Waldorf, more updated than the Carlyle, almost more fun than The Pierre, and definitely more lush and laid back than the Four Seasons."

Given its proximity to Midtown as well as Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and Madison Square Garden, the Palace gets both business travelers and its fair share of celebrities. It's the main shooting location for the popular TV show Gossip Girl, which has undoubtedly raised its national profile and given it some local cachet.

In 2008 the Palace became part of the Dorchester Collection, which owns seven high-profile luxury hotels in the U.S. and Europe. The Palace is the company's only New York hotel, but I was told that other than some management changes, the hotel won't be undergoing any radical renovations or rate adjustments, nor will its character change much.

 Celebrity Sightings

The Palace is one of the main shooting locations for the TV show Gossip Girl, and I saw a filming (and most of the stars) during my stay. The lobby was buzzing with an interesting mix of businessmen working on laptops and gushing women and teenagers, yet everyone seemed to peacefully coexist. The one drawback: The popular restaurant and bar at Gilt were closed for the night due to filming. Management said the show typically films at the hotel one to two days per month.

Plenty of other celebrities, royalty, and well-to-do guests enjoy staying at the hotel, particularly within the VIP Towers section. In fact, until recently, the hotel was even owned by royalty (the sultan of Brunei). I had the chance to visit one of four $20,000 per night triplex suites, which recently ranked No. 4 on the Travel Channel's list of the world's most expensive hotel suites. What self-respecting celeb wouldn't want to make his mark here?

 Service

The staff is especially friendly and approachable here, at least a bit more so than at the Waldorf-Astoria. This is not to say the service was informal -- everyone referred to me as Ms. Macmillan, and the staff members were consistently attentive -- but the top-hat-wearing doormen give big greetings, and the concierge lacks attitude and is extremely personable.

Check-in was simple, and after I gave the receptionist my name, she called me by it about five times in three minutes -- sort of weird, but I appreciated the effort. She also obliged my request for a room on a high floor (21st), so as to get a good view.

A porter insisted on carrying both of my bags to the room, and he talked pretty much nonstop, as if reciting a memorized spiel about the hotel, my room, and the many features included in both. Still, it was helpful, especially his instructions on how to use the multiple master panels that control all the lights in the room. Also, every time I passed through the lobby for the rest of my stay, the same porter greeted me by name and asked if I needed anything. In a 900-room hotel, this level of personal attention is impressive.

Turn-down service is complimentary and includes Lindt chocolates. A housekeeper was at my door at 7:30 p.m., and even gave me a couple extra truffles.

I eavesdropped on the concierges, whom I heard speaking at least three different languages, and listened to them suggest excellent restaurants (and make the appropriate reservations), arrange Broadway tickets, and deliver phone and fax messages. I too tested the concierge's restaurant insight, and was quite pleased with the small neighborhood bistro she suggested a few blocks away.

Before check-out, I called the front desk to request some extra Molton Brown soap. In under five minutes, the floor's housekeeping manager was at my door with four extra bars, and a big smile.

Perhaps this quality of service bears out most clearly on TripAdvisor, where (during my visit) the Palace was ranked as the No. 3 hotel in all of New York City. Luxury hotels very rarely rate well on TripAdvisor (for instance, the Four Seasons ranks No. 80). The fact that the Palace could rank so highly with a notoriously nitpicky crowd speaks volumes about its uncanny ability to please a wide range of guests.

 Location

The Palace is located on Madison Avenue between East 50th and 51st Streets in Midtown East, just across the street from New York's famed St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The hotel is a quick two blocks from the 6, E, and V subway lines, and is three blocks east of the B/D/F/V hub at Rockefeller Center. It's about a 10-minute walk from Central Park. For the clothes-obsessed, shopping mecca Saks Fifth Avenue is less than a block away on 50th Street.

 Airport Transportation

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Flying into JFK or LaGuardia is typically easiest and the least time-consuming. From JFK, it's a one-hour, $45 flat-rate taxi ride to anywhere in Manhattan. From LaGuardia, it's about a 30-minute, $40 metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls), and can take more than 90 minutes. Don't forget to tip your driver 15 percent to 25 percent.

To save some cash, try the group shuttles that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. You can also take public transit from any of the airports 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 stairs. For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

 Rooms

Completely renovated in 2008, the standard rooms, called deluxe rooms, are huge by New York hotel standards -- more than 360 square feet. These rooms can fit either a king bed or two double beds quite comfortably, along with armchairs and a table, a large desk, a bureau, and a minibar. Overall, the décor is sophisticated but not particularly exciting.

Bed linens are crisp white sateen, and the mattresses come with a plush pillow top.

All rooms have a 42-inch Panasonic flat-screen TV that receives the usual full range of cable channels, and a clock radio that includes an iPod hookup. The minibar includes gourmet snacks from Dean and Deluca.

There are three types of Internet available: Wi-Fi, high-speed plug-in, or Internet on the TV, which comes with its own keyboard. Each option costs $15.99 for 24 hours, though free Wi-Fi is available in the lobby.

The large, marble bathroom actually glitters with flecks of gold in the wall panels, accented by gold faucets. They're stocked with high-quality Molton Brown toiletries, a plush robe, and slippers. Each morning, the New York Times is delivered to every room.

Even in the cheapest rooms, the entire side wall is paneled by windows. In my case, I looked east down 50th Street toward Park Avenue (I could actually see into the offices in the building next door). The windows can open, but they have a safety guard on them that prevents them from being raised more than a few inches.

The Palace is divided between the Main House (deluxe rooms on floors 1 to 39), the Executive Level (same as the deluxe rooms, but they have access to the Executive Lounge on the 39th floor, which has perks like complimentary breakfast and lunch, free Wi-Fi, modern meeting rooms, and extra business services like printing and faxing), and the Palace Towers (the hotel's VIP section, with a separate check-in area, concierge, and elevators).

The Towers consist of about 175 rooms and suites on the hotel's top 13 floors (40 to 53). Rooms have either contemporary (odd floors) or classic (even floors) décor and feature incredible views, extra personalized service, and lots of extra amenities. I toured four Towers suites: a contemporary one-bedroom corner suite, a classic junior suite, a sumptuous Royal suite, and one of four penthouse triplex suites, which includes a wraparound terrace with phenomenal city views. The rack rate for a triplex suite is about $20,000 per night, so it's worth a peek, if merely for the eye candy.

 Features

The 7,000-square-foot spa and fitness center are on the eighth floor. The spa offers the typical selection of treatments; manicures start at $50 (they're also available in-room for $60), massages start at $100, and combination packages and couples massages go u to more than $500. The steam room is free to all hotel guests, and I found the ladies' lounge to be clean, comfortable, and quite pleasant.

The large fitness center -- free to all guests -- has a lot of new cardio equipment, and each machine has its own personal video screen. Even better are the views of St. Patrick's Cathedral and Midtown. Better still, the hotel offers complimentary sneakers and workout clothes to all guests -- no other New York hotel does this. Yes, the idea of wearing someone else's sneakers is a little gross, but they take up a lot of room in a suitcase and it was nice to avoid that burden for once. The gym also provides guests with bottled water and fruit.

With a $75 upgrade, guests have access to the Executive Lounge on the 39th floor, again experiencing fantastic views of St. Patrick's and Midtown. (There's even a telescope provided!) The attended lounge offers full business facilities, including free Wi-Fi, desktop computers, and private meeting rooms. There is also a nice buffet spread throughout the day (though I was also attended to by a waiter who eagerly brought me drinks).

The hotel offers free Wi-Fi in the lobby for all guests, but charges $15.99 in main-house guest rooms (it's complimentary in Executive and Towers rooms).

During part of my stay, there was a large conference held at the hotel. There are about 40 meeting rooms of varying size and grandeur on the second through fifth floors, totaling 22,000 square feet of meeting and function facilities. The nicest I saw was a gilded ballroom on the second floor. There is also a business center on the fifth floor.

 Family

Though the Palace mostly attracts business travelers or couples, the large rooms, extensive kids' menu, and safe, convenient location make it a solid family pick. The hotel can provide cribs, high chairs, and strollers at extra cost, and the concierge was very child-conscious and well-versed in recommending baby sitters, equipment rentals, and kid-friendly restaurants.

Furthermore, for preteen and teenage girls -- and plenty of boys too, I'm sure -- the Palace is probably the most desirable hotel in America. It's the main shooting location for the risqué TV drama "Gossip Girl". The show was shooting the day of my visit, and over the course of the day I spotted most of the show's stars. This was purely by chance -- the show's shooting schedule is irregular and usually at the hotel no more than a couple times per month -- but it's extremely unique and exciting nonetheless.

 Cleanliness

The hotel is absolutely spotless. I frequently saw housekeeping carts in the hallways outside my room, but both public areas and every nook of my large guest room were extremely clean. Only once did I spot a room service tray in the hall, and it was gone within five minutes.

 Food

The hotel is one of the very few in New York to include a Michelin-starred restaurant, in this case two-star winner Gilt. It was closed during my stay ("Gossip Girl" was filming inside). The restaurant opened in 2006 in an opulent space formerly occupied by the legendary Le Cirque 2000. With enormous doors, carved ceilings, glittering chandeliers, and a modern sculpture in the bar area, Gilt is so visually stunning that the cuisine seems secondary. The bar is a popular spot, even among locals, and it stays open until 2 a.m. on the weekends.

The hotel's other restaurant, Istana serves continental fare for all three meals, and seems to be most buzzing at breakfast. A piano player also performs in the lounge area Tuesdays through Saturdays.

I was very impressed by the hotel's room service menu, which includes a special section of recommended cuisine from "Cooking Light" magazine, as well as an extensive and delicious-looking late-night menu. (I'll take a lobster omelet anytime.)

 Weddings

• Wedding Size: Up to 300 guests; up to two weddings hosted each day

• Wedding Packages: Like anywhere in Manhattan, the prices are steep -- anywhere from $225 to $450 per person. But, for the one time fee, you're getting just about everything: a space, decorations, a premium open bar for the length of the reception (as well as wine and champagne for the dinner), passed hors d'oeuvres, a personally designed cake, as well as buffet stations or a three- or four-course dinner (kids', kosher, vegetarian, and gluten-free menus available upon request).

• Ceremony Locations: In the Villard Mansion, the meeting rooms, the Chairman's Office, or the terrace of a Triplex Suite

• Photographers and Videographers: The hotel can recommend outside vendors at various price points; no extra fee for bringing your own artists.

• Music: The Palace works with Hank Lane Music, a independent booking company that can arrange for anything from a classical soloist for the ceremony, to a jazz band, to a wide variety of DJs.

• Spa Treatments: The in-house spa offers a full menu of services, including hair and makeup.

• Honeymoon Suite: The hotel provides a gorgeous Royal Suite for the newlyweds.

• Airport Transportation: The New York Palace can arrange for airport transportation and pickup, but you'll have to call for pricing.

 Bottom Line

One of New York's most visually stunning hotels, the New York Palace has a gilded, grandiose style that is a little gaudy but still fabulous enough to blow away the boutiques. With 899 rooms, this is an excellent, modern (and less uptight) alternative to its Midtown East neighbor, the famed Waldorf-Astoria. Huge rooms (renovated in 2008), a luxe spa, and a fantastic gym make the Palace a great value among luxury hotels.