The Plaza — Attraction in New York

Stayed for total of 6 nights. Original reservation was for an upgraded suite. At check-in I asked if an upgrade was available since we are diamond members and upgrades are always given. They told us they could not offer an upgrade due to low availability,but if we paid they would upgrade us to a bigger suite. So Diamond member upgraded room was not available but if paid it was. Didn't leave a 1st good impression but I opted to let it go and enjoy our vacation. We read on reservation that and Plaza hotel website a welcome amenity for our kid would be provided at check-in. We forgot to ask and they didnt mention it either. I went back later that day asking about it and front desk person apologized and claimed not being aware of any such amenity. Later than evening I asked another front desk person, and they were super nice and aware of the 'kids passport' booklet and gave one to our daughter. It was a fun activity that kept her entertained and engaged learning about the hotel,glad I asked but at such hotel as plaza it should not have been missed at check-in or the 2nd desk person I asked.

Our suite was very nicely decorated, very clean and organized. Our room view was the back side of the hotel so it was facing another building, disappointing that we were not given either central park or 5th avenue room views, especially being a dimaond member which we always get at least nice room views wherever we stay. Also we were disappointed the pulled out bed was not made at all, even though it was noted on our reservation and also told the concierge that called us the day prior to arrival. We called housekeeping and they came with sheets/pillows/blankets and setup the pull out sofa bed. Again not a huge deal but I would expect such details to be handled and not having to go through the hassle.

We tried the breakfast few days and it was good. One disappointment was their bar cocktails. We had an old fashion on 3 different nights and all 3 times it was made/tasted differently and not good at all. Not what I would expect at the Plaza bar hotel. On friday we asked front desk where would St Patrick's parade pass from the next day. Were told parade was on Sunday and not sure where it would pass from. Google gave us the answer , it was next day and passing on 5th avenue in front of the hotel. That evening we got a notel on our room door explaing St Patricks parade was the next day, to expect several road closures and that we could watch it in front our the hotel. Seems like the front desk folks didn't get that memo earlier in the day.

Checkout was not as smooth. Front desk people were not familiar with the ALLCOR rewards program and not able to apply some free suite upgrades and points I had. Even though I talked to the front desk the night before checkout so they had enough time. I was told night manager would handle it, which he didn't. We had to wait for day manager to look into it and as they claimed it was their 1st time handling reward credits. They were able to resolve situation but it took 20 more minutes (good thing we had enough time for our flight) and again not the type of hassle I expect at the plaza for such logistical items, after speaking to that many people/managers.

In terms of White glove butler service never really saw anyone or was explained what it offered/was, similar to what other reviews say. Either explain at check-in what the service is and how it can be used, or don't offer/advertise it. Small annoyance with the bottled water, it was complimentary but you had to call each time to bring them to you. It would be better if room was stocked each day with few bottles of water instead of having to call every time. Tried using the 'courtesy' car but every time we asked (morning, afternoon, evening, tried at least 8 times over our 6 days stay) we were told it was occupied and had to wait 30 minutes for it. Either have more cars, don't offer the service. or accept reservations for it. Great location,nice rooms,polite staff but several annoyances made us feel we stayed at 4 star hotel with 5...

Review for Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel, New York. Firstly, I'm British, where afternoon tea is pretty much an institution. I have been to a lot of luxury afternoon teas at home and abroad in the same price bracket, so have solid experience of what separates good from bad. The Plaza Hotel states that it is the 'iconic destination' for afternoon tea in New York. Priced at a lavish $75-90, it definitely falls in the 'luxury' bracket. Sadly, the Plaza is definitely not an iconic destination for tea in New York or anywhere else. I have rarely been so disappointed and felt so ripped off by an afternoon tea experience anywhere. Here's why:

1. My substitute sandwiches (I don't eat pork or pate) were substandard. One of them was a pretzel roll (looked nice) with a thin smear of tomato sauce and a few basil leaves tossed inside. Apparently this is the vegan sandwich, but firstly I'm not vegan, and secondly tomato sauce and three basil leaves do not constitute a sandwich, unless you're three years old. When I commented on this, they brought me a promising avocado and tomato on pumpernickel. Again, however, I got mouthfuls of overwhelming tomato paste which drowned out the avocado. The other sandwiches were pretty good but tiny. The "New Yorker' tea sandwiches are better than the 'Broadway' tea ones. I liked the chicken truffle and smoked salmon in particular, BUT there's a huge caveat...(read last point)
2. My first set of scones were rock hard and exploded like dust in my hands when I tried to split them open. The replacement set were better but nothing special. The berry preserve and lemon curd were also both too tart and actually did nothing for the scones. It was at this point that I spoke with the manager and expressed my concerns (also about point 5, below). I was extremely close to leaving (I had not eaten the pastries, and the scones had not yet been replaced), but she persuaded me to stay and give it another go. I reluctantly decided to give it another go.
3. The tea was served all in one go, which isn't good practice, because of course the scones are going to be cold by the time you get to them. A proper tea establishment should bring you scones only after you've finished the sandwiches, and they should be nice and warm.
4. The beverages were disgusting. I'm not a tea drinker so started with an iced coffee. It looked impressive, but tasted like dishwater. I tried a hot chocolate instead, and it was insipid and tasteless. I barely had a few sips, so basically I had afternoon tea without the tea, or any drink.
5. The biggest disappointment of the entire experience was that there are NO REFILLS on any of the items. WHAT? So, let me get this right: You're charging me $80 for one round of mini sandwiches, two rock hard scones with preserves which don't even taste good, a few tiny (but admittedly tasty) pastries, and rancid drinks? Erm, no thanks. When I learned this, the notion that this was a luxury tea or even a treat became a complete joke. In fact, it was the opposite: a frugal and mean experience where I just felt ripped off. I've been to five-star luxury afternoon teas in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and of course London, all charging similar amounts, and it is taken as read that you are offered complimentary replenishments of everything. Luxury afternoon tea done right is meant to be about abundance and impeccability: you arrive hungry, and leave full; your food should be exceptionally made and presented, and tasty. Afternoon tea at the Plaza fell woefully short of this, and even when they offered me a small discount off the price because I had expressed my disappointment, it was not enough. This was the antithesis of a treat; a $30 tea at a $80 price tag. The only redeeming features were the beautiful setting, friendly service, and tasty pastries (which were gone in seconds). My advice to the Plaza: take an educational trip to London, visit Claridge's and learn what a proper afternoon $80 tea should be like. My advice to visitors: save your money and time and...

Let me start by saying I love Fairmont hotels and I have Platinum Accor status. The hotel was absolutely beautiful, and if you like old world glamour and style you will love the vibe. Unfortunately the service was not at all what we are accustomed to with Fairmont. The front desk staff was not particularly friendly, nor was anyone we reached when we called Royal Service. (Although the bartenders and restaurant servers were wonderful - particularly Kayin Lewin, who absolutely made our stay and redeemed the experience on our final morning.) When we arrived, we were told our room had been upgraded and given an envelope with free drink tickets (something I think is so much easier than having them sent to the app, which other Fairmonts have started doing). However, when we got to the room (which was beautiful) that's when things started to go south. For starters, after opening the front door to the room, it wouldn't close again. On inspection, a metal bracket placed around the bottom corner of the door was bent out of shape, preventing it from closing. We tried a few times, and then my husband called the operator to ask for help. No apology, no friendly response, but they said they would send someone up. Ten minutes later when we were still sitting there wondering if they would have to send us to another room, I called down to the front desk. I reached a woman who again offered no apology, asked how long I had been waiting (as though I shouldn't have bothered them again) and then put me on hold. She came back to say she had spoken to "Royal Service" and they told her they had put the ticket in 10 minutes ago and someone would be up. A guy came up with a wrench and started hammering on it until it would finally close again. Then the console the mini bar had doors that wouldn't close after we opened them, and swung all the way into the room. It wasn't terrible, just annoying. Then the tub filler and hand shower diverter didn't work--it wasn't possible to fill the tub without spraying water everywhere with the hand shower, the head of which promptly fell off. Although I mentioned this to the front desk staff, it was never fixed. The thermostat in the room was impossible to use and kept saying "network override". The fun continued as we realized there was only one drink ticket in the envelope we had been given--usually there are two. We asked at the front desk as we were heading out for the day, and again, no apology--the man simply said the reservation had said one person. He had checked up in and it was fairly obvious we were two people... but it was never addressed until we asked. Finally, we went to the palm court (which was beautiful) bar and ordered two cocktails. They were great. When the check came and we tried to use the two tickets, the bartender told us they were only for house wine, champagne, or a soft drink, not cocktails, and that this had just changed two weeks ago and they had all been told several times to make sure not to forget. OK, not the end of the world if we had been told when we were given the tickets, but we weren't... so we ended up ordering two cocktails when we would have been happy with a glass of wine or champagne had we known. The room service table was never taken away, despite calling down and being told someone was coming up. All in all, just not great service from the front desk staff or "royal service", not very friendly, not apologetic when things went wrong, bordering on seeming annoyed to be bothered and passing the buck/blame to another department (a pet peeve of mine). All that said, the location is excellent, the hotel is beautiful, the bed was incredibly comfortable, the room was lovely, and the food and cocktails were great. The big disappointment was the service and the upkeep of the rooms - very surprising to us given that Fairmont is managing the hotel and we usually love them so much. We probably...