The Fifth Avenue Hotel — Hotel in New York

9.24.24 UPDATE - Update to say that the manager of the hotel called me and seemed truly surprised and disappointed to hear about our experience and comped us for one of our rooms. It does not negate the poor experience we had during out stay and I am not running back to NY to stay at hotel again, but I would take it into consideration.

9.18.24 The fact that this hotel has two Michelin keys and is considered one of the best new hotels in the world is absolutely baffling to me.

3 friends and I had a hotel reservation for 1 night last Sunday to Monday. We arrived at 3:01 and upon checking in were told that due to a special deal with American Express the people that had the room before us didn’t have to check out until 4 pm. Our check in time was 3pm and we had a Broadway show to attend at 6pm that we needed to leave for by 5:30pm. The woman at check in asked what we were planning to do and said she could hold our bags until our room was ready. I let her know that we were planning to change immediately, unpack and get a cocktail before our show as we had a friend coming to meet us at the hotel. She offered us the restroom at the hotel restaurant. Honestly, the worst part of this whole scenario was that they really weren’t apologetic at all. How are you letting people check out an hour AFTER our check in time? Eventually she was able to find a temporary room for the four of us to use to change in. Due to the size of the room we were only able to be in there 2 at a time. My friend and I got dressed and headed down to the bar.

We sat down at the bar at 3:55 ready to place an order when we learned that the hotel bar closes from 4pm to 5pm. We went to the front desk to ask if there was anywhere else in the hotel that we could be to order a snack and a drink. The gentleman at the front desk (Not the same person who checked us in) said that he could order us room service. For what room sir?? We still don’t have one! Eventually he sent us up to the conservatory on the 2nd floor and said we could order a drink there. My friend ordered a Negroni and Caviar and I ordered a Macchiato. The Negroni and caviar took a while to come out but the Macchiato took a full forty five minutes before it showed up and required me to check in on it twice.

Our rooms finally became available at 4:30 and they said that they sent all of our bags up to our room. I went up to make sure that all of our bags made it but the ones that had been in the temporary room were all missing. When I asked our “personal butler” he said that he knew they were in the building but they could not be located at that time! Our bags were finally located just before we left at 5:15.

At 5pm we headed back down to the bar and immediately placed an order for 3 espresso martinis, and let them know that we had a hard out at 5:30 so we also asked for the check. Our drinks came out at 5:23 right before the hostess came over and told us we needed to leave because they had that table reserved. Mam, I had a room reserved for check in at 3pm but you didn’t seem to care about reservations then!

The fact that the website specifically notes their, “thoughtful service with the utmost comfort and care” is laughable. It was like no one working there was speaking to each other at all.

The interior design of the hotel really is phenomenal and it’s a shame that we didn’t get to enjoy our stay but the service here was one giant miss after another. Our room was beautiful and well appointed but very small. We had booked a connector suite and I feel like it’s worth noting that the rooms don’t actually connect at all. We didn’t have any meals in the hotel so I cannot comment on the restaurant.

There is absolutely zero chance that I would ever come back here or recommend the hotel to anyone. In fact, we thought about switching hotels but for the fact that we were only there for one night and didn’t have time to switch before our show.

TLDR - The hotel design was fantastic but the service was crazy bad and disorganized which led to a really unpleasant...

I would give one million stars if I could. Can’t say enough great things about our stay. Made a last minute trip to NYC and booked this hotel on a whim through the AMEX app. While we had a great time in the city—our hotel stay made the trip super memorable. It was truly an experience. I’ve splurged on nice hotels before and but have never had as good a stay or felt so much value as staying here. Everything was perfection but here are the highlights—upscale (but still warm!) hip NYC vibe, friendly and accommodating staff, incredible design and decor in room, great location, house car (~2mi radius), rain shower and amazing water pressure, actually delicious room service, unique NYC vibe and location, historic building (from 1907!) but completely renovated and every detail is perfection.

LOCATION: If you’re not familiar with NYC, this location is great for being close to everything but also in a place that feels out of the craziness and like you’re where “real New Yorkers” might be found and not in a tourist zone. It’s still walkable to Penn Station and Empire State Building etc. For this trip, I knew I wanted to be close to sights but in a non-touristy area. This was the perfect location—easy walk to Madison Square Park and everything else Flatiron has to offer. Plus, the hotel has a “house car” that can take you within about 2mi radius—so you can be up in Times Square or at a Broadway theater really easily if you don't want to walk (or rain etc!). I think you also get more value for your money staying here as it’s a bit out of the tourist zone or typical place people think to book.

SERVICE: From the moment we walked in the staff was simply the best. Andrea greeted me and my eight year old son with such warmth and kindness. We were staying on a week night had had the luck of being upgraded to one of their mansion suites, which was just simply fantastic. He walked us to the elevator and pointed out the various restaurants and bars on the property and gave us some history and facts. The bell staff and concierge were equally lovely and friendly. We left our bags on the day of checkout for a few hours and they made that a breeze. They had some stationary in our room so my son wrote a note to his sister, which Andrea at the front desk was so gracious in providing a stamp and mailing it for us.

ROOM: We stayed in a mansion suite and every detail was perfection from the decor to the iPad to control the lights and curtains to the complementary snacks and soft drinks/juices in the maxi bar. The rain shower was fantastic (amazing water pressure!) and the bathroom was spacious and beautifully designed. They offered wonderful slippers and robes. Perhaps the best feature was just how upscale and well-designed the room was—a real treat to just be in the room and appreciate every piece of furniture and lamps and decor etc. We were grateful to have a late checkout and hang out in the room with room service before heading to the airport.

FOOD: We ordered room service and were very pleased—not the typical cold, subpar food you compromise for to be able to eat in bed. We ordered the burger, spaghetti, and chips with French onion dip (and of course cookies!) and all of it was simply delicious and presented beautifully. There were plenty of options for kids or non adventurous eaters but also caviar and other more refined choices for the foodies. There are also some very hip and nice looking restaurants and bars in the hotel—I popped my head in but didn’t check them out as I was traveling alone with my son. But, the staff did note that the bar is open exclusively to hotel guests until a certain hour of the day (maybe 5pm? I can’t remember). A nice perk.

I typically book at a large brand for predictability—but am so glad I took a chance here. It was one of the best hotel stays of my life and an awesome NYC experience. Thanks to Andrea and the team for such a...

Our stay at The Fifth Avenue Hotel was nothing short of perfect. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. The hotel and room designs are stunning, with a beautifully executed chinoiserie style that feels luxurious yet inviting. We stayed in a basic room, which was a bit small, not out of the norm for NYC, but ideal for a cozy and romantic 1-2 night stay. Despite being in the heart of the city, the rooms are incredibly quiet—you won’t hear a sound from the hallway, other rooms, or even the street. The pillows were a bit too soft for our preference, but that’s a personal thing. I’m confident the staff would have happily brought us firmer options if we had asked. If you’re staying longer, I’d recommend upgrading to one of the larger rooms for a bit more space.

The service here is impeccable. Every member of the staff was professional, accommodating, and attentive. The Portrait Bar is a sophisticated, quiet spot for a drink, while Café Carmellini is both elegant and cozy, offering amazing food with exceptional service. Room service was prompt, and every dish was delicious. The wine selection is excellent, and the mini bar is stocked with great options, including some truly delicious snacks.

One standout feature was the personal butler service. Shortly after we arrived, our butler introduced himself and later surprised us with welcome drinks—a unique blend of grapefruit juice and cinnamon. It’s not a combination I would have thought of, but it was unexpectedly refreshing. Along with the drinks, they brought up a plate of ginger sandwich cookies. While gingerbread wouldn’t usually be my first choice, these turned out to be some of the best cookies I’ve ever had! The concierge was equally impressive, securing last-minute dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant that turned out to be absolutely fantastic.

The hotel also offers complimentary car service, which is a great touch. However, it did take nearly an hour to retrieve our car from the valet at checkout. Thankfully, we weren’t in a rush, but I’d recommend calling ahead about 30 minutes before you plan to leave if you’re on a tight schedule. This wasn’t a fault of the hotel—it’s just the nature of city parking and traffic.

A special shoutout to the front desk team, who were kind enough to send me home with extra ginger cookies when I asked if they were available for purchase. It’s little touches like this that make a hotel truly memorable.

We booked through Amex Travel and enjoyed some extra perks, which I’d recommend taking advantage of if you have an American Express card. Overall, The Fifth Avenue Hotel is a flawless choice for a weekend getaway. Every detail is thoughtfully executed, and the staff goes above and beyond to make your stay special.

10/10—this will absolutely be our go-to hotel every time we’re in the city. Highly...