The Towers at Lotte New York Palace — Hotel in New York

STAY DATE: August 22–25, 2025

I’ve organized this detailed review into clear categories so you can skim quickly or focus on the sections most relevant to your stay.

OVERVIEW: The Towers at Lotte Palace deliver old-world grandeur with oversized NYC comfort. The location is iconic, steps from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, butler service fell short, though staff like Rebecca, Ani, Diego, and Jose made the stay memorable.

ROOM: Stayed in the Towers Corner Suite (1,210 sq ft, king + sleeper sofa + butler pantry). The sheer space is unmatched in NYC — it truly feels like an apartment. Shower had excellent water pressure. AC worked great. Bed was comfortable, linens could be softer but were fine overall. Noise insulation was incredible for Midtown. Blackout curtains made rest easy. Living room was huge. Kitchen had no glassware (strangely all empty cabinets). Two closets, one large "walk-in" closet in the main entry hall, and a second smaller one in the bedroom. The rooms are undeniably “dated” in style, but the sheer size and layout are unmatched in New York. A full modern revamp would be wonderful — though it would almost certainly drive prices into the stratosphere.

CLEANLINESS: Spotless throughout. Housekeeping kept everything immaculate, arriving late upon our request & never intruding.

FOOD & DRINK: • Breakfast in Villard Room: Lemon mascarpone pancakes: rich & filling, easily shared. Avocado toast: tasty but not a standout; though it was beautifully plated & visually aesthetic. • The Gold Room: iconic setting, ornate atmosphere, great cocktails. • Rarities: ultra-exclusive, intimate, rare spirits & vintage pours.

LOCATION & VIBE: Prime Midtown — steps from Rockefeller Center and 5th Ave. Views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral are breathtaking. Historic Villard Mansion adds cinematic old-world atmosphere (featured in Gossip Girl, 27 Dresses, more).

DISAPPOINTMENTS/CONS: BUTLER / TURN DOWN SERVICE: *The butler experience fell short. There was no greeting or proactive check-ins, & turndown was missed on two nights with none of the expected touches (slippers or robe laid out, curtains drawn, welcome treat, chocolates, a note, etc). Slippers only appeared on the last night, still in plastic and tucked under the nightstand. We also weren’t offered a standing morning coffee/tea delivery — something butler teams at peers like St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, & Peninsula handle seamlessly. Overall, the butler presence was virtually non-existent — reactive rather than anticipatory.

*Suggestion: Adding wellness-style cold-pressed juices (like green juice with kale, apple & ginger etc., which peers like St. Regis & Ritz offer) would elevate the breakfast offering.

TIPS: Towers check-in is separate and quieter. Make Villard breakfast reservations. Ask about house car availability. Visit The Gold Room early — it gets busy. Chat with staff about the hotel’s history. One of NYC’s biggest hotel gyms w/ cathedral views. AMEX FHR perks honored seamlessly.

PARKING / VALET: Valet ~$90–110/day. Self-parking nearby at SP+ garage on 50th. Doormen were a vibe, & deserving of recognition.

SERVICE / STAFF: *Front Desk: Rebecca Villaseñor, an absolute standout. She delivered the type of attentive, personalized service that separates good hotels from great ones.

*Concierge: Two members of the concierge team deserve special recognition, Ani and Diego. They are the embodiment of world-class concierge service: quick to respond, highly resourceful, & impressively knowledgeable. Their consistency & teamwork reflected the level of professionalism expected at a property of this reputation.

*The Gold Room: Jose — the heartbeat of the Gold Room. Jose is a master of his craft, someone who can engage with guests effortlessly while delivering drinks with speed, accuracy, & artistry.

OVERALL: Between the oversized suite & staff like Rebecca, Ani, Diego, & Jose, this stay was exceptional in many ways. The weak butler experience, however, kept it from being flawless. It was hard to say goodbye & I look forward...

I had a special occasion to celebrate, so I wanted to treat myself with a stay at this iconic hotel, I‘ve always dreamed of staying at. With my experience in staying at high end luxury hotels and my professional background I have a thing for luxury hotels. So after a long flight I arrived at the hotel and I was told the room was not ready but I was offered to leave my phone number so I could be called when the room was ready. I could leave my luggage though. The very friendly gentleman took my luggage and didn’t come back with the receipt, so I waited but since he didn’t come back, I went outside the towers lobby to pick it up. After I hadn’t received a call for my room to be ready I went back to the hotel at 4.20 pm to ask if I may now check in. And it was possible but they forgot to call me. My luggage wasn’t delivered to my room, I had to pick it up. To be honest, the first interactions where not what I expected in a famous house with a reputation like this. But that wasn’t all. It also took me a lot of time to get to the actual room because for my whole stay one of two elevators was out of order so there was only one elevator for the whole towers. To be honest, I really thought twice before going down or up because it took 10 to 20 minutes only to get an elevator, that was packed with people in most cases.

In the room itself I was a little surprised that there was no coffee maker. I think that’s standard. But the room itself was huge for NYC, I never had such a big room in the city before. It was very clean and the bed was extremely comfortable. I wondered that I had no possibility to connect my personal devices with the tv, it had not even a possibility to connect Netflix etc, so I watched on my IPad. Partly the room was a little run down, especially in the bathroom. Very small bathroom btw. It was —or at least felt— smaller than the walk-in closet. I slept excellent, which is not common for me so that was a huge plus. Also, the housekeeping was extremely friendly and did a very good job.

One night I went to the bar with friends which was also very nice and stylish. It offered a wide range of cocktails and other drinks in a nice atmosphere.

To be honest, with all missing features that are standard in most lower priced hotels already and the lack of service especially upon arrival, it was not worth spending as much money (850 € and up per night) as staying at the Plaza or Mandarin Oriental. It was ok. I didn’t book ok though. I booked special and high end—but I loved that it was right in the middle...

From Palace Dreams to Motel Reality

I had been looking forward to staying at this hotel for years. I’m a huge fan, and I’d never had the chance to stay here before. Sadly, this will be my first and last time.

I booked it because it’s recommended by American Express and it looked like a palace. Instead, it turned into a HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

I arrived with a tight schedule and a full list of activities planned. The moment I went to take a shower, I was shocked the shower walls were covered in hair, clearly left from a previous guest. It was disgusting, something I had never seen in any hotel. To make matters worse, there was what looked like a dried drop of blood stuck to the sink wall. Completely unacceptable.

I requested a room change, which ate into my schedule, but they moved me. Later that night, when I came back to rest, I realized the AC barely worked and New York was unbearably hot. I was so exhausted I didn’t even bother to complain.

I spent the rest of my stay in a room that never cooled down properly because I simply didn’t have the time to go through another change. And frankly, I didn’t want to deal with the complete lack of hospitality this hotel showed from the start.

For a property with this reputation and price point, the experience was unacceptable. Cleanliness, comfort, and service should be nonnegotiable and this hotel failed on all three.

I’m someone who happily pays for a quality stay, and I was shocked to find that what I expected to be a high-end experience felt more like staying in a...