A Wren Says

Upon looking at the map of the particular area in Manhattan, 5^th avenue and Madison, I got curious about the Lotte New York Palace. The hotel was right across the street from St Patrick’s Cathedral and close to the famed Saks 5^th Avenue. Curiosity got the best of me, and I made sure to book there during a recent trip to new York.

I think I get why they call it a palace. The place seems grand when you enter it. I stood in line waiting to check in, slightly intimidated by the space and all the assumptions I made about the other people coming in and out and how I might measure in comparison. I walked up to the counter and was greeted kindly.

The staff member noticed I booked with American Express and worked to see if there were any upgrades available. There were; a junior suite, which would give me much more space, not that I needed it while traveling alone. He mentioned that the additional perks of my booking included a $100 experience credit and a daily $100 breakfast credit. Of course, I was glad to have booked through AmEx, since I would be staying 3 nights. That was a value of over $400 if you include the upgrade. (If you have a gold or platinum card, I highly recommend you go through AmEx to book your stay too.)

The room was grand, but you could see the history in it, not necessarily in a good way. Wear showed in the wall paper and in carpet choice. Other than that, the room was quaint, comfortable, and quiet.

I had a window across from what I could only describe as likely being a school or instructional center on one side and the other side of the room had a Cathedral view. I made sure to pull the privacy blinds on the side with the school.

The bathroom featured Molton Brown products. But overall, I wasn’t impressed by the design. Maybe because the lighting wasn’t great, but likely because the fixtures need upgrading.

I ventured out to use the gym. It seemed small for the size of the hotel, but it was well used. I’m finding that hotel gyms in the places I’ve stayed in Manhattan just seem to get used more than in any other location I’ve stayed. They did have a TRX which I used, partly because of the novelty of the equipment to me and the other part being I wanted to be tucked away. They offered a lot of different cardio and strength options there.

My final thought is that the hotel had great service and was in a great location for Manhattan adventures. The problem is that I think they need to do some upgrades to the rooms. I hope they can somehow modernize the space while hearkening back to their heritage. Until then, I am not sure I would be eager to come back to stay there again. And yes, just because it was a little dated. There are so many hotels in New York that you have to do something to stand out. And I would love to see that special spark there. That would get me to come back again.