Review of The St. Regis New York

The St Regis New York enjoys one of the best locations in the city in Midtown East Manhattan, close to all points of interest both uptown and downtown. It is also within four blocks of nine subway lines making an exploration of the city both simple and efficient. 

The luxury fashion brands are temptingly close by on Fifth Avenue alongside tourist haunts such as Times Square, the Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art and the Theatre District, a 15-minute walk away. The green space of Central Park, the most visited and famous urban park in America, is just four blocks away with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frick Collection and the Guggenheim Museum close by. 

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is around 19 kilometres from the hotel at a travel time of around 30 minutes depending on traffic with both Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) around 26 kilometres distance, a journey time of around 40 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. 

Valet and on-site parking are also available.

The hotel’s 238 spacious rooms, (171 rooms and 67 suites) are arranged over 20 floors. Even the smallest are generous in size, especially for a city hotel, the high ceilings making the rooms seem even larger. In-room amenities include 300 thread count linens, iPod docks, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary bottled water, flatscreen televisions, in-room safes, Bose sound systems, complimentary daily newspapers and 24/7 St Regis Butler Service. The grand Italian marble bathrooms offer double vanities, rain showers, plush robes and Remède bathroom products. 

Key to the hotel’s reputation has been the St Regis Butler Service, a treasured hallmark since opening. A personal butler allocated to each guest room becomes a personal assistant, packing and unpacking, bringing tea and coffee, drawing curtains, delivering newspapers, press garments – whatever is required. There is even an eButler communications outlet available, where guests may email their requests when resident or out and about in the city. 

There are five categories of guestroom featuring a similar signature décor: striped wallpaper, elegant crown mouldings accented with beautiful large photographs, bevelled mirrors, custom furnishings including seating areas and a working desk, contrasting vivid sapphire blue fabrics punctuated with burnt orange and Waterford crystal chandeliers. 

The 67 suites include three bespoke designer suites, partnering with luxury marques such as Dior, Tiffany and Bentley together with the contemporary-styled Milano Suite. Each has its own identity from the effortless French glamour of the Dior Suite to the jewelled tones of the Tiffany Suite with its special shade of blue and the contemporary elegance and handcrafted touches of the Bentley Suite. The Milano Suite meanwhile, looking out over Fifth Avenue, has a décor suggestive of a luxury trip to Italy with stylish Italian touches and custom-designed furnishings throughout. 

There are six types of one-bedroom suite: while both the Astor and slightly larger Deluxe suites boast exterior views and an additional half-bath off the living room, the Deluxe Suite also houses a decorative fireplace with both living rooms separated from the bedrooms by sliding French doors. The Madison is larger still, bathed in natural light and overlooks Madison Avenue, incorporating a particularly large living room, separated from the bedroom by a foyer and two full bathrooms. The St Regis Suite offers spacious living areas and the ability to convert the suite to one or two bedrooms. The suite features an elegant marble entryway, large closets and two full bathrooms. 

The Fifth Avenue Suite overlooks its namesake with the majority also boasting a kitchenette with a microwave and a minibar. The Grand Suite also overlooks Fifth Avenue and features a living room with sumptuous fabrics and beautiful New York-inspired artwork. 

The three top tier accommodations include the dramatic Imperial Suite which features European Chinoiserie and East Asian furnishings set against intense red tones with crystal accents. The Royal Suite is positioned on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street and embodies a mix of European style and American spirit with a jewel box colour palette, gilded mouldings, exotic prints and an eclectic art collection. 

The 270-square-metre Presidential Suite has been re-imagined as a sumptuous collector’s suite where sophisticated travellers surround themselves with the art and treasures of their travels. Fashioned in the style of a grand apartment, the Presidential Suite features a large foyer that leads to a formal dining room, living room, exquisite wood-panelled library, three bedrooms and four full bathrooms and a full kitchen. The Master Suite comprises an expansive luxury dressing room, spa-like bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and a beautiful bedroom with a private sitting area. Suite benefits include airport transfers, a complimentary bottle of champagne, complimentary American breakfast for two in Astor Court and complimentary in-room movies.

A modern on-site fitness centre, The St. Regis Athletic Club has everything needed for maintaining gym routines, located within the hotel, featuring the latest ARTIS equipment by Technogym and a free weight area. Yoga and Pilates instructors along with personal trainers are available upon request. 

The Family Traditions at St Regis programme provides mini guests the opportunity to explore the destination and celebrate the art of play. Special amenities include delectable treats, child-sized robes and slippers and a step stool for the little ones. Babysitters and nannies are available together with necessary provisions such as nappies, cribs and rollaway beds. The Concierge team can also suggest inspiring Big Apple itineraries suitable for all ages.

Time to a large degree has stayed still at the St Regis New York with even his granddaughter saying that in many ways, John Jacob Astor would still recognise his dream hotel a century later. His aim was to build the finest hotel in the world and many would say he has succeeded. There would no doubt have been sister hotels of a similar pedigree had he not sadly perished on the Titanic. It has had a tangled ownership history since but it is clearly perennially held in great regard as every succeeding hotel brand has wanted to make it a flagship property. 

Opening in 1904, replicating the style and splendour of European hotels, this property still features service at its core with the St Regis Butler Service a treasured hallmark. The tallest skyscraper in the city when built, it has always attracted the cognoscente with heads of state, royalty and celebrity making it their New York address when in the city. This is the hotel Woody Allen loved so much he included it in his films, where Salvadore Dali lingered with his wife Gaia and a pair of ocelots, Alfred Hitchcock was a regular guest and JoDiMaggio ended his marriage to Marilyn Monroe. It even enjoys its own handcrafted signature scent. 

The past echoes through to the present with marble floors and columns, a grand ballustraded staircase, glittering chandeliers, curated antiques, gilded mirrors and triple height trompe l’oeil ceilings casting their timeless spell, albeit given an updated modern twist with some classically elegant furnishings and every modern convenience discreetly available. Even John Jacob Astor Iv’s original book collection which has been housed behind glass at the hotel for over a century, is now available to guests on Kindle devices available from the concierge, digitally remastered. So much is new, so much is the same. I think Astor would indeed be pleased with his hotel and its services today.

The chandeliered and convivial Astor Court, named after the St. Regis New York hotels’ creator, serves seasonal fine dining in an elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere in an open-style lounge and sumptuous residential seating surrounding a dramatic open fireplace. Offering all day dining, the menus masterfully combine the freshest seasonal ingredients locally sourced from nearby farms. Traditional favourites are updated and incorporate spices and flavours that reflect the culture mix of the city itself.   

The upscale King Cole Bar is an historic New York landmark, delighting guests and locals with signature cocktails and canapés for over a century. A large-scale namesake mural stretching along the back wall, was painted by Maxfield Parrish in 1906 and inspired by the British nursery rhyme. Commissioned originally by Astor for a sister hotel, The Knickerbocker, it arrived at the St Regis in 1932. Word has it that hidden within the painting is a secret known only by those behind the bar. 

The Bar was the first in America to serve the Bloody Mary (or Red Snapper as the property conservatively calls it) and it is now the signature cocktail for the St Regis brand. It was created by bartender Fernand Petiot in 1934, a year following the end of Prohibition, for guest Serge Obolensky, Astor’s son-in-law, who wanted a vodka cocktail similar to that he had enjoyed in Paris. The formula was spiced up with salt, pepper, lemon and Worcestershire Sauce and has become one of the most famous cocktails in the world. 

For high rollers, Table 55 is nestled in a private corner of the bar beneath the watchful eye of Old King Cole. This is an extremely coveted spot as it is the only table you can reserve in the bar and it has access to an exclusive chef’s custom designed menu complete with a bespoke wine list from the hotel’s extensive wine cellar. Expertly curated tableware from Christofle and Bernadaud complete the stylish dining experience.

Among its green initiatives the St. Regis has installed its own water plant to save on plastic bottles and wasted water. The Vivreau system saves 100,000+ bottles of annually. It has also been involved with the nonprofit Clean the World which works to reduce waste from discarded soap and shampoo products. 

Since 2007, Marriott has had a 10-member Global Green Council in-house focussing on minimising the company’s environmental footprint by sustainably managing their energy and water use, reducing waste and carbon emissions, switching to renewable energy where possible. The company’s all-encompassing sustainability and social impact platform is called Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction.