The Peninsula New York

Review of The Peninsula New York

BusinessClass.com review by Jason Eckhoff

The Peninsula New York sits on New York’s famous Fifth Avenue - undoubtedly Midtown Manhattan’s finest address. The impressive landmark Beaux-Arts façade protected by Peninsula’s famous duo of lions sitting either side of the entrance, leads into a sophisticated, pared down interior which exudes serenity and calm from the chaos of the city outside.

The 235 guest rooms which include 50 suites are served by four restaurants and lounges including Clement - the hotel’s signature restaurant serving an American menu all day long. Alongside the restaurant is its sleek adjoining Bar at Clement. The hotel also features the Gotham Lounge for the property’s signature Afternoon Tea and the decadently styled Salon de Ning aping a 1930s-Shanghai ambiance, a rooftop lounge spreading out over two adjoining terraces. 

Way up on the 21st floor rests the award-winning Peninsula Spa with its indulgent therapies and treatments undertaken in one of the ten luxuriously appointed treatment rooms. Facilities also include a spacious Private Spa Suite, men’s and women’s private relaxation lounges, an Asian tea lounge, aromatherapy steam rooms, an ice fountain and a hair salon. One floor up and there is a spectacular glass enclosed swimming pool looking out over the city and a well-equipped fitness centre offering the latest cardio and strength equipment together with a sun-lit studio for a range of complimentary group fitness classes. Personal trainers are on hand if required.

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Location

10/10

Situated on New York’s premier address of Fifth Avenue at the intersection of 55th Street, The Peninsula New York is ideally located for both prime Midtown Manhattan shopping and for the entertainment district. The Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and the theatre world are within easy reach. It is also just four blocks down from Central Park, the lungs of the city, and in the other direction, the Museum of Modern Art. 

The Peninsula New York offers valet parking and airport transfers with John F Kennedy International Airport around 28 kilometres away, La Guardia Airport around 15 and Newark Liberty International Airport around 25 kilometres distance. 

There is a complimentary shuttle service available to Broadway theatres whilst for flitting around town, try out either the custom Peninsula Edition BMW or MINI Cooper S Clubman sedan. The property is also close to public transport with six subway lines within walking distance.

Accommodation

8/10

The Peninsula New York features 235 spacious guest rooms including 50 suites set across the 23-story property, all offering the ultimate in urban classic chic dressed in a palette of soft grey, taupe and gold with crisp white linens. To further enhance any stay, the property also offers the popular ‘Peninsula Time’ offering an extended and flexible schedule for check-in and checkout with reservation flexibility to ensure bookings are seamless. Guests can arrange to have rooms ready as early as 06.00 and leave as late as 22.00 on checkout at no extra charge - for greater peace of mind. 

Every guest room offers bedside electronic panels to control lighting and temperature; tablet technology in eleven languages; 102-centimetre LED flat screen televisions with cable and audio/visual entertainment channels; DVDs and CD players; mood lighting; fully stocked minibars; personal safes and double-glazed soundproofed windows. There are executive desks complete with printers, scanners and fax machines for keeping in touch with the office and roomy marble bathrooms with walk-in showers, tubs, wall mounted televisions, mood lighting, hands free phones, signature bathroom amenities and a Peninsula staple – a nail dryer!

Rooms and suites in Peninsula hotels around the world are quite similar in design and amenities - giving guests that warm feeling of familiarity with the brand. However, Peninsula New York has tired rooms - and indeed the entire hotel needs a refresh to help restore it to its former glory. 

There are three categories of guest room starting with the Superior (34 square metres) which can be interconnected to a Superior Suite overlooking the tranquil hotel courtyard, moving on up to the Deluxe (41 square metres) looking out over either a courtyard or 55th Street which can be combined with a Grand Luxe room or a Junior Suite and the Grand Luxe rooms (45 square metres) which can also be combined to the Grand Suite and overlooks either Fifth Avenue or 55th Street. 

There are five types of suite accommodation, excluding the two premium products, from the Superior to the Junior, the Executive, the Deluxe to the Grand Suite ranging in size from 58 square metres to 151 square metres with views ranging from the inner courtyard, Fifth Avenue and Central Park. For those who like rooms with two views, the Junior Suites occupy a corner location and if the whim takes you, you can zoom around the city in the Peninsula’s custom MINI Cooper. The Executive Suites have the feel of a small apartment whilst the Deluxe Suite also features a corner location and offers oodles of space with a dressing area and two oversized walk-in closets for those staying a while. The Grand Suite (151 square metres) up on the 20th floor features its own foyer; a bath with a view; a large living room with a decorative fireplace; a 140-centimetre television; a dining room seating up to eight guests; a guest powder room and a butler’s pantry for snacking.  

There are two premier suites including the Fifth Avenue Suite (235 square metres) overlooking that famous promenade and featuring a large and sophisticated living room with custom furnishings and touches; a dining room; master suite with dressing room; a gourmet kitchen and a private study. Guests enjoy a number of complimentary services including return airport transfers in the hotel’s bespoke BMW 7-series. The space can be enlarged to a three-bedroom suite if required. 

The other suite is of course the two-bedroom Peninsula Suite (307 square metres), offering the best facilities the hotel can offer including a foyer of Brazilian cherry wood flooring and Murano glass chandeliers, a number of signature art pieces, art deco flourishes and a baby grand piano. This accommodation features Savoir king-sized beds in the guest rooms; a selection of luxury linens, duvets and pillows; a spacious living room with a 203-centimetre television and entertainment system; a dining room for up to ten guests; a private study (with Wii and PlayStation gaming systems); a guest powder room and a Butler’s Pantry. Other complimentary services include premium liquors and beverages, packing, unpacking, and pressing, round trip airport transfers and chauffeur driven MINI Coopers for zipping around town. This suite can be expanded to include a third bedroom.

Service & Facilities

9/10

High up above the dins of New York City -  on the 21st floor - sits the serene and tranquil oasis of The Peninsula Spa, offering probably some of the best wellness facilities of any luxury hotel in New York. 

The Peninsula Spa has a suite of ten serene treatment rooms and a private Spa Suite ideal for couples; relaxation lounges for men and women plus separate saunas and aromatherapy steam rooms; ice fountains and an Asian tea lounge offering peace and tranquillity. The spa menu offers a range of beauty treatments and massages including facials from the French luxury skincare brand, Biologique Recherche and results driven Vedic Aromatherapy treatments from Australia’s Subtle Energies. 

One floor up and there is a superb glass enclosed swimming pool looking out across the city with poolside dining available. There is also a well-equipped fitness centre for the latest in cardiovascular and strength training equipment plus a sunny studio for a range of fitness classes. Personal trainers are on hand to customise any workout. Looking out over the Manhattan skyline is a great incentive for even the most reluctant fitness fiend. 

The Peninsula Group is also just launching a sweeping new fitness and wellness programme, debuting an extensive collection of wellness resources to allow guests to experience “Life Lived Best”. This will include delivery of in room fitness equipment on request in some locations together with specially created video programming for exercising and stretching streamed either to in-house televisions or a guest’s own device. Each hotel will also offer locally curated and led fitness classes, maps of local jogging and walking trails and regular workshops from visiting fitness specialists.

For the ultimate in guest communication to ensure the very best stay customised to requirements, The Peninsula New York offers an around-the-clock contactless private e-concierge service called PenChat. It allows the guest to text requests and questions to the concierge team from messaging apps that they already use on their mobile, from transport reservations, suggestions for local activities, to in room deliveries of special items. 

Kiddies are welcomed here with the Camp Peninsula Package which comes complete with an exclusive Camp Peninsula Tent pitched right inside a suite. Junior bathrobes and slippers are included alongside children’s amenities. The package also includes a scavenger hunt to explore the hotel.

Style

7/10

The Peninsula New York occupies a 23-floor, landmark Beaux Arts building behind a fabulously ornate façade at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street. Inside, the restored period interiors contrast pleasantly with the more pared back Asian contemporary ambiance – with each showcasing the other, decorated with curated pieces of modern art. 

The dual grand staircases divide to lead up to the reception, lobby and restaurants and echo back to the debut of the hotel when it opened as The Gotham Hotel in 1905. It was one of the first hotels in the city to use a steel frame construction, but it is only under the ownership of Peninsula Hotels & Resorts, coming onto the scene in October 1988, that it finally found its groove and rightful place at the forefront of New York’s echelon of the finest hotels. 

It is now known as the North American flagship of the Asian hotel group which brings their exceptional and impressively unobtrusive service standards to bear at this timelessly glamorous property. With some of the largest hotel rooms in the city, any stay here is as cossetted and peaceful as you might wish. 

Restaurants & Bars

8/10

For many international travellers and New York locals, it is the Salon de Ning on the 23rd floor that is the standout venue at The Peninsula New York – a chic rooftop hangout for those in the know. Upon arrival, guests pass through a corridor of Venetian mirrors and intricately carved Chinese woodwork before entering into the small, intimate bar with its dark, moody ambiance, perfect for sipping superlative cocktails after dark.  

It extends out onto two large terraces overlooking the evening skyline and lights of Manhattan for those who prefer the al fresco version. The more intimate interior bar is modelled after Madame Ning’s 1930s era New York penthouse which features a mix of antique and modern artefacts, paintings, photography and Chinese screens. 

In the winter, the west terrace transforms into Chalet de Ning and features two domed structures for keeping warm as the temperatures drop. To complement the winter season, the cocktail list is inspired by the Swiss Alps. 

Clement, the hotel’s main all-day dining restaurant meanwhile serves the best of American fare using only the freshest and seasonal ingredients. With an interior featuring a row of interconnecting rooms, each has a different ambiance. For example, one enters the space through the adjoining Bar at Clement (perfect for light bites and casual drinks) before entering the Communal Area of the Clement Restaurant which features a shelved collection of Pascale Giradin’s hand thrown pottery before morphing into The Book Room, reminiscent of book lined libraries of times past with stacks of custom paper placed in the room’s corners. The Mirror Room has a collection of handmade mirrored artworks and mirrors letting the light shine through and The Color Room features a vibrantly coloured etching of “Wild New York”. 

The pared back Private Dining Room seating up to 12 guests is encircled by tan leather banquettes with an arched window overlooking Fifth Avenue and exquisite painted silk panels adding a showstopping element to the room. 

Gotham Lounge by way of contrast, is resolutely contemporary with a smart urban chic vibe, perfect for casual dining or for enjoying Peninsula’s renowned Afternoon Tea. The lounge is currently temporarily closed. 

Sustainability

The Peninsula Hotel Group aims to deliver the highest standards of luxury in a responsible and sustainable way where they can. They believe in having a positive social, economic and environmental impact on the local communities in which they operate.

Initiatives include responsible sourced seafood, tea, coffee and chocolate, transitioning away from single use plastics, using eco-friendly cleaning solutions, Clean the World upcycling of used guest soaps and low temperature laundry and using energy efficient lighting. The Peninsula New York has a food digestor to repurpose waste sent to landfill. There is also a rooftop urban farm at the property for growing produce for the food and beverage operation.

When refurbishing hotels, Peninsula sources most of the woodwork and furniture from sustainably managed forests and use where possible, Green Label Plus certified carpets made from wool rather than nylon. Wallcoverings feature 10% recycled content and water-based inks, materials and paints for improved, indoor air quality.

In 2020, The Peninsula Group introduced a bespoke line of sustainable destination-inspired guest room amenities. Their 99.9% petroleum plastic-free bathroom amenity line features 45% recycled aluminium packaging, thereby extending the life cycle of their in-house products. The packaging of other amenities such as shower caps toothbrushes and razors has also been replaced with ecologically sound alternatives like corn starch and bamboo. 

Individual fragrances have been created for each property by the most accomplished perfumers living in each city. The Peninsula New York’s fragrance of Golden Quince, Peony and Musk has been created for them by Mackenzie Reilly and is made with all-natural ingredients.

What We Love

  • Location: on 5th Avenue in Midtown - meaning you are close to everything: You are within walking distance of upmarket shopping boutiques, Central Park (the "lungs" of the city), Rockefeller Center, excellent restaurants, historic museums and the Broadway theatres. This is an ideal hotel for those who prefer strolling to cabbing!
  • Spa: located on the 21st & 22nd floors of the hotel. There's a fully stocked fitness centre and indoor heated swimming pool (22nd floor). With 10 treatment rooms - some with skyline views - one couples’ suite and private relaxing lounges — it is as destressing as it gets. Locker rooms offer aromatherapy showers plus steam, sauna and thermal suites. And of course there are therapies galore!
  • Salon de Ning: with its two rooftop terraces - complete with skyline views. “Madame Ning” is the fictional 1930s Shanghai socialite and avid traveller to whom Salon de Ning is dedicated. The first Salon opened in The Peninsula Hong Kong and the New York outpost has become one of the most popular bars in the Big Apple! Chinese furnishings and dark, moody lighting make the interior feel authentic and the wonderful cocktails and light bites are a treat. On a balmy New York summer's evening, Salon de Ning - with its outdoor spaces - is a gem.

    Jason Eckhoff
    CEO & Founder 
    BusinessClass.com 

What They Love

  • Peninsula time: In a city that’s been known as one that never sleeps, flexible check-in and check-out been much appreciated by our guests. With Peninsula Time, every guest is able to check-in as early as 6am and check-out as late as 10pm.
  • Wellbeing: It's ever more important to maintain personal wellbeing goals, especially whilst travelling. Our new Life Lived Best wellness offering provides guests with a unique Wellness Portal and 24-hour Wellness Concierge for all their wellbeing needs, including in-room fitness equipment and training, and Breethe meditation technology for mindfulness exercises in the comfort of your room.
  • Our Peninsula Spa: is a hidden gem, located high above the streets of Manhattan on the 21st floor, with a beautiful indoor swimming pool and stylish Sun Terrace studio. Guests can enjoy a range of healthy, plant-based meals from our imaginative Naturally Peninsula menu, ayurvedic aromatherapy treatments by Subtle Energies, and innovative personal training sessions in our bright and spacious fitness centre. 

    Rolf Buehlmann
    General Manager
    The Peninsula New York

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About the author
Jason Eckhoff
CEO
Jason has been involved in the travel industry for nearly 25 years but has been a keen globetrotter all his life. As Founder and CEO of BusinessClass.com, Jason is an arbiter of the best that premium travel has to offer – from commercial air travel to luxury hotels. He seeks the finest experiences on business, family escapades, or solo adventures. Jason continues to redefine luxury travel, not...
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