With such an iconic hotel, it’s almost saddening to write this post. The Waldorf Astoria’s current building history dates back to 1931 when the Art Deco building was designed by Schultze and Weaver and built at its current address of 301 Park Avenue.
The original hotel opened on the site of the current Empire State Building in 1893 but was demolished due to a number of factors.
Knowing the history of this hotel and getting a suite upgrade can lead to great expectations, until you actually enter the room and see the need for renovation.
I’ve stayed here a number of times and have noticed the need for renovations before. But you can see for yourself in the pictures below.
The living room is large with dated everything from furniture to drapes to carpet.
The wet bar is a redeeming feature and comes complete with countertops from the 1980s.
The bathroom is perfectly servicable.
The bedroom is good for sleeping but I definitely would wear slippers with the dated carpet. The furniture is a bit old which adds to the nostalgia, I guess.
Bottom Line
I much prefer the St Regis New York when staying in the city. My past experiences at the Waldorf Astoria have all been pleasant, but in my opinion the hotel is due for a refresh.
When was the last time you’ve been to this hotel? What did you think?
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The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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Looks like the rooms at the IC Barclay, which thankfully is finally closing for a complete renovation!
My husband and I stay there about once a year, just ’cause cabbies always know where it is and we get to say we stayed at the Waldorf. The rooms definitely need a refresh. Ever done the tour and seen the Presidential Suite? We saw it about 24 hours before Obama visited last year. The place is like a fortress when he’s on-site. Worth an ok room just for the experience!
I’ve always been disappointed with the Waldorf rooms. Conversely, I have never…ever…ever been disappointed with their service. You can get absolute steals once in while (like…$200 a night), and at that price it’s definitely worth it.
ALSO, unlike CathN, it’s happened to me twice where I get into a cab and ask them to take me to the Waldorf, and they look at me like I have 3 heads. Then you ask for the Waldorf Astoria, and they ask if you want to go to Astoria (NO). Then you ask for the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue. Still nothing. Finally “take me to Park Ave and 49th…PLEASE”
“Why didn’t you just say that?”
Because I figured you had a basic knowledge of the landmark hotels in the city.
I stay at the Waldorf regularly – but only if none of the other hotels “preferred” by my company are not available. The rooms are horrible. They absolutely need an upgrade. A lot of the bathrooms, even in suites, really need an upgrade. Last time I stayed there, about three weeks ago, the receptionist excitedly told me that I got upgraded into a really nice room (I am Hilton Diamond). I knew not to get my hopes up, and sure enough, when I entered the room, my first thought was “I wonder how bad the room is they originally were planning to put me into if this is an upgrade ….”
We stayed there a few weeks ago and loved the nostalgic look. I felt like I was on the QE2. We got upgraded to a great view of Park Avenue. We’re such greenhorns that we just ate it up!
Sure looks dated, but room seems fairly clean. And besides being clean and quiet, does anyone really care what the interior looks like so long as it’s not a dump? Looks like 70K HH for Standard room vs 30K SPG. Since can get HH at 0.2cpp vs. 1cpp, for MSers, HH is significantly better value. But that’s almost always the case with top tier since SPG is so ridiculous in most instances.
last August my girlfriend and I checked into the Waldorf Towers, which is a separate part of the Astoria that has its own dedicated entrance and check in on the side of the building and after receiving a suit upgrade, I must say, it was outstanding. It still maintained the classic look and was just so beautiful with all the modern updates. – I would compare it to the St. Regis but if I had to choose between the 2, I would go with St. Regis. – I remember on my way to check out, I had to print a boarding pass and the lady told me to go take the elevator up and pass the Asotria’s check in counter on the right – so after getting off the elevator I couldn’t believe my eyes, i saw 4 lines of aprox 10 people per line waiting to check in. Now I have never stayed at the Astoria, so I dont know if this was because something special was going on or what, but it just made staying at the Towers so much better.