11/02/09

they billed us anyway

by princessellem

We were all set to stay at this hotel when we had to cancel our plans. We called 4 days in advance to cancel, but they billed us anyway! They have a 24 hr cancellation policy, so 4 days is above and beyond.

I'm disputing it with my credit card company. They had to cancel my old card, issue a new one, etc. Oh joy, thanks a lot Waldorf!

• Pros: None
• Cons: We were conned!

02/16/09

Great place!

by nic1194

My boyfriend took me here on Valentine's Day as a surprise and it was just wonderful! There was a problem with our room at check-in and they upgraded us to a lovely suite. The room was big and very clean. The location is also perfect! You can walk to Grand Central and Fifth Avenue. It was especially great because my bf also proposed to me in our suite! He already made reservations for us to stay there next Valentine's Day in the same room and they couldn't have been nicer to him when he did that. Looking forward to next year!

01/25/09

great, not perfect.

by ryo89harvard11

yes, u can expect the luxury in the hotel (obviously), the suite rooms are magnificent, and has a fancy lobby.

still, there could be some renovation done in the rooms. i understand that the property is old, but still, there can be touch-ups. the waldorf=towers is attached to the hotel and is double the price, but i would recommend staying at the towers if u got the bills, b/c in the astoria part of the hotel, there's only 24 floors, and might as well stay in a skyscraper when in NYC.

01/18/09

Old World Elegance

by ChefRocksIt

My now husband and I stayed at the Waldorf just a few months after dating and we fell in love there. The room was small but cozy and just right for two. I didn't get the key for the mini bar however and as with all hotels the snacks in the room are so overpriced it makes you heart hurt just to think to pay $5 for a small bag of M&M's! YIKES!!! The room service was fantastic! We left the hotel 3 different times in one day and each time we came back the bed was made the room was straightened! The end of the night the bed was turned down and chocolates were left on the pillows, fresh linens daily and the room was super clean! The breakfast we ordered, was delivered exactly at the time we selected on our card and was very nice but as a Chef there is no way I could ever charge $130 for two breakfast's that consisted of eggs and bacon with toast and juice! The staff was helpful and very nice, and for those of you who have reviewed the Waldorf and said the staff was snobby you are sorely mistaken but it is not a place where people go and wear sneakers and ripped jeans so if you are used to being dressed like this might I suggest you go to the howard johnson where that is acceptable. I wore jeans and sweaters, and the staff was just as nice as can be even let us check in 5 hours early with no extra charge.

• Pros: Romantic and comfortable bed
• Cons: Not really close to the sights

12/28/08

HOTEL FROM HELL

by lynnandcarly

My 18 day stay at the Waldorf Astoria was the worst hotel stay in my life. The lobby is gorgeous, but everything begins and ends there. The hotel personnel are rude and curt. Everything at the hotel is over-priced and the room was filthy. When we arrived I had to ask to have the dirty carpet cleaned. It smelled and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in ten years. From there the stay just went downhill. There was a leak in the ceiling over our toilet and a 3 foot hole in the ceiling. I asked repeatedly to have the hole repaired only to be lied to by hotel personnel. My 8 year old daughter and I were locked out of our hotel room by the hotel management. It was a frightening and very upsetting experience for both myself and my little girl. I have stayed at many 5 star hotels in the past and this hotel should be rated as a 1 star hotel. The 1 star they earn from me is the elegance of their lobby. After that expect your stay to go downhill.

• Pros: Beautiful lobby
• Cons: Pompous staff and deriorating rooms

05/29/07

Excellent hotel, great value!

by mapleleaves

I was apprehensive about staying at the Waldorf after reading the reviews on this site, especially since I got a very good rate for a Midtown hotel.

The reservation confirmation had an advance check-in number to call when I was leaving the airport, so when I arrived I avoided the LONG line at the reception desk and went to a small office in the corner of the lobby. The room wasn't ready, but this was due to my having made two separate reservations and they wanted to give me a room that I could keep for the entire stay.

I was given a one-bedroom suite - a huge living room with a (decorative) fireplace, a huge bedroom, a walk-in closet and another full-sized closet in the entry hall, and a small but spotless marble bathroom.

Whenever I needed something, the staff were attentive, friendly, and fast. Housekeeping was fastidious and efficient; the bellmen were prompt. I mailed home a large box on my last day, and the gentleman from the "package room" came up immediately to pick it up when I called.

I've stayed at the Ritz Central Park and the Essex House, and for the money I'd much rather stay at the Waldorf. None of the Waldorf's rooms have a truly exciting view, so you're not paying extra for it.

Insider tip - the Starbucks just inside the Park Avenue entrance serves pastries baked by the hotel at reasonable prices.

• Pros: Great location, beautiful room, excellent service
• Cons: Lobby can be very busy with tourists and special events

11/27/06

A grande dame of early 20th-century New York hotels.

by Contributor

Overview
Around since 1931, this legend underwent a $200 million facelift in the 1990s. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, it inaugurated a fitness and business center. The lobby is still choked with gawking tourists, business executives and travelers who honeymooned here more than 40 years ago.

The Experience
Staff work valiantly to keep things moving, and it shows: Service is smooth. The 1,380 rooms vary, some resembling large closets, others ballrooms with Texas-size marble bathrooms. Astoria rooms offer a lounge serving complimentary breakfast, tea and hors d'oeuvres. Among the many restaurants, the Bull & Bear serves hearty steaks and chops. Oscar's has a menu of salads and sandwiches, and the revamped Inagiku is known for great sushi and tatami rooms. The Cocktail Terrace is ultra-comfortable for drinks with piano accompaniment. The 19th-floor fitness center has several massage therapists and an exercise room.

07/18/06

A classy establishment

by radiancelee

Wonderful. I spent a snowy weekend here, and it was just like being in the movies. The service was a little slow because we were snowed in, but most of the time it was up to par. The architechture and history of this hotel make this most definately a typical new york experience. the waldorf salad is fantastic by the way. the rooms were good, make sure you get a good one, we switched from a smallish corner room to a bigger side room.

• Pros: Midtown Location close to Madison Ave., Atmosphere
• Cons: Service should be outstanding for this price

08/25/04

The Original New York Luxury Hotel

by mnbecker

I stayed at the Waldorf in September 2003 and had a great stay. I came to the site shopping price. After reading the reviews, and those of other luxury hotels in the city-I remembered why I was so intent on staying at the Waldorf in the first place. It is like no place else. The hotel is so beautiful and a true architectual gem. And the service that I had received was nothing but outstanding. I have decided to go ahead and spend the extra money and stay at the Waldorf again. It is not contemporary or modern by any means, and is not meant to be. It is truely the epitome of classic travelling and old-world charm-rare for these days. The Waldorf is the kind of hotel that if you're lucky you get to stay at more than once in your life-and I'm looking forward to my second stay!

• Pros: Architecture, Location, Service

01/29/04

Save Your Money

by justsomeone00

The Waldorf is beautiful and it has great historical value to it, however it is NOT worth the money to stay there. Save your money, and stay at HoJo's in Time's Square.

• Pros: Beautiful, celebs frequent, close to train
• Cons: , EXPENSIVE, EXPENSIVE