Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Iroquois New York Hotel Review


 Classification : Four Star
 
Room Category : Deluxe Room Queen Bed

Month of Stay :  November
No Resort Fees (as of 06/25/19)

Trip Advisor Ranking 43 of 473 (as of 03/17/18)
Trivago Rating  8.8 out of 10 (as of 03/17/18)

Hotel History : “There is no more frequented block in New York than West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.. It is a block of hotels, restaurants and fashionable clubs … On the block are The New York Yacht, The Yale, The Harvard, and City Clubs… opposite the hotel is the New York Bar Association, half a block west is the Hippodrome…" Published on July 28, 1911, this excerpt from a New York Times article could be describing this famous block today, with a few modern touches.  The Iroquois New York Hotel has a long history, my most favorite being the home to the talented James Dean for 2 years in the 1950's. In the late 1990s, The Iroquois underwent an incredible transformation from historic New York hotel to a modern luxury hotel. In 1996, the current owner Shimmie Horn took over ownership of the hotel, which had been in his family since the late 1950s. A few years later, Mr. Horn affiliated the hotel with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and started a $13 million renovation. Since the building used to be an apartment hotel there were many suites and larger living areas, which during the renovation were split up into rooms more suitably sized for a hotel. Other changes were made. The Dumont Barber shop, which had been on the first floor, was replaced with a quaint in-house library, the old photographers’ studio became the cocktail salon Lantern’s Keep, and a fitness center was added. The lobby was completely refurbished to solidify the property’s status as one of the finest historic hotels offering boutique accommodations in NYC, and the bar and small restaurant were combined to make way for a larger restaurant, which is now the acclaimed Triomphe restaurant.

9/10   Location : The location of this hotel, West 44th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues is pretty perfect. You can walk to many great places in the city: Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal, Theater District, Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue Shopping, The Morgan Library. This area is known as Club Row because of its grouping of posh university clubs for Ivy League alumni. There's the Harvard Club, the Penn Club, and the New York Yacht Club, as well as several historic hotels including my other favorite The Sofitel New York. It is a very quiet and safe area, and subway is close by at Bryant Park and Grand Central Terminal. It is a great base to go back to for a rest, and then head back out again for more exploring of the city.

7/10 Style & Character : This hotel really feels old New York when you walk in and the photo above of the library is a welcome place for a rest break. We had lovely hot cider available all day as well as tea and coffee. The hallways are very bright and cheerful, and I loved the carpet design in the photo below. The choice of photography on the wall is very chic, and I was thrilled to be on the same floor as the James Dean Suite. Some of the furniture could use a re-fresh but it very much adds to the old New York appeal.


7/10 Amenities: I loved seeing in the elevator that they offer Complimentary Walking Tours which New York City is so much a walking city! A very nice feature for sure. Turndown service with Le Belge chocolates and the weather for the next day is a welcome treat. I was in receipt of a bottle of wine as well which was a very nice touch. Fully outfitted, 24-hour fitness center with Finnish Sauna (Kindly note our Fitness Center and Sauna are unavailable for use until mid-April. 24-hour room service. Private training, yoga or Pilates sessions with a licensed professional available. Daily delivery of The New York Times. Simmons Beautyrest mattresses and Frette linens. Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi access. iHome iPod dock. Lavish bathroom amenities.




7/10 Rooms : 117 guest rooms The room decor was very lovely and a decent size for New York City. The bed was super comfy and I was thrilled there was a plug near to charge my phone. The mini fridge had a section labeled "For your personal use" which is not something you find often but was a great idea! I loved the C.O. Bigelow bath products but the bathroom was extremely small. With a heated floor, which was a nice touch, it was just way too small even for one person. The water in the shower never got warm either and the pressure wasn't too great. The floor in the shower was in need of some repair as well.




7/10 Food & Drink : The Triomphe french bistro gets rave reviews for dinner but my breakfast was just okay. They offer a 7 course tasting $85.00, additional for wine pairings $35.00. Breakfast is served from 7am to 10:30am ; $44 on 44th: 3 courses in 60 minutes or less. I would like to dine here again for lunch or dinner when in the city to give it another try. The atmosphere was lovely and a very relaxing spot to dine.

Lantern’s Keep is a secret gem of a cocktail bar  which makes you feel like you are back in the roaring 20's. There are four types of ice cubes to add life to the vintage 1920s cocktail list; the Regal Gold Rush mingles bourbon, honey, grapefruit and lemon, and the Tritter Rickey is a mix of gin, lime, mint, Absinthe and seltzer.


Family Friendly: Yes. Executive suites can easily accommodate a small family & adjacent corner rooms join to create larger suites. Cribs are available upon request.

Access for Guests with Disability: Yes. ADA-accessible rooms are available.

Overall Value: $250 - $640 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room), Free WiFi, Fitness Center with Gym/Workout Room

Overall Rating: My overall rating for this hotel out of a total 10 would be a 7. 

In the Vicinity: There is a Gregory's Coffee right across from the hotel, 5th Ave. and West 42nd has my favorite shop & Other Stories, One block over from Bryant Park which has Maison Kayser, Breads Bakery, Lady M Cake Boutique. You are within walking distance of theater district as well as subway lines. The Red Flame diner is good for inexpensive breakfast, lunch or dinner. The location of this hotel is quite top notch!!



Hotel prices are at their lowest in the months of January and February; their highest September and October. Sunday nights are the lowest prices for hotel rooms, in most cases. My go to places for checking prices for hotels are TrivagoTrip AdvisorHotels.com and Travelzoo. Always remember to check the hotel's website itself, they are really trying to have you book direct and sometimes offer specials or a discount with AAA that is cheaper than the websites I mentioned above. I am also finding that if you book on your mobile device, you can save some money as well. I actually got a better rate via my mobile phone than using my AAA discount online direct at the hotel. You should really do some research on your price for hotel a few different ways, and ALWAYS book a room that you can cancel, you never know what may happen in the future. You also want the ability to change hotels if you should find a better option closer to your date of arrival. 

Resort fees are something I am seeing at more New York hotels, about 82 of the over 400 hotels in New York City now charge. These fees can run you between $30 to $60 per night for your stay. They list services such as newspapers, in room coffee or WiFi for these fees, and if you book with a hotel that has this fee, you are obligated to pay it. When checking your prices, be sure to look for the small print if there is an additional resort fee and make your decision whether you want that additional charge. Some of the hotels in New York City that charge the fee are: Park Central Hotel $40.16, WestHouse New York $53.93, Avalon Hotel $22.95, Royalton Park Avenue $40.00, The James New York Soho $45.90, The James New York NoMad $38.11, The Warwick $25.00, The Benjamin $38.11, The Quin $21.78, Crowne Plaza Times Square $34.43, Hotel 48Lex $60.00, The Redbury New York $32.66, The Knickerbocker $34.43, The Viceroy Central Park $29.00. These prices are as of 03/25/18

Remember to take into account for your total cost the NYC Hotel tax of 14.75% plus Daily $2.00 per room occupancy fee.

CONCLUSION

Would I reserve a night at the Iroquois New York again ? I believe I would, for the right price. The room was ready when I arrived about 10:am which was awesome, they didn't offer any type of room upgrade. I enjoyed my stay, the hotel is very elegant and feels like old New York. The location is great, you can walk just about anywhere. Location is a BIG deal in New York City. If you pay a very cheap price for a hotel, and it is not close to anything you wish to explore, it really isn't  worth the cheaper price. The room was very chic, my biggest issue being the very tiny size of the bathroom. I love the fact that James Dean lived here and I was on that exact floor! There was no coffee maker in the room. I wouldn't pay over $300.00 per night for this hotel, unless you are just staying one night. I think if you are going to pay $300.00 or over, you can do better. 

Disclosure: This stay was paid for by me. I will always state at the end of each review whether my stay was paid for by myself or if I was hosted by the hotel. I will honestly tell you about my experience at this hotel, not being swayed in any way by Complimentary services. I know you trust my opinion, and it is important to me to be as honest as possible.  All opinions are my own. Thank you so much.

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