We stayed at the New Yorker for a week at the end of October 2009. We were on the 27th floor and were impressed by the modern decor and efficient elevators, which were plentiful and fast. The lobby is a marvel in itself (maybe I'm easily pleased) and the location is perhaps the best thing about the place.
Minuses would firstly be the staff on reception. We didn't have much interaction with them, just check-in and check-out really, and on both occasions, they could've been better.
Check-in involved queuing in a very vague line, waiting to catch a staff member's attention rather than be called over. And instead of being welcomed, the member of staff seemed more concerned with outlining the dos and don'ts of the hotel, essentially reading the rulebook to us.
Our room was quite small, but within NYC norms by all accounts. All furnishings and fixtures were impressive, as was the bed and TV. The shower, however, required extensive adjustment to get any temperature resembling bearable. My wife simply gave up on it, as it veered from freezing cold to boiling hot with the tiniest movement of the tap.
We didn't eat at the hotel per se but we did try the hotel's Tick Tock Diner. While its finish seemed very authentic (we're big diner fans), the staff were again abrupt and more than a little world-weary and the food varied from ok (Denver Omelette) to not good (pancakes) to downright awful (the iced water, admittedly not really the hotel's fault!). We also tried the Skylight Diner nearby but neither came close to the Comfort Diner on East 45th St, which is well worth the walk.
Funnily enough, the security staff were about the friendliest employees at the hotel. We got some pointers on good places to eat from one lady at the security desk and those checking for room keys at the elevators always had a smile.
The hotel arranged seats for us on a bus to Newark Airport (€27 each) but fumbled a little in the execution of it, seemingly sending one bus to Newark with one couple on it and leaving the rest of us behind - apparently they had reached the NJ side of the Lincoln Tunnel before turning back. Then we were nearly sent on the wrong bus (to JFK). I really got the impression the staff were a little lazy in this aspect of their job.
Overall, however, I'd love to return to the New Yorker. We had a very comfortable 7 nights there, the cleaning staff were in and out any day we wanted and left our room immaculate, showing a pride in their work clearly lacking amongst other (possibly better-paid) members of staff, the location is, as I've said, just about perfect and the facilities seem pretty good.
One final note - we saw on the back of our door that the room rate is €299 to €499 per night and I spoke briefly with another guest in the elevator who had paid this much. Having paid much less than this, I would certainly not consider this hotel to be worth such a rate and I hope guests are paying significantly less than this in reality.Great
