Given the option of 4.5 stars, I would have chosen that, however, the customer service we experienced at Le Place d’Armes led me to opt for 5 stars instead of 4. My husband is 100% fluent in French and in English, and while I have been studying French, I am a beginner and anything but fluent. I mention this because, upon check-in, it would have been much more efficient for the lovely woman that checked us in to speak in English. Instead, she took the time to repeat to me everything that she had told my husband very, very slowly in French, so that I could also understand. That was an unnecessary, but very nice touch!
The other incidence of outstanding customer service is perhaps not fair to review, as it involved a random natural disaster, and may not be standard operating procedure for the hotel. I do think it is fair though to mention this anyway, without too specific detail, as we were extremely pleased with the outcome. Basically, we live in NYC and were scheduled to return home on August 28, the day that Hurricane Irene was hitting. We had to make a quick decision: were we going to risk going back, should we stay a few more nights to be safe, and move to a business hotel that falls within my husband’s company's guidelines, (the vacation was technically over) … those sorts of decisions. In the end, we did stay an extra 3 nights, and the management went above and beyond to make our unplanned extension equitable and seamless… we could not have been happier.
We booked a king bed, Junior Suite with terrace, in their newest building, and if you can, I would highly recommend you do the same. The room was open concept, a very good size, and has a modern loft like, yet still cozy feel. You have several sitting options; both inside and outside… plenty of storage, flat screen TV, a large desk, mini bar and safe, and a very comfortable bed with good pillows and linen. The bathroom looks really cool, but could perhaps be tweaked a bit on functionality. The lighting is really dim which makes putting on makeup a bit of a challenge, though I did get used to it, and there is not really much vanity space. That being said, there is a wonderful self-cleaning jetted tub with a flat screen TV and a huge shower with rain and regular showerheads. One word of caution, don’t take your favorite book into the jet tub, it will be soaked… trashy magazines are a better bet!
Our favorite part of our room was our terrace, living in Manhattan, outdoor living space is a rare commodity. One of my biggest pet peeves in a hotel is having to order ice through room service, and sadly, that was the case here. We spent a fair amount of time each evening on the terrace enjoying wine or champagne; therefore, having to order, to wait for, and to tip for, ice… that can be somewhat annoying. They more than made up for it unknowingly, though, by fulfilling my husband’s request of finding us some candles for our balcony. They actually let us borrow some really nice electric ones they use in the lobby for the duration of our trip… another very nice touch.
Lastly, we loved the rooftop bar, and had some nice snacks and drinks at the restaurant bar off the lobby. We did not try breakfast, but did try the gym. It is nice that they have a gym, but the equipment while varied, could use some updating. No big deal though. All in all, we would definitely go back, we would splurge again for the Jr. King, and we would certainly (and already have) recommend this hotel to our friends.
