May 11, 2014, 9:54 am
Last edit by: Canarsie
NY Hilton Exec Lounge Access for Diamonds? October 14, 2006
New York Hilton Midtown Discontinuing Room Service May 31, 2013
New York Hilton Midtown Closes Down Their Restaurant September 19, 2013
New York Hilton Midtown Discontinuing Room Service May 31, 2013
New York Hilton Midtown Closes Down Their Restaurant September 19, 2013
New York Hilton Midtown {US-NY}
Apr 24, 2015, 11:51 am
#781
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BA Silver, KLM, HILTON HONOURS
Posts: 186
We stayed at NY Midtown last week and did not get a room upgrade. As Diamond, we got lounge access but the breakfast selection was very poor . I had to argue to get a late checkout (3pm) I asked if they still have executive rooms and was told that it is premier rooms and executive lounge has to be paid for unless you are diamond.
Apr 24, 2015, 1:32 pm
#782
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Minneapolis, originally from Cincinnati
Programs: Diamond with Delta, Hyatt and Hilton. 2 MM and Plat with America (thank you citi:))
Posts: 2,345
Someone in my office stayed there Monday as a diamond. Was given exec lounge access and said the lounge has gone downhill from last year (didn't know that was possible, pretty sorry lounge last time I was there).
He asked for a 2:30 checkout and was told the latest they could give him was 2 p.m. without charging (come on Hilton, your competition gives a guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout and you can't give a diamond a 2:30 p.m. checkout when the hotel isn't full).
No upgrade. I had him ask about exec rooms and like the previous poster he was told they no longer had exec rooms and the only people getting exec lounge access were diamonds and those that paid for the rooms. When my wife stayed at Palmer House recently she was told that Gold's were no longer getting exec level floor upgrades and some one on this forum reported the Financial District Hilton in SF was no longer giving gold's access to the Exec Lounge who were upgraded to the exec floor unless they paid (both of these policies ended up not materializing) so it sounds like Hilton doesn't want to give gold's lounge access and maybe this is a way around it.
He asked for a 2:30 checkout and was told the latest they could give him was 2 p.m. without charging (come on Hilton, your competition gives a guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout and you can't give a diamond a 2:30 p.m. checkout when the hotel isn't full).
No upgrade. I had him ask about exec rooms and like the previous poster he was told they no longer had exec rooms and the only people getting exec lounge access were diamonds and those that paid for the rooms. When my wife stayed at Palmer House recently she was told that Gold's were no longer getting exec level floor upgrades and some one on this forum reported the Financial District Hilton in SF was no longer giving gold's access to the Exec Lounge who were upgraded to the exec floor unless they paid (both of these policies ended up not materializing) so it sounds like Hilton doesn't want to give gold's lounge access and maybe this is a way around it.
Apr 25, 2015, 9:04 pm
#783
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,534
Every time I see a new post for this hotel I click on the thread and without fail it reinforces that I want to continue to avoid this hotel when I am in Manhattan even though our office is literally right across the street.
Apr 29, 2015, 5:57 pm
#784
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: DL Diamond, HHonors Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,386
Strange that Hilton doesn't do a better job managing the brand's premier NYC property. There's absolutely nothing to recommend it over the many other Hilton hotels in Manhattan.
Jun 19, 2015, 11:05 am
#785
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BER
Programs: BAEC GGL/GfL, Lufthansa SEN, Hilton Diamond, misc other stuff
Posts: 1,399
I stayed at the Hilton Midtown this week for a conference as Diamond. My last experience as Gold was roughly 7 years ago.
I arrived at 9PM and received a regular room on the 27th floor - exactly what I reserved during the online check in and definitely not an upgrade.
There was not a single bottle of water in the room and I complained about that on Twitter after the Hilton twitter team approached me first. Their response: go down to the lobby and they'll give you some water. At that time I already made my trek to the nearest supermarket to stock up on some artificially flavored beverages and water.
Breakfast was apparently only available in the lounge. No omelettes or waffles, just some preheated stuff, bread, muffins, danish, cereal and coffee that didn't want me get a second cup.
Getting a 4PM late-checkout took quite some work but finally worked. I don't understand why I am getting charged another $3.50 per piece to store my luggage. The only real benefit was the fact that I could use the executive lounge after I checked out ... only to find out that the only beverages available after 7PM where water, bad coffee and fountain drinks.
This certainly isn't worth $400++ per night.
I am anxious to see how they will treat my upcoming stay in a premium suite at the hotel on a heavily discounted rate.
I arrived at 9PM and received a regular room on the 27th floor - exactly what I reserved during the online check in and definitely not an upgrade.
There was not a single bottle of water in the room and I complained about that on Twitter after the Hilton twitter team approached me first. Their response: go down to the lobby and they'll give you some water. At that time I already made my trek to the nearest supermarket to stock up on some artificially flavored beverages and water.
Breakfast was apparently only available in the lounge. No omelettes or waffles, just some preheated stuff, bread, muffins, danish, cereal and coffee that didn't want me get a second cup.
Getting a 4PM late-checkout took quite some work but finally worked. I don't understand why I am getting charged another $3.50 per piece to store my luggage. The only real benefit was the fact that I could use the executive lounge after I checked out ... only to find out that the only beverages available after 7PM where water, bad coffee and fountain drinks.
This certainly isn't worth $400++ per night.
I am anxious to see how they will treat my upcoming stay in a premium suite at the hotel on a heavily discounted rate.
Jun 29, 2015, 6:24 am
#786
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: West of the Rockies
Programs: AA EXP | DL SM | HH DM |*wood Gold
Posts: 1,271
Last I stayed at this hotel, the Executive lounge was on the 44th floor. Now it's in the lobby. This change in floor level from top to bottom is indicative of how the service and amenities of this hotel have fallen. Let's see...
As a diamond booking a deluxe room
1. No upgrade
2. No in-room coffee
3. No bottled water
4. Breakfast (at lounge) is poor
5. No bath mat
6. Diamond CSR at front desk apologizes by explaining the new owner keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.
These are all amenities, wait a minute, let me rephrase this. These are all minimums I expect at a Hampton Inn. So, at this point, I recommend the owner of the hotel re-flag it as a Motel 6 or Red Roof. That's because, it it didn't have the 'H" on the building, you'd be hard pressed to notice any other difference.
As a diamond booking a deluxe room
1. No upgrade
2. No in-room coffee
3. No bottled water
4. Breakfast (at lounge) is poor
5. No bath mat
6. Diamond CSR at front desk apologizes by explaining the new owner keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.
These are all amenities, wait a minute, let me rephrase this. These are all minimums I expect at a Hampton Inn. So, at this point, I recommend the owner of the hotel re-flag it as a Motel 6 or Red Roof. That's because, it it didn't have the 'H" on the building, you'd be hard pressed to notice any other difference.
Jun 29, 2015, 9:35 pm
#787
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 10,980
Last I stayed at this hotel, the Executive lounge was on the 44th floor. Now it's in the lobby. This change in floor level from top to bottom is indicative of how the service and amenities of this hotel have fallen. Let's see...
As a diamond booking a deluxe room
1. No upgrade
2. No in-room coffee
3. No bottled water
4. Breakfast (at lounge) is poor
5. No bath mat
6. Diamond CSR at front desk apologizes by explaining the new owner keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.
These are all amenities, wait a minute, let me rephrase this. These are all minimums I expect at a Hampton Inn. So, at this point, I recommend the owner of the hotel re-flag it as a Motel 6 or Red Roof. That's because, it it didn't have the 'H" on the building, you'd be hard pressed to notice any other difference.
As a diamond booking a deluxe room
1. No upgrade
2. No in-room coffee
3. No bottled water
4. Breakfast (at lounge) is poor
5. No bath mat
6. Diamond CSR at front desk apologizes by explaining the new owner keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.
These are all amenities, wait a minute, let me rephrase this. These are all minimums I expect at a Hampton Inn. So, at this point, I recommend the owner of the hotel re-flag it as a Motel 6 or Red Roof. That's because, it it didn't have the 'H" on the building, you'd be hard pressed to notice any other difference.
Jun 30, 2015, 8:34 am
#788
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,436
I thought about staying at this hotel next month but am going to avoid it after all the bad FT reviews from diamonds
Last edited by jamesteroh; Jun 30, 2015 at 8:58 am
Jan 11, 2016, 7:07 am
#789
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Auckland, NZ
Programs: HHonors / Airpoints
Posts: 5
New York Hilton Midtown - First time in the big apple
New York Hilton Midtown
1335 Avenue Of The Americas New York, NY US 10019
RecommendedLiked: LocationServiceFoodAmenitiesRoom
First time in the big apple (0 Photo)
New York Hilton Midtown
Me and my partner stayed at the NY Hilton Midtown for 5 nights from Oct 4-9th 2015. It was our first trip to NY and we had a great stay. The hotel itself was up to a good standard. Rooms were good however this hotel is a very popular place for conferences hence always busy. We used a 3x points offer HHonors were running to optimise points earning which was a great bonus!
Check In
We arrived in the morning and got to the hotel around 11am and due to check in time being 3pm, the receptionist advised to wait til 12pm to see if she can get us a room. At 12 she managed to upgrade us and check us in to a high floor room which was a great start for our trip!
Room
The room was quite small but that is what you get for a standard size room at the hilton. We were on the 47th floor if i remember correctly. We had a view of central park and all the high rise buildings in the manhatten area. We had a good size TV/Couch/King Bed however we had to ask for a kettle just to make some tea. The bathroom was quite cramped but thats what you get for most hotels in NY from what i read.
Service
I found the service to be quite good. Friendly and efficent with all our requests. Since it was our first time we got some great information from front desk in regards to transport/bars/restaurents etc.. and they were quite helpful and gave us some great recommendations.
Location
The location i found to be was the best part of the Hilton. It is walking distance to all the major landmarks in manhatten. Time Square/Rockafella/Central Park/5th ave/MOMA all were walking distance
Overall
Overall experience was a good one for us as firsst timers. It is the largest hotel in NY in terms of number of rooms they have and it was a good experience. We checked out the minus 5 bar they had and had room service a couple of times and the food was quite good. Check out was a breeze as we used our TV to do it all and avoid queues at the frontdesk. Highly recommend signing up to HHonors. They were also in the middle of renovating the groud floor to add a number of new stores. Something to watch out for
Feb 15, 2016, 4:16 pm
#790
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: Delta, Hilton Honors, SPG, Marriott, Hyatt
Posts: 672
Looks like this hotel looks to nickle and dime people. They don't make it clear that the beers and spirits in the executive lounge cost $5 per glass. They simply trick you into getting it under the assumption that it's free and then have you fill out a paper with your room number. On the paper/card, it indicates that you're paying $5.
Feb 21, 2016, 5:17 pm
#791
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BER
Programs: BAEC GGL/GfL, Lufthansa SEN, Hilton Diamond, misc other stuff
Posts: 1,399
I just stayed at the Hilton Midtown again. I intended to avoid the property but at the cash rate that I paid for the Presidential Suite I could not resist - after all it was similar to what regular rooms go for at other properties.
As Diamond I tried to secure one of the nicer Presidential Suites (they have more than one including a Liberty Suite and State Suite that are both sold as Presidential Suites). I got myself the State Suite (4438). Here are some photos:
It's a one king bedroom suite with a nice entry way, an oversized master bathroom and a large living room with coffee table and separate office area.
The small kitchen did not come with any cutlery etc. The minibar was empty and the Diamond benefits applied: I got a total of two water bottles.
There was no welcome amenity, no welcome letter, not a single flower. I know that these things are not guaranteed but I imagine that if I had paid the rack rate I would love a minibar to raid (knowing that it comes at a price).
I had to call twice to get bathrobes delivered. Breakfast was the usual ground floor executive lounge affair. Thanks to a large children dance competition being hosted in the hotel the lounge was crowded with kids - I opted to have breakfast off-site.
The condition of the suite is OK but there are several issues. The A/C was noisy and I turned it off - only to wake up to a 64 degree room during the night thanks to the cheap windows. Some of the doors have a one inch gap at the bottom. The bedroom work desk was set up to look directly into the bathroom even though it's right in the corner with two windows behind it. The other desk is located in the darkest corner of the living room.
At checkout the agent sincerely apologized for the issues that HE brought up and mentioned that - potentially - starting in April there will be a Diamond area in the Herb-n-Kitchen restaurant.
I have a few more reservations for cheap that I most likely cancel.
As Diamond I tried to secure one of the nicer Presidential Suites (they have more than one including a Liberty Suite and State Suite that are both sold as Presidential Suites). I got myself the State Suite (4438). Here are some photos:
It's a one king bedroom suite with a nice entry way, an oversized master bathroom and a large living room with coffee table and separate office area.
The small kitchen did not come with any cutlery etc. The minibar was empty and the Diamond benefits applied: I got a total of two water bottles.
There was no welcome amenity, no welcome letter, not a single flower. I know that these things are not guaranteed but I imagine that if I had paid the rack rate I would love a minibar to raid (knowing that it comes at a price).
I had to call twice to get bathrobes delivered. Breakfast was the usual ground floor executive lounge affair. Thanks to a large children dance competition being hosted in the hotel the lounge was crowded with kids - I opted to have breakfast off-site.
The condition of the suite is OK but there are several issues. The A/C was noisy and I turned it off - only to wake up to a 64 degree room during the night thanks to the cheap windows. Some of the doors have a one inch gap at the bottom. The bedroom work desk was set up to look directly into the bathroom even though it's right in the corner with two windows behind it. The other desk is located in the darkest corner of the living room.
At checkout the agent sincerely apologized for the issues that HE brought up and mentioned that - potentially - starting in April there will be a Diamond area in the Herb-n-Kitchen restaurant.
I have a few more reservations for cheap that I most likely cancel.
Apr 17, 2016, 2:40 pm
#792
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Programs: JAL Global Club & oneworld Sapphire, ANA SFC & Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 3,846
So I'm staying at this hotel for the first time in over 10 years. Wow, how far this place has fallen. I remember it being a decent place in the early 2000s. Now after checking in, I find out they don't have room service??? WTH?? Instead of room service, they have "food delivery," which is just delivery of a few deli items from downstairs. I like having a full breakfast in my room, but all I can get are things like bagels and breakfast burritos!
And here's the other thing that floored me: they have no proper restaurant on-site! All they have is a deli, a lobby lounge, and a couple of bars!
So no room service and no restaurants. How is this in any way acceptable for a property branded as a Hilton? How does Hilton corporate let this happen at their premier NY property? This makes me want to book away from Hilton generally if there's a risk of other properties in their chain not offering the basic amenities of a full service hotel.
And here's the other thing that floored me: they have no proper restaurant on-site! All they have is a deli, a lobby lounge, and a couple of bars!
So no room service and no restaurants. How is this in any way acceptable for a property branded as a Hilton? How does Hilton corporate let this happen at their premier NY property? This makes me want to book away from Hilton generally if there's a risk of other properties in their chain not offering the basic amenities of a full service hotel.
Apr 17, 2016, 3:03 pm
#793
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: UK - BHD
Programs: BMI Diamond Club refugee: BA-Br; HH-D
Posts: 912
So I'm staying at this hotel for the first time in over 10 years. Wow, how far this place has fallen. I remember it being a decent place in the early 2000s. Now after checking in, I find out they don't have room service??? WTH?? Instead of room service, they have "food delivery," which is just delivery of a few deli items from downstairs. I like having a full breakfast in my room, but all I can get are things like bagels and breakfast burritos!
And here's the other thing that floored me: they have no proper restaurant on-site! All they have is a deli, a lobby lounge, and a couple of bars!
So no room service and no restaurants. How is this in any way acceptable for a property branded as a Hilton? How does Hilton corporate let this happen at their premier NY property? This makes me want to book away from Hilton generally if there's a risk of other properties in their chain not offering the basic amenities of a full service hotel.
And here's the other thing that floored me: they have no proper restaurant on-site! All they have is a deli, a lobby lounge, and a couple of bars!
So no room service and no restaurants. How is this in any way acceptable for a property branded as a Hilton? How does Hilton corporate let this happen at their premier NY property? This makes me want to book away from Hilton generally if there's a risk of other properties in their chain not offering the basic amenities of a full service hotel.
Recent reviews on trip advisor indicate that this hotel has been/is being renovated. And the hotel website shows photos of a nice looking new lounge. Is the quality of the premises decent? How about the lounge? I'm considering staying here in June since the rates for my particular weekend are remarkably low...
Apr 17, 2016, 4:23 pm
#794
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Programs: JAL Global Club & oneworld Sapphire, ANA SFC & Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 3,846
Apr 17, 2016, 4:25 pm
#795
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Programs: JAL Global Club & oneworld Sapphire, ANA SFC & Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 3,846
Recent reviews on trip advisor indicate that this hotel has been/is being renovated. And the hotel website shows photos of a nice looking new lounge. Is the quality of the premises decent? How about the lounge? I'm considering staying here in June since the rates for my particular weekend are remarkably low...