My husband and I went with another couple to the Roosevelt recently.
Our suite was pretty nice - a large room with some design-junky furniture overlooking the hills. It had a white leather banquette and a spray-lamp and a lot of interesting art. It was quite a nice room. Got room service once and it was actually very nice and prompt.
But the fun kind of ended there; first of all, the other couple booked and paid for a junior suite on expedia. The Roosevelt told them there were no more junior suites and because they went through expedia, they wouldn't be able to get the suite. They were relegated to a standard room - which was about 1/5th the size of our suite. Beware - don't let the front-desk people at the Roosevelt take advantage of you like that. I think there are several reviewers on this site that had similar experiences. If you pay $150 for what expedia advertises as a "junior suite", you should get a "junior suite". I've contacted expedia about this. The hotel should quit this consistent and suspect practice.
Moving on, the ceiling vents in all the rooms on our floor were under a well-lit catwalk under the roof. So maintenance could (and did) get to look into the room, and you could hear whatever was going on in every other room on the floor. When people partied until 4:a.m. then had a fight, my husband and I were privy to every last dramatic detail. When another family ordered room service 3 hours later, we knew what they ordered. The alternative was to turn on the A/C which sounded like a jet engine. The vents in the other couple's room were worse.
Bathroom was very small, out-dated. The main ventillation was into the bedroom (not good). The toiletries were great - but only *some* rooms got lotion and body-gel while others got shampoo and generic soap. The more I think about that, the angrier I get: Just give us all the good stuff! How much could you be saving?
The Roosevelt's club is evidently the hottest club in the town. But as a guest, you can't go to the club. Don't try it, don't think about it, just leave it alone. It's not going to happen unless you book a $400 cabana. I talked to a guy who had a suite and tried to get in the club. A bouncer took him aside and told him he'd let him in if he paid him $350.
Elevators: mind-boggling. Took some people 45 minutes to go down 12 floors. I got acquainted with the fire-well by the 2nd day.
OK so the interiors of this place look nice and our room had a lot of style to it. There just wasn't enough good stuff to make up for the snobbery and alienation. I can't remember a time I paid so much to stay at a place denied me full access to its ammenities. Bottom line, this place cuts way too many corners because it thinks it can get away with it on unwitting tourists.
If you want to get treated better, stay at the Le Montrose - same price but way more services and seamless luxury. Or the Renaissance, or the Bel Age. Or the Standard, or the W. They're all a similar price and they treat you like a..... guest!
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