My wife had a conference up the street so I joined her for a weekend in New York with a room at the Andaz. I had no idea what to expect and the company was footing the bill, so who am I to complain?
While rolling up to the front door, it was clear this was no ordinary hotel. The lobby area is open with pretty people holding iPads stationed randomly around the floor. The iPad people actually worked there and checked us in. I felt like I stepped into America's Top Model, Europe Version. Impeccably dressed with equally impeccable smiles, the staff could easily moonlight on the pages of Vogue. Later, when my wife called for an iron at 1 in the morning, someone brought it up, and she commented that they hired a supermodel to bring her an iron and ironing board. They were exceedingly pleasant and fell over themselves to make us feel comfortable. Almost to a fault, really.
The room itself, however, was a bit of a disappointment. Clearly, money was spent on the furnishings and the design. The bathroom was black marble with a large sauna-style shower and open sink design. But practically, some things just didn't make sense. The bathroom sink didn't drain very well, not because the drain was clogged, but because the water would pool for a minute or so before draining. The effect was watching my toothpaste and mouthwash circle the drain for what seemed eons. Overall, just unpleasant. The shower was the same. Rather than quickly drain, the water pooled at the corners and never quite made it back to the drain, so I was standing in soapy water and had a difficult time stepping out without stepping in it.
When approaching from Wall Street, be careful not to enter through the residence part. A surly concierge yelled at us (literally) and asked us to leave and enter through the hotel doors. This request was strange given the shared lobby between the residence area and the hotel was separated by three six-foot potted plants that I could easily walk around and get to the "hotel" lobby. I complained to the male model at the desk to see what he would do. Sure enough, he called over a manager who went over to the concierge. It's that kind of service.
On the upside, unlike many luxury hotels, non-alcohol drinks in the refrigerator were provided for free. As most people know, walking around the city takes energy, so it was really nice to grab a coffee and a cookie for the subway ride to midtown, or to stash a bottle of water and a coke in the backpack. WiFi was also part of the package. I shouldn't give too much credit, though -- for $555 a night (that is not a typo) I would expect to get free cookies.
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