We booked our trip to New York to celebrate a birthday, and decided on the Andaz 5th Avenue after reading plenty of positive reviews.
Firstly the positives....the location is perfect for seeing many of New Yorks attractions, and the hotel is very modern with large and comfortable rooms. We stayed in a king suite, which was impressive with good views and lots of gadgets.
However, the service at the hotel was possibly the worst I have ever experienced. The free mini bar is a nice idea, but useless if the bar is never re-stocked. The turn down service is only every other day, so why bother? And the maid service left used towels in the living room on two occasions.
However, the biggest disappointment was the host service at the hotel. There were always lots of staff in the lobby area, but they seemed more interested in looking good that providing any services.
On check in, we were not assisted with our bags, during 5 days, we were only once offered assistance to get a taxi, and the staff failed to advise us of the hotel happy hour (or any other services). The worst experience was with a birthday cake that we had ordered in advance of our trip. The staff were unable to locate the cake until 17:00 despite us checking on it at 9am, and leaving several messages with the hosts. By this time, the cake was useless, as we were out for a birthday meal. The host then offered to deliver the cake the following morning (perhaps they did not understand that a Birthday cake is required on the actual birthday).
If you want a high tech hotel with large rooms, then this hotel may well appeal. However, if you expect even halfway decent service, or staff who are prepared to assist you in organising the small details to make your stay special, I'd look elsewhere.
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