After a hiatus of several years, I returned to the Essex House ("Jumeirah") for a weekend stay recently. I knew that it was under new ownership and that the rooms had been renovated; I was excited to see how the property had improved. I had been a regular and frequent guest through the '80s and '90s.
Check-in took nearly 40 minutes, and I did NOT have to wait in line. I had requested a King Room on a high floor, with a Central Park view. All they had available for me was one on the third floor, which I refused, as we had been keenly anticipating a special weekend in New York, and I wanted the good view of the park. (When I had called that morning to reconfirm check-in time, I was told that it was "guaranteed 3 o'clock check-in; we have lots of open inventory.")
I ultimately ended up in a room on the 22nd floor with outstanding views. Once I entered the room, a suite, my heart sank when I saw that the promised King was a Queen. There was not enough time to run back down to the front desk; I had to dress quickly for an event, and I just didn't want to deal again with the hassle I endured at check-in. Needless to say, the smaller bed resulted in fitful sleep for my companion and myself for both nights.
Try figuring out how to work the lights, telephone and thermostat in less than twenty minutes. If you can do that, you must be a member of MENSA.
Room service: coffee for one = about $12.50, plus a little extra for the tip (on top of the included service charge).
No turn-down service on the first night. I had asked for an in-room coffee maker to be delivered to the room (no charge). Used coffee cup, coffee carafe, and filter with grounds in it were left behind after daytime cleaning. I took the dirty coffee cup and used filter with grounds out of the room and placed it on a prominent table in the foyer at 5pm yesterday - - - it was still there at 10am today when we checked out.
Used towels and washcloths were removed and never replaced. I washed my face this morning with a corner of my towel. Hey- not really a major problem, and I know I'm nit-picking, but this was not what one would expect for the price and hype.
I miss the old "library" bar, which used to be near the 58th street entrance, now replaced by a stuffy little restaurant with outrageous breakfast prices.
All in all, I was moderately disappointed with my experience, but you can't beat the location, especially for an early morning run through Central Park, a visit to MOMA and Bergdorf's, a delighful dinner at Nino's Tuscany Restaurant, and an evening of Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera!
The people who work security at the elevator banks were always gracious and friendly; the bellmen and doormen were great; a special thanks to Carlos at the front desk, who is a gem, and who made up for a lot of this property's deficits.
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