Just the name Waldorf Astoria conjures up images of grandeur and extravagance. To some extent the hotel lobby lives up to this expectation, with its high ceilings and big art deco statements, but it only lasts till the moment you turn to the 20-plus position reception desk and the mass of departing and arriving guests swarming around it. Even then the disappointment was starting to set in.
With only 24 hours in New York (with my wife and daughter) I decided to book us on a couple of short tours to make the most of our visit to the city. The tour desk in the lobby were extremely helpful and within minutes had us booked on a harbour tour with Circle Line that evening and an open-top bus tour of Manhattan the following morning. Already my wallet was nearly $200 lighter – the fees for the tours plus the Waldorf Astoria tour desk's commission on top. As I turned from the desk, my wife said, ‘I think he was expecting a tip. He put his hand out as you turned away.' I chose to ignore it and we went off to find our room.
The whole tip thing became something of an irritation for the rest of our stay. I have to admit all the staff are impeccably turned out, but the thing you see them doing most is putting their hands out for tips. At 6am the next morning – when the Starbucks in the hotel itself was still closed (no facilities in the room either) – I went in search of a coffee. A bellhop in reception directed me to a Starbucks outside the hotel and promptly stuck his hand out for a tip. He didn't get one.
The room itself was nothing special and didn't even come with coffee/tea making facilities. For $428 (before taxes) for one night, I expect more. We didn't dine in the hotel restaurant, but we did take breakfast the morning of our departure. That cost $60 for the three of us, and we didn't even go the whole hog – my wife only had a poached egg!
Something tells me the Waldorf is just using its historic past to fleece its 21st century guests.
As for New York – go there, it's amazing. Just don't stay at the Waldorf.
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