The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

Mattress sagged and pillows flat. Knob fell off of the shower faucet. Bathroom sink drained slowly and stopper didn't work. Piping on the chair in the room was worn. Just a tired room. Waited over an hour for room service the only time we ordered in. Bemelmans was great, however. Hotel staff was great.

calling all foodies! 😋 this hotel is a culinary adventure. every meal was mind-blowing. they've got this rooftop garden where they grow their own herbs and veggies. the chef offers cooking classes, and i learned to make the most amazing risotto. and don't even get me started on the wine pairing dinner - absolute perfection. if you travel for the food, you've got to check this place out.

This hotel was everything we wanted, perfect area, quiet and away from the bustle but still very close to everything. The rooms are beautiful and the views from some of them are wonderful, the shower is quite simply the best shower I've ever used. The water pressure is amazing, especially for NYC. I really loved everything about this hotel. But what really sets it apart is the service. The service is incredible. Everyone is wonderful and helpful and attentive but especially the valet and bellmen. They are the best. 5 star experience.

I wanted to love this hotel, but didn’t. We live in the NYC burbs and a few times a year, husband and I will take an overnight break from the kids and go to dinner and a show or concert or some other special event in the city and stay overnight at a nice hotel. We’d never been to the storied Carlyle so I booked it day of to follow seeing the Outsiders matinee on Broadway and doing a little shopping. There was plenty of inventory. I booked a King Deluxe room, just a single level up from the King Superior, the lowest room category. Pre taxes and fees it was $840. Our Virtuoso benefits package provided us a welcome amenity (never got one), early check in (just the opposite, had to wait until after 6), “free breakfast” up to $45 pp and a $100 F&B credit. Our package also included an upgrade “If available.” The King Deluxe Room we were given I suspect was actually a King Superior as it felt quite cramped. The King Deluxe was advertised as on a high floor, in a quiet location and overlooking the courtyard. What we got was 3rd floor (out of 32, so definitely not a high floor), right next to elevator and right above a wedding (not a quiet location) . It did not overlook the courtyard, but rather a side street. When I called they said the only other room that was available was just like it, but on the 7th floor. I declined and asked for an upgrade per the Virtuoso package. They said there was no upgrade available. I offered to come downstairs and show them all the rooms available on their web site. The self-identified manager, David, told me if I wanted an upgrade beyond the 7th floor I’d have to pay extra for it. A floor change in the same room category is not an upgrade. I declined again, noting there were plenty of upgraded rooms available. David seemed more interested in arguing than providing excellent customer service. Miraculously, he was finally able to find a wee upgrade to a Madison Room on the 14th floor, but we’d have to wait an hour or two because it wasn’t cleaned (why?). It felt like somebody needed a power trip so we said OK since we could wait in the original room. About 6:45 p.m. we were able to check into our room. It was definitely larger than the one we were originally assigned. But it’s billed on the web site as the same size (375 sq ft) as the King Deluxe. It was noticeably larger, so I’m certain they tried to stick us with the lower category room (King Superior) at first. We had a pricey dinner ($500+ with no alcohol but with caviar) at the newish Dowling’s, but at least the food was good and the staff was warm and friendly, exactly the opposite of what we encountered at the front desk. The other upside was the bed and pillows were super comfortable but there are too many 5-star hotels in NYC to bother with the Carlyle again. I think the Rosewood Hotel Group needs to do a thorough audit, it just doesn’t compare to some of their other properties when it comes to service.

The person at the Carlyle that most heavily contributed to the reason our stay was excellent was Anton, the front desk manager. I had booked a one bedroom suite and, the week before the trip, I started regretting not getting 2 bedrooms/ 2 bathrooms for me, my son and my husband. I submitted an inquiry regarding the availability of 2 bedroom suites & Anton called me that evening at home at 9pm which was 10pm his time! While we were on the phone he set me up with something that would make us more comfortable & immediately eased my mind. Then we arrived and the room was SPECTACULAR (far greater than I had anticipated)! Anton showed us to the room himself. The second most important thing to mention is the concierge team. I planned this trip more last minute than I usually plan trips so leaned on them quite a bit for advice & reservations. Everything they suggested was great. Also have to mention the housekeeping team. They came exactly when I asked each day & did a perfect job every time. The doormen and elevator attendants were also consistently providing excellent service. The location is great on the upper east side just a block or two from central park. The hotel bar is good for one visit (is a very famous bar with live entertainment). We spent $700 on drinks and appetizers. Also have to mention Stephanie (sp?) who was very helpful at the front desk when we ended up having to extend our stay at the last minute by one night. I noticed some of the other guests being very grumpy with the front desk staff & they handled those people with grace. They were obviously so happy to make our extended stay a pleasant one.