The Ritz Carlton New York, Central Park

This was our first time at the Ritz-Carlton New York and we were not disappointed. From the moment we got out of our car we were greeted by smiling staff members. Upon check-in we got a room right away and an upgrade to Club Level. (Not sure if it was due to Marriott Gold Elite or our Honeymoon). Yoniedy showed us around the property and took us to our room. The room was beautiful minus the inside facing view, but we would stay again in a heartbeat. The smell of this hotel was amazing, not sure if it was the fresh flowers or a great room spray. Either way, we will stay there on our next NYC trip. Read less

I am always impressed by how welcomed, and how comfortable, the Ritz Carltons make me feel. It’s like walking through the doors to your own home after work and letting out a *sigh* because all of a sudden, the stresses of the day are washed away. That’s a pretty great product. We only stayed 1 night in June 2019 at the Central Park location, but from that stay, the room was great. It’s as quiet and solid as a bank vault. By NYC standards, ours was a very large room (and we had the smallest sq ft room category) and impeccably clean. All the usual accolades of a luxury property: well appointed, fantastic mattress and pillows, thoughtful amenities. And of course, you’re right on Central Park South, so the location is fantastic. My only observation on a short-coming: the lobby is devoid of anything interesting, or even anything useful. There’s no character (or utility) to the lobby: Only 2 lonely, awkwardly-placed chairs in the entire lobby to sit for a second. The front desk has 3 stations, and 3 people were being helped and 2 waiting in front of us. 6-7 minutes later, there were still 2 people waiting in front of us. And nowhere to sit. We could have walked into the adjoining restaurant/lounge space, but the tables are reserved for dinners. And even that space is pretty unremarkable. Ok, yeah...minor gripes about a premier hotel in one of the best locations in one of the greatest cities on the planet. But if I had a magic wand, that’s what I would change. Read less

My wife and I spent 6 nights here to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. We loved it! The club lounge was by far my best lounge experience ever. While we went out to eat and got room service, ot was completely unnecessary for those that would prefer to eat 3 meals a day in the lounge. Anyone that says you have to go outside of the US to experience an exceptional club lounge in a hotel needs to try this one. The staff was incredible, especially Lazar in the club lounge. I'd like to go into a bit more detail in this post, starting with the dining (focusing on the club lounge cuisine), moving on to the location, room, and price. The food: There was plenty of variety offered as well as some things that remained consistent where we were glad to see them on a daily basis. It was easy to get small portions, which allowed for more variety within a single meal than if the servings were bigger. They had caviar the first night in the lounge. They had rotating things once during our stay like short ribs, large shrimp, fish, etc. They often had a wide selection of cold meats, raw vegetables, raw fruit, dried fruit, nuts, crackers, and cheeses. They probably had fresh fruit, cookies, and scones on a daily basis while we were there. The dessert spread they had available every night was incredible, with some consistent items that were great like chocolate fondue with strawberries and some excellent chocolate that we saw at least a few times and lots of variety as well. They had a selection of wine and you could ask a waiter for additional options that were not visible. They had a nice tea selection as well as plenty of options for coffee lovers. While they didn't have sparkling cider, Lazar even ordered some just for me from outside the hotel, treatment that I have never gotten at any lounge. Everything that never or virtually never left: at least 9 varieties of candy, red and green apples, oranges, teas, wines, coffee variants, sodas, bottled water, and cookies. I only went to breakfast once (we did more room service for breakfast, which was great), but when I went on a Friday options included the following (the only meal I am going to go in detail on): Small muffins with either nutella, apple, or raspberry preserves (excellent). There was chocolate and plain croissants, sliced bread, and 4 kinds of bagels as well as a few kinds of cream cheese. There were 6 kinds of cereal, oatmeal and options to include with oatmeal like golden raisins and brown sugar. There was skim milk, whole milk, grapefruit juice and orange juice. There was a selection of cheeses and dried fruits. There was salmon and a few toppings to add to it. One egg option included a baked blend of eggs, ham, and green onions. The other was zucchini, peppers, cheddar, and egg whites. There were boiled eggs with shells removed, There were blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. There was sliced cantaloupe, honey dew, and pineapple. There was a yogurt parfait and excellent muesli. There was cold roast beef, ham, olive tapenade, and pickles. As always there were apples, bottled water, wine, sodas, teas, and various coffee derived options. Lunch was varieties of sandwiches, soup, salad, and other things as well to compliment those like veggies, tapenade, apples, cookies, and chips. Among sandwiches my favorite was probably the hot cheddar and pastrami. Snacks included things like chips, nuts, and scones. Of course snacks were lighter than during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The scones were fantastic and they might have had them every day and you could add options like devonshire cream, apple butter, or apricot jam. Dinner was differing main courses (i.e. short ribs, lasagna, etc. none of which we ever had twice in 6 days as far as I can remember) in addition to cold meats, crackers, cheeses, salad, dried fruits. Large shrimp cocktails were a nice side one night. Dessert presentation and taste were incredible every night. Even if you are going out to eat while staying there a lot, at least come back for the dessert. There was lots of variety within a night and from one night to the next. Lemon blueberry tart, fine chocolate, chocolate panna cotta, strawberry banana parfait, chocolate coconut mousse, lemon tart, excellent macaroons (especially their raspberry macaroons), and strawberry champagne mousse were just some of what we saw. Location: Being able to walk out of the hotel and enter Central Park was incredible. My wife and I loved walks there during our stay. There was a lot to do within a short distance, so whether taking Uber or walking, it was easy to get to where we wanted to be. Uber for us made a lot more sense than renting a car with the high cost of parking in NYC. Room: It was clean, it was comfortable, it was beautiful, and was wonderful for our stay. The view on our side was poor (maybe 20 ft from another building with what may have been an alley underneath), although if there had been a view, noise was a concern since we were in NYC. You can always spend more at the Ritz if you really want a view. We had a free upgrade option via my Gold status to a better view but we opted for the lesser view due to other factors about the room we liked better in the room we stayed in. In NYC rooms tend to be small, and while we were in a basic room there, it was never too small for us. Square footage was clearly advertised in booking and for those that want more room, there are upgraded room possibilities that are much bigger there. Price: For the kind of experience my wife and I had, from the outstanding service like Lazar in the lounge, to the fantastic room, to the ideal location, to the best lounge experience I have ever had, the price was absolutely worth it. Our stay was >95% on points (Marriott points for the room while it was still Category 7 before they came out with Category 8 that they converted it to) and Capital One purchase eraser for the spa, lounge access, room service, etc. The only exception was $ tips. I thought it was a solid use of Marriott points, especially because I got the 5th night free. Because of the points transfers now possible with Capital One, especially as they slowly roll out transfer promos, I probably wouldn't use purchase eraser again. Pictures included in this review are of the club lounge cuisine. The one exception is the chocolate covered strawberries sitting in a bed of dark chocolate with a marzipan label that said, "Happy 1st Anniversary" that greeted us as we got settled into our beautiful room. Read less