The Fifth Avenue Hotel

It does not live up to the expectations. I do recognize some of the criticism while some of the pro’s too. Rooms are beautiful, very nice staff at reception and friendly helpful conciërge staff. Great location too. Got a great upgrade and pre check-in contact was wonderful (although NYE reservations went slightly wrong). On the downside it looks like the hotel is focussing on non-hotel guests for bar and restaurant, adjustments were almost impossible. We have never encountered these things in other high end hotels around the world. No place for a drink between 4 and 5 pm? Unacceptable. Need reservations as a hotel guest to have a drink in your hotel? Unacceptable. No vanilla ice cream, really? Even told us the bar was closed when we got there at 3.15 pm. Got in after intervention from one of the restaurant staff but had to go at 4 pm…and not even a thin pancake is possible at breakfast? Even while we were almost the only ones at breakfast. It all just not goes to an extend of great hospitality that we expected. Not as kid friendly as we expected and it is all a bit stiff without a lot of smiles and fun interaction which we did encounter in other restaurants and at lunch at the peninsula. Have fun and relax with guests to make it a living hotel. Dont get me wrong, a very nice place but certainly not on the highest hospitality and fun level like JK place in Rome, Mandarin or the Peninsula. And off course, why be so picky about such a beautiful place but at the rates you pay you have every right too. I must add that all depends on which member of staff you are dealing with, staff at the end of our stay was much more fun, friendlier etc. than the one(s) at the beginning. We ended on a hight and we do recommend the hotel, I guess we were a bit unlucky at the start with our encounters.

Amazing experience. The staff could not be more accommodating. Rooms clean and comfortable. Breakfast spot on with every order. Portrait Bar is a must do; bucket list. Exceeded expectations in every interaction. Five stars hotel within walking distance of Times Square, Madison Square Park and Union Square.

My partner and I recently stayed here for four nights. I’ll start with the pros. The room is lovely - very comfortable, beautiful attention to detail, and unexpectedly, the tablet that controls the lighting, media, room service, etc. is extremely convenient and easy to use. The staff was very friendly. Rafael who worked breakfasts was an especially bright spot during our stay. And the food was great as well. Overall the hotel is beautiful and every detail is considered. As far as cons, the public spaces in the hotel become nearly inaccessible to guests after 5pm. I was working on my laptop in the lounge but was told there are no laptops allowed out in the public spaces past 5pm. After putting my laptop away and coming back down to the bar, I was told there was a 3 hour wait. The next night we were told there was no availability at the bar for the whole night. It very much feels like the priority for the hotel in the evenings becomes their restaurant/bar/events business rather than the guests. Even the following day at 2pm the staff quietly moved every single table and chair out of the lounge I was working in, except mine, to prepare for an event - making me feel uncomfortable and like I wasn’t supposed to be there. Some of these issues could be fixed with better communication. Eg: a competing hotel we stayed at in the city recently told us upon checkin that the bar and restaurant are very popular right now so they would love to assist us in making reservations so we could secure a spot. A few additional cons that added to our overall frustration – we requested our room be serviced by housekeeping that never came two days in a row. Room service took 3 hours to come pick up our trays after we requested them to come. A 3:30am fire alarm went off and someone came over the loud speakers and told guests “do not panic!” (causing panic) but did not tell us if we should leave the building or stay in our rooms. The bells and whistles that enticed us to stay here mentioned in a Conde Nast review (welcome drink, martini ritual, butler service) seemed non existent at this point as far as we could tell. This hotel has a lot of good things going for it, but at this price point and hotel class, the guests should feel like the priority.

Our stay at The Fifth Avenue Hotel was nothing short of perfect. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. The hotel and room designs are stunning, with a beautifully executed chinoiserie style that feels luxurious yet inviting. We stayed in a basic room, which was a bit small, not out of the norm for NYC, but ideal for a cozy and romantic 1-2 night stay. Despite being in the heart of the city, the rooms are incredibly quiet—you won’t hear a sound from the hallway, other rooms, or even the street. The pillows were a bit too soft for our preference, but that’s a personal thing. I’m confident the staff would have happily brought us firmer options if we had asked. If you’re staying longer, I’d recommend upgrading to one of the larger rooms for a bit more space. The service here is impeccable. Every member of the staff was professional, accommodating, and attentive. The Portrait Bar is a sophisticated, quiet spot for a drink, while Café Carmellini is both elegant and cozy, offering amazing food with exceptional service. Room service was prompt, and every dish was delicious. The wine selection is excellent, and the mini bar is stocked with great options, including some truly delicious snacks. One standout feature is the personal butler service. Our butler introduced himself shortly after we arrived and later sent up a plate of ginger sandwich cookies. I wouldn’t normally choose gingerbread, but these were some of the best cookies I’ve ever had! The concierge was equally impressive, securing last-minute dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant that turned out to be absolutely fantastic. The hotel also offers complimentary car service, which is a great touch. However, it did take nearly an hour to retrieve our car from the valet at checkout. Thankfully, we weren’t in a rush, but I’d recommend calling ahead about 30 minutes before you plan to leave if you’re on a tight schedule. This wasn’t a fault of the hotel—it’s just the nature of city parking and traffic. A special shoutout to the front desk team, who were kind enough to send me home with extra ginger cookies when I asked if they were available for purchase. It’s little touches like this that make a hotel truly memorable. We booked through Amex Travel and enjoyed some extra perks, which I’d recommend taking advantage of if you have an American Express card. Overall, The Fifth Avenue Hotel is a flawless choice for a weekend getaway. Every detail is thoughtfully executed, and the staff goes above and beyond to make your stay special. 10/10—this will absolutely be our go-to hotel every time we’re in the city. Highly recommended!

I will start by saying the hotel has an amazing design aesthetic. Truly a great sense of style. That said where it really fails is its operations. It’s clear to me they do not have a good training program in place. We reserved 2 suites for one night at a whopping $3k per night per room. At this price you expect close to perfection. The debacle started when we arrived at 5:45 pm to the hotel with 8 people (including 4 children). We had about 30 minutes to shower before dinner after a full day of activities including a broadway play. We were told upon arrival that our room was not ready. They had no logic as to why but it was supposed to be available much earlier. After telling us this, it took them over 15 mins to check us in despite us telling them we had dinner reservations and needed to get moving. Two different people staring at a computer screen confused basically. Nobody with any self awareness to see that we needed to get going despite saying this twice. So we basically had to throw our bags and go to our nice birthday dinner without a shower and without actually changing into the required dinner attire. After dinner, we let our 13 year old girls babysit for us and left them in the room to watch a movie which they loved as they felt like adults. We instructed them not to answer the door for anyone. That’s when the fun began. Beginning at 9pm someone rang the doorbell and the kids started calling us nonstop panicked basically telling us to come back. 20 mins later, the doorbell rang again. Then the kids called again. Then the phone in the room started ringing off the hook. By now we had to leave and head back. Who was this mystery knocker and caller? Why it was the hotel staff of course. They were trying to deliver us a bottle of champagne since our room wasn’t ready. I don’t know who wants champagne at 9:30pm w 4 kids in tow and I don’t know who tries to deliver it incessantly when the customer doesn’t answer the first time. Suffice it to say they basically ruined our entire birthday dinner plans as well as our adult plans that evening. Nobody used their brain on the entire staff, when everybody had an opportunity to do so more than once. At $6k a night you expect more. There is a reason I don’t stay at Independent hotels often and there’s many reasons we won’t stay here again (I’ve only noted the top few). It’s a shame as we live 35 mins outside the city and come in often. You’re better off at the ritz Carlton 1 block away where the service is impeccable and highly trained.