I try to go to New York every few years for some holiday cheer and I got my fix earlier this month. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a Points Junkie! Credit cards/airlines/hotels/rental cars/airport parking…I sign up for all of them! The payoff is, I was able to fly my friend and I to NY for free using my United Airlines points, we stayed at the Marriott Essex House for free using my Marriott points, and I parked at the airport for free using my Parking Spot points. If it wasn’t for that whole shopping thing, it would have been a really inexpensive trip!
There is nothing like Christmas in New York. The air is crisp, the streets are crowded with shoppers, the department stores are adorned with lights and elaborate window displays, and wafting throughout every street corner is the unpleasant aroma of roasting chestnuts. It just feels like the holidays and I love it all…well, except that stinky chestnut smell.
I typically don’t put a lot of weight in luxury when deciding on a hotel. As long as it’s clean, comfortable, quiet and safe I’m good. But it was the holidays and I wanted to go a little fancy, so I looked online among the different Marriott brands and chose the Marriott Essex House.
First Impressions…
Walking into the Marriott Essex House makes you feel like you’re walking into an old black and white movie, with its rich art deco design and impeccably uniformed bellmen. Since we were there during the holidays, we got the added bonus of seeing the lobby embellished with grand trees and sparkling garland.
The hotel is across the street from Central Park South which is an area I don’t normally stay in, but I found it to be centrally located to a lot of the places we wanted to go. In one direction it’s two short blocks to the Columbus Circle Holiday Market and in the other direction you’re just a few blocks away from Bergdorf Goodman, Barney’s and Bloomingdale’s. And Rockefeller Center, Saks and Bryant Park are all less than a mile away.
As a Platinum Elite member of the Marriott Rewards program, I admit I’m usually spoiled so I have high expectations. On the day I arrived I checked in online earlier in the day so I expected to be able to grab my room key and go. That wasn’t the case on this particular day. I stood in the Elite line for at least 10 minutes because there was a person in front of me having an issue. There were three other lines of people checking in and those seemed to be moving efficiently while I, in all my Eliteness, was being ignored. I was getting a little frustrated and just as I was about to get out of the Elite line and move to the back of one of the other lines the concierge came by and had me follow her to her desk to check me in. In all fairness to them, it was a really busy time of day during a busy season with so many people checking in at the same time. This delay isn’t the norm at a Marriott.
Our room…
Our room was a Standard Double room. The room was very spacious, especially for a NY hotel. The beds and pillows were incredibly comfortable. As with all large hotel chains, the higher the brand, the better the quality. You won’t get the same quality of towels in a Residence Inn as you would a JW Marriott. The Marriott Essex House is a JW Marriott so the towels were so luxurious I wanted to take them home with me…but I didn’t, I swear!
Considering the hotel sits across from Central Park, the “view” from our window gave me a giggle.
Hey, what do you want for free!?
The Executive Lounge…
Another benefit of being a Platinum Elite member is access to their Executive Lounge, which includes a free breakfast, late afternoon snacks and evening desserts. Alcohol is also available for purchase. I’ve stayed in many Marriotts over the years and I have to say this was the most impressive Executive Lounge I’ve been in. The breakfast buffet was elaborate: eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, cereals, fruits, muffins, pastries, breads, oatmeal and more! Typically an Executive Lounge is seat-yourself but there was a consistent stream of guests coming and going so they staff it with a hostess to greet you when you get in the door and seat you as a table comes available. It was a nice touch.
Service above and beyond…
On our last day there as we were packing, my friend discovered she had more purchases than she had room in her suitcase, so I called down to the concierge and they said to just bring the extra things downstairs and they’ll pack them and have FedEx come get them. I was grateful for this kind service. In the end, it was a 7 pound box and the shipping bill from NY to Phoenix was $163! I contacted the hotel and they confirmed they don’t charge anything for their packing service so my friend will be contacting Fedex to see what’s up! Sheesh!
In the end…
We didn’t have the opportunity to eat in the hotel restaurants or have a cocktail in the bar so that will definitely be on the list for next time. I’m also disappointed that I didn’t have time to check out their spa. I’ll add that to the list of things to do next time as well…and there will be a next time. I liked this hotel very much. It was elegant, every member of the staff we encountered was kind and helpful, and most importantly for a New York hotel, the rooms were quiet, spacious and very comfortable. I highly recommend this hotel and look forward to returning.
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Things to do in the city during the holidays…
There are so many things to do in New York any time of year, but the list grows during the holiday season.
Rockefeller Center: The tree, the ice skaters, the giant nutcrackers…they don’t change it up much year to year but they really don’t need to. It’s beautiful just the way it is. The only downside is, it’s crowded!
Saks Fifth Avenue: Across the street from Rockefeller Center, Saks has an incredible lights show on the building at night. They also have beautifully decked out store windows. This year’s theme was Disney, in honor of the 80th anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Macy’s: Macy’s on 34th is an experience any time of year. It’s like a city in itself. A full city block and 10 floors of shopping, restaurants, a post office, not one, but two Starbucks, and during the holidays an elaborate holiday lane. We went there twice and on the second visit, while my friend waited in a long line to buy Christmas stockings, I sat comfortably and used my phone to log into Macys.com to see if the items I was interested in were on sale online. I didn’t want to buy them if I had to carry them around with me. Not only were they on sale, they had an additional 30% off online and free shipping! Score!
Bryant Park Holiday Shops: At Bryant Park during the holidays they have more than 150 shops set up in the park. Each shop is an enclosed, heated kiosk. A favorite shop of mine is the 5th and Madison candle shop. They’re there every year, they will ship the candles to you and they have a candle called Madagascar that is just yummy!
Columbus Circle Holiday Market: Columbus Circle is just down the street from the Marriott Essex House. Each year they have a holiday market with vendors from all over the world. Several years ago I got one of my all time favorite ornaments from a vendor at Columbus Circle…
I hope you get the opportunity to check out Christmas in New York. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy 2018!
Happy Tinkering,
Susan
