The St Regis New York is a landmark hotel in the heart of the city. The hotel is unmistakably breathtaking, elegant and filled with
intriguing history and romance – a one-of-a-kind gem. Built in 1904 by Jack Astor, the St Regis sits on NYCs famous 5th Avenue at 55thstreet. Jack Astor, a sportsman who wanted to build a hotel/club for his wealthy friends lost his life onboard the Titanic, and the hotels legend is as storied as Astor’s. The hotel’s lobby is a peak into history as it has largely remained untouched since it was built over 108 years ago.
The hotel is proud of its history and each room or suite provides a journey into the history starting with the bed-side book, “It happened here.” My guess is that many, if not most, guests will never read the small book from cover-to-cover – and they’ll be missing out on a story of opulence, intrigue and stunning history that is now embedded within the St Regis.
If you read the book you’ll learn that during the winters of 1950s and 60s painter Salvador Dali spent his days tucked away in suite 1610 painting and his nights frequenting the bars. Regularly, Dali would bring his Ocelot (a dwarfed leopard) named Babou to Sunday Brunch in the King Cole Lounge. Dali wasn’t the only famous painter who frequented the St Regis. He was often joined in the King Cole by Andy Warhol (one of my favorite painters.)
Other famous guests included filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Marlene Dietrich and even Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. You never know who you’ll run into at the St Regis. On my trip I saw NY Senator Chuck Schumer and Oprah Winfrey (guest speakers at a conference – not hotel guests) others have seen Mariah Carey and Vince Vaughn roaming the halls recently (not together!)
The hotel can only be described as glamorous – stunning chandeliers, opulent decorations, and grand staircases all add to the extravagant atmosphere of the St Regis. From the moment you arrive you’re transported to another time, another place – one where pomp and circumstance prevailed and the hustle and bustle of the New York’s streets were replaced by tranquility and splendor of the society hotel the Astor’s envisioned. Every guest is treated like royalty at the St Regis – the type of hospitality you’d expect from such an establishment.
My Stay:
Upon arriving just after noon, I was informed at check in that while my room had been vacated, it was not yet clean. I was told they’d prioritize it with the butler and call my cell phone as soon as it was ready. I decided to have some lunch at the hotel’s Astor Court restaurant while I waited. Lunch – while very high priced – was nothing short of what I expected from the St Regis. I started with a perfect French Onion Soup and finished with a classic St Regis Burger and house-made sour pickles. The burger was huge and accompanied by fries and coleslaw – I couldn’t even finish it all. As I was signing the check, someone from the hotel showed up with my room keys and offered to escort me to my room.
I was upgraded to a magnificent suite with a great view of 55th Street. The suite was very large and had two bathrooms, a living room and work-area, and bedroom. The living room had a large couch and chair that were extremely comfortable and covered in beautiful silk. The room had a fireplace, mini-bar, large-screen TV and even a printer/fax/scanner. The room was equipped with wifi and wireless internet and both worked extremely well. The bedroom was large and had a king-sized bed with lush sheets and duvet cover. At the foot of the bed was a TV that could be raised or lowered (into a cabinet) and could swivel to be watched from the bed or sitting chair in the room. Next to the bed was a high-tech phone system that doubled as the call button for the English-style assigned to the room. The only downside to the phone was that it radiated a bright light and kept the room pretty light all night. I solved that problem by putting a shoe bag over the phone unit!
The bathroom was very large and had a soaking tub, shower and toilet. The bathroom products, by Remede, are some of my absolute favorites. The bathtub had tray with scrub brush, lavender sachet, and wash cloth. The shower was filled with soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash and on the sink there was lotion, facial wash and body wash. If you haven’t tried Remede products, you should give them a try – you will find them at the St Regis hotels and some Luxury Collection hotels.
The butler service at the St Regis NY was outstanding. The butlers were ever present and extremely attentive. They offered tea/coffee service and were eager to help with any request.
The only problem with my stay was that it was way to short and now I’m spoiled! It’s going to be hard to go back to lower-end brands in the SPG family after spending time at the amazing and luxurious St Regis New York. If you have a chance to stay at the St Regis – do it! It’s worth it! I will be back and can’t wait until I have a chance to try another hotel in the St Regis family!
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Wonderful review…. but, for the important stuff – what type of bun was the burger on? Do you have a picture? As its lunchtime, I’m really hungry.
You need to include the price as how can we judge what you received?
@Michael – I used points for the night at the St Regis. 25,000 points.
@JohnMooreNow – ha! The burger bun? Gosh, I can’t even remember. All I remember were the home made pickles!
@JohnMooreNow – no burger picture, but I added a picture of the soup. That should make you hungry!
Thanks – a bit steep at 25K points, but seems wonderful!
@JettyBoy – I would normally agree that 25k is steep. However, the best rate at the Element NY on that night was $1500 and the 4Points was $900. Most other hotels were sold out. That’s why I went for it.
I have very fond memories of two free nights at the St. Regis (in 2004 I think) that, at the time, were part of a fabulous SPG promotion. The only problem was that, compared to the Louis Vuitton crowd that frequents this hotel, I felt a little out of place walking into the lobby with my roll-on bag from Marshalls! The situation reminded me of that old Sesame Street song “One of These Things Is Not Like The Other!”
That’s a big upgrade for this hotel. Are you spg plat?
Folks should recognize that all other St Regis properties are inferior copies of this, the original. Located on the corner of 5th and 55th, this is one of the most prestigious (and old school) hotels in Manhattan. For example, when they say butler service here, they really mean it. There are butlers on every floor of the hotel standing by. (They probably cover multiple floors overnight.) A stay here is very different, say, from the StR in Puerto Rico.
Many years ago, gasp, this hotel was called the “Sheraton St Regis!”
Sorry, had backwards…. “St Regis – Sheraton”
@NYBanker, yes, I’m platinum and going on 100 nights this year…the night at the St Regis was #90. I love my SPG!
I stayed at the St Regis BKK and while it was very different from the St Regis NY, it was still an amazing hotel.
I agree, they really do mean butler service at the StR NY! It was great.