My most expensive disappointment
I surprised my kids a lavish trip to NYC for Christmas. We booked Broadway tickets with a backstage tour, reservations at amazing restaurants, limo service, shopping excursions, a carriage ride in Central Park, tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and the icing on the cake: I booked a suite at the Waldorf Astoria, a hotel I have always wanted to stay at given its rich history and its reputation for beautiful decor and luxurious accomodations.
I was so happy with every aspect of our trip with the glaring exception of the Waldorf Astoria. They are in need of a deep clean- not only in their rooms, hallways, public areas and entrances, but in their customer service departments.
We were treated like a nuisance by the house keeping phone center when we dared to ask for linens for the pull out couch, or to be able to have the clock set to the right time (it's locked down tight for some ridiculous reason). When the linens finally did arrive (an hour later- and it was already 10:00 at night) there was no blanket included. And the housekeeping rep was so annoyed by having to come to our room to give us linens ("I have to get back to work"....?) that she actually asked if we "really needed a blanket"...No. It's January in NYC. We'll be warm and cozy in the 20 degree weather.
The maintenance man who came to set the clock insisted on getting into some political arguement with me about the mayor of Chicago, which he initiated. Why?
The worst thing that happened was that there was a function in the lobby on the Sunday of the weekend we were there. NO ONE alerted us to this. No phone message, no paper under the door, no sign in the lobby- NOTHING. When we returned to the hotel after a very long day of sight seeing we were blocked from going to the elevators of our room. Instead we were shuffled to some elevators in the bowels of the building (of which there were several but only one was actually working) along with 100 other guests. All to wait to get onto one elevator to get to our rooms. it took forever and would be infuriating at a budget road side hotel much less the WALDORF ASTORIA. 
When we complained to the front desk manager about the situation we got NO apology, NO remedy and NO compensation. Instead he handed us a coupon for a small coffee from Starbucks. Gee, thanks. He actually said "Well, we told the people who checked in on Saturday." When we said "What about those who checked in on Friday?", he replied "Oh, I guess we forgot."
The beds were horrible, the carpet was dirty, the decor was trying desperately to reflect the history of the building but failed miserably.
I would never stay here again nor would I ever recommend it. I paid an insane amount of money for this horrible hotel- it would have been much better spent at a more modern hotel in a better location with a MUCH better staff. 
Such a shame.