Disappointed
We had pretty low expectations coming to the Waldorf because of its age and assumed outdatedness, we apparently had not set the bar low enough. We travel quite a bit and like to stay at some of the nicer and more historical hotels around the world. This was the main reason we booked the Waldorf, more of a sentimental favorite really. Plus this was a relatively dead time at the hotel so we could get a nicer room at a better rate. We expected the rooms to be in bad shape and the furniture worn and rustic-check. We expected everything to be way overpriced and of modest quality-check. What we did not expect was the service and room offerings to be so disappointing. 
It all started at check in. I had paid for the room all weeks in advance to get a discounted rate. So knowing check in was at 3 I didn't think we would have much issue showing up at 7 pm. Wrong. The backed up checkin line told the whole story. While the hotel did not seem very full, rooms were not ready "due to the cleaning staff falling behind" or so we were told. So 4 hours after checkin we were told to go hang out at the bar and maybe in another hour or so a room would be ready. Oh I forgot to mention the girl did offer me an upgraded room if I didn't mind paying a slight up charge of 199$ additional per night. Ill pass. At this point after she clicked around on the computer for 15 minutes I asked to speak to a service manager. She said ok but then seemed to click it into gear and start looking harder for a room. About 5 mins later she says that she has a room, then she doesn't, then she steps away to talk to someone and comes back with a room. About 25 mins in total standing at the front desk, this is after sitting in line a while watching them do this to other guests. So off to a bad start.
Next we get to our room, just a basic king superior room w no frills. We settle in to find the mini fridge leaking water all over the floor. I had smelled the musty odor upon entry but it took me a few mins to find the puddle. Also one of the lamp lights was broken so we killed 2 birds w one stone and called for maintenance. They did come and fix the light, as for the fridge we came back to a slightly less leaking unit with towels laid out on the floor below it- classy Waldorf.
Don't let me forget they were having water issues during our stay as we came back one day to find a notice that our water would be completely shut off from 10pm til the next day. Not a few hours mind you but half a day, sadly it didn't surprise us, almost expected at this point. I had to double check my bill to be sure we were at the Waldorf and not the Super 8.
Our other major letdown came at the Bull and Bear Steakhouse. I've been there a few times before and the service is hit or miss. This day we had reservations for dinner and sat in the main dining area. Service was so slow. Rarely did anyone come over to assist w wine or water options. Almost unbelievable compared to the service at similar level restaurants around the U.S. after ordering steaks it was over 45 minutes until we saw our food and the restaurant was not slammed in the least. Our bill was about 300$ for 2 and I wish we would have just hit up the Shake Shack again, so sad. Steaks had little flavor really. I did enjoy the au gratin potatoes tho!
Overall this was a big bummer of a trip to an old legend. Hopefully with all the renovations they are doing they will overhaul the service as well. A few things we did like: toiletries were great! The ferragamo shampoos and soap stuff was awesome, probably some of my favorite out there. I also got a lot of use out of the alarm clock/iPhone charger, very handy you don't need to bring your cord!