Armless Doormen
I have now stayed at the Essex House under three different owners. One day someone may get it right, and perhaps it will be JW Marriott, but they aren't there yet. I hoarded a large number of points staying weekly at a Marriott Residence Inn over the past years, and I cashed them all in for two nights at the Essex House. Forty thousand points for each night. Alas, JW has not yet readied the Essex House for the usual Marriott member perks, like the Executive Lounge with a breakfast. Ms. Lindsay Myers, the Assistant Front Office Manager, kindly notified me by email of this a couple days prior to our arrival. In lieu of the usual perks I am provided with 2,500 Marriott points per night spent. I wonder where 2,500 points will get me a Marriott room? Gary, Indiana? I had requested a park view. No dice. In all fairness after some wrangling I was provided with a spacious and comfortable junior suite on the 30th floor. Excellent water pressure in the shower, nice bed linens, and unobstructed city views. Formerly the Essex House rooms were worn and weary. No more. The doormen may actually have arms, they just don't use them. My wife and I arrived arrived in a light rain and our talkative driver overshot the Essex House entrance and let us off a few doors down. We pulled our suitcases along the sidewalk and like struggling monkeys got them through the revolving door while the doormen in front of the hotel were lost in philosophical thought. Morning check-out was painfully slow due to understaffing of the front desk. Obviously the Essex House has an excellent location, and Marriott has taken steps to rescue the hotel and reverse the downward slide of the previous owners, but work remains to be done on the service side.