Still a great hotel & location
This hotel has retained its status over the years and remains a very comfortable, well situated hotel with excellent service, especially for such a large establishment. It seemed a little more crowded than before and the emphasis is less than it was on the Villard Mansion heritage and parts of the hotel. But, everything worked well. Check in was prompt and professional, the concierge hit the spot with directions and recommendations. The room was spacious, clean, well furnished and comfortable. We had a room overlooking St. Patrick's Cathedral and down W 51st Street. This was a nice view, especially at night. But, note, you are looking at the back of the Cathedral. And, as nice as the room was, it was noisy in the early morning when the trucks were out on the street. So, you need to figure out if the view is worth the extra price and take into account if you readily sleep through street noise. If you normally live on a quiet street, you might want another room location. We had a small problem with the toilet seat cover - the point is that the repair person immediately responded - like in about 7 minutes. Could not have asked for more. Breakfast in Istana, the lobby restaurant, was excellent. While pricey by non-New York standards, it was everything it was supposed to be, fresh, generous and good. You actually got what you paid for, and with very professional service. The Gilt Bar was a little disconcerting. The room's natural decoration is old world elegant, but the bar additions and associated decoration are ultra modern. And, the small tables and chairs are not very comfortable to linger at. It's just not the elegant relaxing bar atmosphere it could be. (Nor was it a 'hot spot' where the modern approach created a 'spark' for an exciting bar scene.) Note, to print your boarding pass, you go down stairs from the lobby. The arrangement works well. But the shelf is small, which doesn't help managing a bunch of travel papers. In all, a really nice hotel.