It has to be done - even if it is expensive!!
Husband and I have just got back from our NY trip. Staying at the Waldorf Astoria has to be done if you want to enjoy the grandness, heritage and tradition of this well-known hotel. It is very expensive though (but then hotels generally are when you start getting into this price bracket). Checking in was carried out quite quickly, but we did time it right as there were long queues on some occasions. We were upgraded to a larger room on the 17th floor which included a fireplace which was a nice feature. In general, the room and bathroom was well equipped, clean and tidy. You could pick it to bits if you really wanted to but I doubt if anything is that perfect. Unless you are out to completely blow your budget, I would suggest you don't get anything out of the mini-bar ($17.50 for a minature whisky), don't pay for a movie ($18.50) and avoid room service (service was good, but again boy do you pay for it!!). I do think for the amount of money that the rooms cost, complimentary bottles of water should be offered. They cost nearly $9 from the mini-bar. We only ate a small meal in Peacock Alley, which was okay but again very expensive. We chose to eat out for the rest of our meals as especially with breakfast you can wander not too far from the hotel and take your pick of eating places which will cost you far less.
All in all we had a wonderful time in The WA and NY, even if our bank balance has taken a beating!! We would recommend the experience.