Review – JW Marriott Essex House New York

Introduction

I was going to write my usual review, but realized Ben stayed there recently and his review was so in depth that this will be pretty short.  I was flying the Thursday redeye that lands in NY ass early on Friday morning, so I actually booked for Thursday through Tuesday using my Marriott 5 night certificate that I upgraded to a cat10.  Not the best use of points, but it was a sunk cost at a cat5, so I figure I’d pay the extra points to upgrade it to something I’d use.  My other choice was the Marriott Marquis, but I ultimately picked this one due to the location next to Central Park as well as “one of the best breakfast LOUNGE spreads in the US.”  Before my trip, I made sure to call the hotel to let them know that I’d be arriving at ~8AM on Friday and not to cancel my reservation, as well as being able to eat the breakfast buffet when I arrived.

 

Platinum upgrade

Even though I was Marriott Platinum via SPG, I don’t think I got any kind of upgrade.  I never asked about an upgrade; I was going to but was too tired and wanted the checkin to be fast.  All I cared about was the free breakfast.  I think I got 500 points and that’s it.  Oh, by the 2nd night, I got a plate of chocolate and 2 bottles of Voss.  That’s it.  Oh have I mentioned the hotel doesn’t give you water every night, which is my biggest pet peeve?  That’s why we had to stop in the lounge to stock up on water before heading back to our room every night.

 

Breakfast

Ben already has pictures.  I ate there all 5 mornings and the menu never changed – eggs, bacon, sausage, lots of fruit.  While the “hot” items were okay, the fruit was FANTASTIC.  Of course it’s because it’s peak watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry, pineapple, and blueberry season.  I mean, for a “lounge breakfast,” I thought it was good, but I expected at least some variety between days.

 

Room

The room was a typical room.  The window faced 58th St, not Central Park.  This was on the 3rd floor.  Yes, one floor above lobby level out of something like 30 floors.  Have I mentioned I was a Platinum guest?

 

Conclusion

While it was okay, I’ll NEVER come back and I wouldn’t even recommend it to you guys.   I’d rather stay at the Park Hyatt or the Andaz or maybe the Ritz or St Regis.