I knew virtually nothing about the New York Palace except that it had been recently acquired by the Dorchester Collection. During my site inspection, I was first shown a basic room in the main hotel — a 350 square feet room that feels spacious because of the wide dimensions of the room and an especially good layout. The room was quite attractive with a neutral decor — a light tannish-gold color scheme. Moderately priced, this is a good value option in midtown New York for visitors who want to be in the area of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Rockefeller Center. Executive Lounge floors in the main hotel cost $150 extra and offer breakfast, small sandwiches at lunch, and canapes and cocktails in the evening.
But what is truly exceptional is the Tower wing (which participates in the Virtuoso program). This "hotel within a hotel" was the find of my trip. With a completely separate check-in area and concierge desk, these rooms occupy floors 41-54 of the hotel with alternating floors offering "modern" and "traditional" decor. The styling of the contemporary floors features a distinctive modern carpet design and beautiful blond zebra wood doors and trim. The traditional floors feature red carpeting and rosewood woodwork. Guests can request the styling category of their preference; I liked both. Request a west facing room for a fabulous view of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Lead-in Tower rooms are a generous 450 square feet, but because Virtuoso guests receive an exclusive upgrade at the time of booking, you will end up in a 600 square foot Junior Suite. This is a screaming value in midtown Manhattan. Just book through your Virtuoso luxury travel consultant — and also receive free daily Full American breakfasts and other amenities at absolutely no extra charge.
New York Palace (search here on Google)
copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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