Unfortunately the service at the Waldorf Astoria New York was abysmal. We had a group trip for 3 nights and booked 4 Park Avenue Suites at approximately $2500/night. Prior to our trip, I had emailed the concierge twice and then also called to arrange a car from Teterboro Airport to the hotel but never heard back via phone or text from anyone. Upon check-in, Nilton at the front desk was condescending and unwelcoming. The hostess in the restaurant was dismissive and curt. We had several mishaps including impolite staff (except for room service and Titi the bellman, they were kind and accommodating), housekeeping entering the room while Do Not Disturb button was on (which was both startling and embarrassing), and the phone in my room emitting noises beginning at midnight until 2am during 2 nights of my stay (maintenance apparently was unable to properly fix it the day after it first occurred since it happened again, or perhaps they never bothered to attempt to fix it I'm unsure - I was told it was fixed but it was not). The most frustrating part of our stay though was the Front Desk texting feature - for anyone who has stayed at this property, you will be able to relate. Waldorf provides a number to text for communications but only about 25% of requests are fulfilled, you have to follow up later and someone else responds. Upon checking in for our 4 rooms, we repeatedly received texts that a room was ready and asking us to come to the front desk, only to find out it was an error and rooms were not ready (happened 3 times for 4 rooms). A different person responds for every message and this creates a significant disconnect with the staff - you have to repeat your requests more than once and then someone else responds (in one text exchange simply asking for ice, 3 different people responded from the front desk asking questions - and we did not receive the ice!). It was the most disjointed property at which I've stayed in several years, I have yet to hear back from anyone at the hotel regarding our experience despite several attempts to reach a general manager, one person will respond asking the nature of my enquiry but no one responds after that. The rooms were lovely and I wish our stay had been more enjoyable but the staff failed at every opportunity. If you're investing more than $30,000 in a weekend getaway, I would recommend a property such as the Four Seasons Hotels, particularly if courteous, organized, polished and attentive service is a priority.
