The Plaza Hotel

My husband took me to afternoon tea at the Plaza for my 68th birthday. 🎂 It was a positively lovely and delicious experience from start to finish! Our waiter Porfirio Cortez made our visit extra special with his attention and exuberance! I can't wait to for my next visit!!!

Beautiful morning having tea at the palm court! Server was lovely and attentive, always checked on us. Enjoyed the holiday tea menu with tea and coffee, delicious!

Tea at Palm Court used to be an annual event. In the last five years, it is probably the second time that I have attended, this time, taking a dear friend who had never been before. It was delightful to see it through the eyes of a newcomer. As always, the decor, the ambience, the food and the service were perfect. On my last two occasions, I had the pleasure of being served by Fariz. He manages to make what is already a perfect experience even more perfect. It is so nice that after all these years, there is something that never disappoints.

I would never recommend this place to anyone. If you’re reading the negative reviews, believe them. I stupidly ignored them because I wanted a magical Christmas experience… and instead it completely ruined my Christmas. Check-in was an absolute joke. They left me standing in the lobby for over an hour and a half with zero care or urgency. Not even an apology. I’m pregnant, my feet were swelling, I was in pain, and I had nowhere to sit or be comfortable. I had to properly complain before anyone even took me seriously. The reception staff were unbelievably rude, and the reception manager, Matt, was even worse. I didn’t even get given a room until I said I was going to have a meltdown because I was so upset. I paid nearly $3000 for one night and check-in was 3pm, it was nearly 5pm and they still didn’t have a room ready. How is that acceptable at a hotel like this? What made it even more disgusting was watching other people arrive, throw $100 tips at the receptionist, and suddenly they had a room instantly. So is that what you have to do to get basic service, tip your way into what you already paid for? When we finally got to the room, it didn’t even feel finished. There were no seats, it looked like an empty spare room that was mid maintenance. And the bathroom smell… I genuinely cannot explain how bad it was, the most horrific sewage smell I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t even notice at first because I was in so much pain I went straight to lie down and didn’t even look at the bathroom, but when I used the bathroom about 45 minutes later I almost vomited. My husband tried to cheer me up by ordering the “Kevin” ice cream through room service (which was $350 not even including tax/tips), something I was genuinely excited for because I love the Home Alone 2 movie. Only to be told they had no ice cream. At Christmas. In a hotel like this. My husband begged them to sort it, they said they’d call us back, they never did. He called twice and they just kept saying no. At this point I couldn’t take it anymore, exhausted, swollen feet, hours wasted checking in, no ice cream (iykyk), then nearly vomiting from the smell. I asked to speak to a manager. Matt called me and I told him I felt like leaving and felt like getting my money back. His response? “Ok leave, I’ll refund you, come to the desk.” I was honestly speechless. No apology. No attempt to fix it. No effort whatsoever, just completely didn’t care. So I literally booked the Waldorf Astoria while standing in the lobby of The Plaza… and we left. And I can’t even explain the difference. The Waldorf were AMAZING. We told them what had happened and they brought me complimentary ice cream to recreate the Kevin ice cream experience, I actually cried with happiness, it was that kind. That’s what real service looks like. The kindest staff, the best reception, the most caring experience. I even emailed the Plaza manager on my flight home and never got a reply. That says everything. I’ve never felt so uncomfortable, dismissed, and disappointed in a hotel in my entire life.

I went to the plaza for high tea with my mother to celebrate her 60th birthday, it was wonderful. Fariz was the absolute best, you can tell that he loves what he does and he made it a wonderful experience! They were able to accommodate our food allergies and swapped out some items we couldn’t eat with others with no hassle. The experience was great and we look forward to coming back