Le Meridien New York, Central Park

Location is excellent, being near the shopping district of 5th Avenue and Central Park. The property is old but generally well maintained. Unfortunately the stay was one of the worst I have ever experienced. After a long flight to NYC I attempted to check in at 5.30pm but was told by the check in counter staff that the room was not ready. The hotel manager had given specific instructions for me to wait till he had inspected the room before I could check in (apparently there were some faults in the room). As I had an important dinner appointment at 6pm and needed to check in quickly, I asked if I could be given another room. She told me that was the only junior suite available (I find it hard to believe when there were more than 20 floors in the hotel and the hotel didn’t seem busy enough to be fully booked). As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Member, I then asked if I could be upgraded to the next best room available but she declined. Obviously the concept of service recovery doesn’t exist in this property. The manager never inspected the room after 10 minutes and I demanded to speak to him. He finally turned up after a while at around 5.50pm and despite telling him that I was in a rush, he nonchalantly attempted to give a long explanation for the delay. I reminded him that I was in a rush and to just give me a room quickly. Instead of rushing to meet an irate client’s request and needs, he took his own sweet time to find a room and even answered several phone calls in the process (instead of delegating answering of phone calls to the other staff). He finally found me a room after 10 minutes (around 6pm) - it was a junior suite (contrary to what the staff had earlier told me ie. no other junior suite available). I rushed for my important dinner appointment and was late by 30 - 45 minutes. After returning from dinner I found a note in the room addressed to a Mr Gonzalez to thank him for choosing the hotel. My name was not Gonzalez, and none of my family members were Gonzalez. Obviously the hotel had gotten my name wrong. The nightmare did not end here. I realised that the bed sheets and pillows for the sofa bed were not in the room so I called the reception for them. After 1 hour they did not arrive so I called a second time. Another hour passed and they still did not come. I was exhausted and frustrated and decided to go down to the lobby to ask where I can pick up these items myself. Imagine a hotel guest (staying in a junior suite room and Platinum member) needing to this in a Le Meridien. A staff finally brought the stuff and told me he was only informed to do 10 minutes ago,- this suggested that the reception staff had not conveyed the instructions to him in the last two hours. Subsequently someone called to tell me that I had a USD 25 voucher which will be offset from breakfast the next day. After check out the invoice did not reflect this. I had to write in to remind them to deduct usd 25 from my credit card bill. Le Meridien Central Park is one of the worst hotel experience ever. Please do not stay there. Choose Le Meridien 5th Avenue instead.

I'm not sure we will return, which is sad. We really liked this hotel, and we've stayed several times. But the rude staff member at the front desk and the mixup room were enough to change our minds. We checked in at 6 pm. Two hours after the room is supposed to be ready, because our train was canceled and we had to take a bus. It was a long day. When we arrived, we were given a room on the 11th floor. A classic king with city view. This was not the room type I booked, and there was a price difference. The woman assured me she gave us the same room type. I knew she hadn't. I explained that I booked a deluxe king on a high floor. She got annoyed and snapped at me. We stepped into the room and I knew it was not right. So I pulled up the original email with the reservation, and I went back and showed her that email. She apologized, and she called someone on the phone. I heard her tell him "they want the room they booked". Why would I not want the room that I originally booked? There's a price difference between a classic king and a deluxe king on a high floor of a couple hundred dollars per night. So why would I want to pay the same price for a lesser room? Then she asked us three different times if we had touched anything in the room that we entered. We hadn't. I walked inside, looked at my reservation, and we closed the door behind us. But she acted like we had done something wrong. I did not appreciate her attitude or the way she treated us when we first arrived. and I wanted the room I had booked. If you stay at this hotel, make certain that you get the room type that you book online. Because they will not be looking out for you. they apparently want to give you any room they wish without making sure that that's what you are paying for. She didn't even give us the bottles of water that are supposed to come with our room because we are silver elites. She shouldn't be working at the front desk. She's about to go on maternity leave when she comes back she needs additional training. I sent an email to the "manager on duty" but he did not respond. The elevators of the hotel are slow, and the service at the rooftop bar was not good at all this time. This hotel seems to be going downhill. There are lots of other great places to stay near Central Park.

This has become my go-to spot for business trips to NYC. The location is awesome — close to Central Park, Fifth Avenue shopping, MoMA, and a bunch of the city’s main attractions, while still being super convenient for work travel. The hotel is always clean, comfortable, and well kept. The rooms are definitely on the smaller side, which is pretty typical for Manhattan, but they’re updated and laid out really well. There’s also a small bar and restaurant downstairs that’s great for grabbing a quick meal, a drink, or room service after a long day. The gym is small but has everything you need for a decent workout while traveling. Overall, it’s a dependable and comfortable place to stay in a really great part of the city.

We love this hotel! The staff was helpful, friendly and professional. The room was very comfortable and clean. Excellent location. We are already looking forward to our next stay at Le Meridian

I stayed at this hotel for two nights in April for a business trip. The door is near the Paris bar so it was hard to initially find. Check in was quick, however the charge you a mandatory rate for tourist activities per day. Room was small but very well laid out. Beautifully decorated. Room was quiet and bed was comfortable. Great shower! The elevator was a bit slow. Service was great! I found a weird charge in my bill after I left. Beware of the charges.