The Plaza, New York City

[DadofTigger]

Here is the letter I sent to the managing company for The Plaza. All I can say is be careful how you spend your points.

Customer Service Rep,

We checked into The Plaza hotel today and I have to say it has been a terrible visit so far and we have only been here seven hours. When we entered the room it was very dirty, toothpaste scum and soap residue on the bathroom counter, grapes on the floor, dirty linens on the bed and more. We were given a key to the mini-bar, but the entire unit is missing from the TV/dresser cabinet. When I asked about the condition of the room at the front desk they basically said, sorry we are full and they would send housekeeping up as soon as they can in the mean time “deal with it”.

Now, we checked in around 7:00 PM, so you would think housekeeping had ample time to complete room checks. This is on top of check-in problems, lack of an internet connection in the room until I had five or six conversations with the on-site tech and general state of confusion from all employees I have encountered. It is now 1:00 AM, at 11:30 we ordered dessert from room service and was told it would take about 30-45 minutes to receive the order. At 12:45 I called and had to cancel the order when they told me it would be another 20-30 minutes until it would be delivered. Then they called back five minutes later to ask what we had ordered. They did not know what we had ordered in the first place?

When we made our reservations at the Fairmont Plaza hotel last summer this is not what we expected. I have to honestly say I have received better service and cleaner accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express. So far this has been one of the worst experiences I have had at a hotel in several years. We spend four to six weeks a year in various hotels all over the United States, based on the reviews, prices and information available about The Plaza we had high hopes for a memorable vacation in New York, these are not the memories we had in mind.

As the Chief Operating Officer of a corporation that operates over $100 million in real estate investments across the US, including a 250 room full service hotel, I can tell you had employees of my company provided customer service and product at the conditions I have received they would be receiving their final paychecks as a reward.

I took several pictures of the conditions of the room to use as training for our organizations, so if you would like a copy of them let me know. I will have to send them to you via a CD since they are five mega pixels each. Hopefully, through contact with you and perhaps staff that seem to care about the Hotel or take pride in their work some sense of correctness can take place before we leave The Plaza.

I do not consider myself a picky traveler, I have stayed in everything from a Howard Johnson Inn and Motel 6 to the Grand Floridian at Disney World and Hyatt Hotels around the world. My expectations are not out of this world, but when you check-in at “THE PLAZA” on the corner of Central Park and Fifth Avenue you do expect more then what we have received so far.

I will certainly be posting information about our stay on as many opinion web-sites as I can upon our return home next week, as well as notifying Disney Vacation Club that they should discontinue their relationship with this Hotel. I certainly hope the next two nights at your hotel improves.

I look forward to your response.

 

[NFalzon]

Yeah, and watch your credit card bill after the fact. This non-driver was charged for THREE days of Valet Parking for a one night's stay. It took two requests from AMEX to be resolved--the first one got the Plaza to come down to one night of Valet Parking! Gee thanks--I DON'T DRIVE. Just left me with a general distatse in my mouth...

My room, however, was much better than yours sounds.

Nick

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Sorry about the room. Great letter though. Let us know if you receive a response.

 

[TLinden16]

Wow. What a disappointment. You don't expect that kind of stuff at the Plaza.

Karen

 

[phyllisnnj]

Sorry about your experience.

FYI...
from other dissatisfied guests http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d93521-Reviews-The_Plaza-New_York_City_New_York.html

 

[living la vida mickey]

undefined I'm really sorry about your experience. We have traded our points for the PLAZA twice and have had incredible experiences. The front desk was always extremely efficient, polite and accomodating. We were upgraded the last time to a larger room without even asking. Everything was spotless. I'm glad that you let the management know about the problems, but just like a lot of the DVC problems, they don't happen to everyone.

 

[Ms. WDW]

While I didn't have a problem with the hotel staff, I was very disappointed with the accomodations. It was the off season. My husband and I decided to spend our anniversary in the city.

Our room was on the 4th floor if my memory serves me, all the way down the hall almost the last room. It was a very dark room, maybe dreary is a better word. And you could immediately tell that it was a very old room! There was no "wow" when you walked in. The windows were old and drafty and the drapes very worn. Actually they were torn in several places. The bathroom had old almost antiquated plumbing but at least it worked.
Now, I have to admitt we were there during a very cold time of the year. But this room had almost no heat. It's a good thing DH and I were celebrating our anniversary because it was very, very cold. When I called downstairs and asked about the heat I was politely told that due to the extreem cold the rooms were a "little colder" than normal. A technician came up and said " you have heat" but it's very cold. BS....there was almost NO heat.

I was told "unofficially" that the DVC rooms are generally not the rooms that a cash guest would get. I've seen other rooms at the Plaza and let me tell you, our room was no way even close to being as lovely as the room a cash customer would have received.

 

[Bella2000]

I was told "unofficially" that the DVC rooms are generally not the rooms that a cash guest would get. I've seen other rooms at the Plaza and let me tell you, our room was no way even close to being as lovely as the room a cash customer would have received.

I was just thinking of a return trip to Manhattan and staying at the Plaza on points and I wondered about this very thing. Thank you to OP for posting your letter. I look forward to the management response. Curious - did you also speak to onsite management in person during your trip? I guess I'll wait on those Plaza plans.

 

[PamOKW]

I'm not sure I understand how a room could be not what a "cash guest" would get. All the rooms at the Plaza are for cash paying customers. They don't hold rooms for DVC. I do know that there are a wide variety of rooms at the Plaza and it is possible that a DVC person won't be upgraded when the hotel is full and/or hosting an event.

It sounds like the hotel is going to be going through some changes. I just read today that the Oak Room is closing for a remodel into a new space.

A lower-tier room is one thing....a dirty room is something altogether different and totally unacceptable.

 

[Laurabearz]

That really stinks your room was dirty upon arrival and your right... at "the Plaza" that should never happen.


As far as DVCers getting the worst rooms.... we stayed on points we got a deluxe room, a small bedroom with seperate sitting room and fireplace, two tv's.... view of a bridge in Central park.... heavenly. Luck of the Draw???

 

[CherCrazy]

Our room was on the 4th floor if my memory serves me, all the way down the hall almost the last room. It was a very dark room, maybe dreary is a better word. And you could immediately tell that it was a very old room! There was no "wow" when you walked in. The windows were old and drafty and the drapes very worn. Actually they were torn in several places. The bathroom had old almost antiquated plumbing but at least it worked.
But this room had almost no heat.

WAIT!!!!!​

Are you sure you weren't at the Hollywood Tower Hotel????

Just kidding!! Couldn't resist

 

[rocketriter]

I hope you've let DVC management know about this. They don't have to renew their contract with The Plaza if it's part of a pattern.

 

[Ms. WDW]

Cute....Hollywood Tower Hotel

Pam - I struck up a conversation with one of the housekeeping staff and I was "quietly" told that there are some rooms that are used just for DVC guests. Now, it it true? I don't know. But based on what our room was like I believed her.

Laurabearz - you know what view we had from our room? The wall of the building next to us. If I had a room half as nice as the one you had I wouldn't be posting on this thread!

Now would I stay there again? The hotel is undergoing some changes. As stated above the famous Oak Room is closing. If I had extra points that I was going to loose and wanted a mini-get away, maybe I'd give it another try. Maybe it was just "luck" that I got a really crappy room. Who knows. But I do know that I didn't expect a room like that in the Plaza.

I too would like to see what type of reply is received from the Plaza Management.

 

[Richyams]

Hi DadofTigger:

Wow! I just returned from NYC and stayed at The Shelburne Murray Hill (see my trip report on the community board). We were unable to get ressies at the Plaza due to making our plans so late (in November) but after reading about your experience, am guessing we actually got lucky!

We stayed at the Plaza about three years ago and the service and accomodations were absolutely wonderful. We stayed during the first two weeks of December, so perhaps that made a difference? In any event, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience - there is nothing worse than dealing with such aggravation when trying to enjoy vacation time!

lisa

 

[nymets]

I also was not very happy staying at The PLaza Hotel. I live in New York City and went to stay there for Easter and I was very disapponted in the room and view was a alley way . If your coming to New York stay at the Shelburne Murray Hill. Always wanted to stay at the Plaza as a child and adult never again will i go there, saved your money for the carriage ride in Central Park

 

[Patty3]

We were also planning to stay at the Plaza, thanks for your post, I think I will pay cash and stay at the Four Seasons.

 

[nymets]

Your best bet is the Shelburne murray hill at least you can get small kitchen and 2 blocks from Grand Central Station

 

[bongo59]

well we got a suite over looking Central park on the 15th floor.........but we did complain about the original room...........and they gave us a palace in return

 

[Merilyn]

I gave my daughter and son-in-law two nights at the Plaze about 5 years ago. We used points. It was part of their honeymoon so I wanted it to be very nice. Well, they got a dirty room and asked to have it cleaned. Housekeeping came 2 times to clean it and it wasn't clean after either time. They were even walked in on by housekeeping without even a knock. After several hours they got another room. I can see things haven't changed much in that 5 years.

 

[DadofTigger]

Well, we are back home after our trip to NYC and the Plaza. The letter I started this post with was just the beginning. There were several other incidents over the next two days. The major one being when Valet Services parked our rental car, a Land Rover Discovery, they hit the rear sunroof on a pipe and shattered it. They taped it up with duct tape and apologized. Luckily it was not raining or snowing on our way back to the airport.

To answer some of the questions, yes I talked to the front desk manager and he was as helpful as he could be. The second night there I was talking with him about the Valet problem and mentioned to him that I had gone to open the mini-bar with the key we were issued at check-in so I could have a much needed liquid refreshment after dealing with the Valet Service and the rental car agency, well we had a key but the entire mini-bar was missing refrigerator and all.

He offered to send up room service, but I told him we had already tried that and I was told it would be 45-60 minutes before we could get ice cream for the kids and a bottle of wine for my wife and I. Since it was already 11:00 PM we did not want to wait that long. He said no problem I will call and have it delivered within 5-10 minutes. Well, needless to say it took 50 minutes and then they forgot the ice cream for the kids and had to go back to get it. They did deliver the ice cream within 10 minutes of the original delivery though, so we had a midnight snack.

As far as a response from Management, on our third day at the Plaza I received a voicemail from someone at the President’s Club desk in the hotel. She offered to move us into a suite. It was our last night of a two week vacation and it was not worth packing the bags and moving to spend the night then have to go to the airport in the morning. She ended up giving us both rooms and a $300.00 credit for room service. Yes, I know here we go with room service again. But what can I say.

They offered to “comp” our stay but they couldn’t since we were trading with DVC points. As I explained to both individuals I was dealing with, I traded a week in a $700 a night one bedroom condo for three nights in a $600 night hotel room. So I felt somewhat insane to begin with and then it turned into a saga from a comic relief novel.

They offer to give us additional nights at the Plaza, I explained we were traveling from Seattle and that would not do us any good. I should also explain that several employees told me, that the main problem with the Plaza hotel is it has been bought by a new investment group recently and they plan to shut down the hotel this spring and turn it into a 300 room hotel with multi-million dollar condo’s on the top floors. Since it is being shut down many of the staff has already left and they are not replacing softgoods or doing major maintenance. In the lobby there was a large plastic sheet attached to the ceiling that was full of brown water from a leak. I also explained that since the hotel was being shutdown even if I came back this spring the hotel would be in worse shape then it was now, which was not disputed.

I asked about nights at a different hotel in the Fairmont chain. I was informed that since the Plaza was not owned by the Fairmont they would not issue a certificate to a different hotel.

In general I do not feel I was fairly compensated. Had the hotel not been scheduled for closing and I could take the family back in a year, OK, if they could have “comp’d” the stay, OK, had they given me a certificate for a different hotel in the chain, OK. But to give me a room that I did not want and could not use and basically give me dinner was not OK.

So my only recourse is to make sure no else it taken by the Plaza. I would highly suggest if you have reservations at the Plaza you change them.