New York - Gramercy Park Hotel
Autumn 2008
Frank's view 
'Over priced, over the top, over hyped'
‘The Gramercy Park’s idiosyncratic, eclectic vision offers a perfect modern alternative to the institutional approach one now finds in even the most high end boutique hotels. It will be the most spirited and charming hotel in New York, reflecting a fabled heritage and the lively, adventurous spirit of an emerging age.”
Pulling up outside the Gramercy Park Hotel on a dark November evening, expectations were running high. This much lauded Ian Schrager hotel is boasted of as one of the finest in the city. The absence of modesty in the in-room ‘Hotel Information’ pack (above) highlights Schrager’s confidence.
As the young man in black pulled our bags from the trunk of the limo, he embarked on a clearly well rehearsed recital about the attributes of the establishment, its bars and award winning restaurant.
However, we’d just got off an 8 hour flight from London and wanted a bath, not a gratuity chasing sales pitch.
Man in black followed me to the reception desk, introduced himself as David and continued his sales spiel as I checked in. Meanwhile, locked in autopilot, the receptionist completed the formalities.
‘Your suite is on the 10th floor, be careful with the key, it’s a bit sensitive.’
With those parting words she turned away to fiddle with some papers, and David wandered back to his bell post.
‘The elevator?’ I asked.
‘To the right,’ came the minimalist reply with the briefest of smiles.
We picked up our bags and made for the Lift lobby.
Having arrived on 10, finding 1004 wasn’t difficult as the room numbers are emblazoned on the red carpet, which is probably just as well because the light level in the hotel is so low you need infra red glasses to manoeuvre around.
I opened the door of our ‘Park View suite’ and we walked in to a wall of darkness – Satan’s Lair, the Camel’s companion called it. Low lit dark green walls with a dark wooden floor, partially covered by wine coloured rugs which coordinated with the velvet curtains, and not a light switch in sight. Well actually the black light switch was close to the door and cunningly concealed as part of the wall. I was reminded of Gary Oldman’s boudoir in the movie True Romance, as we bungled around trying to establish our bearings in our new $1440 per night home.
$1440 per night + taxes and no one offered to show us to the room, let alone deliver luggage. It felt more like Bates Motel as I tripped over the rocking chair, carefully positioned to obstruct passage from the entrance lobby to the double doors, which divided the cluttered sitting room from the bedroom.
The bathroom in this suite is tiny. In fact, there is no bath, just a shower room, which is large but the washbasin area is around the same size as one of the suite’s two walk-in wardrobes. Most of the very limited space is taken up with three doors, constantly clattering against each other, as they struggle to separate the washbasin area from the bedroom, and toilet and shower from the washroom. The design is a disaster.
Another clanger in this suite is the useless positioning of the one and only accessible electricity socket by the mini bar, and nowhere near the large desk, intended, presumably, as a work area. If you do work in the room be aware that the Internet connectivity is a rip off, as they charge $15 per day for EACH computer. To charge for Internet access in a $1440 room is ridiculous but to charge a fee per laptop really is outrageous
An extraordinary photograph in the suite showed two teenage girls in a bedroom, smoking a dubious looking cigarette, with a spooky looking man’s head watching them from the wall.
Continuing the tone of the photograph is the Rose Bar, a dark venue where entry after 10pm is by reservation only. As we sipped a late night digestif, many other guests smoked (not sure how that sits with NYC anti smoking legislation). A group of men played snooker whilst a couple of ladies played the room.
The hotel has the feel of a Tim Burton movie set, with the exception of the Roof Top Club, described by the hotel as ‘lushly landscaped gardens.’
The reality is a white walled conservatory, covered with fake ivy, interspersed with non-aesthetically placed heating pipes, partly hidden by trees in terracotta pots. The seating is positioned under the windows giving uninterrupted views of the walls and pipes. The issue with reversing the seating arrangement is that the wall under the windows is so high, a seated view of the city would result in neck ache.
On the plus side, the roof club staff were charming and efficient, unlike the model perfect preeners downstairs who responded to any question or request with a model perfect blank stare.
The hotel has introduced a very good Chinese restaurant run by Yuji Wakiya, in conjunction with Matsuhisa Nobu. A selection of the menu is also offered in the Roof Club. The Dim Sum makes an excellent light lunch.
And so, back to the in-room information pack and Ian Schrager’s introduction to the Gramercy Park Hotel;
“A great hotel is not just a building, it’s an individual with personality, spirit and authenticity. It’s original, romantic, surprising, poetic and whimsical. It evokes an emotional response like a work of art.”
The Gramercy Park Hotel may indeed exude some of the above attributes. It is indisputably original, surprising, has spirit, and provokes a reaction – but not a positive one. The ambience, staff and even some of the guests create a sense of imbalance.
This is not a venue for the conventional, but there again, would you have a photograph of two druggie looking teenagers on your wall?
Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Avenue
New York
+1 212 920 3300
http://www.gramercyparkhotel.com/
'the photograph on the wall of suite 1004'
Pulling up outside the Gramercy Park Hotel on a dark November evening, expectations were running high. This much lauded Ian Schrager hotel is boasted of as one of the finest in the city. The absence of modesty in the in-room ‘Hotel Information’ pack (above) highlights Schrager’s confidence.
As the young man in black pulled our bags from the trunk of the limo, he embarked on a clearly well rehearsed recital about the attributes of the establishment, its bars and award winning restaurant.
However, we’d just got off an 8 hour flight from London and wanted a bath, not a gratuity chasing sales pitch.
Man in black followed me to the reception desk, introduced himself as David and continued his sales spiel as I checked in. Meanwhile, locked in autopilot, the receptionist completed the formalities.
‘Your suite is on the 10th floor, be careful with the key, it’s a bit sensitive.’
With those parting words she turned away to fiddle with some papers, and David wandered back to his bell post.
‘The elevator?’ I asked.
‘To the right,’ came the minimalist reply with the briefest of smiles.
We picked up our bags and made for the Lift lobby.
Having arrived on 10, finding 1004 wasn’t difficult as the room numbers are emblazoned on the red carpet, which is probably just as well because the light level in the hotel is so low you need infra red glasses to manoeuvre around.
I opened the door of our ‘Park View suite’ and we walked in to a wall of darkness – Satan’s Lair, the Camel’s companion called it. Low lit dark green walls with a dark wooden floor, partially covered by wine coloured rugs which coordinated with the velvet curtains, and not a light switch in sight. Well actually the black light switch was close to the door and cunningly concealed as part of the wall. I was reminded of Gary Oldman’s boudoir in the movie True Romance, as we bungled around trying to establish our bearings in our new $1440 per night home.
$1440 per night + taxes and no one offered to show us to the room, let alone deliver luggage. It felt more like Bates Motel as I tripped over the rocking chair, carefully positioned to obstruct passage from the entrance lobby to the double doors, which divided the cluttered sitting room from the bedroom.
The bathroom in this suite is tiny. In fact, there is no bath, just a shower room, which is large but the washbasin area is around the same size as one of the suite’s two walk-in wardrobes. Most of the very limited space is taken up with three doors, constantly clattering against each other, as they struggle to separate the washbasin area from the bedroom, and toilet and shower from the washroom. The design is a disaster.
Another clanger in this suite is the useless positioning of the one and only accessible electricity socket by the mini bar, and nowhere near the large desk, intended, presumably, as a work area. If you do work in the room be aware that the Internet connectivity is a rip off, as they charge $15 per day for EACH computer. To charge for Internet access in a $1440 room is ridiculous but to charge a fee per laptop really is outrageous
An extraordinary photograph in the suite showed two teenage girls in a bedroom, smoking a dubious looking cigarette, with a spooky looking man’s head watching them from the wall.
Continuing the tone of the photograph is the Rose Bar, a dark venue where entry after 10pm is by reservation only. As we sipped a late night digestif, many other guests smoked (not sure how that sits with NYC anti smoking legislation). A group of men played snooker whilst a couple of ladies played the room.
The hotel has the feel of a Tim Burton movie set, with the exception of the Roof Top Club, described by the hotel as ‘lushly landscaped gardens.’
The reality is a white walled conservatory, covered with fake ivy, interspersed with non-aesthetically placed heating pipes, partly hidden by trees in terracotta pots. The seating is positioned under the windows giving uninterrupted views of the walls and pipes. The issue with reversing the seating arrangement is that the wall under the windows is so high, a seated view of the city would result in neck ache.
On the plus side, the roof club staff were charming and efficient, unlike the model perfect preeners downstairs who responded to any question or request with a model perfect blank stare.
The hotel has introduced a very good Chinese restaurant run by Yuji Wakiya, in conjunction with Matsuhisa Nobu. A selection of the menu is also offered in the Roof Club. The Dim Sum makes an excellent light lunch.
And so, back to the in-room information pack and Ian Schrager’s introduction to the Gramercy Park Hotel;
“A great hotel is not just a building, it’s an individual with personality, spirit and authenticity. It’s original, romantic, surprising, poetic and whimsical. It evokes an emotional response like a work of art.”
The Gramercy Park Hotel may indeed exude some of the above attributes. It is indisputably original, surprising, has spirit, and provokes a reaction – but not a positive one. The ambience, staff and even some of the guests create a sense of imbalance.
This is not a venue for the conventional, but there again, would you have a photograph of two druggie looking teenagers on your wall?
Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Avenue
New York
+1 212 920 3300
http://www.gramercyparkhotel.com/
'the photograph on the wall of suite 1004'
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
