The Whitby Hotel

This was probably our fourth time staying at this hotel. Unfortunately, 4th is not a charm! When we initially arrived with our car, there were pylons in the street in front of the hotel, and in order for us to stop and unload our bags, these pylons needed to be removed. Despite our sounding the horn, no one from the hotel came out to help, so my wife found herself moving the pylons on her own. The junior suite that we had reserved was comfortable enough, however, the issues we had with the hotel were largely with the restaurant. We had breakfasts and a food allowance since we booked through AMEX and these credits were for the Fine Resorts and Hotels program. Two days in a row for breakfast, we had disappointing service coupled with incompletely cooked dishes. The first day, the problem was with pancakes that were not cooked throughout. When being sent back, there was an inordinate delay in getting a new order, and I finished my breakfast and basically stared at empty plates for 20-25 minutes. During this somewhat extended delay, I requested another pot of coffee, with this request basically forgotten. We did speak with the restaurant manager, who apologized profusely. Thinking that this couldn’t happen again, the next morning we had a bit of a repeat performance, This time it was basically cold sides of grilled tomatoes and portobello mushrooms — these being intended to be hot, with the rest of the meal. Again, extraordinarily inattentive service. Speaking again with the restaurant manager, I asked him why they (1) automatically add a 20% service charge, even when the service is anything but befitting a generous tip, and (2) have the audacity to exclude the MANDATORY gratuity from the breakfast and food allowance, requiring us to pay for the gratuity on our checkout. He did agree to provide us with credit for these charges, however, to our surprise, such credit was not reflected on our bill upon checkout. For the third day, the hotel manager came to our table and told us that he hoped that we would receive good service on this third day, and was apologetic. When asked whether there might be some expression of good faith concession on our bill, he handed us his business card and essentially said, contact him if/when we might come back to the hotel. I told him that we might have a different view of returning if some concession commensurate with the poor service had been provided, but none was forthcoming. In the category of another annoyance, the room charges from the mini bar are not counted towards the $100 per day food and beverage credit for the AMEX Fine Resorts and Hotels program. I made the mistake of taking a Celsius drink on the first day, which amounted to the princely sum of $10 — and no credit. This is a tacky policy, particularly for a room for which we charged approximately $1,000 per night. On the positive side, the hotel and our room were nicely furnished, and the food was not bad (except for the dishes cited above in the breakfasts). Would we return, most likely not.

Where to start? We visited the Whitby in August 2022 and still experience after-glow. Everything was a delight from checking in, the Deluxe Room on the top floors to the amazing breakfast and the bone China designed by Kit Kemp which made breakfast a feast for the eyes. Did we mention the delicious food? Even though it was too hot outside most of the times, it was pleasant to be able to open a window. The bathroom was excellent (we didn't miss a tub which we usually do). The room and hotel are as splendid as they look on the photos. Super helpful staff (so helpfull that it is a shame that we have forgotten some of their names). Wonderful mattress and sleep experience. The location is perfect if you want to visit... Manhattan. The MoMa, Central Park, all a stone throw away. Why not stroll to the Metropolitan Museum or the Guggenheim, about a 30-35 min walk away? We immediately felt at home, and also important: at ease, in this luxurious hotel which was a bit above our means but we had something to celebrate. If we have something to celebrate again we would love to return.

We took a family road trip from Richmond to NYC over 6 days and a new hotel each night. Our final stop was at the Whitby for two nights. We somewhat knew what to expect with a Firmdale property, but I’ll have to say I’m sold on the Whitby. They expected us, knew our names, welcomed us like family (there was 10 of us). The rooms were exceptional, and staff was incredible. If your in the fence about it, hands down it’s the best place we’ve stayed in NYC and we’ve stayed at all of them. Thanks for a great trip guys!