Travel Hacking: Intercontinental New York Times Square, Only $160 per night by making good use of my Ambassador Cert

Intercontinental New York Times Square

Made me glad to have the Ambassador membership

Stayed Feb 2016
Published May 2016
  

After fulfilling my goal of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland, it was time to go home.

Considering I would be almost on the other side of the globe (in terms of longitude), I was pondering if I should continue westwards through North America or back via Europe.

After looking at the flights and seeing Icelandair was offering a good deal at USD$215 (about SGD$300) on Economy to New York for a one-way, it was decided I would stop in NYC for a few days before heading home.

As a savvy traveler, I used my Ascend Card hotel voucher for a free first night at Millennium Broadway Hotel, which I also used at previously and got upgraded to a suite. This time, it was only a room but no less comfortable. Looking at my review then, it was really so dry.

Millenium Hotel Broadway

 

 

The  Millenium Broadway Hotel is a modern hotel right at Times Square.

It is next to and connected to the Hudson Theatre and also to the Premier Hotel which is also under the Millenium Group.

I had a free night stay from my credit card and redeemed for a night here back in November 2013.

Why choose this hotel?

Located at 145 West 44th Street, one cannot get much closer to Times Square!
The clean, modern decor is also very appealing.

The Management

Millennium And Copthorn hotels manages this hotel as with Orchard Hotel in Singapore which was reviewed previously.

Getting to the Hotel

The central location posed no difficulty to cabs or walking.

The Hotel

The lobby is very spacious and with exits at the adjacent streets.

The large art pieces added glamor to the hotel.

I really like the modern elegance with clean lines and wood/metal contrast.

The lifts are located off the lobby but are slightly dark although I do like the large number of lifts and the resultant short waiting time.

However, the corridors seemed a little underwhelming and mismatched to the feel of the lobby.

The Rooms

I was given a 1-bedroom suite (on a free stay!) for the night.

The suites are named 'Broadway Suites' and described at the website as "Located from floors 50 to 52, high above the city overlooking the vibrant Times Square, the thoughtfully appointed Broadway Suites feature comfortable furnishings and a separate living area."

 

The separate living room has a small toilet which was invaluable when 2 people needed to use the washroom at the same time.
Toilets are hard to come by in New York City.

Somehow I felt the bathroom was mismatched with the scheme of the bedroom and living room.
Otherwise it was really spacious, but had no separate standing shower.

The view from the room is definitely not as great as pictured in the hotels website.

The Food and Drinks

Breakfast was served in the lobby and had a small but adequate range and the quality was fine.

Service was rather prompt but there was definitely room for improvement.

The Service

The front-desk agent was rather prompt and friendly. Otherwise there was minimal contact with the hotel staff.

I presume this was because the hotel is a busy business hotel and guests usually did not want to be disturbed.

The Gym

The fitness centre was rather small but empty.
Nothing to shout about,but I guess it can be considered functional.

 

In Summary

The hotel was very kind to upgrade the room to a suite and the service other than the front desk was a bit cold.

So if one is looking for great service, that may be a little hard...

There were no major hiccups during the stay thankfully.

Undeniably, the location is fantastic and that is a great reason to stay here. 

Happy Travels!

fred

Sheraton New York City - November 2013

 

Hotels in New York City are expensive.

There are many chain and boutique hotels throughout the whole city, many of which are 'business hotels' catering to the frequent fliers of the commercial world.

Sheraton New York Times Square is apparently one of the older hotels around.
From the official website, "One of the most iconic buildings in the Big Apple, the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel has stood proudly against the city skyline since 1962."

Why choose this hotel?

Accessible and well-located at 811 7th Ave at 52nd Street with Central Park and many theatres near the hotel.
It has also recently experienced a major renovation.
The hotel is clean and the staff efficient.

The Management

 The loyalty programme is (obviously) Starwood Preferred Guest as the hotel is a Sheraton.

Getting to the Hotel

New York City is served by JFK, EWR and LGA airports.
Getting a taxi or airport shuttle should be easy from any of the airports, especially since Sheraton NYC TS is a major business hotel.

The Hotel

The hotel was better than I expected considering the online reviews I had read.

Front Desk

Sheraton Link, the place for Internet

Pictures along the walls

Guestrooms corridors

Lift landing

The Rooms

Being a business hotel in land-valuable NYC, the rooms tend to be small and suites are few.
I had a club floor room, which was functional (small...) but then one should not be staying in the room much while in New York City!

The Food and Drinks

  We had breakfast and some drinks at the club lounge which is rather hidden away, but the offerings were acceptable.

The view was not too great and the 'business centre' was very exposed. Anyone passing by would be able to see what one is doing.

View from the lounge

The Pool 

No swimming pool. Any surprise?

The Service

I must say the service was better than expected.

On arrival, our bags were promptly taken by the doorman from the taxi and placed at the counters.

Check-in was very smooth (which is a blessing after a long flight!) and the front desk was very helpful. Thank you Cynthia!

The Gym

The gym is rather large but also accepts memberships, which increases the crowd at times.
The staff was rather friendly as well.

 

In Summary

 The hotel is great for a relatively less expensive stay in NYC with a nice location.

There was no major faults during my stay and I definitely would not mind staying here again.

Happy Travels!

St. Regis New York City - November 2013

The St. Regis New York.

An iconic hotel in one of the most famous cities in the world.

The St Regis New York was opened in 1904, as often mentioned in advertisements by the hotel, and was one of the tallest hotels at that time.

The hotel was opened by John Jacob Astor who was arguably the richest man on the Titanic.

The official website is http://www.stregisnewyork.com/ , the Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/StRegisNewYork ) and the hotel is located at 2 East 55th Street at 5th Avenue in NYC.

Having undergone a major renovation recently, the hotel maintains a classical atmosphere with a brand new look.

Why choose this hotel?

The rich history and classical decor makes this a place to experience. My friends are all amazed at the beautiful pictures of the hotel.

The location is great for shopping at 5th Avenue and Times Square is not too far away either.

However, the daily rates may be tough to swallow. The basic room may go higher than $1000 USD per night.

 

The Management

St. Regis New York is the pioneer of the St. Regis brand under Starwood.

Getting to the Hotel

New York City is served by JFK, EWR and LGA airports.
Getting a taxi or airport shuttle should be easy from any of the airports.

The Hotel

The hotel should be rather visible with the large St. Regis flag above the entrance.

The lobby is rather small, but the Old World beauty is apparent.

I am particularly impressed by the detail in the elevator.

However, the lobby seem a little cluttered for my taste.

There is also a small 'study' at the walkway between the lobby and King Cole Bar for visitors.

The rest of the hotel was definitely well-decorated, from the lift lobby to the corridors.

The Rooms

The rooms are big for NYC at 40sqm/430sq ft for the basic (Superior) Room.
My room was a St. Regis Suite, which, according to the website, "offers the ability to convert the suite to one or two bedrooms. Interior views ensure tranquility, while the marble foyer separating the living room and bedroom guarantees privacy. This suite also features a large closet and two full Italian marble bathrooms."

A lovely chandelier in the bedroom lights it up beautifully.

Other details include this small cabinet.

And some floral display.

There are 2 bathrooms in the suite which both have a standing shower, but the main bathroom has a large bathtub as well.

The tiles in the room are heated and felt comfortably warm in the cold weather.

The views from the room were not too great, but not unexpected.

The Food and Drinks

The only place for food is the King Cole Bar, often mentioned to be the birthplace of the Bloody Mary/Red Snapper and has its own website at http://www.kingcolebar.com/.

The place was also included in the recent renovation.

The prices are actually rather reasonable for a luxury hotel and the quality is good.

Breakfast here was very good! The pastries were warm and buttery and the lady at the counter was very warm.

The room service was unexpectedly excellent.

The Service

Expectations often precede disappointment. Unfortunately, this was also true for this hotel.

For the price, one may expect really warm and spontaneous response from the staff.

The service is very good I have to acknowledge (and some of the people were excellent) , but somehow many of the smiles and greetings often felt forced and not genuine.

The first experience with the Butler service was unsatisfactory. The call was answered with "WHO'S THAT?". The Butler claimed the room was marked as unoccupied and hence thought it was a prank call.

Apologies were profusely dispensed, but the experience was cold, especially when compounded with the chilly weather outside.

Welcome Treats

French-pressed coffee by the Butler

The Gym

A small gym is located in the lower level which also houses the Remede Spa.
I feel it is rather cramped with cardio machines and I really do not like it very much. No hint of the 'luxury hotel' atmosphere in my opinion.

The Remede Spa

No comments as we did not undergo any packages, but the staff is definitely attentive and friendly to guests exploring the place.

The Location

As mentioned earlier, the hotel is great for 5th Avenue shopping. The Apple store is nearby and next to FAO Schwarz which would be lotsa fun for the children!

In Summary

The hotel is definitely an attraction in itself.


The service is good, however, one should tone down expectations.


The rooms are exceedingly beautiful, and that may actually be a disadvantage as it may be tempting to just relax in the room instead of exploring NYC.


Nightly rates may be very high in this hotel which is listed as the most expensive in NYC by Business Insider.


Happy Travels everyone!

Warmest Regards,
fred