Lotte New York Palace

Anyone who has read my other hotel reviews knows that I prize service very highly. It is always the personnel at a hotel that make it or break it for me. This is even more important in a very large city like New York. I have always felt that the city’s reputation for unfriendliness is incorrect—in my experience visiting New York numerous times over many years, I have always found New Yorkers to be very warm and welcoming—but it is true that they are (for good reason) very cautious when interacting with people on the street. Because of that, having a good hotel as one’s base of operations is very important. The Lotte New York Palace is more than just a good hotel—it feels like a beautiful home away from home. In fact, the hotel is based on 1890s town homes that were mansions built by Henry Villard (a former president of the Northern Pacific Railway) and designed by the famed architect of that era, Stanford White. All of the public areas are in the old buildings, which are all connected, and they are beautiful. (Please see the attached photos.) The guest rooms are in a relatively new tower. The entire hotel is elegant and extremely well-located, just a block east of 5th Avenue and Rockefeller Center. It is directly across Madison Avenue from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, i.e., between E. 50th and E. 51st Streets. The staff are all extraordinary and extraordinarily friendly and helpful. I want to point out one concierge in particular, Isabella, who was a pleasure to meet and who helped me a great deal. Also, the entire doorman staff, but particularly Fran and George, were very helpful. They also refused to be overtipped, not something one necessarily expects anywhere in NYC, and most of them had been working at the hotel since the days when it was the Helmsley New York Palace, which led to some interesting stories. Everyone at the hotel with whom we interacted was pleasant, memorable, and a pleasure to deal with. The hotel is really two hotels in one: the Towers operate as a hotel-within-a-hotel. We did not stay in the Towers but I can’t imagine that the service is any better than what we experienced. I will do my best to stay at the Lotte New York Palace again soon. Read less

While the Lotte New York Palace boasts a clean room and a convenient location, my stay was overshadowed by several disappointments. The rooms were notably outdated and very limited to none of any in-room amenities. No coffee machine, no ice bucket. Limited shower amenities. The panel control is so old it's buttons were hard to read as what was what. Carpet in one of the rooms was literally ripped apart. Staff was not at all friendly nor accommodating. To make a breakfast reservation I had to call several times until someone was able to confirm my request. Regrettably, despite the positive of location, these negative experiences outweigh my satisfaction. I will not consider staying at this establishment again. Read less

We were booked into the Lotte Palace by Regent Cruise Line; however, we decided that we wanted a suite with a large dining table in order to host a family dinner for six in a quiet setting. The hotel reservations staff was very helpful in booking a Signature Suite at an attractive rate. We worked with Ben Jiang in the Food and Beverage Department to plan a cocktail party with extensive snacks, to set the dining room table for the Room Service dinner and to stock the bar with ice, drinks and even a coffee pot. We worked with Milad in Room Service to order and to serve the hot dinners. Thank you, Ben and Milad. The snacks were beautifully arranged and tasty, the hot food order was perfect, (no small feat for room service all around the world), service was impeccable and the whole dinner party was such a hit! Ben and Milad were superb to work with and they far exceeded our expectations for our stay. THANK YOU for making it all happen! We will definitely return. Read less