Jumeirah Essex House
Neighborhood: Theater District
160 Central Park S
New York, NY 10019
Rated: ♣♣♣1/2
I’ve been a little slow on posts lately because I’ve been so busy with work. But now that my event in NY is over, I’ll be back on schedule with updating. Amidst the snow storm in NY, I hosted a cocktail event at the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station. I stayed at the Jumeirah Essex House which is located at the south border of Central Park, only 2 blocks away from the Plaza Hotel. The entrance of the hotel overlooked the beautiful park with snow capped trees sitting on top of a fluffy white blanket of snow.
The 4-star hotel came to $300 a night including 2 complimentary breakfasts and a $100 dinner credit.
Pros:
Room - The room was very clean, modern and spacious. What I liked about the Essex was that it was well lit. Every time the front door opened, all the lights in the room ascended into its full brightness. The bed was more comfortable than my bed at home and the pillow was so soft! I was contemplating to take it home with me.
Food - The complimentary breakfast was impressive. It was buffet style, but very classy. I was hoping to take my breakfast to go so I wouldn’t have to eat on my own, but they sat me down and poured me a cup of coffee. I walked over to the buffet and found an assortment of New York bagels, lox and cream cheese already assembled, 2 kinds of smoked fish, tons of fresh fruit, and then your traditional breakfast items which included eggs, bacon and hashbrowns. The service was great even though the meal was self-serve. Being the klutz that I am, I accidentally spilled my coffee on the table. The waiter noticed the spill and gave me a new cup without me even asking!
Location - The location is very convenient for tourists. To the right you have the 5th Ave. shopping. Couple blocks south you have the MoMA and the Theater District. There’s a metro station a block away and you have Central Park in your front yard.
Cons:
I couldn’t figure out the dang phones! I kept trying to call Guest Services, but the phone would dial Messages instead. One of the lamp switches was broken, so I had to unplug it to turn it off, and the TV stopped turning on after the first night. I had to have an engineer come by to fix it so I wouldn’t have to live without my nightly Olympic coverage. I also had a terrible view. It faced another brick building and some dumpsters on the right hand side. I was kicking myself because I forgot to ask for a room with a view.