I Stay In A 5 Star Hotel In New York - I Was Shocked!
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- Опубликовано: 25 ноя 2023
- I Stay in the famous Plaza hotel, but don't have the best experience!
Is it worth the price? Let's find out
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quite underdressed for The Plaza
I have subscribed Tim 👍
I was at my grandparent’s house, sorry I missed the stream!
Hi Tim, we were there this exact week last year. The Christmas tree in the lobby was awesome. We retraced the steps of Kevin in home alone. From the hotel and out into Central Park. Enjoy it all Tim, we certainly did. Try and do Christmas at the Rockefeller Centre. We have just booked last night to go back in March for another week.
I live in New York City and it's well known among the locals here that The Plaza has gone downhill unfortunately. I've heard similar stories about the rooms having dirty appliances, ripped furniture, stains on bedsheets and drapes, poor plumbing in the rooms, and the list goes on. They keep the lobby and bar areas beautiful but basically neglect everything else. Their Afternoon Tea service has also gone downhill which is very sad because it used to be fantastic. I'm sorry to hear about your experience but I'm not surprised. You should consider writing a letter to the CEO of "Katara Hospitality" which owns The Plaza. His name is Nasser Alkawari.
Ya his complaints at this price point are totally understandable. At 5 stars furniture should be in near perfect condition, that the plumbing didn't work and there was sand in the bed is insane as that wouldn't be acceptable for hotel that cost a fraction of the price. Not being able to get a coffee at 6:00 am is unacceptable too given kind of service you would assume existed at this level.
@@oryxland3994 very true!
I’m sure Nasser doesn’t care! Not being American, he doesn’t have an appreciation for the history of this hotel or this country.
@@skr8674 Disagree. The Plaza is a very high profile hotel in one of the most high profile cities in the world. He does care and I think his team would definitely respond to Tim if he writes them a letter.
@@MaryNYC1lololololo
That room's condition was totally unacceptable, no matter the price. And for a luxury hotel, even worse. What a huge letdown .
I am sure this video will keep discerning customers away, so well done Tim.
Considering this,, I would prefer the latest Marriot! Far last expensive too!
Most classic hotel were not worth the money. Hilton or Marriott were better choice.
go brandon.
Luxury is just a name, because the decoration of this room, even though it has an “imperial” aesthetic, is horrible. Fasano, Copacabana Palace step on that
I'm sorry for the disappointing experience. They're still living on the hotel name alone. At least you had your experience.
The more I watch and enjoy them, the more I am grateful for my own clean and well run home.
Yes haha totally. It even compels me to want to clean every nook and cranny. I feel like I definitely have luxury plumbing compared to these places.
Amen Sister!
Agree 💯.
I glad I can see the Plaza vicariously through you. I know that these places often aren’t what they used to be. I believe my desire to stay at the Plaza has been satisfied with this video.
The "sand" is probably the residue of a deteriorating latex foam mattress. Foam is only good for about 10 yrs before they start to break down quite rapidly into a sandy residue before they become dust. The elastomers in latex is what gives them their flexibility but is also the chemicals that off-gas through the material's lifetime that when spent, leaves the material brittle that turns to dust
That's interesting; didn't know that, ty
This is exactly what it is, I recognised it immediately.
Isn’t the sand and the off gassing harmful to humans?
I have two memory foam pillows that are deteriorating exactly like this.
I can't remove the pillow covers as they are holding these "sand clumps" together, so I'll have to toss them when their usefulness has ceased.
I was looking for old ski goggles and hiking backpacks in my parents garage last week. The foam on the gogles and backpacks completley disintegrated as soon as i touched them. Now i know why, thanks
As someone who has been a Hotel Manager, I was shocked to see how dirty everything is, the bed was badly made, the linen hadn't been pressed either and the grim on the mattress is unacceptable, the bathroom looked dirty and leaving a cleaners hair behind is a disgrace .. there are no excuses for having a room in this state its an imbarrassment to the company and certainly not expected from a 5* hotel....the housekeeping manager & supervisor have obviously been there way too long and become lazy & complacent with room inspections or lack off....I'd be asking for refund and go elsewhere because I can guarantee there would be a lot of rooms like this and your health is to important to expose yourself to unhygienic sleeping accomodation
I respect you for saying this. This once gorgeous hotel was ruined after DJ Trump got his tiny t-rex mitts on it and it fell into bankruptcy 3 year later. Yes, seriously. It has never recovered from him purchasing it and mismanaging it back in 1988. It was part of his $900M bankruptcy filing back in 1991, I believe, only 3 years after practically jumping at the chance to purchase it. Everything the man touches turns to a pile of salt, all so he can live high on the hog. smh
It is STILL an extraordinarily gorgeous unit of architecture, but if manage the P & L of a hotel, I don't have to tell you how expensive it is to maintain all that intricate crown molding, clean the crystal chandeliers, etc. The lobby is a dated but exquisite window back in time.
This is a tourist trap and no NYer stays there when they return, nor do they put family members up there when they visit them in the City. You already know there are far too many truly 5-star properties where people can spend $1K a night.
This is a tourist trap for delusional people who cannot distinguish the fantasy of film from reality. So, essentially narcissists who want to go back to wherever they're from and brag to people who've never been to NYC that they stayed at "The Plaza" like they didn't just get bilked out of hundreds of dollars a night to be able to say that.
This place is a bad joke among City dwellers. We walk past and shake our heads at the tourists pouring in and out.
I've seen grand old hotels that are well-kept, but the Plaza is mostly a place to visit for the lobby.
It may surprise you, but it is 2023, well over 30 years since 1991, when Trump owned the hotel.
@@le_th_
"Blame it on Trump" is a sure sign of "Trump Derangement Syndrome".
Wat does imbarrasment mean?
This. Past housekeeper here and floored!
We know how you felt, 5 star prices in a 2 star hotel.
We had a similar experience in the Hilton in Fort Lauderdale. We even had an electrical service panel open, food trays by doors on landing floor, NO towels, and so the list goes on. I wrote to the booking agent (with pictures) and they REMOVED the Hilton from their brochure after sending an inspecter (as a guest) who apparently found even more problems!
For £1400/night you should have requested a compensation rebate!
What, no shots of Eloise at the Plaza??
Stay at the Conrad next time.
And in another video he stays at a 5 star in England, that's beyond perfect and, I think, was only slightly more expensive.. Or no, it was in pounds, but the contrast was startling!
Hi Tim, I’m from England and treated my wife to a Special Birthday surprise in New York. After seeing your video I’m so glad we didn’t book this Hotel, we stayed next door at the Ritz Carlton, the service was outstanding as well as our room on the 22nd floor overlooking Central Park, couldn’t fault it.
Thanks for sharing and carry on with the good work !! 👏🏻👏🏻
I am a housekeeper in a well known brand hotel in North Wales UK and seriously! We would never get away with leaving a stain on the mirror, whilst cleaning, let alone the mattress! We hoover under the beds and clean every part of the room until it is spick and span. This is not right for guests at all! 😢
Americans have no pride. They just want your money.
I’ve often wondered if here in the states, if they ever actually change the sheets on the bed. I think they do as little as possible. I don’t stay in five star hotels, but it’s at least four.
I was appalled at the condition of your room. From the filthy chairs to the stains on everything and the hair in the sink. I would of called manager to room and then checked out.
Myself I have been in the cleaning business all of my life, mostly homes, offices motels ect. Stains on the curtains and sand on the mattress along with no Hot Water is definitely a No No. Very unsanitary, I would be very embarrassed if I was one of the cleaners.🙄 I would never stand for that. Usually there is a second person giving everything the double check and the thumbs up. This to me is just a pass and go and not good enough. That's just MO
Hearing that price really ticked me. You should have had at least, a clean bed and mattress and most of all, hot water. That right there would have cooked it for me. Just my opinion. Thankyou ❤
As a hotel maintenance engineer I am so appalled at the state of that place. I also cant believe that no one came to your room when the hot water wasnt working. Very disappointing. Thank you for sharing.
I’m a facilities maintenance mechanic. I don’t work in a hotel but part of my responsibilities includes the plumbing in the buildings that I work in. The tub not draining is indicative of old plumbing that has a buildup of decades worth of crud, for lack of a better word, inside the drain pipes. I’ve seen 6” diameter cast iron drain pipes that have such a buildup inside of the pipe that it is essentially a 1” to 2” drain pipe. The lack of hot water tells me that the hot water pumps are not up to the task required of them. Judging by the condition of the furnishings I think that it’s a safe assumption that the building maintenance is also not up to the standards that one would expect in a five star hotel. Not that I can afford it, but I would not be happy paying that kind of money for such a poor quality product.
New York, as much as I love it, is a lottery with hotel rooms. What is advertised is never what you get. Much like rental apartments.
It's not the hospitality industry anymore. It's the money grubbing industry.
What is the purpose of the stay? Not well maintained hotel...... Often we expect too much given the amount we spent....... What can we take home for free?
As a hotel WHAT? WHO ASKED YOU?!
I've now seen three of your videos and what I am gathering is that "luxury" isn't all what it's cracked up to be 😄
I am thinking the same.
I was able to walk into the lobby of the Plaza 23 yrs ago to admire a huge gorgeous floral arrangement and peak at a wedding in the ball room. New York was a different place then. 😢
Yes, much worse, wasn't it? ...Just coming out of the very high murder rate era.
Shocking nauseating😱 - I was disgusted!🤢🤮 Obviously incredibly poor hotel management. Edit: ... and NO coffe at 6am is totally unacceptable in a 5 star hotel. Something is very, very, very wrong! 😮
Not even coffee available in the room? 🤬
In case you haven’t heard - hotels and other businesses shutting down left and right in NYC. They’re prob just hanging on
@@norakat Why?
Should be 24hr room service. Those dirty chairs need to go to the dump.
That's just silly... who wakes up at 6 and doesn't already have a plan for coffee. It's a 30 minute wait. Surely you can get dressed and show up in that time. The world doesn't open businesses till around 8 or 9 am
I’m a native New Yorker and I always wanted to stay at the Plaza for at least one night. You saved me the cost! Both rooms looked very dated and sad. I was a head maid at a motel and I made sure all the rooms were immaculate.
And BTW I asked about a year ago if the food hall would open up again and they didn’t know. I loved it and at 6am you would have been able to get your coffee!
Glad to have watched this interesting video. I'll continue to stay at B & B's.
For that price you'd think the room would have a Nespresso or Keurig, but I recently stayed at the St. Regis in San Francisco and it didn't have a coffeemaker in the room either, although every hotel I stayed at in Japan did. Go figure.
Me too Thanks Tim. NO thanks of stayin @ the Plaza
I live in Northern Canada, where there are a lot of resource crews (oil/gas, pipeline, forestry, mining, workers).
Kitchenettes are standard in ALL hotel and motel rooms with stocked coffee bars, consisting of a Keurig and a variety of differing coffee pods, always a tea pod, a variety of differing sweeteners, to go cups replete with sleeves and lids.These coffee bars are restocked daily because these businesses know their clientele.
They also have a fully stocked breakfast buffet that opens @5-5:30 am. A variety of differing eggs, breakfast meats, pastries, waffles with condiments, French toast, etc.
And then they have packed lunches to grab before they go, free of charge, because their clientele work remotely, nowhere near civilization for 100 km.
A bare-bones basic room always has a version of a coffee bar/kitchenette, at a price @ $50 night and is cleaner with newer furnishings.
Layer on your luxuries, and the price rises, and will top out at @$150-$200/night. This is the price range I book and have nearly ALWAYS had rooms that are far superior to the ones you reviewed.
Oh No how disappointing..The P.P. is Not Up to Standards for Most 5 🌟 Places. REDICULOUS..!
What I find nostalgic and eerie/creepy feeling, is areas of the hotel filled with people and other areas of large, liminal spaces devoid of people. So haunting
A very honest and balanced video review. Well done.
SHOCKED to see this iconic 5* hotel has dirty, worn out, skip worthy furniture, with cold water baths and NO in room coffee !! The cost is eye watering for what is given, or not.
Its a Christmas tradition to watch Home Alone 2, which features the Plaza & I was surprised to know the real Plaza has NO swimming pool.
I stayed in the Belfast Crowne Plaza for a Christmas break, and despite a similar name, there is no connection to the New York Plaza. The Belfast Hotel was lovely, comfortable, and the meals were amazing. The gym was excellent. The steam room and sauna were very good, but unfortunately the depth of the swimming pool was so shallow it made swimming difficult. To be fair the Belfast Crowne Plaza is not a 5*, it is a 4*, but compared to the New York Plaza, it is far superior at a fraction of the price of the New York Plaza.
Looking forward to seeing more videos from you. With thanks, newly subscribed viewer from Ireland. 🇮🇪
skip worthy is a bit harsh but definitely in need of the "repair shop" experts.
I love it when people say you get what you paid for. For the amount of money you spent, being underwhelmed is an understatement.
It’s a classic New York hotel and I was disappointed with what I saw. I can’t believe that at that price level there was no hot water and no coffee at 6am. To be told to try Starbucks is wholly unacceptable.
I couldn't believe it when they said that
Instead of recommending Starbucks, they should have had someone go there and pick him up a coffee and bring it back to his room!
Absolutely
If you paid $1,400+ for one night, sending a $25/ hour worker, or even just having a house Doordash account, to get you an outside coffee was not going to impact their profit margin on your stay.
Pennywise, pound foolish.
That felt so surreal and almost snobbish!
I dont mind oldish furniture, but cleanliness is a must.
That is so sad, I have heard from a few that the plaza is run down but this is totally unacceptable. It’s actually embarrassing to know that visitors from all over the world come there, gives our beautiful city and nation a very poor reputation
New York is no longer a beautiful city and hasn't been for several years. Crime and homelessness is also pervasive. The Plaza is no longer American-owned. It's owned by a Qatari business. Why should they care about New York's reputation?
@DDR7676: Unfortunately, this is what happens when hotels are sold to greedy foreigners who only care about money and not the history, preservation, maintenance, or reputation of the hotels. It doesn’t help that they hire cheap labor and don’t give them proper training or hold them to high standards. The same thing has happened to certain hotels in Beverly Hills that were sold to foreigners.
This hotel "giving the nation a very poor reputation" should be the least of your worries, that ship sailed some time ago, along with the illegal invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent carnage.
Uneven picture frame in the hallway was literally the writing on the wall of things to come.
🤣🤣🤣‼️Ann Boleyn 😱😱😱‼️😆
I may have an explanation for the "sand" in the mattress. I used to have a latex foam mattress and boxsprings. As the latex foam aged and broke down, it would work tiny particles out of the mattress cover and leave sand on the boxsprings, which I would vacuum when I flipped it. I would wager the top layer of the round bed has been occasionally replaced by a custom cut foam that has aged like the rest of the furnishings.
I was thinking it might be diatomaceous earth to kill bed bugs.
This is similar to what I was guessing- adhesive or rubber or elastic that has broken down due to age
@@radbu1075 like you, I’m thinking it’s an aged base explanation. That is if the other soft furnishings are anything to gauge it by..!??
@@risaspeace5554 The diatomaceous earth I’ve seen and used is pure white not yellow as that appeared.
Exactly. It is residue from the foam mattress. Why would there be sand in your bed?
This room's cleanliness matches the streets outside. Ick.
Thank you for your honest review. I had the chance to enter last march and asked for the rates... and I was wondering how a room of that price would really look like. I think there are better overall rooms in other NYC hotels (my priorities are safety and cleanliness). I know it is a classic and maybe just drinking a cocktail and admiring the amazing architecture and luxury details is better than staying a night.
Great video Tim. I go to NYC frequently and the Plaza has always been known to be very touristy and quite shabby but I really was not expecting this. They should be truly ashamed of themselves. It really is a disgrace, especially when you take into account the extortionate prices they are charging for rooms. It tells me all they care about is just living off their past and exploiting wealthy tourists who don't know any better.
I really hope the Plaza's executive team see this video and I hope it gains traction, but something tells me they still wouldn't give a damn! What a shame that they've allowed such an iconic hotel to go into such disarray.
Donald Trump owned the Plaza from 1987 to 1995. Dire financial straits forced Trump to sell the Plaza in 1995, at a loss, to billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed and Singaporean billionaire Kwek Leng Beng for $325 million. The Plaza has been going downhill for decades.
😪
The Plaza is no longer American-owned. It's owned by a Qatari business. Why should they care about New York's reputation?
Looks like a 5 Star hotel has a sale in its future to become condo units or rentals; as well as swanky business offices. Very sad.
Thank you! You saved a lot of people a lot of money from…paying a lot of money! Historical reputation is what it’s about, apparently, not actual quality. I’ve stayed in rooms for $50 that provided better satisfaction!
Smart shopper you are- ALWAYS read or watch the reviews
People who can afford this hotel don’t watch RUclips .😅
@@TillSwims oh but they do.
@@TillSwims not true, I’ve stayed there
He sure has saved us from a terrible experience. Was planning to do a Home Alone Christmas over the next couple of years, but we’ll forgo the full experience.
Thank you for this review! I was looking at taking my Mother in Law this year and was going to splash out on The Plaza but I need coffee on tap, a pool and a restaurant 😅
All of the well-known online booking sites list all of the hotels amenities and also have customer reviews. Do your homework.
Well at least a kettle, mug and tea bag. 🍵
You are lucky that you didn't see bed bugs
I had a housemaid job at a 5-star Australian resort when I was at university. Guests expected high quality accommodation and our boss expected us to clean the rooms thoroughly every day. Apart from the worn & dirty chairs, and the hair in the sink, the bed in your Plaza Hotel room was sloppily made ... and the sand/dead skin ... ugh. We'd never have gotten away with leaving a room like that!
When he started touching the “sand” 🤢
In Australia my sister worked as cleaner...lots of rubbish under beds left from previous cleaners...and only so many minutes allowed to clean each room. Expensive place on Rottnest Island.
My first thought was dead skin and with the amount of it looked as if it had not been cleaned in years.
P.S Other posts below say it is most likely diatomaceous earth to kill bedbugs
Im more curious as to where the sand came from, it's not like New York has any beaches.
@@davidnowhere2637 Very interesting because I watched a program a while back where there was a bedbug research group (Berkeley?) and that doesn’t work. The only thing that got rid of bedbugs was heat (it gets rid of all of them). Like if you were a bedbug researcher all you had to do to make sure you didn’t take the little buggers home with you was to throw your clothes in the dryer. Poof, they’re gone.
I’m a 7th generation native NYCer. The Plaza has been steeply on the decline for easily 20 years. I believe they filed bankruptcy at least twice and threatened to close at least that many times- correct me if I’m wrong but I do remember it in the nightly local news some years back about threats of shutting down.
*All that glitters is not good and all that is 5-stars is not gold.*
I’m sad you spent that much $$$$ on those really shabby, sad rooms. I got secondhand embarrassment at the state of both. And as an avid bath-lover, I would have lots my proverbial sh!t with the lukewarm water and drainage situation.
I really think you should demand a refund and show them this video or contact corporate or the CEO with a link to this video. They really shouldn’t be chargeing four-figures a night for those dilapidated conditions and rubbish plumbing.
That would explain lack of resource for cleaning and time for detail and maintenance.
Definitely. Hotels that go through this dudes youtube really need to either fix up or close down
Those english portraits look ridiculous, especially in your room as well as the corridors .🥺🌱
Would be a shame if it closed down wouldn't it?
@@margaretcox9252 It would be amazing if they completely re-vamped the bedrooms, as Tim showed us, they're unacceptable. 👀☕️🌱
Thanks Tim looking to visit next Christmas and was contemplating splashing out on the Plaza. You just saved me a lot of wasted money.
That bookshop is an outpost of Assouline, a French luxury book publisher, now HQ’d in NYC. The preferred address is in Paris, on Rue Bonaparte in St Germain-des-Prés, where one may find many older titles available en français. The afternoon tea service - at least 20 years ago - was a particular experience, with cards explaining what afternoon tea meant (!). Excellent video!
Wow, I’m shocked how dirty it was. That was always my dream to stay at the Plaza hotel, but not anymore. I’m glad you showed the reality of what it’s really like. Thank you for that.😊
The place has been a tourist trap since the late '80s after Trump bought it and failed managing it. It ended up in a $900M bankruptcy proceeding 3 years after his purchase. Like all things he severely mismanages, he sucked all the profit out to fund his lavish lifestyle and left it to decay. It is *extremely* hard to undo that.
I moved to Manhattan in 1990 and this place was a joke even then. Total tourist trap. NYers don't stay there. They don't put their friends and family there when they come to visit. It's for (ignorant) tourists who fail to be able to distinguish film from reality and narcissists who like to go back and brag to others about staying at "The Plaza" like it's 1960 again.
@@le_th_ A: I got this onfo from Google: (The Plaza Hotel is currently owned by Katara Hospitality, a Qatar based hospitality group that owns more than 40 international hotels. Former president Donald Trump owned the hotel between 1987-1995.) I don't think you can blame this on Trump.
your dream stay is at those modern penthouse that cost over 150 million dollars with a golden view, not this cramp crassy first class denhouse
@@le_th_ TDS you would say?! OMG after 30 years ago Trump owned it; it's time you get over it. Get a life.
@@lenaspiro924 he owned it over 30 years ago and it's his fault it's a dump now? Lol; CNN much 😆
Over the last 50 years of staying in 5* hotels, the 'classics' have rarely managed to hold on to their previous standards. The newly built ones are much better at hygiene, reasonableness of costs and hospitality by staff. The classics offer worn and stained furniture, the hygiene aspects unassessible. (Don't know if that's a word). But those that have managed to upgrade and stay with the times are gems.
THe Carlyle is still wonderful.
I hardly ever go to iconic hotels ( in Germany), they almost never match expectations.
I love the Aloft, personally. Rather stay at a 3 star Aloft than a 5 star Ritz.
Because they don't care
The new hotels attract trash clientele
Hi Tim , great blog , the plaza being so iconic is somewhere I probably would have stopped at in the future but so glad I caught your video , definitely give that a miss now but I’d call in that lavish looking New York style cocktail bar for a sneaky drink! Having stopped in NYC twice previously once at trump (which is ok but nothing out of the ordinary ) and then at the ritz Carlton which I’d highly recommend a room overlooking Central Park on the higher floors for just £800/night. Superb clean rooms with telescope for gazing long distances into the night sky or some spying on the local street. Beautifully decorated with if I remember rightly , 24hr service too so no need to go across the road for a coffee out of hours ! Thanks again for the detailed video keep up the good work
Any place like that have issues. I am glad you check the mattress. Those chairs do not look like that. Those are horribly dirty. You are better off at some new hotel in a heart beat. I am glad you brought up all your issues to management. The sawdust on the bed was from bugs.
I stayed at the Plaza once in the winter during the seventies. With the heat turned all the way up, it was still freezing in the room. In response to my call to the front desk, a hotel staff member came with a whole bunch of pillows. There was a half inch gap between the floor and the wall below the window. He partially stuffed the pillows into the gap. The room got warm after a while.
I like your polite but very blunt review, which needed to be said! At that price they need get the basics absolutely right - a clean mattress, well maintained furniture, hot water, and the means to be able to get a hot drink in the room at least! Thanks, Tim!
I've been justifiably angry at bookings for far less than Tim puts up with .. jeeez cant even have a bath or a coffee... hell no
Well said!
Very blunt? For that price Tim's reaction was not blunt at all. I would have done some different review if I were him. When you pay that price and this is what you get... insane! Coffee at 6 am impossible hahahaha in a hotel?!?!? IN NEW YORK?!?!? 1500 pounds?? I would lose my mind seriously.
Frankly, you should get basics right at any price point. I have gone to hostels that have really nice clean beds and working hot water ;D I mean I was in Spain year ago and got single room to myself 35€ for a night, and while bathroom was shared, everything was clean. And while sheets were not same quality as in hotels, they were clearly taken care of to same degree. And if I go to actual hotel costing 100+, I expect basics to be exceptional and room to be pretty nice. If I ever spent 1000, I would expect something totally amazing and freaking butler service.
Only thing going for this room/hotel was that it's vintage. And even then, when it comes to rooms it's feels more dated than actually proper vintage experience.
at that price per room per nite, the room should be impeccable clean. White gloves clean!
Thanks again for saving me a fair penny.... love the wires hanging down from the TV too!
Interesting that they have taken out the probably domed ceiling inside the cupola. That sort of industrial/loft vibe is at odds with the very traditional rest of the interior. -Always interesting to see these hotel tours!
Wow, shocking. I stayed in a lovely suite there in probably 2005. It was truly 5 star back then. This is so sad to see this iconic place so rundown. Those chairs were ghastly. No warm water, no coffee. Simply appalling.
I too stayed in a suite at the Plaza in 2005. It was still something to truly behold. I visited in 2013, but had a regular room. I last visited in 2018 and I noticed a downward trend with each visit. It’s an icon. I got engaged there. Central Park was always beautiful. It’s a shame. It’s a NYC staple, but now that NYC is looking a bit more like Caracas or Havana, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Plaza carefully airlifted and set down in an actual American city. Shameful!
I tried to book a room for our wedding night in 1986. It was about 3 weeks till the date. They didn't have any available!
We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria a few years ago, and the room was actually flooded like someone had left the bath running. It was 2 in the morning and there were no other rooms available so had to have towels brought up to walk on the sobbing wet carpet. Some of these grand hotels are just a facade.
I come from southport in the UK and some of its grand hotels gave also been stuck in a timewarp and neglected. I am almost glad it's not just southport but also horrified that the plaza is in this state
Wow - found your channel. We got to stay at the Helmsley Palace about 30 years ago and it reminded me a bit of that experience. We wanted the Plaza but it was sold out as it was over New Years. Recently we stayed at the Conrad in Tokyo for a week -very different and modern but must say it was 5 stars across the board-if you have not tried it, hope you get the chance. Love that we found your work ❤
My husband and I spent our wedding night in the Plaza Hotel in September 1976. We paid $55 for the night. The room was large but not really fancy. It seemed very dated even back then. I remember we had tea and cake in the Palm Court room which was very nice. It was nice seeing the interiors again in your video.
It was nice seeing “the same (?)” interiors again? 🤔🤔😳😳😉😉
Don't you feel though that hotels were not viewed in the same way as now - in the sense that they were almost public spaces and that rates were much more in affordable in general compared to the great disparities that you find today.
$55? No way!
We had High Tea here last Christmas. It cost over £500 for 3 of us. The sandwiches had been cut hours before and were dry. The tea pots were massive without any elegance and never topped up. There was a bar in the middle of the Palm Court where some very loud people were shouting and drinking. Not exactly the style of The Ritz or Savoy and more expensive. It was only worth it when we watch Home Alone 2. 😂 We stayed at Ritz Carlton a few doors along, very lovely.
500 that's more than fortnum or Langham yes the ritz would never disappoint
This was a great video!! It's crazy the condition of the actual rooms because The Plaza is making so much money there and you know that they aren't paying their employees well enough so it comes down to greed and the fact that people will still pay a huge amount of money to stay there just because of what it used to be.
I really luv your videos, have been watching maybe 7 or 8 in the last 24 hrs. They're so helpful as well as entertaining. Really disappointed in some, sad with some and amazed at almost all for one reason or another. Thank you & please keep up the good work!
The pink stripy door is the Eloise room. The room is based on a story book about a little girl called Eloise who lives at The Plaza Hotel 💕
I always wanted to stay there...how good/bad is it now I wonder????
It was a movie too. "Eloise At The Plaza". My daughter loved it when she was little. Because of that, I probably watched it 20 times 😂
@@jerfacekilla We love the movie too 💕
Luxury hotel experiences rarely live up to the hype. It is much more satisfying to stay at a place that has the essentials at a good price. Safe, clean, comfortable, professional, convenient.
In my 20s, I used to often go to Trader Vic’s which I believe was part of thePlaza but had a separate entrance on Central Park South. It was great fun, and had a Polynesian motif. Liz Taylor used to stay at the Saint Regis on Central Park south, and I actually saw her exiting a taxi once. The Plaza is synonymous with New York, but we all know it had its heyday long ago.
GREAT TO HEAR A HONEST
REPORT WITHOUT BEEN RUDE.THX😊😊
This makes me want to cry. I used to often stay here with my parents in the 60's. It was grand, elegant and impeccable. The hotel obviously needs a major renovation- plumbing, artwork, bedding, furniture, etc... It still is an architectural wonder though.
Well there goes one of my bucket list items. My biggest pet peeve about hotels is a lack of simple things. No hot water in the bath? I have to wonder if the toilet flushed properly. No coffee in a suite? I've stayed at two star hotels at the river that seem better.
As you mentioned, I'd be worried about when the fixtures on the chandelier was last checked! Think I'd be sleeping elsewhere if I could find a clean spot.
We stayed @ The Plaza Hotel, it was insanely busy & crowded!! The room wasn't cleaned and pillows & sheets had a stain on it! the furniture was discolored, torn and dirty!! through the night could hear constant siren considering It was very $$$$$$ and I definitely would not recommend it to my friends and family!!
The unwillingness to provide guests with a morning cup of coffee really says something about the laziness of the staff and the lack of hospitality within America’s corporations. They are only willing to do the bare minimum now but they want to charge the maximum. It wasn’t always like this, it seems to get worse every year. I grew up in America and I actually didn’t realize how bad it was until I went to Japan and Taiwan. The staff at the luxury hotels provide a level of service that really elevates the whole experience. I pulled my back out at the Mandarin Oriental in Taipei. The staff literally found me a Dr, scheduled an appt right away, took me there and accompanied me during my appointment. No American hotel would ever do that for a guest. For God’s sake, they couldn’t even be bothered to brew you a cup of coffee. I feel like we are in the USSR now.
This is the result of hardcore, blind capitalism ... instead of a capitalistic social-democracy ...
Funnily enough it is owned by a Qatari company ... not American
They literally found a doctor? Not figuratively or virtually or symbolically, like they'd do in an American hotel? Amazing.
I’ve been to many hotels and they almost always provide coffee, food, and the hospitality is amazing ! Not really sure what you are talking about .
@AndreUtrecht not capitalism (ever?), but socialism for the rich (corporations, private equity, hedge funds, banksters...).
Totally NOT a 5-Star experience! You are very fair & spot on in your assessment - that room was grubby & dated - not clean! (Bedroom was cool though) -You’d think they’d throw in a coffee maker!! - The price, converted to $1,787.92 🤯😱‼OMG …That is OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
Was that the price for the original room? I assume the upgrade was not a factor in the final cost.
I have no idea… it’s too high no matter what. I just took his figure he quoted and translated it to dollars. @@tammyicious
Problem is the 5* on a hotel means nothing for the experience. The problem is looking at it the amenities it has, is not even 5* worthy needs to be downgraded.
Exactly...I would sleep there for free! It was crazy filthy!
We stayed at the 4 star Shelburne Sonesta recently and I'd read about NYC hotels before going, so I wasn't expecting much, but it blew my expectations out of the water, it was really spacious and everything very clean and modern. I think in the end if you really dreamed of visiting New York you'd probably enjoy it anywhere you stay.
I've only stayed in down town NY once before. I had pigeons roosting in the half-open bathroom window. The door had previously been kicked in and the room was quite small. This place, despite its issues, looks like heaven.
I travel to Japan often and I compared hotels (3 or 4 stars) to The Plaza you stayed in with a lot of pounds. Japanese hotel rooms are much smaller but they are modernized and comfortable with a 1/10 price. Please go to Japan and report your experience and impression about the Japanese hotels. Looking forward to seeing you on RUclips soon!
If you want budget hit up former iron curtain places. Wow.
Agreed with you, I’ve stayed in 3 star hotel in Kyoto and it feels like 4.5 star instead, it only cost about $100 per night. I can’t imagine staying in 5 star hotel feels like over there
It probably wasn't sand. When bedding, foam pillows, rug backing, etc., starts to get old, it disintegrates into small pieces like sand. The mattress was probably so old that the inside started to literally fall apart and make its way out of the fabric surrounding it. Or whatever was on top of it did that and they didn't clean it that well when they replaced it. I can imagine the round mattresses are not cheap.
Or maybe someone vomited on it and they put sand on it to soak up the fluids and did a rubbish clean up job.
But the seams should have been vacuumed and cleaned. Same with the chairs.
Hello Tim...thank you for taking us on this tour! I have had the afternoon tea there but never stayed in this hotel. I would be totally upset if my room was like the one you got...terrible for the money. It's a beautiful hotel but clearly the prices have gone up but what you're getting for your money is going down.
Great tour.
The stuff on the mattress is not sand but when the rubber around the edge gets old it deteriorates. I have a guesthouse and I get complaints about too much heat during the winter. I tell them the number one complaint in NYC is no heat or hot water so you are welcome.
This is like walking through a closed amusement park. Remains of what once was. Things that used to seem grand in your memories as a child but when you revisit as an adult and during the light of day, you see the reality of it. Darkness and artificial lights fool you. It's the state of this world. Some want to move to a new global system so there's not as much effort into keeping up the old.
This is Peter McCallister, the father. I’d like a hotel room please with an extra large bed, TV and one of those little refrigerators you have to open with a key. Credit card? You got it.
Thx for the tour. It was eye opening. Only a few can afford that type of expanse anyway.
I recently stayed at sandals in Jamaica and it was spotless. I think it’s because the employees care . Nicest people. $1000 a night per person but WOW just amazing. Warning very hot and humid ❤
I haven't stayed at the Plaza but last year myself and sister had afternoon tea there for a treat as we were visiting from the UK. It was definitely not an experience I wish to repeat, from the aggressive doorman who acted more like a night club bouncer, to the lack of atmosphere in the palm court, to the waiting staff who completely ignored us apart from taking our order. We expected so much better from an alleged 5 star hotel!
Wow, that's so disappointing, I'm sure you thought it would be such a special experience, what a let down.
It’s what has happened in usa the past 5 ~10 years… no one takes pride in their job or service…. We now live in Germany and travel a ton…95% great service and Germany is the 4th cleanest country in the world. FYI, visited London 3x in last 3 years and so impressed on how nice people are,,, clean and nice service,…it has become my 13 year oldS favourite European city…
We were staying a few nights at The Plaza. Sent my girls down to tea while I chilled in the room. They were treated like vagabond until the waiter learned they were guests.
To be honest all service everywhere since COVID has just hit all kinds of lows. Customer Service is just not at all what it used to be. No one wants to work anymore let alone deal with the public etc.
"Myself and my sister" is bad grammar (and putting yourself ahead of your sister is ungracious). Maybe how you spoke gave the impression you are riff raff?
As a New Zealand based travel agent, I was shocked by the price and state of the tatty old room. So good to have found your channel as I'll never recommend any of my clients stay at The Plaza until it undergoes a full refurbishment.
Bingo! It needs to be closed down, gutted, and completely renovated. I fear, though, that some horrible designers will be let loose and subject the building to atrocious ugliness in the style of Pottery Barn Deluxe. Let's face it: the era of truly spectacular Grand Hotels is over. The artistry applied to these glorious buildings, inside and outside, was the very best of its time in every, even the smallest, detail. Hospitality was understood as a culture, and of course a business too. Today it's merely business, not so much culture (with the exceptions that prove the current lamentable state of affairs).
I don't think it needs to be gutted, there is a lot of beauty and potential there - I would say it needs lots of re-upholstery and cleaning, and new management for sure. Why are there weird 80s chairs and stained curtains? The paneling, mosaics, and stained glass are beautiful. Offer a good wage, train the staff properly, and hire ENOUGH people to properly do the job guests are paying for
Hi I watched the New York tour. You did a wonderful job! I was right with you. Thankyou so much!
Awesome video. The "sand" you found in the mattress resembles wood shavings from particle board wood or old wood that is slowly falling apart. Usually an indication that the bed frame needed to be replaced. Lobby area was pretty and the breakfast looked delicious.
We stayed there 20 years ago and had to change rooms 3 times . Rooms were freezing . In the tea room ,which was a big disappointment, the waiter had a dirty apron on . Our friends stayed at the Waldorf, wish we had gone there.
I love honesty. The "cool" round bed room was filthy and I must say, utterly disgusting. I'm glad you received a different room as I was thinking to myself, I wouldn't sleep in that bed for free. $1500 bucks a night? Naah. No thanks. Like you, 5 stars and no coffee at 6am? Unreal. Then you have to hoof it down to Starbucks for burnt tasting coffee? Wow.
I know it was a cold morning! not even an offer to go get me one lol
@@WalkWithMeTim As a professional cleaner I just wish you hadn’t have touched all the gross things in that room you were in at the beginning! We can see it just fine dude!! 🦠🤮
@@WalkWithMeTim Even $80 hotel rooms in the middle of nowhere almost always come with a 4 cup coffeemaker in the room, with 2 pots worth of complimentary coffee
Lool fr
I love old vintage look, the paintings and retro furniture fits...and maybe they need a choice of style so you could live in 1930 or 1960 or 2000..etc...BUT yes, they must be clean good quality furnishings...it needs cleaning and if its beyond that, recovering!!!
Tim, I love your videos so much! Thank you so much for the awesome content!
This is so sad 😢 I am from Warsaw, Poland but my nana is a New Yorker from Manhattan and her parents were both working there. She’s always super upset about the Plaza’s condition as this building is hyper special to her. It’s funny but I’ve never been inside… Somehow after watching your review I can understand why Plaza is such a sensitive topic for New Yorkers. Plaza is part of their pride and heritage / history. Sh… this is heartbreaking… Thank you for your honest video and much much love to all New Yorkers! You’re guys always so special to me, not only cause my nana is from NYC lol From Queens to Bronx all I received in NY was always love and hospitality ❤
Thanks for those kind words.
A while back there was an outbreak of bedbugs coming from people who had visited New York. The news, undercover, would check in the show the bare mattress, behind the headboard if they could get to it. There were little gross spots where the bugs had pooped their blood meal! It freaked me out because even staying one night, the bugs would get in people's suitcases and set up housekeeping in the traveler's home! It didn't matter that the hotels were high dollar, fancy places either. Gross.
So now if you go into better hotels there is a little plastic bait trap at the back of the bed that should be checked every day during the cleaning. If anything is found the room is vacated and subjected to high heat for the required time to kill the bedbugs. If you travel a lot there are now luggage heaters you can buy that will heat your luggage up to the temp needed to destroy any bugs. If you take them home it’s pretty expensive to rid your home of them. They can spray but it’s so toxic that you have to put everything you own into sealed black trash bags. Everything. Then when you are allowed back into the home you must clean from top to bottom and oh yeah there are no guarantees. The ones I saw needed 2-3 sprays, which meant 2-3 pack jobs. The second option is remove all heat sensitive items and let them heat the house to the proper degree. 10 years ago this was $5,000. However, the heat is guaranteed to kill on the first shot. It’s a horrible situation.
He said sand not bed bug poop 💩
A different comment on this video said that it was likely "DIATOMACEOUS EARTH"
Which the commenter revealed is actually used by the hotels to KILL any prospective bed bugs. That is more than likely what that was not sand or bed bug poop 💩😊
The problems you had in the Plaza - disintegrating mattress, stains on the upholstery, problems with hot water and drainage - would be unacceptable even in a 2-star hotel. Granted, the building is old and requires sustained and probably expensive maintenance work, but they should be ashamed of themselves. Behind the glitter of the facade, there is a pervading sense of decay. Sad.
@@giovannamoruzzi3734 What's rather telling about human nature is if they drastically lowered the room price and got everything up to quality again, people would stop dreaming about staying there. If it's not expensive it can't be very good. It's stupid but how many of us subconsciously think that?
@@AVToth Ironic but sadly true in many cases. If it has the image of prestige attached to it - snob value, I call it - then people are prepared to pay through the nose.
With more taking care this could be a marvel. Beautiful interior and furniture!
The pink & white striped door leads into The Eloise Suite designed by Betsey Johnson, and is based on the 1955 iconic book "Eloise at the Plaza," by Kay Thompson. It is obviously special and merits at least a brief description from the RUclips creator.
I’ve stayed at 3 star hotels that were not as fancy, of course, but had a pool, great workout room, microwave and coffee maker in the room, big screen TV opposite the bed, soft comfy clean beds, and beautiful hot water in the bathtub! And FREE breakfast 6-9 am 😀
I stayed in the Plaza and the only problem I can recall was the elevator was always so slow. I bet I could run 12 floors up the stairs faster than my roommate in the elevator. Well, he won by a half a minute. But he did confess that for the first time, the elevator was fast. By the way, this was back in 1972 and my roommate was Eric Goldberg the Disney animator. We were teenagers and each won a Kodak movie contest in our respective categories. Ron Howard got a second place the year before.
I remember the Kodak cameras from when I was a child and the film reels that my Grandfather had from the mid 70s he had them still working in the 80s things don't last like they used todo shame the room's haven't been looked after aswell as other parts of the hotel
Beautiful architecture
Got engaged once upon a time at the Plaza Bar around where you had your cocktail…and has always been a special NY local to stop in….so can’t really complain…
When first opened in 1908, it was designed as a New York City hotel, long-term refuge, as travel was still by train and horse & carriage.
There is a difference between worn antique charm and filth.
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Always thought it was the epitome of luxury hotels and it is good to
know the truth.
Just cannot forgive the dirty worn upholstery on the chairs.
And no coffee? None in the room like you can get at any Motel 6?
Such a letdown.
Home Alone 2 made this hotel look so grand and fascinating. But the pleasure and dream of one day wanting to live that fantasy, is out the window with this shocking review. Nothing of what I imagined.
Thanks for a very accurate presentation. 👍
Always wanted to go there but not now thanks for your honest review.❤
tim's reviews never disappoint 😌
Hi RUclips 👋
Is this the real RUclips account?
yo youtube, bring back dislikes.
BAN SSSNIPERWOLF WHILE THEY'RE AT IT@@argumentum-ad-absurdum
These type of comments are getting worse than people who describe everything as “wholesome” 🤦🏾
Wow, that's an eye opener. How disappointing that the rooms are so shabby. Good heads up, though, as a way of eliminating hotels for that special stay. No, thank you!
.......Nothing goes unseen.
Great review of an iconic Hotel.
I'd love to watch you checking out traditional B+B's say, in popular English resorts like Cornwall.
It's where many families on a budget would stay.
Oh Tim. That room was an absolute disgrace and totally unacceptable. Absolutely filthy! Me and family have been saving for years for a 5 * experience in New York. Will certainly give that one a miss. Amazing blogs though. Keep them coming 👍
I know that's the thing, imagine you have saved .. waited years and then u have my experience
@@WalkWithMeTimI would feel instant regret!
Try the Pierre.
@@rubyruby6358 yes, interested to know the TRUE top 5 or 10 in nyc.
Stay at The Carlyle for a truly 5 Star experience.
I hope the Plaza staff actually watch this video and take note of the issues. It’s a big dream for a lot of people to do the “Home Alone 2” experience (including myself haha) so it would be a shame if there isn’t improvement. The positive attributes of the room are on point though so it would definitely be a superb experience (if slight improvements are made).
The owner should watch this
@@Ercan-fc2oq I don't think the owner is the right person for the job. Going by what I read on his profile.
most hotel owners are cheap and dont care as long as the money is coming in.
They probably won t care...
The employees are not earning enough pay. No great pay. No quility , owners don't care... If water doesn't go down drain..... your money has gone down the drain.
All fur coat & no nickers !!
Having watched your London Ritz visit, no comparison, could you imagine asking for water in the Ritz & they drop off a couple of cartons 😱😱😂
The bath shelf thing, used to be all the rage in most British homes back in the day 👍
I'm so glad you show us what these places are really like, I would never pay such a price for such a let down! In all your videos owners have got complacent With everything except the price!
I'm really shocked. I would have expected the room to be immaculate & I agree with you about the chairs.
I never stayed at the Plaza, but I did attend an auction there!!! Before they renovated at one point, the Plaza was getting rid of quite a few things. They had furniture, tea sets, etc. I bought a sheet set that actually says “The Plaza” with the emblem on it!!! I was so excited to have a piece of the Plaza Hotel!!!
Gorgeous hotel. The sand on the mattress looks like broken down mattress foam. Anyway, they seemed very gracious! Thanks for great vid. 😊
I live here by Central Park and I can tell you that NYC has really changed for the worse unfortunately 😢😢😢I have been here since 2000 and I want to leave but right now I just can’t due to financial difficulties. I visited this hotel years ago but never booked a room here. I lived in hotels in Europe when I was working as a hotel employee. So much fun being a hotel staff and meeting amazing guests! I miss that. Thanks for sharing this video ❤❤❤just discovered your channel so you have a new subscriber ❤❤❤