The Peninsula New York: My First Stay at a $1,000 Cash Rate—Worth It

I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt New York many times over the past decade and this past summer I much enjoyed The Chatwal in New York. These are among the city’s more expensive hotels, but they’re also points places. They aren’t truly at the level of the top properties in Manhattan. While I like the hard product at the Park Hyatt, I don’t find service there to be very good.

Of course, out of my own pocket I’m not someone who spends big money on hotels, even though I enjoy the benefits of staying in nice places. I’ve never stayed at an Aman Resort and perhaps I never will. While I’ve seen some criticisms of Aman New York (and have absorbed the general vibe that Aman has declined somewhat under current ownership), it’s by far the most expensive hotel in the city.

A notch below that you’ll find the Peninsula, Four Seasons New York, The Lowell and The Carlyle. My recent New York trip wasn’t out of my own pocket, and I was fortunate to be able to stay at The Peninsula for the first time. It was lovely!

I’ve stayed in more expensive rooms – thanks to points and upgrades – like presidential suites and oceanfront villas. But I’ve never been on a cash rate this high! Thankfully it wasn’t my own tab that was paying.

The booking was made through Chase’s The Edit, so I received free breakfast (including a room service option) and a $100 property credit to use during my two-night stay.

The property was recently renovated. I didn’t see it before the re-do, but back around mid-2024 comments were frequently that the property was tired. It’s been completely refreshed and the rooftop venue completely redone (although I didn’t have a chance to visit Pen Top, it’s closed on Mondays when I arrived and didn’t make it back to the hotel before closing time on Tuesday, and also their lobby level Gotham Lounge was “closed for the season” while I was there.).

Check-in And Lobby

Check-in was friendly and super-efficient. The clerk at the desk welcomed me, took my ID and credit card, and explained my The Edit benefits and asked what time I’d be checking out? I’ll never understand why check-in frequently takes so long. They already have all of your information, but they type and type. I was only at the desk for a couple of minutes, which I appreciate.

The hotel’s lobby area – behind the grand staircase at the entrance – is nice. A couple of times during my stay I saw guests sitting there, but it was mostly deserted.

Room

I made my way to the elevators and up to the 7th floor.

The room feels current. I understand the bathrooms haven’t changed much, but those are still very strong. Entry-level rooms start at ~ 370 sq ft (large for Manhattan).

I was greeted by an amenity of chocolates already in the room. They were good chocolates. There were also a couple of bottles of water.

I walked in and there was the bathroom on the right. A little further down the corridor was the closet on the left and a bench area above drawers on the right.

Directly ahead was the bedroom, which felt large and spacious. There was a small couch at the foot of the bed and a round table for working or dining in the corner by the window.

Beside the bed there was an electronic phone that was kind of cool.

Then there was power was a drawer that pulled out beside the bed.

Here are light controls on the wall.

Beside the television was a drawer with bar accoutrements as well as stationary to use.

The bathroom was spacious with a large vanity area, separate tub and shower areas, and a toilet room. Water pressure was good.

There are touch screen tablets to control everything in the room at the bedside and in the bathroom. These even, in theory, control the TV but I could never get that to function. Wifi was good in the room.

I have to say that I found the bed very comfortable and I slept well. I received turndown service each night, but there were no treats left behind, just a bottle of water at the bedside. I never heard any street noise at the hotel.

By the way, the first thing I did when I arrived in the room was called down for a shoe shine. Those are difficult to get in Austin, and airports don’t have them nearly as ubiquitously as they used to, so I make a point of getting it done at better New York hotels, and it’s complimentary at many of them. This wasn’t mentioned anywhere, but I knew to ask.

Food & Beverage, Including Complimentary Breakfast

At check-in I was told that breakfast was a $54 credit, which is the amount of the ‘Fifth Avenue Breakfast’ in the restaurant. I presume this means $54 per person and it was clear I was staying alone. The breakfast credit is available in the restaurant or via room service.

On my first morning I went to Clement restaurant for breakfast, and I had a smoked salmon bagel and fresh squeezed orange juice. Everything was very good.

On the second morning I ordered room service. I chose the Chinese breakfast of dim sum, lobster congee, and a chicken and fried noodle dish. Everything was excellent – though it is $20 more than the breakfast allowance, and that wound up on my bill.

I used my $100 property credit at Clement Bar the first night I was there. Everything was high quality but expensive. The bar nuts, well, those were free and very good. But one drink along witih three small sliders and fries ate up the entire credit.

Spa, Gym and Pool

The hotel has what’s regarded as an excellent spa, though I didn’t avail myself of it during the stay. I did check out the gym and the pool briefly, right as the pool was closing.

Peninsula New York Overall

Everyone on staff came across as friendly and warm, a notch above the Chatwal and orders of magnitude better than the Park Hyatt. The hotel felt calm throughout the stay. Nothing was busy. There was never more than one person being helped at the front desk. Staff were always out by the door as I arrived.

Ultimately sleep quality was excellent, the rooms are gorgeous and comfortable, and I’d rate this hotel at the top of the city, presumably not in competition with Aman, but certainly above St. Regis and Park Hyatt.