THE CITY CLUB HOTEL NYC
Greetings from The City Club Hotel NYC.
If you’ve been following along lately you may know that we recently took our youngest son Austin to NYC and then on a cruise to Bermuda. Prior to our cruise we stayed in this hotel, which is centrally located on 44th Street between 4th & 5th Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. The 3 star hotel is near the theater district and Times Square, on a street known as New York’s Club Row. Once a private Gentleman’s Club, it neighbors the New York Yacht, Harvard and Penn Clubs. Keeping with the tradition of a private club, Hotelier Jeff Klein wanted his hotel to, “Exude the spirit of the past combined with the scale and tradition of a private club, while incorporating the services and amenities of a modern hotel.”
As you may have gathered by now, I love to travel, and for me, the planning of a trip is half the fun. So because I hadn’t been to NYC in almost five years, I decided it was time I stayed somewhere I hadn’t stayed before. Since we were traveling with my son and his BFF, we needed a large room that would sleep 4 people. In my research I came across The City Club Hotel and discovered it had what they termed a “Grand Deluxe Suite” that would comfortably accommodate all of us.
Dating back to 1904, the nine story, 65 room hotel has 3 of these Duplex Suites, which also have small balconies. We stayed in room 303 on the third floor of the hotel, facing 44th street. It is a 750 square foot, 2 story suite which has a downstairs living room and small dining area. The sofa converted into a sleeper and we had a rollaway placed in the room as well.
There was also a powder room on this floor that came in handy for our two kids.
Winding up a spiral staircase one arrives in the Master Bedroom, which is actually a loft that is open to below. A curtain can be pulled to provide privacy and block the morning light.
It contained a king-size feather bed that was reasonably comfortable with high thread count Frette bed linens. The ornate ceiling overhead, original to the building, was particularly striking.
The photos below (not our room) of a similar suite show the bed flanked by the large, flat screen TV.
Adjacent to the bedroom was a large bathroom, with floors and wall covered in chocolate marble. The spacious shower (no bathtub) had great water pressure, a rare pleasure not often enjoyed by this Californian. Due to the drought conditions we installed water saving devices on our shower heads. The towels were large and plush and they also provided nice bathrobes. The bath amenities were C.O. Bigelow.
Overhead in the bathroom was another lovely, ornate ceiling.
After a good night’s sleep owing to great black-out curtains, we ventured downstairs to Chef Daniel Boulud’s, db Bistro Moderne for breakfast.
Located in the hotel lobby, the restaurant serves it’s French-American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also provides room service to hotel guests.
The restaurant had what I’d term a modern, sophisticated vibe.
I enjoyed a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese for my breakfast. While the food was delicious, the service was very inattentive, despite the fact that we were the only guests at the time.
Here is the breakfast menu.
After breakfast we stopped into the mezzanine level sitting room where there is also a desk nearby housing a computer for use by hotel guests.
I booked our room online through the hotel’s website at a non-refundable, non-cancelable rate of $415.00 per night. It included free wireless internet access.
So what was my opinion of this hotel? I think it was an overall good value considering the size of the room for the price. It lived up to its 3 star rating, but no more. While they bill themselves as “a luxury hotel for the discerning, high-end traveler,” I would say that is a bit of a stretch. While it was very clean, overall the hotel and its 1999 furnishings looked a bit tired and dated, and likely in need of renovation in the near future. Our room had a distinct odor of cigarette smoke, although I will admit that there was no mention of it being a non-smoking room. Pets are also accepted. There were 2 friendly attendants at the desk in the small lobby and the doorman was very courteous and helpful.
Would I return for another stay at this hotel? Frankly the answer is probably NO. Why? Not because I did not enjoy the hotel, I did. What I did not care for was the location. Call me old and stodgy but Times Square is just not my cup of tea. While this hotel is on a side street a couple of blocks away, the hustle & bustle and the gigantic, overwhelming crowds coupled with the noise, is not the least bit appealing to me. However, its convenient Midtown location is close to other attractions such as the Broadway theater district, Rockefeller Center, the NY Library and Grand Central Station.
But the main reason I wouldn’t be returning next time is because at the tail end of our trip, after returning to New York at the conclusion of our cruise, we stayed 2 nights at The Ludlow Hotel in the east village. I fell in love with this place and its quiet location! Stay tuned and I’ll be telling you all about The Ludlow and it’s fantastic restaurant, Dirty French, in the very near future.
What is your favorite hotel in New York City?? I love to hear!!!
So there you have it: THE CITY CLUB HOTEL NYC
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