The Suite Life: The London NYC Hotel

For the last two years in a row, I’ve stayed at The London NYC Hotel for the New York Travel Show Weekend. Last month, I met up with my friend Kristen of Border Free Travels and cover the New York Times Travel Show.   The hotel is one of my favorites in the city because it merges the feel of a small boutique hotel with beautiful spacious suites (a rarity in NYC).

Review of The London NYC Hotel:

The Location:  The London NYC Hotel is located on W 54^th Street (Between 7^th and 8^th Ave).  Although Times Square is a short walk away, the street is very quiet, which is a perfect escape from the madness of the city.  There are also several metro and bus stops nearby, which is a biggie if you’re out and about in New York City.  Central Park is also walking distance to the hotel, which is perfect if you’re looking to go for a run or a simple stroll around the city.

The Rooms:  The hotel is an all-suite hotel, which means that all of their rooms have a separate living room area, bedroom, and full bath.  It’s literally bigger than most of my friend’s apartments in the city. Some of the suites have a view of Central Park (unfortunately we couldn’t get one of those… boo) but make sure to ask if there’s one available during check-in.  Both Kristen and I were happy with the separate living room which also had a work area. That gave us the opportunity to follow up after we spent the day at the New York Times Travel Show.

The Food:  My first encounter with The London NYC Hotel was a cocktail hour at The London Bar back in the fall of 2014.  I must admit, the experience made me fall in love with hotel bars all over again.  The London Bar is a very intimate space; the cyan leather booths remind me of a haute diner. The cocktails are all hand-crafted by expert bartenders who have been working at the hotel for years.  These guys are pros, this is their profession, unlike other bars in NYC who have aspiring actors who could care less about a craft cocktail.  Jean-Carlos, one of the head bartender says that they work closely with the restaurant chefs in order to come up with original cocktails that can be paired with their dishes.  I tried both their bar and breakfast menu and must say there are some delicious gems to indulge in such as caviar topped deviled eggs and a delicious breakfast buffet which includes fresh smoothies.

The Gym:  After all the indulgence in NYC, the hotel has a great gym to work those calories off.  We liked that it had a lot of natural light, which is rare in an NYC hotel.  It has a combo of cardio, free weights, Pilates, and everyone’s favorite thing: the punching bag. Tough business trip? You can work off your frustrations there!

The Service:  Whether it is at The London Bar or the concierge desk, the staff at The London NYC Hotel is very hospitable.  I also enjoy that even though they host celebrities (I spotted Damian Lewis on the lobby), the staff is classy, poised, yet very down to earth.

The Verdict:  I’m digging for points of improvement for The London NYC Hotel to be objective but must say that both my stays have been superb.  I have also had other friends who have stayed in the property who have had similar feedback.  Bonus:  the hotel is reasonably priced for being an all-suite hotel in NYC: keep your eyes out on social because sometimes they post specials starting at $249 / night.

I recommend The London NYC Hotel for: business travel, girls’ trips, wedding parties, and small families. http://www.thelondonnyc.com/

Disclaimer: I was hosted at The London NYC but as always, opinions are my own.