We’re back in New York for another week of work. Both Mrs. ATX and I had business in the city and chose to stay at one of our favorite hotels in town, the Renaissance New York Chelsea. The location is great for both of us and the only better place may be the W Union Square.
Booking
We booked our stay directly with the hotel through Marriott.com. The room rates were quite steep across the city and, luckily, we managed to get the room for just under $400 per night thanks to a corporate discount code. This is more than we typically pay when we’re in New York but based on the prices at nearby hotels, this seemed like a decent rate as we were in town during part of the UN General Assembly.
Location
The Renaissance New York Chelsea is located on West 25th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The hotel is located in the middle of the block so you won’t be able to see it from either avenue if you’re walking/driving by. The hotel is located in the far eastern portion of the Chelsea neighborhood near it’s border with NoMad. The entrance to the building is marked with a large, lit ‘R’ above the door.
The hotel is easily accessable via the NYC Subway’s Red line at the 23rd and 28th street stations along 7th Avenue and by the Blue and Orange PATH trains to/from New Jersey.
Check-In
Because of our inbound flight delays it was after 7:00p before we arrived at the hotel. There was no wait at reception when we arrived and in just a few minutes we had the keys to our room. The agent also explained to us what was covered as part of the mandatory, $30, destination amenity fee. The amenity fee included a daily $30 F&B Credit, Hop on/off NYC Top View Downtown Tours for 2, Museum of the City of New York + Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum tickets, bike rentals including helmet, maps and lock, and enhanced Wi-Fi. I’m not a fan of these fees but at least they were adding a food and beverage credit equal to the cost of the fee, which we used for drinks/dessert each night during our stay.
Room
We were assigned Room 1205, a standard king size room that was an upgrade thanks to the attached balcony. There are only a handful of rooms with balconies in the entire hotel, all of which are located on the 12th floor. I’m not sure why but I really like the design of the hallways with wallpaper that looks like growing ivy.
As far as rooms in New York go, thos one was fairly good sized. Upon entering the room, the bathroom was immediately to the right and the bedroom was located down a short hallway. The king bed was flanked by two small nightstands that could expand for more space.
The lamps on the nightstand also featured two power plugs and a USB-A port. The nightstand closest to the window also held a small alarm clock.
Across from the bed was a small desk with a large flat screen TV mounted above it. To the left of the TV was a bookshelf/wardrobe combination. The door to the wardrobe also had a large mirror.
A coffeemaker was located on the bookshelf along with some glasses and an ice bucket. The coffee and teas were located in a box on the shelf.
The bathroom had a good layout and featured a large shower, a toilet and a decent sized sink. There wasn’t much space around the sink but they did have a ledge that could be used to hold makeup/toiletries.
Inside the large, walk-in shower were AVEDA branded toiletries in reusable bottles mounted on the wall.
Finally, in the bedroom was a door that led out to our small balcony. While it rained for the majority of our stay, the views from the room were nice and having any sort of private outdoor space in valuable in Manhattan.
Amenities
The main gathering area of the hotel is the lobby. Off to the left upon entry, near the reception desk, is a large communal table along with a pair of funky blue hanging chairs. These were always occupied during the day when we walked through the lobby.
To the right, there were groupings of chairs around small tables along with a row of booth seating along the side wall. The bar was also located in this space and stayed quite busy, especially during the evening hours.
The hotel also had an on-site restaurant. Thanks to my Marriott Titanium status I had access to free breakfast each morning though, in a city like New York, I certainly wasn’t going to eat hotel food. In addition, there was a gym on-site as well as a nightclub located on the roof of the hotel. Though, aside from sharing elevators with the hotel, it was not part of the property and no perks were available for guests staying at the Renaissance.
Summary
The Renaissance New York Chelsea is one of our go to places to stay when visiting New York City. It’s a great location for us and our respective offices and the price is good considering you’re staying in one of the most expensive cities in the world. While I’m sure we’ll try the W Union Square again after the renovations, I can see this staying our home away from home in New York in the future.
