Conrad New York

Sometimes it is nice to give yourself a little treat. You may have been having a few stressful weeks at work or school. You may feel like spending a little extra money. Sometimes it is just because. Whatever the reason, the Conrad New York is definitely one way to treat yourself.

The Conrad New York is located in lower Manhattan a few blocks away from the new Freedom Tower.
I like that on weekends the neighborhood can be pretty quiet since it is mostly office buildings and sky scrapers in the vicinity. I did find that it was a bit far away from many other tourist attractions in Manhattan though.

The hotel lobby is one floor above street level. If you aren't staying at this hotel this lobby alone is really worth a visit if you like modern art and architecture. If you look up you see the Loop Doopy mural by Sol LeWitt and the amazing hanging sculptures that echo piano strings. The light color periodically changes and can really change the mood of the lobby.

Conrad New York lobby

Check-in was pretty quick with my upgrade confirmed to a luxury suite. I was a little bit surprised to see the room number.
"Excuse me, what floor will this room be on?" I asked.
"The first floor," the front desk lady responded.
"Huh? I'm sorry but I normally like to stay on higher floors. I worry about street noise and safety."
"I can assure you that this room is quite safe and private. Give it a shot," she smiled.
"Hmm ok."

I was pretty skeptical but my doubts were quickly relieved. The hallway where the luxury suites are is located past the elevator bank behind a set of frosted glass doors. Your hotel key will grant you access and you are immediately ushered in to a dim carpeted hallway with light colored wooded doors and modern wooden columns framing each room entrance. It was immediately quieter from the rest of the lobby where it can get noisy. Somehow I was beginning to forget that I was at a hotel.

Living room TV

Upon entering the luxury suite you are in the spacious living room. Here you have a dining table, wet bar, TV, work desk, and wardrobe.

I really liked that the wet bar came completely stocked with all sorts of cups for all your beverage needs.

The room had a lot of modern furnishings in basic neutral colors with wooden flooring throughout.

Wet bar
With a Keurig machine! 

Wet bar

Open the cupboard for cups for every drinking need!

Living room

I wasn't really feeling the living room in the beginning. This didn't really speak luxury to me and the color palette seemed bland. The bathrooms in this room gave a gentle reminder that you aren't just in any normal hotel room. Did I say bathrooms? Yes! 1.5 bathrooms to be exact.

Off of the living room was a hallway with the half bath. I had to struggle a little bit to turn on the lights in here. The light controls in this room were not switches. Instead they were iPod-esque touch panels that you slide your finger on after touching the LED power symbol. I consider myself to be pretty good at electronics but I had a pretty hard time mastering these controls.

Half bath vanity

Further down the hallway is the master bedroom and master bath.
I'll just say it right now that the king bed is phenomenal and I believe it is something Conrad prides themselves on. This bed has dethroned the Wynn Las Vegas bed that I long considered to be my number one hotel bed.

Conrad New York Luxury Suite king bed

The bathroom comes with a walk in shower, double vanity, separate water closet, and a tub. The bathroom was very well stocked with towels.
I found the shower to be awkwardly shaped in a strange trapezoid. However I didn't feel cramped in it and the water was plenty warm and strong. There was no trouble providing water to two shower heads. If you've never experienced having more than one shower head, please be sure you do.

Master Bath: Walk in shower

Master bath: Double vanity

The counter top space around the double vanity was a little bit lacking but it was adequate. I didn't get to try the bathtub.

Master bath: Tub
Towels, towels ,and towels!

As I said earlier I wasn't feeling the decor of the room in the beginning. But the neutral color palette really grew on me the more settled in I got. As the front desk said, it was quiet and I really felt like I was in my own private space. That being said though, I still didn't bother opening the blinds too wide as I was on a lower floor. All in all, I ended up having a really relaxing time in this room. (Okay, the awesome bed really helped.) 

One of my favorite amenities is the nighttime turn down service. In this case it also meant extra water bottles, a restock of the towels, and a quick check of anything else the room may need. I had actually missed the normal round since I had put my "Do Not Disturb" signal on outside. I made a call to the front desk and 5 minutes later the maid arrived. The maid I had did an excellent job and was very discreet as I finished up some work at the desk. I was enjoying the slippers in the room and I asked for another pair to take home. She gave me 5 extra pairs without question! 

Turn down service also included a special gift. I'm not sure if all Conrad properties do this, but from the ones that I have seen reports of online there is a little gift left for you after turn down. Each Conrad has a unique gift. In the case of Conrad New York you get a bull! I suppose it is an homage to the New York Stock Exchange for a bullish market. These bulls were surprisingly soft, good quality, and super cute!

Conrad New York bulls

In the morning after having a really hard time getting out of bed, (I seriously need to consider getting a bed to mimic it.) I had breakfast at Atrio just off of the lobby.

I was really hoping the food would be better, especially for the price and portion size.Overall the food just wasn't spectacular. The service was also pretty slow. I literally had to ask for water 5 times!! I wasn't sure if the waiter wasn't paying attention or if he was just forgetful but I was pretty peeved about the repeated requests. If you are Hilton Gold member you get a selection of items for free. I believe Hilton Diamond members get $25 vouchers which doesn't amount to much at Atrio. 

For my main course I chose to have a build your own 3 item omelette. 

Atrio: Build your own omelette. 

I had a fruit craving so I ordered a plate of fruits too. They turned out to be my favorite part of breakfast. Each fruit was perfectly ripe and very tasty! 

Atrio: Mixed fruit plate

Conclusion

The Conrad New York has really sold me on the Conrad brand. I honestly would love to try out each of their locations. I mean I do have to find out if all of their beds are as comfortable, right? It is a bit of a splurge but it's really worth it. The service was excellent. The rooms really made me feel like I was at a home away from home. If the price is right, go for it.

You can pass on the Atrio and go to the other numerous eateries in Manhattan. For the same price you can get much tastier food outside. You're in Manhattan, go explore it!

Finally, go and visit Vintry Fine Wines located just outside the hotel where all the shops are. Even if you don't like wines the store is uniquely decorated. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the store itself! 

Vintry Fine Wines

Conrad New York

102 North End Avenue

New York, New York 10282

(212)945-0100

http://conradnewyork.com/

Vintry Fine Wines

230 Murray Street

New York, New York 10282

(212)240-9553

http://www.vintryfinewines.com/nyc-store