Hotel David Whitney, Autograph Collection

cost

Unexpected Deposit

I was extremely disappointed to find that the hotel placed a $600 incidental deposit on my card—an amount that was actually more than the room rate I paid online.

What was especially frustrating was that the front desk did not disclose the $600 amount when they ran my card. I only became aware of how high the deposit was afterward. When I asked about it the following morning, the staff could not explain why the incidental deposit was that high.

I understand that hotels may require an incidental hold, but a $600 deposit that exceeds the cost of the room should be clearly disclosed before charging the card. The lack of transparency was very disappointing and would make me think twice about staying here again.

Trochę ciasna łazienka i prysznic. Brak drzwi między sypialnia a salonem.

The bed was very comfortable, but the pillows were awful. My neck hurt the next day. And the air conditioning fan is very loud.

Only complaint is the room size. Had one room years ago (atrium view) that was larger, but the city view rooms that we prefer seem to be much smaller.

There was only one elevator in service. It was clear the second one had been out of service for a considerable time which is ridiculous for a hotel of its size. The valet parking was absurdly expensive.

two sinks are needed!

Disliked: Roughly half the front desk team fell far short of the standard this hotel advertises, and the gap between the manager and everyone else was striking.

The water. I asked for still water. There was a fridge stocked with it directly behind reception, in plain sight. I was refused. I then offered to pay for it, and was refused again — the attendant, Tasha, simply said no, with no alternative offered, no suggestion of where else to get it, no offer to send one up. At a hotel of this level, a guest asking for water should never hear the word “no,” least of all when the water is a metre away and they’ve offered money for it.

The drinks. Later, I asked a different member of staff for help carrying two large drinks up to my room. This was declined. I made two separate trips up and down myself while reception stood unoccupied. Assistance with carrying things is not a special favour at this level — it is the baseline expectation.

The extension — first misinformation. I needed to extend my stay. One staff member told me the property was fully booked and could not accommodate me. At that same moment, rooms at this hotel were openly available to book on Booking.com. Whether this was carelessness or an unwillingness to process the request, I was given information that was flatly untrue and nearly lost my room over it.

The extension — second misinformation. I then asked whether I could pay for the extension online. I was told no, and that I would have to come down to reception in person, early in the morning, to settle it. I arranged my morning around this. The manager subsequently processed the exact same payment online in a matter of seconds. So the option existed the entire time; two staff members had simply told me otherwise.

In-room dining. Worth knowing before you order: “in-room dining” at this hotel means going downstairs and collecting the food yourself. It is not delivered to the room.

Overall. The pattern across the stay was consistent.