Aman New York Review: Extraordinarily bad; cannot recommend in good faith

Review of Aman New York

Extraordinarily bad; cannot recommend in good faith

Note: I also cross-posted this on Flyertalk, as I regularly lurk there as well.

Preface:

I’ve personally never felt the need to post an online review of a property, since (1) I prefer being discreet and (2) all properties have the odd issue here and there, which is perfectly understandable. I certainly expected there to be issues too coming into this stay given the well-known opening pains the property experienced (now more than 2 years past). However, the sheer volume of problems encountered at the Aman rendered me speechless at best and wanting to switch hotels at worst. I really don’t like writing negative reviews (shoutout to Tom at Dorsia Travel), but I feel something needs to be said when the Rosewood Vancouver which I stayed at the prior month, and even the Carlyle which I have my qualms with after just visiting, managed to execute everything so much better than the Aman which charged more than three times the nightly rate of both. At almost all of the US properties I’ve stayed at (from Auberges to Four Seasons to Rosewoods to wonderful independent properties like Post Ranch and the Little Nell), if something went wrong, I at least knew they were trying the best they could (even if I had to point it out). Heck, even the Montage Big Sky - which is known to have service issues - was trying. Here, it felt like everybody just gave up.

I want to make it clear I don’t think this comes down to one person’s fault (well… maybe except management) and I’m certainly not blaming anyone, but some of these issues (which I’ve only listed a few below for concision) are unacceptable for any property billing itself as luxury (let alone top luxury). I don’t think I’m being unreasonable here, but service was neither anticipatory nor properly reactive to the issues I was telling them.

The Room (er… Suite):

Upon checking in (after using the Carlyle’s much-appreciated house car), I was informed they would not be able to provide an upgrade due to “extended stays” - despite the website listing all room categories being available for the duration of my stay. I decided not to escalate to management (aside from letting AmEx know after a fortuitously-timed email asking how my stay was going), but will admit I was disappointed since they couldn’t honor the one request I noted in the pre-arrival form they sent me - to be on a higher floor. The property claims rooms are located on floors 7 to 12, but if you look outside your window, you’ll realize the 7th floor is exactly at the same level as the 2nd floor on buildings across the street. Basically, it’s just clever marketing, unless the mysterious 2nd to 6th floors are intended for dwarves. Because of this, the room I was assigned was exposed to a not insignificant amount of street noise - more on that later.

Settling in, I attempted to take a nap. At least that was what I was hoping - until I saw the stained pillowcases on the bed (think hard and crusted). I immediately contacted housekeeping, who promptly came with replacements. The problem? Those new replacement pillowcases were also dirty, and I didn’t even notice until the mortified assistant pointed it out. I didn’t bother doing an “inspection” of the room, though part of me was scared to, since if even the highly visible pillowcases had stains, then what would I find hidden underneath something or tucked inside something else? While this was happening, I was trying to (unsuccessfully) turn on the lights in the room using the tablet, which always seemed to reset the lamp to half brightness at most despite sliding the option all the way.

With regards to the bathroom, the space is definitely beautiful, but in many ways style over substance. The sink faucets dispense water against an angled basin which sprays it back onto your unsuspecting pants in such a way that it makes it look like you suffered an accident (lol). The shower door has a sharp metal rod at the same height as your feet, so swinging the door open without being careful enough risks cutting you (yes, I had to ask for bandages at 3am). But hey - at least they had a Toto toilet.

Noiseproofing - where do I start? Despite all the money they dumped into the building restoration, this seemed to have been entirely an afterthought (at least on the side of the building I was staying in). If there’s one thing I can’t compromise on (and shouldn’t have to compromise) at any property - luxury or not - it’s getting a good’s night sleep. You can definitely hear action in the hallways (all the way from the opposite side of the room) and from the upstairs room (down to the shades moving), but the worst part is the street noise. After trying (and failing) to sleep for 4 hours, I asked the two front desk agents (names start with an M and N) if they could deliver a white noise machine to block the noise. They said they would deliver one to the room when I came back; needless to say, that machine was neither there when I returned nor there when I checked out (and this wasn’t the only thing I requested that never showed up). To summarize, I got little to no sleep while there (the cleaning crew in the lobby lounge at 4:50am can confirm). When I got back home, I slept for 12 hours which I think is a personal record. “Serene retreat” it was not…

Common Areas:

I was out and about during the majority of my stay, so I didn’t use most of the amenities (you’re in New York after all). I did stop by and see, though, to see what the fuss is about. Holiday decorations were still there (taking up the entire space where the Corner Bar was, overlooking the ultra-Instagram-friendly temple to capitalism and demonic Tiffany bird across Fifth Ave), so at least from what I could tell, the vibe was decent (at least at this time of the year).

Services:

When I came back to the hotel after a long night, I asked the (new) person at the front desk if I could use the pool. Unfortunately, the pool had already closed for the night (not 24/7 like other Amans) so I considered ordering room service (both then and during lunch - when it wasn't late night). The options available, however, were embarrassingly limited (making the Carlyle - which purportedly abandoned room service during COVID - look luxurious by comparison), to the extent that I just gave up and let my incidental credit expire at checkout. Breakfast was good, although the service person noted they were less busy in January than usual (good for them - at least management seems to be treating them better than at the FS Jackson Hole, ahem). The reason why I’m mentioning this is because the check-in agent who noted no upgrades were available (sure…) claimed January was busier than usual because of staycationing locals - so I’m not sure who’s telling the truth.

The house car is only available from 11am-9pm and does not allow for pickups (only latter noted at check-in). This basically means you’re out of luck if you’d like to use it in the morning or late night. Credit where credit’s due, though: the concierge was excellent (and candid lol), security was friendly and unobtrusive, and housekeeping was overly there-to-please.

By the time I checked out, I was sleep-deprived, concerned about room cleanliness in the back of my mind, and feeling like I got robbed (and this definitely isn’t the most expensive stay I’ve had either). At its core, everyone just wants a clean and quiet room to sleep in overnight (regardless of how much money was spent on the hard product - which is evident in the common areas). In this case, the Aman failed miserably on both counts. I don’t think the property’s a lost cause, but I’m not looking forward to potentially making another reservation with them, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend the Aman to anyone in good faith.

P.S. To cap it off, the luggage tag the team attached to my bag as I was heading out did not make it through the airport… I’m guessing it was not secured tightly enough (my Amangani tag is still there).

The temple to capitalism and demonic Tiffany bird from the 14th floor common area