I recently stayed at 70 Park Avenue Hotel while on a business trip to New York City. Here is my review:

LOCATION: 70 Park Avenue hotel is located at Park Avenue and 38th Street – in Murray Hill, a unique residential enclave nestled in the heart of midtown Manhattan. The location is central yet the neighborhood “retains a smaller, more personal character.”

TRANSPORTATION: Upon arrival at Laguardia airport, I took a taxi to the hotel, about 30 minutes without traffic. Couldn’t be easier.

CHECK IN: Check in at the front desk was professional. As a Kimpton “Inner Circle” elite level guest, I was entitled to an upgrade to the best room available at check in: I was presented with a choice of my booked Deluxe room on a higher floor or an upgrade to a King Premier room on a lower 4th floor.

Upon my request, a hotel staffer escorted me to see each room so I could compare before making a decision.

The booked Deluxe room wasn’t that great: the view from the higher floor was uninspiring and the bathroom was quite possibly the smallest bathroom I’ve seen in any hotel (including a variety of New York City hotels). Simply put, the cramped bathroom in the Deluxe room would have been unacceptable – and if you are considering booking one of these rooms I advise against it.

The upgraded King Premier room was essentially the same as the Deluxe room except the bathroom was somewhat larger (although still small it was acceptable) and had a bath tub with jacuzi jets. I was concerned about the possibility of hearing street noise from this lower floor room – and with the hotel staffer’s assurance that it wouldn’t be a problem, I decided on the upgraded room.

Speaking of upgrades, if you’re an Inner Circle elite level member hoping for an upgrade to the 2,000 square-foot Penthouse Suite, forget about it, I was told by hotel management that they do not upgrade Inner Circle guests to the suite even if it is available.

If you’re on the official website for 70 Park Avenue, there is a photo gallery which has a single photo of a magnificent bathroom. If you’re expecting all the bathrooms to look like the photo on their site, you’ll be disappointed. That photo appears to be the bathroom in the one Penthouse Suite and is NOT representative of bathrooms in the hotel.

HOTEL BUILDING: 70 Park Avenue is in what was previously the Doral Hotel, with Kimpton doing a multi-million dollar renovation. The lobby is comfortable and inviting; with a 14-foot limestone and sandstone fireplace and plush furniture. 70 Park Avenue is a botique hotel, but unlike hotels such as the W Hotel, it isn’t too hip or pretentious – it has more of a residential feeling.

MY ROOM: Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly about my upgraded King Premier Room:

The Good:

My wife and I recently stayed at the Hotel Monaco Washington D.C. and we had an excellent stay. Here are details if they are helpful to other Kimpton InTouch “Inner Circle” members:

LOCATION: The hotel location in Penn Quarter is very convenient, with close access to restaurants, shops and Metro.

TRANSPORTATION: Upon arrival at National airport, I took a Metro train from the airport to the hotel. This was very convenient and cost effective. The hotel is just across the street from the Metro Station.

CHECK IN: My wife arrived earlier in the day and checked in. She tells me check in was friendly, professional and efficient.

HOTEL BUILDING: Hotel Monaco Washington D.C. is the former Tariff Building, a completely renovated Registered National Landmark built in the mid-1800s and the city’s first all-marble building. The building is unique and has lots of charm. The lobby is relatively small but beautiful; the hall ways are wide and inviting. Overall, the Hotel Monaco Washington D.C. has the distinctive feeling of a boutique hotel that we wanted (vs. the cookie cutter approach of a larger branded corporate hotel chain).

OUR ROOM: We were upgraded to a “Robert Mills suite”, which was a large two room suite, with 20 foot ceilings and ornate molding. The room was ultra-clean, comfortable, and decorated tastefully. The living room area was comfortable, with a TV, stereo with surround sound, a desk — and free high speed internet access. The desk had easy access to a power strip, the design was well thought out for the business person who would need to use the desk. The bathroom was fabulous: large, clean, well-lit, lots of counter space, a separate shower surrounded by three walls of glass, and a very nice extra: a deep Jacuzzi tub. Like Starwood’s W Hotels, there were a variety of Aveda bath products, which we liked and appreciated. I should note that the suite was much larger than the standard rooms we saw being made up by housekeeping; if you get a standard room it might be a little small, similar to a small room in NYC. Comparing with the W Hotels, our suite at Hotel Monaco Washington D.C., particularly the bathroom, far surpassed what I’ve seen at several different W Hotels.

SPECIAL AMENITIES: Hotel Monaco Washington D.C., like all the Kimpton properties, has an evening wine hour, during which guests can socialize with each other. I really like this concept. The fitness center room is small but well appointed.

RESTAURANT: The hotel’s restaurant, Poste, was very good. I won’t spend a lot of time on the restaurant review except to say that our party of six enjoyed a dinner in a private dining room, all Inner Circle benefits were recognized and fulfilled, service was excellent, and we enjoyed the food. Bravo! (Also, across the street is Rosa Mexicana, a fabulous upscale Mexican restaurant that I enthusiastically recommend. Be sure to order the Guacamole en Molcajete, prepared tableside for two.)

HOTEL STAFF AND MANAGEMENT: The staff and management were very attentive, friendly, courteous and professional. On several occasions, they went above and beyond to ensure we had a memorable stay. There were a few lapses in service and execution, but those were quickly fixed or professionally handled to my satisfaction. To the staff’s credit, they seemed to genuinely want feedback and have a desire to continue to improve the guest experience, and I don’t think you can emphasize the importance of those qualities.

ESPECIALLY HELPFUL: Angel, the guest services manager, who deserves special recognition for being customer focused and committed to customer satisfaction. It is because of employees like Angel that I will be shifting my business from a competitor to Kimpton properties.

CHECK OUT: fast and efficient.

WHEN BOOKING YOUR ROOM: Although not the hotel’s fault, each night we could hear a significant amount of street noise from our third floor room, particularly cars driving by with their radios on loud, and what seemed like a constant thumping of the bass notes in the music in their cars. Recommendation: if you’re sensitive to noise of cars with loud radios blaring, I would suggest a room overlooking the inner court yard of the hotel, instead of the exterior room we had. Also, be aware that if you get a standard room it might be a little small.

THE VERDICT: Yes, I would stay at Hotel Monaco next time I visit Washington, D.C.

I have “Inner Circle” elite status with Kimpton Hotels InTouch loyalty program, and am mostly satisfied with the benefits of the program and the personal attention I have received from Kimpton.

Kimpton has often gone the extra mile to ensure that I am taken care of. They usually make me feel like a valued customer, unlike my experiences with Starwood.

I like that as one of the benefits of “Inner Circle” status, Kimpton provides me with the direct line phone and e-mail address for Kimpton CEO Tom LaTour. I have spoken with Mr. LaTour, and am favorably impressed.

On the downside, Kimpton’s “In Touch” loyalty program systems and processes appear to be not as automated or advanced as other programs. I expect that over time they will make enhancements.

Preferred reservations in hotel restaurants is a good concept and the complimentary chef’s course for the table is a nice touch.

I stayed at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers while on a business trip November 2003 — and I encountered many problems and consistently poor service.

CHECK IN:

I stayed at St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort September 2003 for a one week vacation. Was favorably impressed. One of the few times I have stayed at a Starwood property without some sort of weird service problems happening. A refreshing change!

Room: