On my first cruise, I would open up the door to my lower deck inside stateroom and just laugh.  You think you know how small rooms will be when you read the brochure or view online but you never know until you open that door.  With a cruise, the point is not to stay in the small room but to get out and explore the ship’s offerings and the ports.  This is the same premise with small and often tiny hotel rooms I have encountered throughout my travels – you are meant to escape the (generally bland) room and visit the city.  As a solo traveler, I’ve had my share of single bed rooms, rooms with odd layouts, rooms that made me sad and rooms that could double as a closet.  Many of these rooms have been, no surprise, in Europe but a few are in the U.S., specifically in New York City.   During my last visit to the city for the New York Times Travel Show, I would add a new small room to my collection – Room 409 at 70 Park Avenue – a Kimpton Hotel.

 

The Location

70 Park Avenue hotel is at 38th street, approximately a twenty minute walk from Penn Station or a quick cab.  Grand Central Station, Starbucks and CVS are two blocks away with many restaurants and attractions a short walking distance.  It was a quiet location without the stress of the clogged sidewalks or traffic other locations are subject to.

Arrival

Immediately upon entering the lobby you sense the Kimpton-ess of it all.  As this is NYC, the lobby is compact – the concierge and lounge on the right, the front desk ahead of you up a few steps (there is also a ramp on the left).  The evening wine socials were, as always at Kimpton, full of energy and guests mingling. Good wine, new friends and fun conversations – what else do you need?

 

Check-In

Prior to arrival, the Kimpton NYC twitter team contacted me to inquire of my stay details which I provided.  I wasn’t sure why they asked but hoped it was for a special surprise similiar to my stay at The Muse last year.  Waiting my turn (there were two guests ahead of me), I was greeted and thanked for being a Kimpton Loyalty member.  I was also given my raid the bar ($15 in NYC) info.  My secret word bonus would be coupons for grab and go breakfast at the cafe (there is no restaurant on the property, just a coffee shop).  The front desk agent asked if a lower floor was ok, I said “as long as it’s quiet, I’m fine” (little did I know) and with that I was given my key to my room.  There are two elevators and the waits were never long.

The 4th Floor Room – Room 409

Exiting the elevator, the hallway was small but with charming details which is unlike most hotels.  I made a left and then another quick left (uh oh, next to the elevator which I hate!).  I opened the door and suddenly started to laugh my “it’s a small room” laugh.  Thankfully, it didn’t fall into the “tiny” category (there are two NYC hotels with that honor as well as a few cruise ships), it was just smaller than I am used to and smaller than my other hotel option for the weekend. But Room 409 had some personality to it – the room had style.

This was the lowest room category (double room with full size bed). My rate, booked direct with Kimpton, for the Thursday/Friday/Saturday was $195/$149/$149 plus tax. The room was dark as it was on the 4th floor unlike the light strewn rooms showcased on the 70 Park Avenue website so try to request a higher floor.  I have no status with Kimpton and the Twitter folks sadly had no surprise in store for me.  The room was very highly styled in its design using every space to its advantage as if to say “don’t judge my size, I’m going to win you over with function and features”.  I took a breath and just went with it – I was here for 4 days and 3 nights so I had to channel my inner cruiseship spirit.

The 225 sq ft room was purple, white, silver and a design scheme I would love to implement in my own home (if only Kimpton provided design house calls).  The colors had a calming spirit which added with the quiet room (no elevator or hallway noise thankfully), the wooden shades and a comfortable full sized bed (Frette linens are a plus on the goose down feather bed) made me temporarily forget the small size. There is a high backed chair next to the desk area as well as a wardrobe cabinet with signature animal print robes and a safe.  For one person, this room was fine, but for two people, I think it would be too small.

The Bathroom

I kept the sliding pocket door of the bathroom opened all weekend as it gave the room a more open feeling.  The bathroom was nicely laid out with ample mirrors and good toiletries by C.O. Bigelow (the website stated Etro toiletries as they have at other Kimptons, not sure why these differed).  There were two engineering items to fix – crack in the bowl sink and the dent someone put in the pocket door (the one time I forgot to tell the front desk but did include notes in the after stay survey).  There was always hot water in the shower and the pressure was sufficient.

Desk/Work/Entertainment/Mini-Bar

As a Kimpton member, you get complimentary wifi which had a strong signal in the room all weekend.  The desk area had many outlets to use and the lighting was good if you were working or reading.  A few canceled meetings caused me to spend extra time in the room so I read and actually put the TV on for a bit of “Scandal” fun in real time, which I rarely do at home. The mini-bar, as is Kimpton’s style, was stocked with a nice variety of options (always check the expiry dates with any minibar, I found two expired items). For my $15 Raid the Minibar credit, I chose the blue fuzzy “Kimpton” socks to wear in the room as the hotel doesn’t provide slippers  to go with the signature animal print robes.

The View

Ah, my views are always so lovely, this was no exception 🙂

Grab & Go Breakfast

There is no restaurant on property, just a coffee shop in the day and a bar at night. My grab and go coupon entitled me to one item from each part of the display plus coffee.  I chose a fruit cup, pastry and bottle of juice each day.  As they would not substitute a bottle of water for the coffee, I had to pay for the water each day. If you are staying here and want a hot breakfast, you can walk to the Pershing Square Cafe across from Grand Central, two blocks away or the diner a block away.

 

Concierge

I interacted with two concierge members for recommendations and a “forgotten item” request for a toothbrush/paste. I was reminded that housekeeping could have been called for the forgotten item (true, but hey I was here now in the lobby asking you about it).   I was being chatty and needy in my interactions to see how they responded (“not my first visit”, “looking for unique tours/attractions/food”, “what are your favorites”, “where can I find a great cookie/bakery”, etc).   I didn’t quite get anything I hadn’t already researched which is a shame as I look forward to discovering something new from a local each time (I really shouldn’t be the expert in your city in my opinion).  My favorite Kimpton concierge experience set the bar so high at the Vintage Plaza in Portland,  I doubt I will find others like her but I keep trying.  The folks in NYC were fine, at least they were always available, unlike my Seattle experience.

Overall Impression

The Kimpton Hotels are definitely boutique in feel and design and I find myself seeking them out more often.  For the most part, the design makes me happy to escape the cookie cutter chain hotel but I know that I often sacrifice space.   Each hotel has its own personality – 70 Park has a private club/residential building feel to it which fits in perfectly with the neighborhood (not the busy tourist area but easy to walk sidewalks/cafes).  While at first, Room 409 scared me to escape,  it ended up growing on me (maybe because I love purple?). Next visit, I will book a higher category and definitely request a higher floor for a bit more space and light.