Hotel Stays: Mandarin Oriental New York

When you think of the most famous New York City hotels, you most likely think of places like the Plaza, the Mark, and the Carlyle. And those are all spectacular hotels that I highly recommend. They’re also buzzy, glitzy, and busy—usually with celebrities throughout the year too.

But one of Manhattan’s most understated luxury hotels is right in plain sight: the Mandarin Oriental New York in Columbus Circle. Starting 35 stories off the ground and extending skyward to the 54th floor, the MO New York sits above the riffraff (just kidding… mostly) with some of the most spectacular views of the city.

It also offers the ultimate quiet luxury experience with the MO Lounge (open from breakfast through dinner as well as for afternoon tea—more on that later), the on-site wellness spa just off the lobby, and a full-service gym and pool on the 36th floor. This is the kind of hotel where you want to see (out the floor-to-ceiling windows) but don’t want to be seen.

We stayed in a Hudson River Suite, which promises views of the Hudson River. And it certainly does, in spades, with glorious views from sunrise to sunset (and later into the night when clear skies permit).

But what makes this room extra special is that it not-so-secretly also offers views of Central Park, particularly the Reservoir in the distance and up Broadway on the Upper West Side. (The Central Park Suites also promise these views, and they certainly do keep their promise with views of Columbus Circle, but they do not offer the best of both worlds—being both Central Park and Hudson River views.)

Layout-wise, this is a very spacious suite for a couple or a small family. It was also delightful for Dash, who had both lots of room to run around and plenty of surfaces to nap on.

The hotel provided a piped velvet dog bed with a matching chew toy (the latter of which he could take home as a gift) and porcelain bowls for food and water. The porter also offered floor pads, but Dash is extremely well-trained, so I just held onto those for future use in case of travel (good to have in airports, etc.).

Dogs are welcome at the MO New York, although non-service animals are subject to a $250 nonrefundable fee for deep cleaning the room after your stay, so keep that in mind when budgeting your booking.

The MO New York made the perfect home base for a winter staycation, starting with a brisk morning walk in Central Park with Dash just across the street to room service for breakfast, to a spa visit at the Equinox next door (we had some credits to use up!), to shopping at The Shops at Columbus Circle (and a quick to-go lunch from the Whole Foods in the basement), dinner at Bad Roman, and finally catching an evening performance of The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center just a couple blocks away. (You can arrange a special VIP package for visiting the Met Opera through your MO New York reservation.)

Given the frigid temperatures and high winds when we stayed, we used a lot of shortcuts. For example, you can access the shops and restaurants at Columbus Circle directly from the hotel elevator on the third floor with your room key card. And you can cut your time to the Met Opera in half by walking up Columbus Avenue instead of Broadway (even if the latter is more scenic).

The Equinox is literally 10 steps away from the MO on the street level, although I have to say I was a little disappointed by this Equinox location. The gym was crowded (the MO had a much nicer one with better machines and air circulation), and the spa doesn’t have any special pools or frills. I’m assuming other Equinox locations are better, like Hudson Yards.

We also enjoyed afternoon tea at the MO Lounge, which, setting-wise, has to be one of the best in New York with all the aforementioned views of Columbus Circle and Central Park.

The room itself is lovely and sophisticated, but you can’t beat the cityscape. The restaurant is also very considerate of any dietary restrictions (best to note them on the reservation when you make it), so they brought us almost an entirely vegetarian platter in a very modern and modular three-tier serving stand. (Of course, you can get an entirely vegan or vegetarian serving with notice; just my dining partner is neither.)

While overall our stay was wonderful, there were just a few odd moments here and there, starting with afternoon tea.

For instance, between sitting down and taking our tea order immediately (highly recommend the Earl Grey here—unlike any other E.G. you’re ever going to find), it was another 45 minutes before our food arrived, which were just the usual afternoon tea menu items (scones, finger sandwiches, and petit fours).

Also, when we checked into our room, it was instantly lovely…but there was no coffee maker! Not a problem, as the porter said we could call housekeeping for one. But then when the Nespresso maker arrived, there were no Nespresso pods. So I had to call room service (not housekeeping, it turns out) for that. And as I didn’t have an espresso until the following morning, when I went to the coffee maker, there were no mugs anywhere in the suite! It was so early, and I need coffee desperately the moment my eyes open, so I used a glass from the bathroom but had to tilt it up against the coffee maker (and remove the bottom tray from the Nespresso machine to make it fit) while the espresso came out.

These things aren’t really that much of an issue, and everyone who works at this hotel—from the front door to the concierge desk (who helped us get a last-minute reservation at Bad Roman—always remember to visit the concierge desk if you need help!) to the fitness center—was exceptional. Anytime something was late or missing, the staff was very apologetic about it.

Maybe it was just a weird weekend after the holiday season. These moments were just surprising given the level of luxury that MO is known for, but none of this would ever stop me from visiting either this location or any other MO again.

Final Verdict

Even with a few very minor hiccups, I absolutely loved our stay here. Would highly recommend it if you’re looking to splurge while staying in Midtown, either as a tourist or for a staycation.