My Trip to NYC | The Algonquin Hotel

Disclaimer: The suite was offered to me at a discounted media rate.

While I was trip-planning for New York City, I looked into a ton of hotels. The city is replete with countless options and Times Square alone had dozens of hotels to choose from. After a considerable amount of research, I was very happy to have chosen The Algonquin Hotel, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. With a rich history in the literary realm, The Algonquin is one of the oldest operating hotels in the city and it was even declared an official New York City Historic Landmark. To read all about my stay, click.......

Although just minutes away from Times Square and Bryant Park, The Algonquin is located on the comparatively quieter West 44th Street. Constructed in the early 1900's, the hotel had a complete renovation not too long ago in 2012. I was traveling with a friend so we stayed in a lovely suite called The Vanity Fair Suite.

The Algonquin Hotel | The Vanity Fair Suite

With a separate living area, The Vanity Fair Suite was very roomy and inviting. The rooms were bathed in rich gold and ruby accents that very well embodied the old-world elegance of The Algonquin. The walls were adorned with framed prints of old Vanity Fair covers and the bedroom had a back-lit vintage New York cityscape photo hanging over the headboard.
The king-sized pillow-top mattress was decked out with luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets so it was beyond heavenly to sleep in. The couch in the living room doubled as a pull-out bed. It was a little squeaky and floppy but that's pretty much what you would expect from a futon.

The Algonquin Hotel | The Vanity Fair Suite Bedroom

The elegant bathroom had a lit-up mirror and a walk-in shower. Sadly there was no hand-held shower head but the water pressure was delightfully potent! The complimentary toiletries were from Beekman 1802, a New York-based company known for using local ingredients.
I really liked how the suite had a ton of counter and storage space; there were plenty of shelves, hooks, and racks in the bathroom and lots of tables and small cabinets in the living room. Heck, there was even a pretty big walk-in closet in the bedroom! Too often do hotel rooms lack storage and counter space so The Algonquin suite definitely excelled in that respect.

The Algonquin Hotel | The Vanity Fair Suite Bathroom

Even with its recent renovations, though, the hotel showed its age. Small things like chipped baseboards and aging wall panels definitely took away from the luxurious decor, although I do admit that those blemishes somehow added a kind of antiquated charm to the rooms. One downside was that there was no mini fridge. I often like to buy baked goods on these trips to bring back home so not having a fridge kind of made that impossible. Another issue was the soundproofing of the rooms. Although barely any noises came from the streets, we could very well hear conversations from adjacent suites. Luckily, The Algonquin has a generally sophisticated clientele so it never got too noisy.

The Algonquin Hotel | Hallway

The Algonquin Hotel | The Round Table Restaurant

Once the regular meeting spot of the Algonquin Round Table (aka the "Vicious Circle", the iconic group of New York intellectuals including the likes of Dorothy Parker), The Algonquin Hotel has a restaurant that commemorates the history of the group. Located on the ground floor across from the front desk, the restaurant serves up a variety of American cuisine. I had breakfast there for my last day in New York and I tried the Eggs Benedict. The potato and sauteed mushrooms were slightly dry but the poached eggs and hollandaise sauce were right on point!

The Algonquin Hotel | The Round Table Restaurant Eggs Benedict

The Algonquin Hotel | Hotel Exterior

Another highlight of the hotel was Matilda The Algonquin Cat. The Algonquin has a long history of housing a resident cat and Matilda is the current queen of the throne. A rescue that's been living at the hotel since 2010, Matilda was quite the elusive lady during my stay. My friend spotted her while going out on a solo shopping trip and as soon as I got a Snapchat I ran down to the lobby with my camera clutched in hand. But alas I was too late and Matilda had retired to her chambers. The only memorabilia I have of her is this grainy picture.

Overall my stay at The Algonquin was very lovely. The location is super ideal as the hotel is right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Yet because it's located on a quieter block, there were no hectic street noises to put up with. Furthermore, the elegant and classy decor truly brings you back in time to a more charming era. All the hotel staff I've encountered were friendly and helpful and its rich history makes the place quite a gem! To learn more about The Algonquin Hotel or to book a visit, check out their website here.