The New York Edition

The New York Edition, like the 12 other Edition hotels open around the world ( As of Apirl 2022 ), is sleek, chic, sexy, and drop dead gorgeous. Edition hotels lean towards the minimalist luxury aesthetic focusing on epicurean delights, curated cocktails, high thread count sheets, Ian Schrager design elements, and a seen and be seen crowd. I’ve had the pleasure of staying in the London Edition twice, and when our New York trip needed to be extended over our 10 year anniversary, I wanted to stay someplace that would be a treat. Since this was unplanned, I was at the mercy of Marriott’s new flexible award chart, but was pleasantly surprised to see incredible value at both New York Edition properties (there is another one in Times Square ) at 50k points per night.

The New York Edition is located in the famous clock tower building off Madison Square.

Stay Details

• When: April 2022
• Where: New York City, Madison Square Park
• Status: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
  • Breakfast not included at Edition properties
  • Upgraded to Super King Room
• Rate: 50k Marriott Bonvoy Points ( flexible rates was $800 )
• Extra Fees – The hotel charges a $35 a day Destination Fee
  • $35 Lobby Bar Credit ( not redeemed in their main restaurant )
  • $40

The reason the 50k rate is noteworthy is that starting later in 2022 you’ll be able to add 15k points to a Marriott 35k free night certificate that comes annual on some of their credit cards.

Everything is really expensive in New York City in general, but clearly at a hotel charing $800 a night, it ain’t cheap. My Old Fashioned, with tip, pretty much ate up the entire credit of $35.

The House Car

One cool aspect of the hotel is the E Class Benz that, if available, will take you anywhere in a roughly 20 block radius just for tips

New York Edition Location

I like the Chelsea/Flatiron/Madison Square area. You’re not too far to pop down to Union Square, Soho, but also if you’d like to hop into Midtown or the Park. Plus, if you walk across Madison Square you can enjoy Eataly and all its incredible delights.

Check In –

You’ll enter off 24th via an indiscreet, monotone entrance. We arrived around 2pm and were immediately greeted by a bellhop who took our suitcases. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to check into our rooms immediately so we stored our bags and hopped to Eataly for a quick snack.

The lobby has ultra high ceilings, but has managed to make the communal spaces feel intimate. You’ll also enter a few steps below the check in desk and lobby bar.

There is also a spot where you can plop down by a fireplace beyond the elevator bank and just next to an ultra modern staircase which leads to the restaurant ” The Clock Tower ” on the floor above.

The Room

A couple hours later we popped back by the hotel and our room was ready. We’d received a one category upgrade to a Superior King which looked downtown and had tons of natural light. The room had high ceilings that featured a cool series of arches and 3 massive windows.

A reverse shot of the room highlighting the entry and the mini bar and table to the left. The fisheye makes the bed look narrower than it is, but it’s a normal King.

The bathroom was equally chic and filled with light.

Large walk in all glass shower, Le Labo bath products, and directly across from the bathroom Is the safe and bathrobes.

The view from our room was stunning and featured a glimpse of One World Trade Center in the distance

 

The Gym:

After coming from the Conrad Midtown, which features one of the best hotel gyms I’ve sene, anything was going to seem underwhelming, but the Edition features a decent gym. Remember you can usually get free bottles of water in the gym vs paying for it in room.

Dining:

There is the lobby bar, which features crafted cocktails and snacks in a living room vibe, as well as the Clock Tower a level up, that offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The Lobby Bar

While my wife was resting I popped down to the Lobby Bar to enjoy a quick drink and get some writing done. It was definitely bopping with the after work crowd, and I was lucky to snag a table.

The Clock Tower

The restaurant was actually completely booked, but the concierge ended up squeezing us in at 830 and I love the aethetic and decor of the restaurant. The food was quite good as well, but NYC has sooooo many incredible restaurants, that I’m not sure I’d prioritize coming back for the food, but the vibe was worth a visit.

The food was quite good. We had mac and cheese, fish and chips, a dandelion salad served with endive which was incredibly bitter, and a delicious sticky toffee pudding. Aside from the dandelion salad, which I’m sure was prepared to perfection and just not to my taste, I’d order any of these items again happily.

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Overall:

Would I pay $800 a night for this property? Absolutely not. But, then again, there aren’t many places I’d fork over that kind cash. Is this a fantastic use of 50k points given the value and location. Yes, I think it is. The biggest downside is the lack of a breakfast credit, but that’s the case with any Edition hotel you’d stay at in the world.

The destination fee is par for the course. The Intercontinental Barclay had one, the Conrad Midtown did not, and the Lexington where we ended our trip also had one. Personally I think these are obnoxious and should be waived when staying with points or for certain elite status levels.