The Helmsley Park Lane

This must have been wonderful in its heyday. The rooms are large for NYC and well furnished with a very comfortable bed. The location is perfect, very central and right on the Park. And the restaurant and bar are not to be missed: we had a beautifully cooked and served meal overlooking Central Park views that made for memorable occasion. But where is the hotel staff ? I phoned for the Manager and concierge each four times because the room we were checked in to had a flooded bathroom. No one ever answered. (I went out and found a bellhop myself. )I was told my shoes would be shined if I left them outside my door overnight. That didn't happen either. Finally, there was a $10 charge on my bill for "minibar" usage which I had to dispute and eventually got it removed by going to Reception. But nobody answered the phone when I called from my room to complain about it.

As stated in the title, it was a very good experience to stay in the Park Lane. the reception was warm and treatment excelent, in spite of the many guests we were waiting to check-in. Room with good confort and confortable bed, we ask for a king size bed and we got one, paying the agreed upgrade for that request. Continental Breakfast good and staff very helpfull and ready to attend the request. The nice athmosphere to stayy in a hotel with class and charm. Air conditioning too noize.

Location is perfect next to the Plaza, staff are very friendly. Appears not to have been renovated since it was built in the 1970s. Tips: Park view rooms are 400sqft, large by New York standards.

I couldn't decide between 3 & 4 stars, but overall my stay was nice/decent & I don't have any big complaints so went with 4. I was happy with my room - it was attractive, bright & clean. I was pleased that I was able to check in early. The staff members who I encountered were pleasant (except the waiter in Harry's lounge, though pleasant enough, was not very attentive - we ran out of water a few times and had to wait for our bill for a while. If they had bigger water glasses that could help on the refill issue). There were some minor details that could have made my stay nicer if different: 1) I had called ahead of time to inquire if my room would have a mini-fridge and the answer was "yes". I was going to be working inside the hotel room for 2 full days, so planned to store some personal beverages and other small items in the fridge, but it turns out that the fridge was not usable for personal items; it 's set up to charge you when you remove one of their items & there is a sign asking you not to put your own items in there, plus there was barely any extra room in it anyway, and it also didn't feel very cold. 2) I had a hard time figuring out which of their dining options were open and when. I tried to check online before checking in and their site said that something was only open for lunch, but I couldn't tell what, and I couldn't tell if there was more than one option open at all. When I checked in I asked about the dining options and I was told there was only one. Turns out there were two; the park view restaurant and Harry's Lounge. The main restaurant was closed for dinner time but the lounge was open then. This was not a huge deal but I was busy and just wanted things to be more obvious. 3) Some of the prices on the in-room breakfast menu and the room service door knob menu did not match (a couple were higher & a couple were lower). No big deal but I like to know ahead of time the actual cost. Also, I only had one of the door knob room service request things and would have liked to use a second one the next day. Maybe the cleaning staff typically replaces them when they clean, but I didn't have them clean my room so I don't know. Also I didn't realize that I would have to request a glass of ice water to go with my pricey breakfast and there is no space to request water or individual beverages on their door knob room service menus. I guess they want you to buy water from their mini bar!

Central Park South, is a great location! It was my daughter's first time in NYC and the location made exploring the city very easy. The St Patrick's Day parade was just out our front door along with all of 5th Ave & of course, Central Park! The room was very nice & the staff was very friendly. Only complaint I have is, the in-room fridge was for mini bar selections only- made keeping leftovers from all the wonderful restaurants a little difficult. There is a great steak house, just out the back door & to the right, "Quality Meats"- YUM!

This is a grand old Hotel. I have stayed here several times and will continue to return when in NYC. The views of Central Park are so magnificent that I just sit and stare out the window when in the room and the less expensive "city view" is not bad either. The beds are very comfortable. The staff is very helpful. The location is the best NYC has to offer. It is walking distance to fine dining, Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, shopping on 5th ave and Central Park is across the street. The price compared to it's neighboring hotels is a bargain. The bathrooms are a little dated but it is a grand old hotel.

Our stay was wonderful, when entering the hotel it was beautiful and then staff was very friendly. Upon entering the room the first thing I notice was the breath taking view we had overlooking the city. I had to immediately stand in the window and send a picture to my family. The room was so overwhelming and inviting until we barely left the room.LOL! We will definately visit again.

My husband & I drove to NYC from Baltimore & valet parked our large SUV at the hotel without difficulty. We checked in and our room was immediately ready for us. We were met by the doorman who was to bring our bags up for us, but after waiting 35 min in our room for them (I wanted to change), we returned to the lobby to find them still sitting on the cart, so we started to bring them up ourselves. Once we did that, the bell staff immediately came over & brought our luggage up, apologizing the whole way. Our room had an excellent view of Central Park, being on the 41st floor. It was simply gorgeous. The bathroom could stand for some updating, and surprisingly only has a standard tub/shower combo with peeling caulk. The toiletries are nice & are replaced daily. Our carpet had a huge ink stain that probably covered a good 10ft span in the room. That was a bit disappointing, coupled with the fair bathroom facility and the daily charge for wifi. (Really?) The gym facility was minimalistic & cramped. Not what we were expecting. The concierge in the front lobby is wonderful & super helpful. He was able to get us reservations to some fantastic restaurants two nights in a row with minimal notice & able to work within some dietary restrictions. He was great!! The location of this hotel is simply perfect. We walked everywhere one day, even in the cold of Feb., and took a chauffered car service another day to hit sights we couldn't walk to, like Ground Zero & the Freedom Tower, Wall Street, and for a concert at MSG. Overall, we had an amazing trip, I think the location of this hotel truly is one of the best, and with some bathroom reno's will be an absolute gem.

Fantastic CPS location. Best location in Manhattan. Walking distance to the best Manhattan has to offer (Park, Broadway, Upper West Side)

I travel a lot to NY for work and stay in a lot of different places. I expected the Helmsley Park Lane to be a beautiful classic hotel. On first glance it was all of those things. When i got into the room it was extremely warm so i turned down the thermostat and went out for dinner. When I cam back, it was still too warm so i opened the window and went to bed. Since the window was open I was awake all night long listening to the traffic outside. The next morning when i took a shower the shower curtain was so flimsy it kept floating into the shower. The drain in the shower also did not drain and I showered with 2 inches of water in the tub. Gross.