GOOD DAY, COLUMBUS
Bang on Columbus Circle, where the lower west corner of Central Park meets Eight Avenue, 59th Street and Broadway, the Mandarin Oriental New York could hardly occupy a more privileged position – and especially so in a city where location is everything. It opened just over 20 years ago as part of the Deutsche Bank Center – indeed, the hotel’s third-floor lobby opens directly on to the complex’s up-market shopping and restaurants.
I’m fortunate enough to be spending a couple of nights in the hotel’s Hudson River View Suite, from which the scenery beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows – while admittedly not quite as spectacular as in rooms overlooking Central Park – still eye-wateringly stunning. In other words, it’s the kind of urban vista that residents in nearby tower blocks pay squillions for – and as I also have more than 800 square feet of opulent space in which to feel at home in, I have every right to feel fortunate. Decor and furnishings exude a slightly Oriental air, as well as the requisite sense of quietly timeless luxury, with all the essential details I might possibly need, from a good-sized work desk to an enormous bed, with cushions and pillows adding pops of colour here and there. There’s even a dining area big enough for four, not that I have the opportunity to make use of it.
Among the other highpoints is the service, which is as exemplary, intuitive and consistent as in any property that proudly bears the Mandarin Oriental fan logo – and also serves as a welcome contrast to the norm in a metropolis where “businesslike” can often mean “waddya want?” brusque. I’ll also give a special shout-out to the superb Five Star Spa, rightly acknowledged as one of the best in the city, as well as the extremely pretty afternoon tea, served against an unmissable backdrop of Central Park – and what a pleasure it was to encounter Michael, formerly of the Mandarin Grill in Hong Kong. A veritable home-from-home on the other side of the world, in fact.
Oceana Ou