The Waldorf Astoria

To make a long story short, if you are looking for a truly five star experience and are not an Orthodox Jew, stay elsewhere. I booked in this hotel because of my many fantastic experiences with the Hilton and Waldorf Astoria brands, but I have been sorely disappointed. Firstly, whatever they may be saying in response to the *many* reviews noting this, the hotel is designed for Orthodox Jews. That’s fine, but they do not advertise this and it negatively impacts the experience for other guests with things like constant holiday closures, weekly Shabbos shutdowns on the elevators, and changes to the restaurant menu/hours. When my wife and I ordered dinner, we selected two items from the in room dining menu (it was on an iPad you could supposedly order from that didn’t actually work). We were told by the person who answered the phone that we could not have the items we wanted because they were from different parts of the kosher kitchen and “this is a religious hotel.” They eventually agreed to give us what we wanted but, as a paying customer who booked what I thought was a normal brand, I didn’t appreciate being told I couldn’t have what I ordered (off of *their* menu) due to religious restrictions. I should note that I am Jewish, but I’m not particularly religious. I like to eat cheeseburgers or use a normal elevator on a Friday. You can’t do that here. I think it’s great Orthodox Jews have a hotel that caters to them, but it should be advertised that way. This is billed as a Waldorf Astoria with no notes about the various religious restrictions on the Hilton site or app. Apart from the religiosity of this hotel, there are also other issues that just make it below standard. There is no full gym or pool. I know they are supposedly under construction but his is just not normal or up to par for a five star hotel that charges $500 a night. They shouldn’t open and advertise this level of service if they’re not ready to play ball. There are also not minibars or even fridges in the rooms. Our (upgraded) suite bizarrely had a locked empty wine fridge. This is especially problematic because food and drink service can be very, very, very slow for both in room dining and the restaurant. All in all, just not an experience befitting the five star Waldorf Astoria standard.

Our trip initially began in Rome where we stayed at the St. Regis, Rome. The St. Regis, Rome blows this hotel out of the water. The lobby of this hotel is gorgeous, the florals are lovely. The desk is nice and the staff is friendly and accommodating. The bell staff/doorman are the best part of the arrival process. They are chipper, kind and genuine. Let me say, if you are NOT an Orthodox Kosher Jew, which this hotel caters too, you may find your self disappointed. We were visiting Jerusalem over the Rosh hashanah , and Shabbat. For 3 of our 6 days, we were restricted to following Orthodox rules yet we paid full price for our room/hotel. Two of 4 elevators are reserved for the Orthodox, it stops on every floor, because pushing a button is work. I can not tell you how long I waited for an elevator, Ridiculous! I tried using the lobby restroom...the toilet won't flush and the water was turned off. The restaurant, couldn't get tea, because that requires work. No toast, that requires work, turning on/off an appliance. My husband needed to exchange dollars for shekels, nope, that required work. I could give you a hundred other examples...but dealing with this for 1/2 of the duration of my stay was just not ok. If you are a Christian, do not stay at this hotel. Now, general observations and experiences during our stay. The hostess at the restaurant, she was more interested in gossiping with the other girls at the stand. I sat at our table for 10 minutes ignored, once my husband sat down, they came right over. Coincidence or discrimination of women...not sure but based on the practice of this hotel I wouldn't be surprised. The breakfast buffet is large and well represented, except 3 of the 6 nights we stayed, not so much because of the Kosher/Orthodox guidelines/rules. One night we arrived late from touring all day so we ordered room service. We were hungry, I wanted to order a burger, oops, no cheese for you! Again, you must follow the Kosher rules, even not on Shabbat or a holiday. The hotel rooms are small and tight. Too much furniture in this tiny space. They need to get rid of the bench at the end of the bed, you can hardly maneuver the room with luggage! How many chairs does one tiny space need. The bathroom, is giant fail. One sink, with limited counter space, no door on the water closet/toilet. Zero privacy if two people are trying to use the space at the same time. The shower is tiny and tight, as well with no bench or ledge for shaving your legs; good luck in this space! The lighting, the worst ever! Dark and yellow lighting in the bathroom and the makeup mirror is just as dull and yellow as the ceiling lighting. Our housekeeper, how hard is it to make sure there are 2 bathrobes daily in your room??? One day, we didn't even have one, major fail for the price of this hotel. There are NO drawers in these rooms. Only cabinets with shelves. I use packing cubes when I travel, they are wonderful, you simply take them out of your suitcase and place them in a drawer...except this hotel didn't have a drawer, except the tiny ones in the night stand. If you are a Jew and kosher, you will be thrilled with this hotel. If you are Christian or any other religion, you will feel discriminated. If you are any other religion instead of being Jewish, do not stay at this hotel over Shabbat or their religious holidays. One more observation, there is no pool at this hotel.