Lotte New York Palace (Our Stay in The Towers)

On a recent trip to New York City, we decided to try The Towers at Lotte New York Palace. This popular Manhattan luxury hotel’s prime Madison Avenue location and historical past draw family, business, and solo travelers alike.

It’s important to know that Lotte New York Palace is split into two sections: the main hotel (The Palace) and the more-exclusive top 14 floors (The Towers). The Towers at Lotte New York Palace are like a hotel within a hotel. Both share common areas, but The Towers has its own guest-only entrance, front desk, and concierge. These rooms and suites feel a bit more upscale and residential. Rates here tend to be higher than rooms and suites in The Palace.

And, in case you’re wondering, Lotte is pronounced “loh-tay.” I’ll tell you what you need to know about staying here in my review.

Lotte New York Palace History

The 55-story New York City luxury hotel surrounds the historic Villard Mansion, a set of six historic brownstone townhouses built by financier Henry Villard in 1882. Opened in 1981, the hotel with its contemporary glass and steel exterior was first called The Helmsley Palace, named for real estate developer Harry Helmsley, who conceived the project. He operated the hotel, regarded as one of the cities finest, until 1992, and it was during this time, his wife, Leona Helmsley, earned her “Queen of Mean” title for her harsh management style.

A few ownership changes later, the hotel is now a part of the South Korean Lotte Group. A 2013 $140 million renovation created The Towers, and the Villard Mansion remains integrated into the hotel’s public areas. The Villard Mansion courtyard was the original Madison Avenue carriage entrance and redesigned during the hotel’s 1980 restoration to incorporate motifs from the flooring of several 15th-century Italian cathedrals.

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Lotte New York Palace Rooms and Suites

If you’re like me, you probably want to know what the room choices are. Between The Towers and The Palace, there are quite a few room types so we’ll gloss over them here.

I think it’s important to look at the size of the rooms and suite options as New York City hotels rooms can be small and that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the generous sizes here. All rooms feature lovely Molton Brown bath amenities and air conditioning. Guests may also take advantage of:

• Les Clefs d’Or concierge
• Complimentary Mercedes GL350 or Maybach car service within a 20-block radius of the hotel
• Complimentary shuttle service to Broadway (available Tuesday – Saturday, 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm)
• Complimentary Wall Street shuttle service
• Complimentary newspaper

A note for families: Towers at Lotte Palace is one of the few New York City luxury hotels that allow four people per room.

The Palace

The Palace section is home to 733 total guestrooms including 330 superior rooms, 113 rooms with views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 230 rooms with a premier view of the Manhattan skyline, and 11 suites.

Superior Rooms: These 360 square foot rooms come with either king or two double beds, a small sitting area, and a marble bathroom. They face east toward the East River and feature neutral tones.

Cathedral View Rooms: Upgrade your view to one that overlooks St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center. These rooms are also 360 square feet with the same layout and furnishings as the Superior Rooms. Choose a king or two double beds.

Premier Skyline View: Take in unobstructed skyline views of midtown Manhattan (Manhattan’s West Side, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral) in this 360 square foot room that also has a choice of king or two double beds. It’s located on higher floors in The Palace.

Corner Cathedral View Rooms (Top Pick): The hotel’s most popular room offers a spacious 405 square feet, a second window and gorgeous views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It only comes with a king bed.

Deluxe One Bedroom Suites: A living room with guest powder room and the dining table is entirely separate from a king bedroom in this 790-square-foot suite.

Deluxe Corner Suites: Or, opt for an oversized living area, dining table for eight, wet bar and views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in this 1160-square-foot king suite.

Deluxe Two Bedroom Suites: Families often choose these 1530-square-foot suites, which also have an oversized living room, dining table for eight, wet bar, and views of the city skyline and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Each bedroom (one with a king and the other with two double beds) has an ensuite marble bathroom.

The Towers at Lotte New York Palace

The Towers features 176 spacious guestrooms and suites, including 100 Towers rooms, 22 Executive Suites, 7 Tower Suites, 39 Corner Suites, and a selection of specialty suites. Enter through a private reception area complete with a dedicated Les Clefs d’Or concierge team. Towers guests also receive a few extra amenities such as:

• Maitre d’etage (butler) service
• Complimentary shoeshine and pressing
• Complimentary packing and unpacking service

Rooms and suites are located on floors 41 and higher of the hotel. A separate entrance adds to the exclusivity. You can book into the Towers at Lotte New York Palace with Virtuoso amenities, which is how we secured our reservation. We loved our welcome amenity.

Luxury Towers Room: Offered with a king bed or two queen beds, these generously-sized 465-square-foot rooms also offer breathtaking city views.

Towers Executive Suites: The west-facing, 655-square-foot suites have a small living space separated from a king bedroom by mirrored pocket doors in addition to guaranteed views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center and more.

Towers One Bedroom Suites: These 1075-square-foot suites are nice for those who need stylish space. Highlights include a separate king bedroom from a living room, views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, bedside touch-screen control of lights and window shades, deep soaking tubs and separate glass showers in the marble bathroom.

Towers Corner Suite (Where we stayed, a top pick)

The 1210-square-foot Tower Corner Suites feel more like a residence with lots of windows and skyline views, in our case to the East River. Ours did not have an L-shaped sofa as indicated on the room description but the sofa was plenty big. A round dining table for six, wet bar and larger marble master bathroom rounded out the experience.

I also appreciate generous bath amenities. I love Molton Brown and toiletries from deodorant to toothpaste were placed in the bathroom and replaced if we used it.

If prone to entertaining while in residence, the wet bar could come in handy (in addition to the copious amounts of seating in the living area). You’d need to ask the hotel to stock the wet bar with glassware and dishes as our cabinets were bare, but that was fine for us. A powder room in the entryway is also very nice to have for entertaining.

But, there are also larger and fancier suite options.

Towers Two Bedroom Corner Suites: These 1665-square-foot corner suites have one king bedroom and a two queen bedroom, in addition to a living room with sleeper sofas, two marble bathrooms, and a separate powder room.

Specialty Suites: Those looking for something lavish should consider The Towers’ selection of specialty suites that go up to 5000 square feet.

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Multiple Dining and Drinks Options

While we were unable to experience every outlet, the food at Lotte New York Palace restaurants is delicious. It’s also home to some of the cities best cocktail lounges. The full list is here.

Villard Restaurant

We enjoyed daily breakfast at Villard Restaurant, inside of the historic Villard Mansion. Everything we ordered across our stay was excellent. I couldn’t seem to deviate though from the avocado toast (every day it came out in a slightly different variation). My husband splurged on Country Shrimp and Grits and Thick Cut Billionaires’ Bacon while my daughter picked a variety of egg dishes.

Pomme Palais

When traveling with kids, I’m a massive fan of grab-and-go options. Lotte New York Palace is home to a lovely patisserie called Pomme Palais filled with tarts, sandwiches, juices, coffee drinks, salads and much more.

Trouble’s Trust

This popular New York cocktail bar is named after Leona Helmsley’s Maltese, Trouble, who inherited millions after her death. It’s located under the grand staircase and open from late afternoon into the evenings.

Tavern on 51

Or lounge with a vintage cocktail, glass of wine or coffee at Tavern on 51 with its period decor, a nod to its location inside the Villard Mansion.

Rarities

Guests of The Towers have access to the invite-only, 25-seat Rarities lounge, an exclusive haven for spirits lovers.

In-Room Dining

And, we did order quite a bit of delicious room service.

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Lotte New York Palace Spa and Fitness

A full-service spa offers a variety of massages, facials, body, and nail treatments in addition to eucalyptus steam rooms. Guests may also select from a list of in-room treatments and use the fitness center. Forget to pack your workout clothes? That’s okay; they have the complimentary gear to borrow and personal training services.

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Reserve The Palace or The Towers at Lotte New York Palace

The decision of whether to book The Palace or The Towers comes down to budget. The Towers at Lotte New York Palace is overall a nicer, more exclusive experience with upgraded room amenities and a more contemporary look. The Palace side is busier. If you’re looking for a suite, I’d suggest looking at what both sides have on offer during your stay.

My readers can reserve either The Palace or The Towers with value-added amenities.

The Palace Reservations

Book in with Travel Leader Select benefits (you’ll need to contact me) that include:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• $100 breakfast credit available in Villard Restaurant, Pomme Palais Bakery or via In-Room Dining
• $100 hotel credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

Please check Lotte New York Palace sale rates online first as the benefits above apply only to the Flexible Rate.

The Towers Reservations

The Towers at Lotte New York Palace also offers Travel Leader Select benefits, but it’s better to book in with Virtuoso benefits (you’ll be in higher in priority for an upgrade). These perks are:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Breakfast daily for two guests per bedroom (up to $100 value per day inclusive of taxes & gratuity) available in Villard Restaurant, Pomme Palais Bakery or via In-Room Dining
• $100 USD equivalent Hotel credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full, excludes parking, gift shop, and spa products)
• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

*You may need to be on the desktop version of Virtuoso.com to search rates and book online. To enable the desktop version of a hotel page from a mobile device, scroll down to the navy blue section at the bottom of the web page and click “Full Site.” When searching rates, do not input children ages 17 and under as they will be priced as adults. I’m notified when you book and will add them when I contact you about your reservation.

Lotte New York Palace Hotel
455 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Phone: (212) 888-7000