Weddingbee Blog

As I hinted in my previous blog, Mr. Butterfly and I have been researching hotels for several weeks now. We first wanted to have our hotel close to our OOT guests’ hotels, just in case something happened. But it turned out that we only booked 3 rooms total because everyone is staying with relatives, friends, and cheaper hotels. So this freed us up to choose a hotel anywhere in Manhattan. Well, anywhere within reasonable distance from the venue.

Anyway, I know I haven’t ranked my vendors in awhile, so I thought I would rank some of the hotels that we checked out.

Affinia Dumont

Pros: The people who took our reservations were perfectly nice and polite. It is a very clean hotel with all of the amenities of a luxury hotel. Priced very reasonably compared to other hotels around the city.

Cons: This hotel is not creme-de-la-creme by any means (its not the Ritz).

Overall Rating: B+

W New York - Times Square

Pros: The customer service people are SO nice. If you are an American Express Platinum member, you can take advantage of their guaranteed noon check in and guaranteed 4pm check out times. This comes in handy since on your wedding day, you will want to check in early to get ready and leave late the next day.

Cons: The suites are a bit smaller than your average one bedroom apartment (~520 square feet). Located in Times Square, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your plans for the day.

Overall Rating: A

Trump International Hotel & Tower

Pros: Overlooks Central Park. Has great amenities such as overnight laundry, 24 room service by Jean-Georges, babysitting services, etc. Definitely luxurious. AmEx holders get $100 spa credit and free breakfast.

Cons: Will not guarantee any early check in no matter what VIP program. You could try to check in early at noon, but end up waiting until 4pm for a room. Not great at all if you are trying to schedule your wedding day because nothing is gauranteed. Reservation manager was polite but completely inflexible (i.e. they could not care less that its your wedding day).

Overall Rating: B/B- (I’m probably being a bit harsh, but I can’t stand vendors who refuse to negotiate).

We ended up booking the W hotel. Why? Because even though it is in the middle of Times Square, I would rather pick a vendor who is accommodating. I honestly feel that the reason I’ve had such a smooth planning process is because I absolutely refused to deal with vendors who did not have great customer service. There have been several times when vendors were hard to get in touch with, forgetful and just plain mean. No matter how great their service may have been, I did not feel that they cared about my wedding and in the end, all I want is for them to care and be considerate. If not, I say chuck them and get someone new!! (I’m so mean~)