Four Seasons Hotel New York vs Four Seasons Bora Bora

The I.M. Pei limestone tower and the 52-storey lobby still stop people in their tracks, and on Central Park South that setting alone justifies a lot. The staff, over and over, is what guests remember — a bellman named Eddie, a concierge who got someone into every restaurant on their list, a bartender named Olga who adjusted an over-salted appetizer without being asked twice. That kind of consistent, unprompted staff-naming across unrelated stays doesn't happen at a hotel that's coasting.

The rooms are the catch, and travelers who know the brand elsewhere say so plainly: this reopened in late 2024 after a long closure and the guest rooms did not get the full overhaul some expected. Multiple stays describe furniture, fixtures and artificial flowers that read more 1990s hotel than 2020s Four Seasons, and more than one longtime FS guest has called it a noticeable step down from the brand's other flagships. The bathrooms and finishes are the specific complaint that keeps surfacing, alongside occasional housekeeping and room-service misses that feel out of step with the price.

Book it for the location, the lobby, and a staff that still performs like it's 1993 in the best sense — walking distance to the park, Fifth Avenue and Midtown's best restaurants, with a team that will genuinely go out of its way. Anyone chasing the newest rooms in the category has other options in the city; anyone who wants the classic New York hotel experience, done by people who still care, should book the higher floors and not worry about the decor.

The Mount Otemanu view from an overwater bungalow here is the reason people put this island on the list in the first place, and traveler after traveler, years apart, says the same thing: these are the biggest bungalows in Bora Bora, the glass floors and lagoon access are the real deal, and the grounds and beach beat every other resort on the island. Guides get named constantly and unprompted, snorkeling tours draw genuine praise, and the breakfast buffet and Ari Moana outperform the regional competition. That part of the case is not in dispute.

Spiderwebs reappearing daily and discoloration on bathroom walls near the restaurants, which guests call borderline mold, show up across multiple 2025 and 2026 stays, not just one unlucky trip. Front desk and pool service is the inconsistent half of an otherwise warm staff culture. Nobody swims off their own bungalow deck either, thanks to a swim-flag system that rarely turns green. Guests comparing it to the St. Regis next door consistently trade sharper service and better marine life there for bigger rooms and better mountain views here.

Book it for the bungalow, the lagoon, and grounds nothing else on the island touches — not for flawless execution, and go in knowing the villas are overdue for a real refresh.