The honest review of Aman New York

The private residences felt more like a real home than a hotel room, while still keeping the privacy I wanted.

Robb Report·May 2026·

Staying in one of the residences rather than a standard room, the space felt warmer and more lived-in than a typical hotel accommodation. Discretion was clearly built into how the floor operated. It's a different experience from a standard suite stay, aimed at people who want a home base rather than a hotel room.

Aman had the better rooms and vibe of the two, but the Waldorf's staff remembered our names and Aman's didn't.

We split a long weekend between the two properties. Aman's rooms were modern, dark, and moody with a distinct Asian-influenced feel, and the jazz club here had cozier, more private booths than what the other hotel offered. But the butler service we'd been told about wasn't there in any real way, and the concierge wasn't much help when we needed it. My wife actually preferred the food here to the other hotel, so it wasn't all one-sided.

The rooms are great and the spa was amazing, but don't expect the resort-level butler experience the website suggests.

We stayed four nights in a Fifth Avenue junior suite overlooking Trump Tower and Tiffany, and the build quality was obvious everywhere. The iPad room controls made everything seamless, and the two-hour couples spa experience with the sauna and plunge pools before the massage was excellent. Service was fine but the advertised butler service simply didn't exist for us, and with how limited some restaurant and spa availability was, an actual working butler would have helped a lot. The concierge couldn't get us into places like Tatiana's without a reservation already in hand.

The spa here might be the best changing room experience I've had anywhere, and the jazz club is worth a trip on its own.

The spa treatments were excellent and the locker room setup was the nicest I've encountered at a city hotel. The jazz club downstairs is genuinely worth visiting even if you're not a guest. Food was good without being a highlight, which is fine given how many great restaurants are nearby. Service was solid, about what you'd expect from a five-star hotel rather than anything beyond that.

The rooms and soundproofing are some of the best I've seen in a city hotel, but this didn't feel like the Aman I know.

We stayed in the entry-level Deluxe Suite on 56th Street, about 725 square feet, which is the largest starting room I've found in the city. The design leans more Tokyo than New York, with tilting panels separating the bathroom from the main room, but the soundproofing is remarkable: I watched emergency vehicles pass with lights and sirens and heard nothing. My main issue was the one-way communication on the butler iPad, since I'd rather text a real person than tap a screen.

“best sound proofing I have ever experienced anywhere in the world”in their words

Trying to book a spa suite for a special occasion turned into a runaround between reservations and the spa desk.

I called reservations about a special occasion and was basically told to book online, which wasn't the level of attention I was hoping for. I wanted one of the spa suites, and after being transferred around, the spa team said they couldn't confirm my booking because reservations hadn't processed it properly, even though they said they'd hold it. I ended up booking online myself and sending the confirmation to the spa directly because nobody called me back when they said they would.

I travel here every few months just for this hotel, and the spa completely changed how I feel about spas in general.

The rooms are stunning across every category I've tried, from the basic room up to the suites, though I'm not sure the suites are worth the extra cost. My one complaint is there's no true full-length mirror in the room, though housekeeping brought one up when I called. The spa's sauna and cold plunge routine was incredible, and they even arranged hair, makeup, and IV drip services delivered to my room. The pool was underwhelming and didn't blow me away, but the restaurants handled my vegetarian diet well even if the room service menu felt a bit limited.

This is the quietest hotel room I've ever stayed in in Midtown, and the spa alone makes the price easier to accept.

I've stayed in plenty of city hotels and the acoustic engineering here is the best I've experienced anywhere. Jean-Michel Gathy's rooms run dark and tactile, lit almost like candlelight, and the suites are enormous by New York standards with a working fireplace I actually used. The three-floor spa with its 65-foot pool, Banya, and Hammam suites is resort-grade wellness stacked above Fifth Avenue. The building is close to flawless, but the service occasionally forgets itself.

“made midtown go silent”in their words

The rooms are gorgeous but the views were a letdown once I realized the lobby sits way above where the actual guest rooms are.

My room was spacious, well-finished, and had a soaking tub and working fireplace that made it genuinely cozy. What I didn't realize going in is that the lobby starts on the 14th floor while guest rooms sit lower, around floors 7 to 12, so the views from most rooms were underwhelming. The gym was solid but nothing special, and the indoor pool, while beautiful, was noticeably cold with no complimentary access to the jacuzzi or cold plunge unless I paid for the full Banya experience. My sister's massage was good but she didn't think it was worth the price given how little came with it.

I haven't stayed yet, but the exterior on 57th Street doesn't match what I'd expect from the most expensive hotel in New York.

I live in the city and pass this hotel often, and the windows on the floors just above street level are visibly streaked and dirty every time I walk by. The entrance carpet has noticeable staining and wear that hasn't been addressed, and the artificial vines by the entrance look out of place with the rest of the brand. I'm sure the interiors are beautiful, but for what this property charges, the first impression outside should already feel exceptional.

It felt like there were more staff than guests, and every one of them was warm and genuinely helpful.

My stay was refined and attentive from the start, with highly personalized service throughout the property. The location made exploring Manhattan simple, and the rooms were thoughtfully designed with high-end finishes. We used the spa, which was tranquil and restorative, and spent an evening at the jazz club, which was a lot of fun. Fresh flowers were everywhere and the whole property had a calm, sophisticated feel.

We picked this hotel to celebrate our tenth anniversary and the checkout turned into a genuinely stressful mess.

The room itself was beautiful and comfortable, and the design and atmosphere reflected exactly what I'd expect from the brand. But at checkout there was billing confusion combined with an unexpected flooding issue in the lobby, which turned what should have been a celebratory send-off into something chaotic and uncomfortable for my family. I followed up afterward by email and never heard back, which was disappointing given how attentive the brand is supposed to be.