Hotel New York Review
Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel is a deluxe hotel at Disneyland that is currently closed for a top to bottom refurbishment. This review features room photos, along with thoughts on its quality and my experience of staying at the previous version of the hotel. (Updated May 6, 2020.)
Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel celebrates 80 years of Marvel storytelling in a typical New York setting, with a contemporary Art Deco style. The hotel is inspired by a New York art gallery, paying tribute to the city that is home to many iconic Marvel super heroes (including Iron Man, The Avengers, Spider-Man), plus the artists who created them.
When Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel reopens this summer, it will be the first hotel dedicated entirely to the celebration of Marvel art, with one of the largest publicly viewable collections of Marvel artwork in the world. Unfortunately, that the Art of Marvel hotel won’t be debuting as soon as previously expected…
Disneyland Paris has announced that construction on Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel has been temporarily put on hold. Consequently, the new-look hotel will miss its planned reopening date of June 15, 2020. Disneyland Paris has been reaching out to guests with reservations to offer refunds or rebooking vouchers for reservations made for dates through October 31, 2020.
While Disneyland Paris does not have a new opening date for Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel to announce right now, they have indicated more information will be shared once construction work can safely be resumed and it can be assessed when the hotel can debut.
The good news is that guests may choose a refund or rebook their vacation at the same price and under the same conditions Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel for future dates once the date of opening is known. We’d love to see Walt Disney World do the same. The US parks have not been locking in pricing, and the result has been that some guests have had to pay considerably more when rebooking their Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacations.
In terms of basics, Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel is about a 10 minute walk from Disneyland Paris, making it the second-closest hotel to Disneyland Paris and the Walt Disney Studios Park after Disneyland Hotel. A shuttle is also offered from the hotel to the parks.
With regard to class, Disney categorizes Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel as a “4 keys/stars” hotel, making it the second highest priced and second nicest in terms of their tiering after Disneyland Hotel.
Here are more details about Hotel New York, including the exterior and how the interior used to look…
Of late, there has been a rise in theme park lands that give guests the opportunity to step into their favorite stories, and be an active “participant” in the scene. With the hit 1990s sitcom Friends recently finding a brand new audience via Netflix, I think now is the time for Hotel New York to really cash in and be the first hotel that allows guests to step into the story.
There is (probably) a huge segment of the population that pines for the opportunity to set foot in Central Perk, dance in a fountain with their BFFs while The Rembrandts play in the background, and otherwise partake in the golden age of the Big Apple: 1994. Marketing genius that I am, if I were in charge of Disneyland Paris, I would change the name of Hotel New York to “Friends Season 1: The Hotel.” Now, I realize Hotel New York’s design actually dates before 1994, but I think it can pass for that glorious era.
This would obviate the need to update this woefully dated hotel, and hit that huge niche of people who want to go back in time and be a part of that amazing time in the Big Apple for those mischievous friends. Change the name on the marquee, maybe offer some Central Perk brand coffee, have the male Cast Members die their hair like Gunther and the female CMs get “The Rachel” haircut, and call it a day. Done and done. Maybe there could even be some Seinfeld tie-ins. Pirate shirts in lieu of robes in every closet!
In all seriousness, the datedness of this hotel is its principle problem, in my eyes. Judging by TripAdvisor reviews, almost none of which mention this issue (with most being resoundingly positive), perhaps I’m more sensitive to it than other travelers.
You can judge for yourself if you think the datedness of the hotel is a big deal in the photos here, but know they only tell part of the story…
The circa-1992 style is apparent as soon as you get to the check-in desk. The apples on the back wall have a style that look like they’d be a perfect fit for the opening scenes of Saved by the Bell. Now, you might think that this is a minor thing and it doesn’t look that bad.
Keep in mind that this is purportedly a luxury hotel where rooms start at the equivalent of around $500/night. For that price point, it is wholly unacceptable for it to still be stuck in 1992. That’s nearly 25 years without any substantial updates to many areas of the hotel.
Other areas of the lobby don’t look as bad, and have the distinct look of something designed by Michael Graves. It’s probably hard to tell from this photo, but there is this interesting, Art Deco meets neon look to much of the hotel. I don’t know what that’s about, but I suppose there are worse styles…
There are Mets and the Yankees logos on the floor of the lobby, and nods throughout the hotel to various aspects of New York City. This is all pretty cool, and if I were a European who had never been to New York City, it would probably be pretty cool to see all of this.
Aside from the New York City Bar, where I ate dinner each night after returning from the parks, I didn’t sample the other restaurants in the hotel. I did enjoy New York City Bar, and found the service there to be impeccable.
Outside of the hotel at Christmas there is ice skating in the style of Rockefeller Center, which is a nice touch. I’m actually a fan of the general style of the exterior. While it does look distinctly like a Michael Graves creation, and has a certain coldness to it, so long as “New York” is the theme, I don’t know how else the hotel could be designed to that theme.
It has a certain post-modern and almost abstract look that does effectively evoke that look. Perhaps it could use a refresh in terms of color scheme and a good power-wash, but I think overall, the exterior works. It’s not my personal cup of tea thematically, but I can’t knock it.
My room in Hotel New York was one of the “Empire State Club Lake View” rooms. For my stay, the approximate cost of this club level room would have been around $650-700/night. (In the interest of full disclosure, I did not pay for my room.) Club level gets you exclusive check-in, access to the Empire State Club lounge for breakfast and snacks, VIP FastPass, and “additional services,” whatever that means.
To start, I am not a proponent of club level or concierge at any Disney hotel, and would never book this category of rooms if paying myself. As compared to real world hotels, I think Disney concierges don’t offer the same level of service and expertise, nor do they have connections to “hook you up,” as the kids say. Likewise, club level lounges often lack the amenities found in their real world counterparts.
With that said, I went in with an open mind, but Hotel New York vindicated my thinking on this. While the Empire State Club served a nice selection of light snacks, meats, and cheeses, it felt like a slightly upscale version of the breakfast normally offered at the hotel. I think club level here offers poor value for money, unless you have a large party and you’re going at such a busy time that those VIP FastPasses will come in handy (crowds were so light that I didn’t even use them).
Now, you might say that anyone shelling out $700/night for a hotel room isn’t concerned with value for money, but I’d counter by saying that many well-off individuals didn’t get to be that way by spending recklessly. I suppose your mileage may vary.
As for the quality of the room, I think it pretty well speaks for itself in these photos. Worth noting is that the bedding and pillows were extremely nice. This was the high point of the room, and a stark contrast to the hard bedding found at Sequoia Lodge in our previous stay there. Based on photos I’ve seen of the rooms previously, I’d say the bedding has been redone in the last year or so.
Aside from the bedding, the room felt dated. The furniture seemed worse for wear, and the general style and visual motifs (those darned apples!) looked like it was stuck in 1992. Even the television was old! (Presumably because modern LCD televisions are widescreen and wouldn’t fit in the cabinet. On the plus side, there was an excellent little espresso machine in the room. That was probably the second best part of the room after the bedding.
The third best part about the room is the ’10 Things to Know Before You Go’ with Sophie, who is basically the Disneyland Paris version of Stacey. This station was always on whenever I was in the room. SORTED!
The bathroom was likewise dated, albeit clean and well-maintained. I’m not sure what the deal with it was, but the bathtub was incredibly deep.
I had to take a running start and leap over the edge just to get into the shower. Kidding, but I really have no clue why this thing is so deep. I’d say perhaps it’s a French thing, but I haven’t noticed it elsewhere in France.
To the room’s credit, it was incredibly clean and even though the style felt like it was straight out of the early-90s, aside from the furniture, it was all very well maintained. Either a good job is done with maintenance, or these rooms have been refurbished with the same design retained. I’m not sure which, but I guess kudos in that regard.
Overall, I think Hotel New York offers the absolute worst value for money of any Disney hotel, anywhere. Even the overpriced Grand Floridian is significantly better in that regard. Hotel New York is simply too dated and doesn’t offer a compelling “hook” to make that datedness forgivable. The hotel does have potential if it receives a top-to-bottom refurbishment (as seems to be the trend with Disneyland Paris hotels), so maybe within the next couple of years it can modernize and really offer an urbane and contemporary take on the Big Apple…because the cutesy little apples everywhere in the hotel simply don’t do the trick.
I hate to be so hard on the hotel, especially given that Disneyland Paris is a common whipping boy for so many Disney fans, but this hotel just doesn’t pass muster for me. Despite all of its faults, I actually am a huge fan of Disneyland Paris, and I am rooting for it to turn a corner and become the world-class destination I know it can be. For those wanting some practical advice, rather than staying at Hotel New York, I would book a room at Disneyland Hotel (if money is no object) or Sequoia Lodge (I’m a big fan of that hotel–read my Sequoia Lodge Review for more info).
The former offers an unparalleled experience and has really grown on me as I’ve explored it more, and the latter is a great hotel, especially after its recent refurbishment. Disneyland Paris discounts are abundant, so it’s unlikely you’re going to pay the rack rates I’ve listed here, but I wouldn’t stay at Hotel New York for even half those prices–and if Hotel New York is offering discounts, so too will the cheaper and superior Sequoia Lodge.
For the basics of planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Want to see more photos or read about Disneyland Paris in agonizing detail? Check out our Disneyland Paris 20th Anniversary Trip Report or our Disneyland Paris 25th Anniversary Trip Recap!
Your Thoughts…
Have you ever stayed at the previous version of Disney’s Hotel New York? What did you think of it? Planning a stay at Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel ? Anything with which you disagree in this post? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
I worked in this Hotel when it was being built . I’m a construction worker from Scotland. I loved my time here prior to the park opening but even while we were finishing the hotel off it was dated .
First impression – friendly staff but service is absolutely shambolic in all respects. We paid for category 1 tickets at tomorrow’s wild west show. We had to reschedule due to my son being unwell. They rebooked us as category 2 and now say they are too full to do anything about their mistake. It rained this evening so we want to eat in the hotel. We can’t, their restaurants don’t have enough capacity. Tried room service. They won’t let us order without a menu. But there’s no menu in our room. And 3 of the 5 lights in our room don’t work. Finally got the menu sent up to us. Now they won’t let us book unless either we pay in cash or physically go down to reception to register our credit card. Did someone say room for process improvement? Maybe they can’t be bothered in light of the pending refurb. Can’t think of any other reason for such shoddiness – they are hardly beginners at this game. Here’s hoping tomorrow is better.
Apples. Everywhere! With something wrong looking about them. Too round? Maybe. It’s the *2* leaves on top. NYC apple is not almost perfectly round, & with one leaf.
NYC was my stomping grounds in the early 90s. With the myriad of great design choices, I’m disappointed this decor has more in common with Coney Island. The facade is cool (your 1st pic on top is awesome!) & the lobby reminiscent of the shops in Port Authority I guess. But I’d rather see a nod to something like Grand Central or Empire State Lobby, especially if they’re charging as an upscale hotel.
In Seinfeld/Friends-era NYC I remember lots of the color red burgundy & lots of velvet. And lots of burgundy velvet, lol. Glad they didn’t run with that.
My girlfriend and I stayed at this hotel last year for a nice reduced price. However what I thought after two nights was “this is it?”. The distance to the park was very nice and looking out of the window gave this nice view of the action in Disney village. However I did not feel like we were staying at the second best hotel of Disneyland Paris.
Good to read that the club rooms are not so special. I was really curious in the elevator looking at the locked buttons for the club level and imagining that those rooms must be where the real value is. Good to know there isnt any value there!
Next time we’ll just stay at the lodge again!
Even though this is a Michael Graves product, these images only made me think of the WDW All-Star resorts, albeit with nicer rooms. Looks like the New York-New York Hotel in Vegas is themed better than this! That may not be a fair comparison, I have only walked through and never stayed there, but considering this is the only hotel I’ve looked at that is themed this way, I can’t help but draw comparison. I’m looking to book at Disneyland Paris this fall and and am convinced to stay off site. Thanks for your reviews!
Thanks for this review! Despite visiting Disneyland Paris (much) more frequently than any sane person should, I can never justify staying on site when perfectly decent hotels can be found a 5-minute RER ride from the parks at a fraction of the price, so it’s great to get the “guest room” insight.
It’s interesting you comment on the depth of the bath – I remember being disappointed with the depth of the bath in the Dolphin, thinking that it wasn’t big enough to drown a mouse (if you’ll pardon the expression ;-)).
I definitely agree on the public areas though. For some reason I’ve grown to like Graves’ style of architecture, so the building gets a bigger pass than it might otherwise deserve.
It’s (possibly) a shame you didn’t dine at the Manhattan Restaurant – I thought it was well themed to a sort of upmarket New York lounge, and it’s been my best (reasonably priced) meal so far. For added fun, all the hotels seem utterly bemused by the idea that you’d eat there despite not being an on-site guest – Manhattan was clearly most un-used to it as the slightly bizarre procedure (for an upmarket restaurant) was to pay at the maître d’s desk, as that’s their only credit card machine!
Thanks to you and David regarding the comments on the bath. Now that I think about it, aside from one apartment in Paris, I’ve only stayed at American chains (Hyatt, Hilton) in Europe, so that could explain why I’ve never encountered the deeper bath. Or perhaps I just forgot!
I wanted to dine at Manhattan Restaurant, but when I was there, the Euro was very strong against the dollar, making the already high prices of Disneyland Paris even higher. I really want to head back now that the dollar has gained strength and try out the pricier spots.
I think that maybe the art deco meets neon thing would be described as “Memphis”, as in Memphis Group, which was a much maligned Italian postmodern movement Michael Graves was part of. It used a lot of abstract shapes and bright colors. At his best, though I think Graves has a lot of Streamline Moderne going on — that’s the linear, slightly nautical deco style you see a lot of in Hollywood Studios, which might be why you don’t totally hate it.
I know I’ve mentioned before ’round here that I think this style is on its way back in (hard to see for those of us who grew up with it!). They really, really need to refresh those rooms, though. New wallpaper and curtains and some paint touch-ups would go a long way. And I’d vote for just removing the sports stuff, but that’s just me.
Some TV show touches would totally not be out of place, either! Maybe a themed restaurant? And how about a free movie theater playing classic New York movies on a loop? They need to make that high price worth it somehow..
Interesting info about Memphis Group and the other styles. I’ll have to read up on it further.
Some more authentic New York touches might be nice, or a truly classic, timeless Art Deco style might work well. A movie theater with New York films would be great (although I don’t see that happening), too!
Its a standard bathtub or “Bath” as we say in the UK. We have them deep and I find the US bathtubs strangely shallow hehe!
First, Tom, this review proves why you are a respected voice in the fan community (I’ve respected you for years, but not the point). Anyone who gets a free $700 room from a company and then proceeds to rip the property (mostly fairly IMHO) is someone whose voice is worth listening to.
I’ve never stayed here. Or dined here. I have walked through it probably 8-10 times in the past. It feels like the Graves designed Swan and Dolphin did in the 2001-2003 era, just before their first top to bottom refurbs. Obviously, this hotel, which opened about two years after those has needed updating for quite a while but Euro Disney’s financials made that an impossibility.
The hotel is going to be fully closed for a year to 18 months as soon as the Newport Bay Club renovations are finished (and they are looking very nice) and redone from top to bottom. So, staying and reviewing it now was sorta an exercise in wasted time, but thankfully for you, not wasted cash or credit.
I would expect it to be modern and warmer when finished. The bar that you dined in nightly was redone a few years ago and you probably noticed that it didn’t feel as depressing as the rest of the hotel did.
I still will only stay at Sequoia Lodge right now at DLP. Hotel Santa Fe was redone as well, but the place looks like a government housing project in New Mexico that might have been featured on an episode of Breaking Bad!
Newport Bay, where I stayed years ago and vowed never to return, is really looking good, though.
I figured Hotel New York was slated for a top to bottom refurb at some point as I’ve heard it’s the plan for all of the hotels, but I didn’t realize it was going to be so soon, and actually close. Thanks for the info.
I went to Newport Bay a couple of times when I was there at Christmas, and it was looking both bad and good. The areas inside that had been completed looked great. The incomplete (and not behind scaffolding) areas of the exterior looked awful–dilapidated and filthy. I’m sure it’ll look nice when fully done, though.
Although I haven’t stayed there, I think Hotel Cheyenne looks nice *for a value resort.* It actually has an interesting theme that is reasonably well done. I could see myself staying there. I agree about Santa Fe…even after the refurb there’s just something really unappealing about the overall look. Sequoia Lodge remains my hotel of choice there. I absolutely love it.
Sounds like a bit of a dud of a hotel… especially for those of us from the USA for whom NYC is not a foreign concept. Random comment – On the deep bathtub thing, I’ve definitely seen that elsewhere in Europe. I stayed in a couple apartments in Germany & Austria with similar tub designs.
Interesting. I guess maybe the bathtub *is* a European thing, then. I can’t say I’ve stayed in a ton of European hotels, but I hadn’t noticed it elsewhere. Thanks for the info!