As of December 2006, the hotel is undergoing reconstruction, a fact conveniently omitted when we booked the room directly with the hotel.
We awoke the first morning to jack-hammers and electric drills in the room above ours. We were then moved to a 'quieter' room, this one had jack-hammers and drills in the adjacent room. Aside from the inexcusable omission about the construction, the overall service at this 'classic' is simply not worth the $600+ price.
The shower stall wasn't sealed, resulting in the tiny bathroom flooding with each shower. The Kiehl amenities were missing until we begged the staff for them. Later, we discovered that the staff tops up partially used Kiehl bottles with tap water, rather than replacing them with new ones! The robes in the room were tattered and had to be replaced. The internet connector cable was broken and had to be replaced. The concierge's telephone line is always busy.
The doormen are usually MIA, so you get to hail your own taxi (you can tell when they are on duty - they turn on the outside overhead heaters, an amenity not provided to mere guests!) The room service is dreadfully slow (plan at least an hour for food to arrive). And the final straw came when the staff moved us to the new 'quieter' room: Whoever moved our luggage, reached inside and took the box of complimentary chocolates originally provided by the hotel!