Grand Salon

I came here for tea and had a great experience. The décor was absolutely impressive and stunning… and the ambiance, incredibly incredibly relaxed and quiet.
any ways the staff were incredibly sophisticated and polite, I had the petit fours on the side and the tea was superb. My friend also had tea and a glass of wine and well i found the experience to be positive. This isn’t a restaurant, this is a place to come have a coffee or a drink and munch on something on the side and chat with a friend or business meeting in peace or look over your paper work. This is not a place to come and expect a dining experience, for that go to their restaurant downstairs.
this is a lounge don’t come here having other expectations (as the person’s essay below)

I really wanted to give this establishment a 5 star, I really do, but couldn’t and here’s why I wanted to and why I didn’t. I’ve experienced different Baccarat products since longtime and of course a fan of its artisanal craftsmanship, beauty and timeless functionality too. Anyway, while staying for the first time at the hotel I lounged at this space in the 2^nd floor which also houses a bar at the far end of the corridor which I’m not interested in but looks classically decorated in red black and white, and an adjacent «petit salon» that is partially separated from the grand salon by a sliding door. Everything there is of excellent taste, so French and emits that aura of that Parisian hard to get combination of seemingly natural beauty «but carefully attended to!» and effortless elegance at the same time. Soothing relaxing neutral colors with pops of beautiful large vases of red roes bouquets, excellent showroom of everything Baccarat, BRILLIANT broken-​effect «or zig-​zag» whole glass wall at the background of the salon overlooking 53^rd st. Good bites, my French press wasn’t the best but good and that sounds funny now cause I’m really not being harsh or ironic it’s the truth and I love French press for its smoothness and richness. Anyway, everything is really beautiful, I’d definitely with zero hesitation bring my significant other or my cherished intimate loves of my life here at anytime, definitely not for male business meetings or large families or children! I wouldn’t even lounge by myself because seeing all this beauty and romance breeze would definitely make me feel bad for myself:) So why I took 2 stars off then? Basically and briefly for the respective 2 points:1) Not so up to the level service. Especially all the female workers, even if they looked good, still. One guy only was excellent but even not attentive, just as the rest of them, we had to wait everytime for long, which is not acceptable at such places and I’m not being a stuck up but just realistic speaking at the level of the establishment and the $$ to pay at the end. 2) Everything screams «I’m a sophisticated French., je né sais quoi:)., I’m in my secret back of my head think I’m better than you»:) and I accept that and don’t have a problem with it because I know it already and find it cute/​funny in someway, but the minor problem here is that everything screams that just a little so loudly than it should be! And I deeply hope since the business is relatively the newest in town they expeditiously attend to this hostess issue because absolutely the venue has potential BUT the overall ambience and customer satisfaction requires more beyond elegant surroundings. And on the same note I noticed the same issue with just almost all the other «French» businesses opening in the States except to be so frank, exact and just the 57^th st Saint Laurent shop «which is now temp. relocated next to women’s Bergdorf» and only that store and idk why but that’s great and makes me comfortable! The hostess at the Grand Salon doesn’t have to «mistakingly» throw whole sentences and make me ask her what does that mean ma’am! I frequent France a lot and the difference in the expected perceived «French» attitude strikes me between here and there, and the only reason I could think of behind that is that they «want» to prove here that they’re actually French, which makes me just go «ugh.!» nothing else. Attitude here is way more «French» than it is in Brittany! and if someone only heard about the French and came here I believe they’ll go like «mmm, this is it then, yeah I see now!». I recommend this place to check out, but definitely there are more competing choices nearby too.