Jerusalem Report

Outside of Israel, it is nearly impossible to be 100 percent Sabbath-observant in a hotel anywhere. You make a reservation and arrive late Friday afternoon, luggage and Shabbat food in hand, only to find out that you are on the 19th floor, or that the door to your room only operates with an electronic entrance card. Even in New York, it’s not always easy. But a few hotels stand out.

During a recent stay at Manhattan’s Gramercy Park Hotel (2 Lexington Ave. at 21st Street; 212-475-4320 or toll free at 800-221-4083), the Sabbath came together nicely. My request for a room I could walk to was accommodated, and the stairway up to the third floor was carpeted and well-lit. An older hotel, the room only had a key lock. When I opened the various closet doors, I felt I’d hit the Shabbat jackpot. One housed a mini refrigerator (no light to have to darken inside) and a ceiling light. With the closet open, the light allowed for nighttime reading and ambience during Shabbat dinner; closed, it allowed for undistracted sleep. Another closet had a non-electronic safe for storing valuables.

The morning was equally Shabbat-friendly. After a bit of negotiating, the operator acceded to my request to just let my wake-up call ring. Instead of it ringing every five minutes until I answered, she made “a special note” to have it stopped after three cycles of rings. No problem either with my required cup of morning coffee. The manager at the pay-as-you-go Continental breakfast agreed to write my name and room number after I flashed him my key. I paid the bill when I checked out.

Hotels that are more upscale and those located uptown are more familiar with “unusual” requests. At the Regency, for example (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street; 866-815-9330), the front desk, unable to issue keys in place of swipe cards, always called someone to open my room door when they saw me enter the lobby. The Milburn (242 West 76th St. between Broadway and West End; 212-362-1006) will exchange the swipe card for a key before Shabbat. And for those out-of-town guests who aren’t invited for a home-cooked Shabbat meal, the Milburn’s kitchenette, complete with microwave, oven and refrigerator, makes dining in easy.