Tenants applaud Mercedes House amenities—except ping pong

By Polly Mosendz | April 23, 2014 - 8:59AM

The building: Mercedes House, 550 West 54th Street

What you'll pay: Rentals available now start at $2,850 a month for a studio, with one-bedrooms ranging from $3,300 to $4,000 a month for larger units with better views. A two-bedroom is available for $6,290 a month.

Amenities: Health center, gym, parking, indoor pool, outdoor pool, two outdoor decks, sunbathing lawn, bocce court, yoga area, indoor basketball court, boxing studio, outdoor putting green, indoor/outdoor ping pong, outdoor amphitheater, juice bar, spinning studio, spa, doorman, concierge. Tenants pay $80 per month, but a current promotion waives the fees for the duration of a one- or two-year lease. Non-residents can pay $130 a month to use the amenities by joining the so-called Mercedes Club.

Which amenities do you swear by?

Jason: Just about everything.

Seilan: All of the fitness center equipment, but not the decks much. Maybe this summer.

Patti: Pretty much all of it, I love the decks and the lawn the most.

Which do you never use?

Jason: I’ve never played ping pong. But I probably would.

Seilan: The lawn, the decks, the parking. I feel like no one uses the parking.

Patti: I don’t use the parking. I have a gym membership so I don’t use the fitness center too often, only when I’m feeling lazy.

What surprised you?

Jason: For such a huge building, there are a lot of regulars at the gym. I found a running buddy the week I moved in.

Seilan: It's everything I imagined a luxury building would be.

Patti: The spa services are really high end.

Did you move here for the amenities?

Jason: Definitely, there’s no other place like this in the city.

Seilan: Yeah, that’s what it's famous for.

Patti: I guess so. I wanted to live somewhere a little removed. I happened to get somewhere really over the top.

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