“Stay away.. try other options.”
Where do I start? Well.. I book a lot of hotels using priceline for one night on 11/30-12/1 . I booked this one with priceline as well. The hotel does not offer breakfast or parking as opposed to many other hotels in the Brooklyn area. I found better options and I contacted the hotel to see what the cancellation policy was. I was told it was 48 hours. I was out of that 48 hours, so I contacted priceline to have it cancelled. When priceline contacted the hotel, they were told that third party sites (expedia, priceline, etc) have a 72 hour cancellation policy, so since I was outside the 48 hours, but inside the 72 hours, it could not be cancelled.
I really don't undestand why guests are treated different just based on where they book their reservation. I had the idea that treating people different was something from the past... it still happens.
I had no other choice but to stay there. I contacted the hotel the morning of my check in to arrange for 2 beds since I was traveling with a family member. I was told there was a $20 charge for getting 2 beds. I have stayed at other hotels in New York including Manhattan and at well known hotel chains and have never experienced a problem or charge when asking for 2 beds.
I wanted to speak to a manager. The manager never picked up the phone, but the front desk agent told me it was going to be waived.
We checked in around 8pm. I was given a room on the 21st floor. When the elevator doors opened, the music was so loud. I walked in the room, put my bag down. I could hear everything that the person next door was talking, and like many other reviews, just a normal conversation can be heard from the room next door clearly. There is no sense of privacy at all.
I went outside, asked an employee about the music. I was told it was until 2am. Went inmediately downstairs to request another room. I don't know how someone could be ok with a room up there with the music so loud. I'm young and I do enjoy partying, but sometimes you just want to get some rest. I'm a manager in the customer service industry as well... I dont know who wouldn't mind that music until 2am. I believe the hotel is loosing revenue from at least 4 or 5 floors of rooms. Don't forget those walls are paper thin.
I got a new room with no problems on the 13th floor. Again another room where I even heard the guy next door sneeze. It was room 1301 or 1303. It did face the back of the hotel.
I was up by 6 am after going to sleep well pass midnight. I could hear everything on the TV from the person next door. He had ESPN on and at normal volume. He made a call on his phone and kept sneezing. Then at 7am, a hydraulic hammer from the construction next door. What a nightmare.
I booked this hotel trying to stay away from Manhattan and the crow, but it was actually worst. I got no rest at all. Instead of enjoying the trip, it was one of those times that you can't wait to get home. There is no privacy in the rooms at all. Upon reading some reviews here, I realized all double rooms are connecting rooms. That is a huge problem!!!!!
Now parking. Another nightmare. Vic's has a monopoly over parking. Again, look for other options in Brooklyn. There are many hotels with complimentary breakfast and parking. Parking here was $25 for self and $39 for valet. Please realize that Brooklyn is not Manhattan!
I asked the front desk where else I could park. Good luck if you get an answer. They don't even provide any other ideas or suggestions other than Vic's. I did refuse to park with Vic's. They have a monopoly there at night since they are of the of the few open and maybe the closest to the hotel. You still have to walk about 2 blocks to get to their lot. I checked the signs on the street and park on the street for free. Just keep an eye on which side you can park on for that night. As long as you pick your car up before 9am, you dont have to pay.
The hotel should have options for guests, not just Vic's. There are plenty of lots around.
The hotel itself looks nice. The rooms are very small, but ok. Everything has been designed properly. I did not encounter any big issues with service, other than the front desk agent refusing to offer any other ideas for parking. Now, if you want to get some rest, this is really NOT the place for you. The privacy at all and construction noise since 7am. There are other options in Brooklyn with breakfast and parking included.
I noticed management have answered to some reviews.. I really don't see what they have done for customers with bad experiences.. but it is what it is. From my end, I think I'm entitled to at least a refund for half of what I paid for my stay. I think I deserved it after having such a bad experience and getting no rest at all because of the paper thin dividers between rooms. (I wouldn't call that a wall)
Management should also come up with solutions to address the privacy and noise issues between rooms. It will make stays a lot better for guests.
By the way, I emailed the hotel directly over a week ago and still haven't heard from anybody. At least at my company, we follow up with guests.....
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
December 18, 2012
Dear DV V,
I wanted to reach out to you and first of all thank you for your comments regarding you stay with us here at the Aloft Hotel in Brooklyn. Comments from guests, both good and bad, are always shared with the staff and management so they know how to better serve our guests. I must apologize though as I can see your stay was not what you thought is was going to be.
Our cancellation policy is 48 hours and I don't understand why Priceline would tell you its 72. I will be contacting them to find out what the communication error is. There also appears to be many other aspects of the hotel you didn't like and I apologize for all of those areas.
We understand that our hotel is not the typical NYC hotel and cater to the young and young at heart, this explains our music, food selection and decor. We do however offer breakfast at the hotel and unlike a few other hotels, it is not complimentary. Our location also prohibits us from offering complimentary parking, but we do offer self and valet parking through Vics Parking around the corner from the hotel.
Again, please accept my apologies for your experience at our hotel. I will be sharing your comments with the manager and staff this week.
Hoping you have a great holliday and a wonderful new year.
Best Regards,
Karl
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.