The Maritime Hotel is located in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan in NYC. As with most, it is close to shops and eatery’s including the Chelsea Market. It brands itself as a boutique hotel that has a specific theme which it clearly projects with its décor and architecture. It is also one of the more affordable options within the area, and NYC, in general. They offer valet parking for a fee which is a good option and, again, at a slightly cheaper rate over most establishments in the area. There usually is a bellhop waiting outside to either assist you with your baggage and/or arrange the valet parking of your vehicle. The lobby is quite unique in a sense that it is designed unlike most hotel lobbies. It resembles a library as it is adorned with quite a few lounge chairs and tables along with waist-high shelves, resembling sideboards, filled with books. The area is not brightly lit which adds to the distinctiveness of the setting. Their décor also includes a few miniature ships that adorn some of the cornice area (where a lobby wall meets the ceiling). The attached restaurant, Catch Steak NYC, is towards the back and to the left of the lobby just past the elevator bank. The hotel has 12 floors and I would suggest requesting for a room at the higher floors since it will likely afford a great view of the area. Another aspect that separates them from other hotels, in general, is with their check-in and check-out times, which is 3:00 pm and 12:00 pm, respectively. That is a full hour before the usual 4:00 pm check-in and another full hour before the typical 11:00 am check-out, and most notably, without the extra fee most, if not all, hotels would charge. We arrived quite early to take in the sights and sounds of NYC on our check-in day. When we approached the reception and requested for an early check-in (and expecting to pay a fee), the hotel staff, upon checking for any availability, courteously checked us in without the extra charge and even assigned us a corner room (which, I believe, is priced higher than non-corner units). In keeping with the theme, the hallways and doors are designed similar to what you’d find and see in an actual cruise ship. This may be the only time where the low ceiling would really be acceptable (again, a la cruise ship). Upon entry into our room, we were greeted by a good amount of natural light emanating from the one window the room had. And again, in keeping with the theme, it is round, as one would see in cruise ships, but it is way larger in size. The window can be opened slightly to let in some of the noise and smell of the area but why do that when you can enjoy the air condition during a nice summer day. The room is not immense in size but they make up for it in its content. The bed is nice and soft including the sheets that covered it. Some may not care for the pillows as it may just be the softest in the industry. There is a small TV on top of a table or desk attached to the wall. Both the table and the mirror extends to the entire length of the wall. The TV, while not one of the bigger sizes does include cable. There are quite a few lighting and lamp fixtures including in the two small shelving that encapsulates the head part of both sides of the bed. One closet hides the stocked mini refrigerator, other snacks and drinks that would be available for a fee (we did not touch any of those). The other closet includes the iron and ironing board. Both closet has a light inside that turns on when you open them. The room is already better than most just by including the basic (i.e., refrigerator, cable TV, large window) things people would look for in a hotel unit. The bathroom, while not the most modern nor fully appointed, much like the room itself, is clean and designed accordingly. The shower had enough pressure and, more importantly, you did not have to fish for and wait for the hot water to make an appearance. The tub is quite deep and is actually a welcome change from the usual bathtubs hotel these days have. It is deep enough that you would really enjoy a nice bath after some sightseeing. The tub has either a granite or stone rim surrounding it which is not fancy by any means, but, and again, makes it unique and sets it apart from others. Other than the usual towels, soap, small bottles of lotion, shampoo and conditioner, they also provide a couple of bathrobes, a small scrub pad, some Q-tips, and some cotton which were individually packed. And, in thinking of the weather, a couple of umbrellas can be found in the closet and table, just in case. Everyone we encountered, at the reception, during checkout and including random staff were quite courteous and willing to assist with anything. Now for the only downside to the hotel. Your stay includes a continental-style breakfast. Not sure if that is clearly stated on the website but it is what they offer and serve. For those unfamiliar, this is a light option that normally consist of pastries, breads, fruits, juices and coffee. The breakfast is not the smallest but it is a bit underwhelming for a hotel in NYC. They serve it buffet-style and in an allocated area within the attached restaurant. The hotel should really rethink this approach. Others charge a nominal fee but there are also those that include the breakfast charge into the hotel bill. I don’t think it would be exorbitant but they could charge just a few dollars more per guest to expand it to an actual hot and cold breakfast offering. They are already using the restaurant to serve it why not use their kitchen as well. Outside of a swimming pool, which the hotel does not have, the breakfast is the one thing that I know, most guests would likely make an issue of. Our stay was quite pleasant with the room providing a good night’s rest and sleep while doing so in a not-so-usual setting. We appreciated the “change of pace” the Maritime offered with its unique décor and design. The hotel never got busy during our stay and really afforded a softer ambience over its counterparts. The location is great as it allowed access to almost everything from food to shopping and much more. The Maritime Hotel is a solid four and a half stars out of five if not for the mediocre breakfast. …