I was here solo, quarantining away from high-risk family for the mandatory 4 days upon traveling to NY so I, unfortunately, spent much more time looking around than a usual guest. I found an amazing third-party deal on their second most expensive room, which at checkout showed the rate they paid as ~300 including fees, which matches the website. A recent article puts the average NY hotel room down 50% with luxury down even more, but to be generous, post-COVID, this room probably goes for around $600/night. Judging it at this price point is laughable. Here's a list of maintenance issues in 1603: -Peeling paint, peeling wallpaper, peeling baseboards, chipping vinyl floors. -A rattling and groaning HVAC that I actually downloaded a decibel meter for - 60-65 dB, louder than average conversation from 5 feet away. Pushing lightly on the wall stops it momentarily, so something's just loose in there. -A terrace door that doesn't lock and therefore swung open in the middle of the night in the wind. -A bathroom door that sticks and requires a good shoulder to open 1/4 of the time. -Bedside outlets not working. -Most worringly during COVID, long red hairs in the bed and couch and cigarette butts on the terrace, meaning that the cleaning can't be so thorough. What makes that even worse is that not only has this hotel been renovated twice in the last seven years, but the rooms with terraces are in a modern addition, most likely built in 2013 to add big moneymaker rooms as it was likely cheaper than converting the hundred-year-old former SRO below. So this is a seven year old room that's already been renovated, and the second renovation was... last year. This means, most likely, one or most likely both of two things have happened here. The renovations were done with the cheapest possible materials that look high-end on the surface but start to look awful immediately after they're used, which I've heard referred to as a "real Home Depot job". Or, a maintenance person hasn't touched it since March. Or last year's renovation. I also had to switch rooms as the rate would have gone up on the fourth night, and went for the cheapest they had cause a fourth night wasn't really in my budget to begin with. Assuming a doubled post-COVID price of $300/night, it's definitely the smallest room I've ever stayed in for the price, but I get that it's NY. Still though, even though the older room was actually better maintained in some aspects, it still had another stuck front door and a 10-minute wait for hot water in the shower. In the hallway on that floor, I managed to knock off a plastic cover on a wall corner while walking past, to which the nearby staff member responded with no hesitation, "Oh no, we'll have to bill you for that!" and a laugh, which means they'd seen that and more before. It's hard to give this only 3 stars honestly, because a west-facing terrace overlooking Broadway and the Hudson pretty much overwhelm all of this in terms of value for the rate I paid. But at $600+ a night, people that pay that price deserve to know what they're about to pay for. I mean, the location's perfect and the rooms do look very nice at first glance. The service was good for the most part as well, unexpectedly extending my stay for a night 5 minutes before checkout was seamless, and they were able to accept a delivery for me. But I also asked for a fridge at check-in, as offered on the website, received an "absolutely," and then never received it, or a call about it. I didn't give them that much of a chance to make my experience better, but except for the last one, these aren't really issues that the front desk can actually fix when you call them. These are issues that ultimately fall on management, ownership, and maintenance. I obviously understand that revenue this year isn't close to what's needed to start covering the reno and that every hotel is hanging by a thread. But if you don't maintain the building, it's gonna need to be renovated again prematurely, and it probably won't be you doing it.…
I really can't say enough great things about AH. The location is wonderful being on the UWS, near the Natural History Museum and Central Park (plus you're away from the insanity of Times Square), with easy access on the 2/3. The staff is always friendly and helpful, such good value for the money.
I stay one night at this hotel because I was stuck in the city due to the recent snow storm and it was close to my job. The room that I get had a very loud HVAC unit and the bathroom was cold due to the large window with no insulation. i didn't brother switching since it was just one night. if you do book a room in this hotel stay away from Room 508.
My insurance company put me there for two nights while my apartment had mold removed. Tub for shower, empty tissue box, dirty carpets, small room, dangerous shelf near shower, and uninformed staff. Avoid this place if you’re have an alternative.
We came into NYC for our first trip there since Covid began to visit a local friend. Our room was beautiful and everyone we interacted with was kind and helpful, and we even received two complimentary drinks, which was nice. We did ask for a refrigerator that never came to our room, and when we arrived, people were sitting unmasked in the closed lobby area and unmasked people were checking in, even with signage to wear masks. We were there on Halloween and there was little crowd control or spacing in the lobby bar area/no dividers and it felt unsafe. Our room had a leftover towel from a previous guest in the bathroom and we didn't have enough coffee/cups for two people even for one day, and we were there for two nights. I would not stay there again during a weekend. It was very quiet on a weekday, but I probably wouldn't stay again during Covid.…
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