In Manhattan my hotel priorities are simple: service, room quality, amenities, location and price. An aging hotel can survive that test when the location is unbeatable and the price is exceptional.
The location worked. The value worked. The bellman, coffee attendants and bartender gave us some genuinely good service moments.
The room was merely okay. The air conditioning was inconsistent, there was a recycled-air smell, the bathroom was tiny, and some of the physical details simply felt dated. Stack inferior service on top of a mediocre room and the equation changes fast.
At the right price, perhaps. But value in New York is contextual. There are too many choices, and I can always get a car, cab or driver.
No. Not this one. I have too many alternatives in Manhattan.
Someone who needs the location, is on a very specific budget, and does not need a genuinely elevated first- or second-trip New York hotel experience.
I’d shop the city before booking it again. In Manhattan, I can forgive mediocre room quality. I can’t forgive inferior service on top of a mediocre room.
THE LAST WORDSKIP — TOO MANY BETTER NEW YORK OPTIONS.