Aura Hotel Brooklyn — Attraction in New York

UPDATE: After an email back and forth with management, we were not able to come to an agreement. I stand by my review

Tldr: I had a horrible experience booking with this hotel and would not recommend dealing with them. They are unapologetically unreliable.

I booked my room a little over month before my stay. At about 4pm the day before check in, I received an email from the hotel telling me that the management company had changed and that my reservation would not be honored. I had already paid in full for the room and was told that I would have to contact my bank/credit card if I wanted my money back. This sent me into a panic. Less than 24 hours before check in time they email me to say my prepaid reservation is no good. Not even an automatic refund. Insanity.

I called the hotel and they gave me no more information and offered absolutely no sympathy. They did offer to rebook my room at full market price. I decided in that moment to just do the rebooking because it was less than 24 hours before I left and I wanted to know I had a hotel room ready for the trip.

The room was clean enough, but I will note that there was no TV remote and the TV wasn't hooked up to any cable/satellite service or anything. Essentially just a wall ornament. The room was also right off the lobby and not particularly quiet.

On the day of check out I tried to talk to management about my check in experience again, but was stonewalled at the front desk and told that management accepted no responsibility and wasn't going to do anything to make up for the panic they put me through. They didn't even offer me surface level sympathy.

This hotel may have been sold in between the time I booked and my stay, but I don't accept that the new management had no way of honoring existing reservations or contacting me earlier. There are plenty of hotels in Brookyln, don't waste your time and money dealing with this cruel...

My husband and I stayed for three nights in May. It’s a great value in an area that’s otherwise ridiculously expensive. Our room on the 4th floor was clean and quiet. It even had a little balcony. The fridge and microwave were very helpful and we saved money by reheating leftovers. There’s also a HUGE grocery store literally a half block away with absolutely everything you could want and very high quality. We picked up several meals there. ||The lobby has a small lounge area with complimentary coffee, couches, and a tv. There’s a little patio outside too.||Yes, the parking lot is “unrefined” but it’s secure and convenient. It’s rented not only by the hotel but by others, including police cars, so I felt confident that we wouldn’t be robbed. You have to call reception to open the gate but it’s a minor inconvenience and a small price to pay for the peace of mind.||It’s a small hotel so you feel like you get to know the staff pretty quickly and all of them were friendly and helpful.||The twin beds are true twins and I’m only 5’4” and my toes went off the end a little bit. Otherwise very comfortable, with nice pillows.||I really only had one complaint. The water pressure in the sink was very low and only came out in a trickle. We brought it up to staff, but really there wasn’t anything that they could do. It was annoying but not a big deal. The shower was fine.||The people who are posting veiled xenophobic and antisemitic reviews should really be ashamed of themselves. If you are bothered by the existence of people whose religion is unfamiliar or different than yours, then just stay home. Williamsburg is a lovely residential neighborhood. So many moms with babies in strollers! I would...

BLACK MOLD and BARE, SCUFFED WALLS and lots of repairs needed

The owner of the hotel spends little to no money on maintenance, and owes any positive rating herein to the lovely front desk staff (Samantha and Ariana) who were placed in extraordinary circumstances to compensate for the hotel’s many shortcomings.

Upon arrival, our card key did not work twice - requiring us to use a good ol’ fashioned metal key. Having no back-up help, with guests waiting to check-out and check-in, Samantha walked back and forth twice to our 5th floor room, with no working elevator due to the fire department responding to an alarm . Who needs a gym membership?

There is zero art or decorations on the white, scuffed walls, cracked/split doors, black mold in the air vents, rubber gasket parts hanging out of the ceiling air conditioning unit, chipped/worn, basic furniture, and our room was the “deluxe suite”!

Every time we opened the bathroom door, the tub panel popped out. Ah, the charm of old buildings .

To get to Brooklyn’s main drag, Myrtle Ave, we walked past a fish monger shop whose daily waste runoff spilled into the sidewalk where there was a dead rat. Delightful.

All that said, the mattresses were as soft and luxurious as angel kisses.

Probably won’t stay at the Condor again, though we are grateful to Ariana and Samantha for their tireless efforts to make our stay as ‘enjoyable’...