The Kingston — Hotel in Garden City

Everything was great to start off with. Was checked in by a sweet lady and we left to piddle for the day. Came back that night and my husband went down to the lobby to get a coke and sprite. While he was gone I got 2 notifications or 2 charges of $103 was being charged to my card. The guy down stairs called the room and said my card was being declined. I went down stairs to show him all the charges I was getting from them and now my card has locked and it’s 11 pm. He apologized because I was charged 2 times for the pet fee and 1 time for the deposit but he showed on his end I hadn’t been charged for the deposit so he was trying to charge it again. He took a note and told me they would get it corrected the next morning. Perfect I went back to our room. We were next to the doors going in and out the building on our hall and all night all we heard was that door slamming and it caused all the dogs on that hall to bark. Morning of check out there is nobody at the front desk and it said drop your key and we will email a receipt so I did. We get on the road and I get another notification of a charge trying to go through. I called and Angela I think is who answered she said she done my check out and on my receipt that I finally got her to send was amarshal1. She was the must unprofessional, rudest person I have ever come in contact with. I’m a easy person to get a long with but when you start talking over me and telling me I’m wrong when I’m telling you what my bank app shows I just don’t tolerate that. I told her my bank has contacted me and told me my card was locked for fraudulent activity due to the charges trying to come through back to back and she said well that’s a lie because the bank isn’t open. But I work for a bank and yes the bank is closed but we have a fraud team and they do call no matter the time or day. I explained that to her and she laughed. At this point I’m shaking because to her this is a joke and funny and here I am trying to school close shop for my kids and my cards are locked. (The bank could unlock them but I didn’t want all them charges coming through.) I asked her who was the guy that worked the night before so I could call back later and talk to him because he was more understanding and apologetic. She said she doesn’t know who was working last night. Surly he was there when she got there this morning I would think but I will NEVER stay here again or recommend it! I honestly think Angela needs to find a job that better suits her attitude cause working with people and their money isn’t for her. I could have been completely wrong in what I was saying but instead of her saying let me look at it and see what’s going on she just kept saying your wrong, that’s wrong, no that’s not what’s on your...

The weirdest experience I have ever had, we got here for a weekend trip and at first we thought it was a simple and nice hotel until the days passed by. First day we noticed we didn’t have an iron, so we went to the check in and notified the front desk about this situation, she said they don’t have one with them but will notify the housekeeper with the front desk to give us one, she wrote down a note and we left for the day to check the city. Once we got to the room in the night we realized we didn’t have a new iron, again, we tried to not care a lot but we decided to continue with the trip and let them know once we do the check about the missing iron. the rest of the days were kinda normal besides the towels not being clean and not having shampoo or soap even though the housekeeping was going everyday, we tried to not care since we were getting to the hotel late each night and we were to exhausted to complain with the front desk. We checked out and we notified AGAIN about the iron to the receptionist, we just explained to her we didn’t want to get charged for the iron since we notified them 3 days ago and just asked her for her name, Angela, because we wanted to make sure we didn’t get charged our deposit for a missing item…then she decided to give us a bad attitude about that, she said why didn’t we get the name of the other girl and why we didn’t come the other days to request the iron, we explained to her and tried to not have an argument about something small, but her attitude was completely disrespectful, she kept insisting why we didn’t ask the name of the other receptionist and why we didn’t check the other days and why is her name being asked. Keep in mind, you’re not going to see the same receptionist, we stayed there for almost 5 days and we never saw the same receptionist either morning and night; I apologize for not having the name and I explained to her that it can be easily checked who it was on the schedule, she then proceed to say ok to everything we said and we just dropped it because her attitude was unnecessary for something so small. Thanks for an unnecessarily rude morning ANGELA. Made the hotel go from a 3.5/5 to a 2/5 really quick.

In conclusion, it’s a whatever hotel with bad customer service, if you can, avoid it, better to spend more money in a hotel with better location and at least decent...

A Mixed Experience

I recently stayed at THE KINGSTON from April 11 to April 13, 2025, and my experience was quite a blend of highs and lows. The hotel itself is in a fantastic location, offering a lovely atmosphere and beautiful amenities. However, some details fell short of expectations.

Upon arrival, I was delighted by the warm ambiance and beautiful decor, which set a pleasant tone for the weekend. Unfortunately, my excitement began to wane when I noticed that the cleanliness of my room could have been better. There were stray hairs on the floor and in the sink, as well as a noticeable stain on the spread. This detracted significantly from my overall experience, as I expected a higher standard of tidiness.

Another noted issue was the toilet, which required multiple flushes to work properly. This minor inconvenience may seem trivial, but in a hotel setting, it's expected that all amenities function smoothly.

On a brighter note, I must commend the bartender at the hotel bar. She was incredibly sweet and personable, demonstrating excellent customer service skills. Her warm demeanor made for a delightful experience, and she truly enhanced my time at the bar. It's always refreshing to encounter staff members who genuinely enjoy their work and are eager to help.

However, my interactions with the front desk staff were less than satisfactory. They came across as indifferent and disengaged, which was a stark contrast to the hospitality I encountered elsewhere in the hotel. Their lack of enthusiasm and apparent unhappiness was evident, and it made me hesitant to reach out for assistance. I simply didn’t want to risk having their negativity impact my stay. Had the customer service been GREAT, I honestly may have never noticed all the other imperfections. Customer Service, in my opinion, should always be welcomed with a smile, great energy, and kindness!

In summary, while THE KINGSTON has a lot of potential and features some outstanding staff members, the overall experience was marred by cleanliness issues and a lackluster front desk team. I hope that management addresses these concerns to elevate the guest experience in the future. If you're considering a stay here, it’s worth it for the ambiance and bartender but just be prepared for some imperfections...