11 Howard — Hotel in New York

Among our NYC hotel ratings (over 50 at the time of writing), it is not often that we would give a city hotel 5 stars; there is always something wrong, be it a service, staff, etc. 11 Howard is a happy exclusion of the rule. Starting from the fact that we were allowed to check in about an hour earlier, to the great location (SoHo, Little Italy, Tribeca, Chinatown are more or less are all equidistant), the location that yet feels somewhat discreet, with the entrance on a small quiet Howard St, to the very efficient and friendly staff, to the cool, minimalistic design, all of the above result in a relaxed and hustle-free stay, and make one want to come back again. The reception desk per se, in its classical sense, is not available. Instead, once in the lobby, head to a big round table, always manned by the hotel's staff. Using a docked tablet, the staff handles your check-in, check-out and answers to all your other questions or needs. To use one of the three elevators (more than enough), you will have to place your room key card on the black pad, beneath the floor keys. The WiFi (complimentary) was good, no issues. As with most hotels, you will have to type in your last name and your room number. Our Deluxe King room was of a nice size, and even though it wasn't particularly spacious (248 sq ft), it included a separate sitting area. A 48-inch flat-screen TV didn't, unfortunately, have a built-in Google Chromecast. The sleep comfort and the soundproofing were both great, even considering that our room was right opposite the elevators. The USB ports on the night tables are in the docking devices, very useful to charge your cell phones, still having them by your immediate side. The room features KEYPR, a convenient technology with in-room tablet for ordering hotel services, in-room dining, etc. A propos, the in-room dining offers several choices, including a few satisfying 24 hrs a day options for the night revellers. The prices are quite budget-friendly for a hotel. The multiple choices minibar (the locations of which are the fridge inside the closet and the drawers beneath the TV), the roomy closet, the umbrellas in the hotel's lobby, the unlimited free bottles of water, the doormen constantly present and doing their job right are all great additions contributing to our high ranking of 11 Howard. The bathroom is very spacious, with both the sink and the shower featuring golden-tone lavish furnishings. The bathroom toiletries are by Grown Alchemist, one of Australia's biggest skincare exports. Be careful when using the sink, it's designed in an awkward way with lots of unintentional splashing. The view to Howard St and part of Lafayette from our 5th floor wasn't "all that", so make sure you request a room facing Lafayette St, if available. The 3rd floor fitness center is your typical hotel mini gym, with scarce options, however, showing your hotel key would get you a free guest pass at the nearby UFC Gym, at 277 Canal St, on the corner of Canal and Broadway, about 2 minutes' walk; it is a full scale gym with all necessary equipment. The dining includes The Library (accessible via the spiral staircase to the left of the entrance), which is open for breakfast and also offers all day menu (until 10 PM) and Le Coucou, located on Lafayette St, right around the corner, is a different story. It is a proud recipient of a 2019 Michelin star, and serves excellent French cuisine, perfectly prepared and served. We have been to Le Coucou three times already, and can't recommend the place high enough. Please refer to our dedicated reviews of the establishment. We parked at Park-It, an open but attended parking lot at 395 Broome St., 5 minutes' walk ($48 for a 24 hrs period); the other option would be City Parking at 40 Mercer St, with the same walking distance...

I am writing to inform the hotel management and others of my visit to this hotel. I stayed at 11 Howard on occasion in the past; however, on this day, I was there in the morning to visit La Rubia Café as it was highly recommended to me by some friends. As a former guest, I enjoyed my stay and was impressed with the friendliness of the staff.

But recently, I was appalled and disappointed with the behavior the front desk agent exhibited towards what looked to be a GrubHub or UberEats delivery man. While waiting in the hotel lobby, I witnessed the delivery man approach a Caucasian male at the front desk. It was obvious that English was not the delivery man’s first language; however, it seemed like he was trying his best to communicate with the man at the front desk. The deliberate display of rudeness and condescending language used by the front desk agent was shocking to me. He had a smug look on his face and with a chuckle said, “No sir, I don’t speak American, we speak English here.” And after belittling the delivery man, the front desk agent seemed like he didn’t want to acknowledge him anymore and continued with his work staring at the computer screen, never looking up at the delivery man again.

As a highly rated hotel, I would expect a better display of behavior from this front desk agent. And not only was he belittling to the delivery man, but I also observed him having a patronizing tone with guests as they were checking out.

He is supposed to be a direct representation of the hotel as those at the front desk are one of the first faces a guest sees upon entering. A warm reception, friendliness and helpfulness is a standard for the front desk at almost any hotel in NYC. And to have this Caucasian male (your front desk employee) behave in such a way where he thinks he is superior to other people is horrendous and quite awful for someone in the hospitality industry.

Unfortunately, it was a harsh reminder of why I will no longer stay at this hotel. Please have your staff do better with their manners and attitude especially being in the...

This is a glorified 3* hotel and in no way shape or form deserves 5 stars. I was fooled by photos and the 5. ||- Cheaply made and decorated. Don’t let the photos fool you it’s not high end or even mid level. Not even a photo on the wall or a touch of decor. Just slapped the cheapest paint on the walls and called it a hotel. |- Shower flooded the bathroom with water bcs of how bad the design is and there is no way to avoid it|- Toilet paper is worse and harder than Scott (I didn’t know that was possible) |- Hair dryer is $20 hair dryer from CVS |- Walls and ceilings are falling apart. |- LOUD! You hear everything from your neighbors and hallway. I was down the hall from elevator but heard the bell every time. |- AC is loud and rattles and bcs rooms are so small it blows right on top of you|- plastic cups in the bathroom. At a 5 hotel! Plastic wrapped in plastic! Like you get at a cheap airport hotel!|- If you order food to your room and ask for fork and knife they bring you plastic utensils! |- No coffee maker or tea kettle in room. |- NO mini fridge|- The rooms even deluxe and suits are TINY with no view and the smallest window imaginable and window doesn’t open. |- not enough umbrellas for people if it rains|-packed tiny lobby with people makes it impossible to actually get to the desk if you need help. |- the ceiling where the curtains are isn’t filled in. There’s no ceiling it’s the inner part of the stone of the building with dust and dirt and who knows what else in it. So gross. ||I don’t understand what about this hotel is hip besides maybe the location? ||The one plus is they use grown alchemist soaps but that isn’t enough to do this hotel any justice. This is soooooo overpriced for what it is. There are way better hotels for this...