Aloft New York Brooklyn — Hotel in New York

I have been a member of the Marriott Rewards program for over 30-years. While I may not be an Ambassador Elite member, I believe that 30+ years of loyalty still has value to Marriott.||||On February 15, 2025, I made a reservation at the ALOFT Brookly New York Hotel for a one-night stay from April 26 – 26, 2025, and confirmed it with the same credit card I have used for other Marriott reservations, for years.||||On the evening of April 25, I realized I would be arriving late to the hotel. As a courtesy to the hotel, at 6:58 PM, I tried to call the local hotel number, to advise them I would be arriving very late. After selecting the option to speak to a hotel representative, the phone rang for almost a minute with no answer. I immediately called back and this time, selected to option to make a reservation. This put me ibn touch with the main Marriott reservation center. I explained that I wanted to alert the hotel to my late arrival but couldn’t contact anyone at the hotel. The agent looked up and confirmed my reservation and advised he would note my record that I would be arriving late. He did not advise me of any potential issues with my reservation.||||When my wife and I arrived at the hotel at close to midnight, I found two other couple waiting to check in at what was an abandoned front desk. One of the guests waiting said she was told the desk agent went out for something to eat.||||After about 20-minutes, the agent finally returned. When he got done chatting with his friend, who came back with him from wherever he was, he finally checked in the two couple that were ahead of me. When he got to me, I handed him my driver’s license and credit card. He looked up my reservation and said;||||“Didn’t you get our email? We didn’t get no money.”||||I had no idea what he meant and explained I had not received any emails from Marriott or the hotel. He again said;||||“Your card is no good. We don’t get no money. We cancelled your reservation.”||||I replied, “Well, I’m here now and I have my credit card so you can check me in.”||||This seemed to update him. He said to me,||||“Why you talk to me like this? What makes you think you are entitled? I don’t even have to let you in here, you don’t have no reservation. People do this all the time. They make a reservation with a bad card, they don’t show up, and we don’t get no money.”||||While I’m sure that does happen, as a 30+ year Marriott Rewards member, I resent the implication that I am one of those people.||||I will say again, I never received an email advising of a problem with my card. I also did not receive any message from my bank that a card transaction had been declined. At 6:59 PM, when I spoke to the reservation center, they made no mention that there was a problem with my card nor did they advise my reservation had been cancelled for non-payment.||||Eventually, the desk agent did give me the room, but not before reminding me two more times that he didn’t have to let me into the hotel because I didn’t have a reservation.||||At 9:00 AM on the morning on April 26, 2025, when my wife and I were ready to check out, we went to the lobby, only to find about a dozen people standing at the again, abandoned front desk, all waiting to check out. There were no agents behind the desk and no hotel staff to be seen anywhere in the lobby. To avoid what would have been a long wait, I just dropped our keys in the box and left the hotel.||||Beyond this terrible service, has anyone at the hotel considered the potential danger they are putting their customers in and the potential liability for the hotel?||||The front desk of the hotel is a less that 5-feet from the front door. When we arrived at midnight, the front door was wide open. Anyone would walk into the lobby. There was someone playing pool in the lobby and other people mulling around. Were these innocent bystanders or did someone see this as an opportunity to quickly grab the wallets and valuables of hotel guests that couldn’t get checked in because no one at the hotel was around? What about the dozen or so people waiting to check out. Surely at least some of them had cash to pay for their stay. A person on the street could easily duck into the lobby, collect valuables from the unprotected guests and be gone, before a hotel employee ever returned to the desk. These situations all pose serious exposure and liability to the hotel, which has a reasonable expectation to secure their premises. Leaving the front desk abandoned surely puts that expectation into question.||||The fact that the front desk was abandoned when people wanted to check in is bad. The rude and disrespectful behavior of the front desk clerk, when he finally arrived, is totally unacceptable and the fact that the front desk was again abandoned at 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning when many guests want to check out is, to me, a sign that the management of this hotel is completely unqualified and has no understanding of what customer service means.||||I do not mean to sound like an alarmist or the voice of doom, but as a former corporate risk manager for major corporations, I got paid to think about what could go wrong in a variety of situations.||||I would rather sleep in my car, than spend another night at the ALOFT Brooklyn New York Hotel.||||I hope this experience is not typical of the ALOFT brand. Regardless, the ALOFT Brooklyn New York Hotel is a disgrace to the Marriott name and reputation and I urge them to either fix it, change the hotel management, or close it, before it hurts the Marriott name...

I would give this NO stars and 0 if possible. First and WILL BE LAST stay at this terrible hotel. First and foremost I had my AirPods STOLEN out of my BACKPACK from inside my room when I left for my outing. We let housekeeping refresh the room, and know for a fact housekeeping stole my AirPods. NOBODY else had access to my hotel room besides housekeeping. I did NOT want to accuse or bring anything of that nature up, however I turned that entire room upside down looking for my AirPods. I tore apart my luggage and everything and no wear to be found. They were placed in my black small backpack which was closed and left on my table under the TV. I did this before I left for my outing at 9 am. Returned back around 6:30/7 PM, first place I looked was my backpack and no AirPods to be found. Notified front desk who said they could not notify their manager until the next day. I asked what I needed to do, if there was onsite security and there was not. I was advised to file a police report and did so ONLINE. I had to do it online as I had to report it before I checked out and left the state the next morning. After 5 days, I received an email from Aloft manager who stated “they conducted a thorough investigation and found no record or log of my “missing” item. It was not missing. It was there prior to me leaving, no one else had access besides housekeeping, and then when I come back to a refreshed room my AirPods were nowhere to be found. I arrived back home in Chicago later that weekend and followed up with NYPD from the specific precinct so stated there was nothing they could do because I need to file the claim in person because “they don’t have access or use the online claims.” The rude representative I was speaking with also had the nerve to ask me, “Why didn’t you call 911? That’s an emergency.” Since when do police officers respond to a missing electronic as an emergency?! They said there was nothing else to do. Nothing to be done. Aloft did nothing and said to call Marriott customer service. Now Marriott service is saying to ask for help from Aloft again! What’s even worse is that when we got to Aloft only 1 elevator was working for an entire day, for every guest and employee in the hotel. My cousin who was a floor above us also wanted housekeeping to refresh her room when we went on our outing and left the “DND” off purposely so she could have it refreshed and when she came back her room had nothing refreshed or new. I should not have to worry or think about someone, especially with needed access/ their job, stealing ANYTHING regardless of item or place or any other reason. This was my first time staying in Brooklyn and in New York, and the lack of respect and consideration Aloft, NYPD, AND Marriott have for their customers and community member? APPALLING. I finished my conversation that turned into a belittling session from Marriott Bonvoy customer service representative Areli or Arecli. She kept telling me “why didn’t you do this? Why didn’t you do that? Why didn’t you check in and put a log of your items in your room? Why didn’t you use the safe deposit box?” She told me to follow NYPD procedures, despite me telling them NYPD will not do anything, nor will Aloft. This representative continued to tell me as I’m getting more and more angry to “keep it professional, calm down, and that she understands my frustration, when she kept telling me to follow up with NYPD. Follow up with Aloft. I filed a report, notified Front desk who said they won’t do anything. So now I’m out $150 worth and she keeps offering points and a giftcard for Marriott. Why would I want to stay here again? Disrespectful and unacceptable. Do NOT stay here. On top of all this trouble the rooms are narrow and small. 2 people can barely fit in the walkway not to mention if you bring luggages. Terrible stay and not worth the money....

TRIED TO GIVE ZERO STARS!!! TERRIBLE!!! STAY AWAY!! DO NOT BOOK YOUR WEDDING BLOCK HERE!!!!! DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!

Expensive rip-off, liars, horrendous accommodations, horrible customer service, subpar rooms, no group rates (though they lie and tell you that you have one), excessively expensive parking- be prepared to pay 155 dollars for 2 days if you have a truck and 50 a night if you have a car. Don't expect any deals on parking if you have a group either. Wedding block patrons, get ready for threats to charge if a minimum of rooms isn't met, problems extending your block. That's right- a problem to give them MORE business! We booked 18 rooms with these horrible people. They couldn't care less about us. I had zero stress during my wedding planning beside this horrible excuse for a business hotel.

I have never dealt with such a bad business in my life. We were passed around to SIX different employees to deal with our wedding block. Please feel free to respond to me and I will list each one for you because this is not an exaggeration- and to boot, we had no warning that we were being switched from person to person. You would also think that with it being six people at least one could respond to an email without it being sent multiple times. Good luck with that.

There was a surprise every week- and it was never a good one. Since we booked almost a year in advance, it was many weeks of nothing but disappointment and stress. I have never heard any business tell me "no" as many times as I heard it from them. It was even a problem to come drop off gift bags for my guests- which they neglected to distribute anyway. We booked the June prior to our April wedding. We were told they would have a rooftop bar finished within the next few months which was a main reason we booked there. Zero warning that they were not even close to completing it and it wasn't even owned by the hotel!!! Needless to say- of course- no such bar was opened. We then requested that they please keep the lobby bar opened for our guests after our wedding so we could host an after party. Yes you guessed it- another NO. I had to call Sheraton corporate who put me through to a manager there while I explained in tears all of the grief this hotel caused me. They finally kept the bar opened and promised me a "champagne toast" to compensate. Ended up being a bitter bartender opening up a bottle of champagne after 45 minutes of my guests sitting there and only upon my request. No music, nothing welcoming, just nastiness. Certainly wasn't any party.

Problems checking in for guests- oh yes of course! How about that at the front desk they did not believe my husband's family when they checked in that they were his family because my husband reserved their room under his name- and then then forced my husband to come down while GETTING READY FOR HIS WEDDING to verify. They then would not allow another guest to use their credit card because it "wasn't the same one they reserved the room with." Others didn't receive gift bags. When we wanted to book our brunch the following morning- for 40 dollars a person by the way- we were told we had a four hour brunch- but that the "food would only be out for an hour and a half." What on earth does that mean? Good question and one which we still have not figured out the answer to. The list truly goes on and on.

This was the worst, the most horrible people and business I ever dealt with. I will never stay at another Sheraton or any associated business and believe me neither will anyone else in my family, my husband's family, or any guests who stayed in any of the 18 rooms for 250 dollars a night. I cannot say enough bad things. Please do not give this horrid hotel anymore business unless you want disappointment...