Arlo Midtown — Hotel in New York

Former New Yorker here. Hands down my favorite hotel in NYC whenever I come back to visit! Stayed here several times and it won't be the last! It's not perfect but I really loved my stays and haven't had a bad interaction with staff, guests, or amenities. Love the rooftop bar/views and in-hotel cafe and ground floor lounge bar. Its great when you have an off day and just want to stay in/near your hotel room.

PROS: - Location! Right off of 9th ave there are tons of eateries, bars, bodegas and just a couple of blocks away from Hudson Yards and the 34th st station. It's in a safe quiet part of Hells Kitchen with lots to do, see and eat near your hotel. Perfect for days when you feel like not being too far from your room.

HOTEL! Its a stylish, modern hotel that makes you feel like you're a millionaire when you stay. Rooms are small but well appointed. Bed's are comfy, TV's let you watch your netflix and AC blows really cold! Showers are big and great water pressure. It has a rooftop bar which offers unbelivable views of midtown Manhattan to the South, North and partially to the East. It's semi exclusive (its technically public but not many people know about it) but you'll definitely find a spot in the bar or on a couch. Pro Tip: They open at 4pm so get there early to grab a spot. They have a doorman letting people in/out.

CAFE/LOUNGE! At the ground floor theres a cafe/lounge as well as another bar with huge open windows that pour into the street for a nice breeze. Great place to relax and hang out during the day. It's just really nice to have these places right in your hotel. Nothing wrong with spending a day relaxing in your hotel!

CONS: - PRICE! You do get what you pay for but it is pricey. I won't disclose how much I paid but it was definitely a "treat yourself" price. Look for deals or low travel seasons for the best price and even then don't be surprised at how much the cost is.

SPACE! New York is notorious for lack of space. If its your first time, DO NOT BE SUPRISED! This room was the right sized for me and a friend but for 3+ groups it can get stuffy. And obviously bigger rooms = more expensive! If you're with a group of friends or a big family, you may need to split up into different rooms.

INTUITIVE ACCOUNT PROFILE! - I like having an app or account system to keep track of past stays, upcoming stays and even some sort of rewards system. Arlo doesn't really have that. Technically they do but its very hidden in their website, super minimal (not in a good way) and not very informative. If that is important to you, keep that in mind.

SUMMARY: It's a pricey hotel and its not for everyone (I would say its marketed towards young professionals or couples rather than families) BUT its a fantastic hotel that I swear by. Haven't had an issue every time I've gone and I'll be going back to Arlo whenever I can every time I go...

We booked the Arlo for our honeymoon and were so excited to visit. We arrived around 1.30pm after a very long flight. We were told the room wasn't ready, which we expected as we just wished to drop our luggage off and check ins 3pm. We were told they would call us when the room was ready. We never received a call and did not end up returning till quite late.

The room was ok, incredibly small and not ideal having no bedside surface on one side of the bed as it was up against a wall. The Aircon made a clicky noise constantly. In the early hours one day the fire alarm went off and everyone wandered out of their rooms. The alarm abruptly stopped. The phone in our room didn't work so we used our personal phones to call down to reception to check everything was ok but before my husband had a chance to say anything the receptionist said in a rude tone that it was a false alarm and hung up.

On two occasions we returned to our room very late in the evening to discover it had not been serviced. The second time it was around midnight, we called down to reception (again on our personal phone) and said the room hadn't been cleaned and asked for some towels. With no further comments from reception we were merely told 'towels would be sent up'. After some time there was a knock at the door and a gentleman who we had just seen dealing with rubbish downstairs, whilst wearing the same gloves they'd used to do so, handed us the towels.

Only once when speaking to the reception did we have a pleasant experience, every other time we felt as if we were a hindrance, it was a very unwelcoming experience.

On two occasions the bar had been booked for private events, which one would expect during the festive season, but this meant it was completely shut off to hotel guests with limited to no space to relax in the public areas. Most available spaces seemed booked out by other patrons for working. We understand that there is a coffee shop within the hotel but with no coffee/tea facilities in the room it would be nice if there was some sort of allowance or reduction for those staying in the hotel. For the price of the stay, it seems somewhat ridiculous that drink facilities are not available in the room.

A saving grace would be the amazing meal we had in Altair, which we will review separately.

Needless to say we would not recommend any of the Arlo locations to anyone we know visiting a location in which Arlo is an option, and we sadly would not ever book for ourselves again. An overall very disappointing experience, especially when we'd waited and saved for a number of years and had been so excited to have our honeymoon at one of your...

This fairly new hotel is modern in decoration and sure, the location is convenient. However did I have an amazing stay and felt like I was welcomed? Not at all!

Firstly, it is impossible to get in contact with anyone.

I reached out in four attempts to get into contact with front desk / management / events coordinator to inquire about packages for my hotel room to surprise my partner upon arrival.

My first attempt, I was forwarded to the event coordinator. Never heard back so attempt #2, I emailed her. Again nothing. We finally arrive and checked in and yep - nothing.

Attempt #3, I texted their customer service number to inquire and was told to “ask the front desk”. Attempt #4, I asked the front desk staff to which they said the manager would contact me via text or email after taking my contact information.

Secondly, the hotel room air quality is really dry. I found my eyes and skin were constantly dry despite drinking plenty of water and using face masks prior. If you have dry eyes or have had lasik eye surgery - bring eye drops.

Third, Cleanliness could be better. One outlet in my hotel room wouldn’t allow me to plug anything in (I think it is damaged from previous guests attempts to plug in) and thus we didn’t use it for the duration of our stay. Corners of the hotel room ceiling had some sort of water stain or dust.

Lastly, at the Coffee bar downstairs, the attendant wore latex gloves while cutting and unpacking cardboard shipment and used the same gloved hands to make my coffee. The attendant placed my coffee lid on and was touching my mouth piece. I asked for a new lid, to which they did the same and so I sanitized my coffee lid afterwards.

Overall, it’s a new modern hotel with major service kinks in their processes. The overall experience was mediocre at best, definitely not for a special occasion stay or a very friendly one. This hotel will be best for those traveling for work who do not care for the personable touches. However in this rare instance, it was a birthday trip and it felt like pulling teeth to get any sort of request.

In the end, did I manage to get my surprise gesture during my stay? No.

Did I ever get followed up with or hear back from any human? No.

Will I recommend this place and come back? Probably not.

Just like the endless amounts of restaurants in NYC, there are so many other hotels to try. Would have been nice to have liked the Arlo franchise but I prefer quality...