Aura Hotel Times Square — Hotel in New York

WARNING!!!!! DO NOT BOOK 👎👎👎SHAME ON THIS HOTEL! 👎👎👎 HOTEL HAS PATTERN BEHAVIOR OF ARBITRARILY CANCELLING GUEST'S REERVATIONS WITH LITTLE TO NO NOTICE, THEN CLAIMS HOTEL IS CLOSED! (IN BACK TO BACK YEARS OF 2021 and 2022)

HOTEL MELA TIMES SQUARE ABRUPTLY CLOSED yesterday, December 12 and JUST TODAY is notifying trusting guests that their New Years Eve stays booked 11 months ago are CANCELLED WITHOUT NOTICE OR REASON, making earnest guests with families now out of luck to find similar replacement of accommodations for the upcoming holiday!!!

Will be interesting to stop in during our visit nonetheless to see if they are really closed, or just UNCARINGLY decided to bump everyone for higher rates of a group booking buying out the entire hotel…as is the suspicion! A professional “Walk” (the industry term for cancelling on an incoming guest) includes a personal caring apologetic attitude with assistance “walking” them to nearby like or better accommodations. Instead, my call to the hotel was anything but, with the Front Desk Clerk Allen refusing to so much as give out the General Manager’s last name or contact number.

Interestingly, no one seems to know why the hotel is closed suspiciously through January 1, and we all have one thing in common…no one true reason for cancelling our reservations is being given. But it smells like a better offer came their way and they had no scruples or dignity in handling their previously booked guests. PLEASE NOTE: MY VAST RESEARCH SHOWS HOTEL MELA ARBITRARILY CANCELLED ALL RESERVATIONS THE SAME TIME IN 2021 TO OTHERS AS WELL!!!!!!!!!

So MR. RALUCA AVACARITEI, as General Manager of the property, do share with the world the REAL REASON???

👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

UPDATE: DECEMBER 19, 2022...

The Hotel Mela provided a generic reply to my posting, but as you can see PROVIDES ABSOLUTELY NO REASONING to their repetitive cancellations and periodic claims of why the hotel suddenly closes, both in 2021 AND 2022, and leaves families in a panicked search in the MOST BUSIEST HOLIDAY SEASON to find alternate accommodations just days before flying without offering assistance.

So I repeat: MR. RALUCA AVACARITEI, as General Manager of the property, do share with the REAL REASON so many families on Fb were abruptly cancelled???

NEW UPDATE WHILE VISITING NYC 2022:

DO NOT TRUST ANY RESERVATION AT HOTEL MELA Times Square 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳 HOTEL REPEATEDLY CANCELS GUESTS RESERVATION ARBITRARILY WITHOUT NOTICE ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ THE HOTEL MELA did exactly such in 2021 and in December 2022, cancelling WITHOUT WARNING OR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE earnest reservations of many US Citizens and their families preparing for a Christmas holiday in favor of accommodating immigrants. IMAGE of hotel’s guarded FRONT DOOR when...

My husband and I traveled to NYC with another couple and spent one night at the Aura Hotel. We are very familiar with NYC and have stayed in quite a few hotels. Overall, we had a very positive experience with the Aura Hotel. The proximity to the theatre district and Times Square can't be beat with many restaurants and shops just a few steps away. The staff was very friendly; they immediately greeted us upon entry and were welcoming the entire stay. The room was clean (minus a stray hair or two...) and spacious by NYC standards. We didn't have a room with a view (nor did we request one) but what we did have was a blissfully quiet sleep on a very comfortable bed. The bathroom was well appointed with hand soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. It could have used some plastic/glass cups for water. The thermostat was easy to use and there were plenty of USB and regular outlets. There weren't any dining options on premise, but the two pubs on either side of the hotel provided easy access to food and drink and we received 'complimentary drinks' as part of the hotel's "destination charge".

There were a few minor inconveniences during our stay. We requested extra pillows and blankets prior to our arrival (on the reservation form), and again via a text after we arrived but we never received them. There was only a sheet on the bed, so a blanket was really necessary. I did attempt to call down to the front desk/housekeeping to request them again but the phone in the room was not labeled so I couldn't determine what number to call. Also, the one headboard light wouldn't shut off without some creative intervention. As I said though, these were all very minor inconveniences. We left the next morning happy that we had spent the night at the Aura.

Unfortunately, there was a problem afterwards with the final invoice - we were charged an early check in fee that we were not made aware of. It was extremely difficult to reach anyone at the hotel that would assist us. I was given the name of the hotel manager (who is apparently no longer employed there) and repeatedly tried to get him to respond without success. After over a month of attempting to get this charge resolved, I sent one last email. The new hotel manager, Karolina, who was unaware there was an issue, responded and resolved the issue IMMEDIATELY. The early check in fee was credited back to my card within hours of her reply. What a relief it was to finally have someone care enough to resolve the problem.

As long as the hotel maintains Karolina's level of customer service, we will plan to stay at the Aura whenever we visit the theatre district. It's clean, comfortable, modern, and in a...

Not Worth the Hassle

Our recent stay at this hotel left us extremely disappointed. While we knew the room would be small, as is common for NYC, the rest of the experience was far below acceptable standards.

The Room & Temperature Issues

The room was clean and modern, but the thermostat was a complete facade. At 4:30 AM, we woke up to a stifling 78-degree room. My fiancé tried calling the front desk using the room phone, only to realize it wasn’t plugged into anything—literally just for looks, with no nearby outlet. He resorted to using his cell phone but couldn’t get anyone to answer after numerous tries. Frustrated, he went to the front desk in person, where he found a worker seemingly asleep behind the desk, ignoring his calls and presence for over 30 minutes (attached a picture of her feet propped up behind the desk, which is all he could see the entire time.) Another worker starting their shift eventually assisted him, and the initial staff member appeared, clearly just waking up.

Maintenance finally arrived around 5:30 AM to explain that the thermostats don’t actually work and are locked to a preset temperature. This was incredibly frustrating and an unacceptable start to our day.

Sewage Smell & Poor Customer Service

Later that day, we returned to our room to get ready for dinner, only to find our floor and bathroom reeking of sewage. Adding insult to injury, attempts to call the front desk to report this issue were again ignored—just as they were when I called a week prior to confirm our reservation. The front desk seems to have no interest in answering calls, offering assistance, or providing even basic customer service.

Elevator Issues

The hotel has three elevators, but only two were functioning during our stay. They were incredibly slow, cramped (fitting just three adults), and unreliable. We ended up taking the stairs more often than not, which was inconvenient, especially for a hotel this size.

The Positives

The location was the one saving grace. Situated near Times Square, it was easy to access popular attractions and restaurants. Additionally, the room and lobby appeared clean and modern, but that’s where the positives end.

Final Thoughts

Between the non-functional thermostat, awful customer service, sewage smells, and elevator issues, this was one of the worst hotel experiences we’ve ever had. The staff seemed indifferent to guests’ needs, and basic amenities like climate control and reliable communication were nonexistent. Save your money and book elsewhere—it’s not worth the...