Belvedere Hotel — Hotel in New York

I've been traveling to NYC multiple times a year for decades, and this was one of the worst hotel experiences I've ever had. I'll start with the positives. The hotel and room (or more accurately, rooms-- I'll get to that) were clean. If you're spending a lot of time in Midtown, this is really conveniently located, the street is relatively quiet, and it was easily accessible via subway, including to Brooklyn. I was also in a King Deluxe room, which had a microwave, kitchen sink, and refrigerator and was one of the biggest rooms I've stayed in in Manhattan.

Now to what made this such a negative experience. I arrived early to the hotel. Not wanting to pay the $75 fee early check-in fee, I stored my bags. I was given a ticket and told to provide this to the front desk when I checked in, which I did. During check-in, the person assisting me was hesitant to check me in and asked for a moment. He spoke to another employee quietly and I heard her say something like "That's all we have. You can select that." In retrospect this should have been a red flag. Nothing was said to me, I was given my room key, and I was told my bags would be brought to my room.

When I got to room 928 and opened the door, two employees were in there. One said they were in there "to make sure everything was okay for you to check in" and left right away. Second red flag. I also noticed that while the room was clean, all of the soap dispensers were almost empty, as if the room hadn't been used in a while. Third red flag.

30 min passed and my bags were not dropped off. I called the front desk, as I had tickets for a show and needed to change. About 5 min later they called back and asked if I gave my baggage ticket to the front desk, and I said yes. About 5 min later they said they couldn't find the ticket and asked what my bags looked like. I described them. Thankfully I also took a picture of the baggage ticket and provided all the info from it. 10 min later a staff member comes to my room and asks again if I gave the ticket to the front desk and what my bags look like. 10 min later he returns with my bags and says they got the tags "mixed up"-- no explanation or apology. I rushed to get ready and missed getting dinner before my show. In the chaos I didn't notice anything odd with the room at the time.

I got back to the hotel around 1 AM and got ready for bed as I was exhausted. Almost immediately, I was awoken by the air conditioner making loud banging noises. I'm not a light sleeper, so this was really loud. This happened every 5-10 min. I was so exhausted that I just kept trying to go back to sleep and block out the noise, but by 6 AM I couldn't take it anymore. It also now made sense why they had been reluctant to check me in to that room, why there were employees in there, and why nothing in the bathroom was refilled. I went down to the front desk to ask for another room. The person there admitted that this has been a problem, he's heard the same thing "many times" about this room, and they're waiting on someone to repair it. He apologized (the only person to do so my entire stay), said there were no other rooms right now, but he put in a request to change rooms for me when check in started at 11. When I went back up to the room, I realized the windows opened, so I turned the AC off, opened them, and slept for a few hours. I was moved to a different room around 11:30, but between sleeping in due to barely sleeping all night and waiting for them to take me to a new room, this again disrupted my plans for the day. The staff member who took me to the new room also was not initially very understanding and said "all of our air conditioners are loud"-- I explained that this wasn't about the noise of the AC running but the repeated loud banging noises that they acknowledged they knew were a problem. The new room was fine.

Overall, just a really bad experience that disrupted my sleep and my plans. Only one staff member of the many I interacted with apologized, and no compensation or anything was offered. Would not stay here again...

A Week of Chaos, Miscommunication, and Zero Accountability — Stay Elsewhere

I rarely leave reviews, but my experience with this hotel was so frustrating, inconsistent, and frankly disrespectful that I feel obligated to warn other travelers.

Before my trip, I emailed and called the hotel to explain that I’d be arriving early — my flight landed at 6 a.m., and I’d be on the property by 7 a.m. I kindly asked for early check-in and was told: “It’s not guaranteed. You’ll find out day-of. If available, it’s a $75 fee.” With regular check-in not until 4 p.m., you’re basically forced into paying it — even with luggage storage, you’re left dealing with a long, hot, and uncomfortable day post-flight.

When we arrived — exhausted in nearly 95-degree heat — we called the front desk four times between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. No help, no options, just repeated “not ready yet” responses. A kind janitor took pity and let us rest in the “coffee room,” which was the only act of hospitality we experienced that morning. After I finally voiced how unacceptable the situation was — especially given my weeks-ahead communication — my room “suddenly” became available 15 minutes later. The timing was insulting.

I was placed on a different floor from my friends, and my room reeked of cigarette smoke — in a non-smoking hotel. I tried to stick it out but began feeling nauseous after a few hours. When I called to request a new room, I was moved to the same floor as my friends (which I appreciated), but that room also smelled awful — especially near the air conditioning unit, which seemed to blow out stale, possibly moldy air.

Even basic amenities were a problem. There was no coffee machine in the room, so if you wanted a cup, you had to be downstairs before 10 a.m. — and it was just a tiny 6 oz vending-machine-style cup. Getting to the lobby from the 16th floor meant enduring slow elevators that stopped at nearly every floor for guests and housekeeping carts. Once downstairs, the lobby was packed with people waiting for check-in, rides, or just crowding the area. By the time you got your scalding-hot mini coffee and made it back up through the elevator chaos, you were more exhausted than when you started.

My friend’s room had a brown, dripping puddle of liquid leaking from their AC unit — which no one ever rushed to fix. I asked for a blanket one night because I was cold and was brought a sheet. I didn’t even bother asking about the missing robe and slippers that my friends had in their room, despite us all booking the same category. Just another sign of inconsistency.

Checkout didn’t bring relief either. I called to request an airport transfer — something I was told by phone the hotel offered. The front desk agent rudely told me I wasn’t eligible because I “booked through Expedia.” I explained — multiple times — that I booked directly through the hotel, just like my friends. She insisted I hadn’t, until I went down 16 floors to speak to her in person and show her proof. Only then did she admit we had booked directly — but now claimed they don’t actually offer airport transfers, only that the doorman can hail a cab. So why the false information? Why bring up Expedia at all?

And if that wasn’t enough — I still haven’t received my invoice. I called after my stay to request it, and the person on the phone actually asked, “Well, did you give us your email?” As if it’s not required just to make a reservation. Yes, I gave my email. Yes, it’s on file. Yes, I’ve followed up. And no — I still have not received it.

The only people who showed any professionalism during my entire stay were the maintenance staff and the doorman. They were friendly, helpful, and clearly trying their best. The front desk, on the other hand, was the core of the problem — rude, dismissive, misinformed, and completely uninterested in providing even basic hospitality.

This hotel was a mess from start to finish. If you value clear communication, comfort, or customer service, I suggest you stay...

So happy we chose to stay here. Staff were great. Contrary to some other reviews we saw, our room - a Superior Double - was very updated and contemporary…granite accents, soft-close toilet lid, rim-lit mirror, spacious shower with wall mounted shampoo, conditioner, and and body wash, spacious counter space, convenient outlets. There were complimentary bath robes which we didn’t use but were a nice touch. When we realized our clothes were too wrinkled to wear out - voila! There was the iron/steamer in the closet also. The only thing it didn’t have that I would have loved was a keurig or coffee pot. But it wasn’t a huge deal. The lobby is very open and classy, there are some historic touches like a US Mail tube, and the elevators have a historic vibe to them. We got there early to leave our bags and when we came back for check in, they had gotten very busy, so I recommend if you can pop in a little before 3, or wait until later like after 6, to check in, you’ll avoid the rush. They were, I must say, very efficient and prompt in helping everyone in line and the manager came over and kindly thanked us for our patience and apologized for the line. We werent really concerned at all - we realized that we picked the busiest time to check in and were content to wait - but it was still nice for it to be acknowledged. The location was excellent! We walked everywhere downtown and it never took more than 10 minutes in any direction. We were there for a Broadway weekend, and all the shows were so close, but you didn’t feel like you were in the chaos of downtown. The architecture is also really pretty and we got some photos outside under the arched accents. I’d say the only thing to be aware of with it being a more historic hotel is the elevators are a little smaller than a standard modern lift, and can run a little on the slower side, so just fair heads up that if you’re on a time crunch, give an extra few minutes to wait for the elevators (one of those things you just have to be okay with when staying somewhere that has some extra character). The only thing that went awry was we did lose hot water on the last night - something they were clearly aware of and working on as the boiler company truck was visible outside, so something clearly had broken and they were promptly attending to it…so our final showers were a little chilly, but otherwise we had a great stay and will definitely be back. Very very happy with our decision to stay at the Belvedere and...