Best Western Premier Herald Square — Hotel in New York

I returned to BW Premier Herald Square September 2024 because my first experience in Dec 2022 was a positive one. However, this experience was a nightmare. Maybe they overbooked rooms.

My issues started before I even arrived. My room was reserved online directly through Best Western, not a third party. It gave me a date 4 days prior to my scheduled stay to cancel if needed, but I planned to be here. I received an email at 9-18 1:05 AM EST the DAY of my travel asking for credit card information to keep my reservation active. I already provided my credit card during my online booking THROUGH BW. When I called around 1:30 AM, they said it was needed to ensure they kept my room for me. What if I hadn’t seen that prior to my flight? What if I had already been asleep? I could’ve potentially not had a room that had been booked for 5 nights? Then over the phone, they said something about me possibly putting incorrect CC info. I imagine their own app where bookings are done wouldn’t have processed it if I had put incorrect CC information. I had also already called on 9-13 to ensure my reservation was good to go on their end.

Then I arrive and within 3 minutes of being in the room, I see some type of pest. I arrived late night, so at first I wasn’t sure if it was just an isolated situation and it being NYC, but after an hour or so, I decided to address this due to becoming increasingly anxious about the room. I had never experienced this in Manhattan in any of my prior visits to the city. They moved me to another room. I once again see another type of pest again within 5 minutes this time on the wall near the bed. Then they move me to another room that was next door, and that was unnerving due to it being in such close proximity to where I had just had this issue. It also seemed dirty, with what looked like a dead bed bug stuck in this plastic trim in the wall. I tell the employee who moved me, and he didn’t seem concerned since it appeared dead. They tell me that they will move me to another room the following day due to being completely booked. The next day I pack up my things early afternoon because I was told that they’d move my baggage to my room when it’s ready. They tell me that it’ll be only 15 minutes but to go ahead and head out for the day because they’ll move it to the room for me and to just come to the front desk for the new key cards. When I returned hours later, the front desk employee momentarily thought that they were unable to accommodate a new room but made a call and realized that they did have a room ready. However, suitcases did NOT get moved! So there goes another 30+ min waiting to get everything moved so I can get settled again. Now it’s 4:30 AM, and the AC isn’t working in my fourth room. I spent just over $2K for 5 nights and expected a different experience. I could’ve spent a comparable amount and gone somewhere else for a much better experience, but since I had a positive experience the first time, I returned here. I regret not relocating but trusted it would get better since the staff seemed sincerely apologetic. However, to fix the AC right now, they said it would disrupt two floors’ AC and just provided a basic fan, not even some portable AC unit. This is supposed to be a “Premier” location, but I really regret not leaving the first night. All they did was offer a very minimal discount that didn’t account for the numerous disruptions and feelings of unease. I had initially removed this review, but in hindsight I decided to put this back up to help warn others.

Positives: location, reliable WiFi, kind housekeeping, friendly front desk

Cons: pest control, AC unit,...

Extremely satisfied with this hotel. Just had a brief 2-night stay for what ended up being $76 per night. $76 per night for a hotel this nice in Herald Square on a weekend?! Sign me up! The Hyatt, which is right next door, was almost twice as much.

First, I'll let everyone know that the rooms are, indeed, quite small, especially with the double beds. However, most hotels in NYC are very similar, and BWP makes the best use out of the space they have here.

The Good:

Affordability. You won't find a better rate with these kinds of accommodations and good-looking rooms anywhere near Midtown.

Location. You're 2 blocks from Penn Station, 1 block from Macy's, and 8 blocks from Times Square. What could be better?

Ohhhhh that shower is incredibly refreshing! Probably the best shower stall I've ever had in a hotel.

Bed and Pillows. Soft. Refreshing. Warm. I'm a soft pillow and slightly firm mattress fan, but this won't be for everybody.

One of the better breakfast buffets I've had in my travels (Please Note: Only available on weekends).

Extremely nice staff. Option to hold luggage for you in a secure room while you explore the city after checking out (they held mine for almost 5 hours).

Late checkout option until 11AM.

Plenty of options for food and drink (HIGHLY recommend The Parlour and Ragtrader).

The (Not-So) Bad:

Small rooms. Not a problem for me being a solo traveller. And strangely, the room next to mine was able to cram 20 people inside for a party on Saturday night.

On that subject, thin walls. Sound travels well in this place both in the hallways and the rooms. Beware of how loud you are, particularly if you plan on doing any "extracurricular" activity, if you know what I mean. I had no such plans, but I heard the room next door partying until well after midnight.

TV. DirectTV with a small group of channels. Now, most hotels you don't go there for the television, especially in NYC, but it was noticeable how small the list of channels was.

The TV doesn't swivel, so if you're in the double bed, you're always watching TV from a weird angle. Small inconvenience, no big deal.

Overall Verdict: EXTEMELY HAPPY and satisfied with this hotel. Anytime I come up here from Washington D.C., I'm going to look here first for a room. Excellent work,...

This hotel has a lot of very good things, but misses the mark in certain areas. First the good:

1. staff is friendly and hospitable, including the front desk and breakfast staff
2. rooms are clean
3. rooms in the back of the building are surprisingly quiet (more on that below). The HVAC system has a constant running fan for nice white noise. You also are provided a set of earplugs.
4. breakfast is about as good as you'd expect for a "free" breakfast. It is hot, and includes eggs and sausage, oatmeal, cereal, and baked goods.
5. there are complimentary beverages available in the lobby (water, coffee and tea)
6. there are only 6 rooms per floor, which limits congestion.
7. there is a nice hotel bar with about the best happy hour you'll see in the city. 4-9pm, beers are $4, wine is $6 and rails are $7. The bartender is very friendly and welcoming.
8. room size is about 180/sq feet. Not large, but large enough to not feel too cramped (at least for NYC standards)
9. there is a workout facility that is actually pretty nice
10. hotel is in a good location. Easy walk to central park and Southern Manhattan. Lots of restaurants and bars around.

Now here's where it can improve:

1. this hotel is trying to out punch its weight. It is trying to compete with the higher end brands, but lacks certain elements they provide. (examples below)
2. the beds are not as comfortable as you'd expect for a high end hotel.
3. the sheets and towels aren't as high end (or soft feeling) as you'd expect.
4. the toilet paper is incredibly cheap and poor quality.
5. the doors slam shut and are incredibly noisy. Even if you try to pull the door shut, the latch is insanely loud and will wake you up anyone in a nearby room closes the door. This is a MAJOR detraction from the stay and something management should immediately fix.
6. there are two elevator liness, which are loud, slow and clunky. They do not inspire confidence.
7. the hotel allows smoking on its front and back patios. It's such a small space, that you are enveloped by the smoke.
8. hotel did not honor a lower rate for rooms after dropping its prices, despite us having an extended reservation.
9. there is little security. For example, you can ride up elevators and access the room floors without having to...