Four Points by Sheraton New York Downtown — Hotel in New York

I had a great first time stay at Four Points by Sheraton NY Downtown! I was a solo traveler in town for the US Open and to see a few Broadway shows. All of the front desk employees were very welcoming, hospitable and helpful. Carlos was exceptional, and I am appreciative of his professionalism and customer service! I purchased the smallest room, and I was pleasantly surprised because it was actually a good, standard size room. I was expecting the typical small NY room, but it was not. It was definitely enough room for me, and honestly, 2 people would have been just fine. I usually stay in Times Square and was worried about having to take the subway and transfer since the hotel is in the downtown area, close to the financial district, 9/11 Memorial, etc. However, I had absolutely no problems. From Times Square, it was only 5 stops on subway train 2 or 3 to Fulton Street, and from there, it's a short 3-4 min walk to the hotel. For the US Open, I just had to take either train to Times Square/42nd Street and transfer to the 7 train to Mets-Willets, and the tennis stadium is right there when you exit. It was so easy, and I am one who is directionally-challenged and not familiar with taking subway trains. I was also worried about walking in the area at night since it's not the bustling Times Square area. Both nights, I returned rather later, after 11pm and after midnight, and actually, the area is well lit, and there were enough people walking and cars that I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable, especially as a solo woman. Each day, housekeeping attempted to clean the room, but I had the sign on the door so they left a note if I needed anything refreshed. I also love that there's an ice machine near the lobby so before leaving each day and returning, I filled up my water bottle-so convenient. There are ice machines on the floors, but I always used the one in the lobby. Also, I arrived early morning on the first day so I could head to the US Open Fan Fest, and Carlos checked my bags, and even offered to call me when the first room became available. Since I would be out all day, I didn't need that, but I appreciate Carlos's kind offer. The elevators were efficient, and I liked the added security of having to scan your room key to operate. I didn't eat at the rooftop restaurant, but it seemed popular because each evening, a different couple asked me about how to get to it. The views may be nice as well because I think it's on the 26th floor. I'll have to check it out during my next visit. ||The only cons were: twice when I entered, there was a slightly foul smell that was off-putting, but once on the elevators, in the halls and in my room, I never smelled it. Finally, NY, like most every other big city, has a lot of unhoused people, and some sat in the nice courtyard area in front of the hotel (and in front of the other hotels on the walk to/from the subway station). I was initially hesitant, especially thinking about my solo walk back at night, but they did not bother anyone, and again, I never felt unsafe. The restaurants the share the courtyard with the hotel must people their trash bags on the sidewalk each night which is an eye sore, not appealing, smelly and just a bad look for the hotel because of course, the trash can also draw rats which everyone knows NY has a lot of (LOL); fortunately, I didn't see any. lol||The pros strongly outweigh the cons, and yes, I will stay at this hotel again, and I recommend it to others, including solo travelers! There's alot of attractions, shopping, restaurants and fast food/takeout in the area as well. This hotel was also a...

Four Points by Sheraton — NYC

THE BUILDING: The lobby was very nice, although freezing — whether you walk in from outside or from the elevators, you feel like you transported into the North Pole. If you’re a penguin, you’ll love it! Other than the temperature (and unnecessary use of power), everything else about the hotel was nice.

I think there was a gym downstairs, but we didn’t check it out.

Sheraton offers an e-key on their Bonvoy app, but it doesn’t do you any good at this property because it doesn’t work in the elevator — you have to tap your room key card to select your floor in the elevator, but the app doesn’t work for that.

LOCATION: The hotel was in a great location in Lower Manhattan. The entrance faces a nice little square with picnic tables and restaurants. It’s only a few minutes walk from several subway lines, the City Ferry dock (Pier 11), and the Staten Island ferry. There’s a great Irish Pub about a block away, Fulton Center, and some really good food trucks (if you stay away from the ones that don’t post prices under FDR drive at Pier 17).

CITY VIEW ROOMS: In our experience, not worth the upgrade. We felt a little ripped off, to be honest. Maybe we should have said something, but we didn’t.

RECEPTION / CHARGES: Checking in was quick and easy. The receptionists were friendly and efficient, and there were no surprises on our final bill.

A/C: It works great, although the thermostat in room 2605 didn’t appear to be working so it didn’t shut the A/C off once it reached the desired temperature so we kept kept turning it off manually. To be fair to the hotel, we kept forgetting to mention this. I’m sure they would have fixed it or offered to move us to a different room had we said something.

WIFI: Easy to log to, and worked great!

THE ROOM: We had room 2605 — A “city view” room. It was definitely not worth paying extra for the city view. You just look out over the little square in front of the hotel, but I’m sure you could have done that from much lower rooms at a cheaper rate. The surrounding buildings were too high for there to be much of a view.

There are no mini fridges at that hotel so a common thing for hotel guests is to bring ice back from the 2nd floor ice machine to try to keep leftovers cool.

Housekeeping came each day and did a great job.

THE BATHROOM: The bathroom was a pleasant surprise for an NYC hotel (at that price point). It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was more than adequate.

NOISE: The room itself was very quiet. We couldn’t hear other guests or noise from the outside (Platt Street is not a not a main thoroughfare and is relatively quiet).

COFFEE: There was in-room coffee, and it was decent. There is also coffee in the lobby until 9:30 and plenty of coffee shops within a quick walk from the hotel.

PARKING: We didn’t use the parking, but I think I saw somewhere that it was $50 per night — probably coordinated with a nearby parking garage (I didn’t notice an on-sight parking entrance).

THE BAR: The bar on the top floor bills itself as a “rooftop bar,” but it’s completely interior with no views. It’s just a bar at the top of a high-rise. It’s definitely more of a nightclub for a 20-something crowd. If that’s what you’re looking for, it seems like a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a place to talk or get work done on your laptop, the Iris pub about a block away is a great option (and much cheaper).

SUMMARY: We would stay here again, but just not pay for the city...

I had a king room on the 26th floor. I had a pretty nice stay. The hotel was easy enough to find and in a safe neighborhood. I was there as a solo female and felt secure in the hotel and walking around outside. There are restaurants and convenience stores nearby, and easy access to the subway and tourist attractions. I arrived early, around 10:45am, on check-in day. I was able to drop off my suitcase to store in their baggage room with no problems and came back in the evening to check in. I was also able to store my suitcase with them on check-out day, since my train wasn't until the afternoon. I checked out early, around 8:00, and came back at 1:00 to pick up my bag. The staff were courteous and helpful. There are staff at the desk 24/7. The lobby has a water dispenser during the day and coffee in the morning. There is also a small "market" next to the check-in desk where you can get vending machine-like snacks (chips, etc.). I never had to wait for the elevator. In order to go up or down, you have to tap your room key onto a reader before pushing the floor button, so it felt pretty secure.||The room itself was fine. It was kept very clean for the duration of my stay. I had a corner room. There are blackout curtains, and the heat/air conditioning is controlled by a thermostat on the wall. You do need to insert your room key into a slot on the door for the lights to work. But there are wall switches to turn them on and off once you insert your key. I did find the room to be dark at night though. I thought the bed was extremely comfortable, I slept very well. It was also very quiet. I didn't hear any noise whatsoever from the street or from adjacent rooms. There's a tv on the wall that will let you watch live tv or to stream from netflix, amazon prime, youtube, or pandora. Note that there was no clock in the room, which is a significant issue for me since I turn my phone off at night. The storage is also minimal with no dresser or closet - there's just a cabinet type armoire, which is small. There is no mini fridge. The bathroom has dispensers for soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. The shower isn't ideal. The dispensers are mounted so high that the pump was above eye level for me, so squirting the shampoo into my hand was really awkward. There are also no ledges in the shower. I bring my own bar soap with me because I'm allergic to a lot of soap, and there was nowhere to put it. There was also nowhere to put a razor if you shave in the shower.||Overall my experience was positive though - my primary criteria are safe, clean, and quiet, and this hotel met those with flying colors. The price was reasonable for the location. I may or may not stay in this hotel again though, due to the drawbacks...