Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC — Hotel in New York

Our stay at Ganesvoort was a masterclass in attempting to disguise mediocrity as luxury. It appears from reviews that guests share similar complaints - which remain unresolved - so it's clear Management just don't give a rat's and the whole thing is designed as a rapacious cash-grab. Apparently, the hotel went through a multi-million dollar renovation four years ago, but it's clear that money went into creating more reliable revenue streams like the onsite dining/bars, and not guest experience. The result is a hotel that prioritises profit over satisfaction, a strategy that is as short sighted as it is obvious. ||||Same complaints as everyone else:||The $8 bottles of water||The chipping paint, the shoddy grouting in the bathroom, bathroom fittings unattached/broken||Our room had peeling wallpaper||The curtain wand fell off||The outside door handle to our room fell off twice||The rooms aren't soundproofed, and the walls are thin, so you hear slamming doors and kids shouting at all hours||There were no tea or coffee facilities in the room, despite being mentioned on our booking. I've stayed in $50 hostels that have free tea and coffee.||The bed was a double, not a queen, as stated on our booking||We were missing bath towels on check-in which I had to request ||The room was really poorly lit. There is no main light in the room, just a couple of lamps that weren't sufficient||One light switch was broken and only worked sporadically||The bathroom was poorly designed with very limited storage space||There is no air-con vent or extractor fan in the bathroom. And they don't provide air freshener, leading to a new level of intimacy between my husband and I that neither of us wanted. ||Housekeeping was inconsistent and at times, just confusing - why take the robes away? ||The pillows were as limp as a chewed rag. After the first night I requested firmer pillows - which on arrival proved somehow to be even worse. After the second night, I was more specific in my request and asked for a memory foam pillow. This time I was presented with a pillowcase that looked like it had been stuffed with a hundred offcut foam pieces - I have no idea why something like that even exists? After asking twice to no avail, I just gave up and bought one at Target.||||The WiFi/Chromecast config is a fresh hell I've never experienced. They've installed the cheapest Chromecast devices, not designed for commercial use, so there is no unique code for your TV in your room. Which means every guest can access any other device across the hotel. The connection drops incessantly, or you're kicked off by another guest, meaning you constantly have to re-pair your content while casting, which was rage-inducing. Also means it's theoretically possible to cast "The Human Centipede" to the ratbag kids' TV next door, which I considered doing at one point just for the lols. We also had access to a device called "Roof top loft display", which feels like it's an internal device and should not be accessible to guests - see previous RE Human Centipede. ||||However, it's the downright predatory capitalist exploitation that really takes the cake. The bottles of water you are HANDED when you check-in are not complimentary. The WiFi is not complimentary. Any more than five deliveries to your room - which is entirely made up and completely arbitrary as the number of deliveries remains static regardless of the length of your stay - are not complimentary. This is a hotel where Management just spin the chocolate wheel to determine how exactly they'll try to rob you today. Frankly, I'm surprised they don't make you tap your credit card in the lift to access your floor, in place of the room key. There you go, Management, you can have that idea on me.||||I can forgive a lot of things, but for the money we paid, this experience was a level of inadequacy and grift I didn't previously think possible. ||||I hate this hotel, and I will make it my life's purpose to tell every single person I encounter, from now until I am cold in the ground....

Lipstick On A Pig.

Our stay at Gansevoort was a masterclass in attempting to disguise mediocrity as luxury. It appears from reviews that guests share similar complaints - which remain unresolved - so it's clear Management just don't give a rat's and the whole thing is designed as a rapacious cash-grab. Apparently, the hotel went through a multi-million dollar renovation four years ago, but it's clear that money went into creating more reliable revenue streams like the onsite dining/bars, and not guest experience. The result is a hotel that prioritises profit over satisfaction, a strategy that is as short sighted as it is obvious.

Same complaints as everyone else: The $8 bottles of water The chipping paint, the shoddy grouting in the bathroom, bathroom fittings unattached/broken Our room had peeling wallpaper The curtain wand fell off The outside door handle to our room fell off twice The rooms aren't soundproofed, and the walls are thin, so you hear slamming doors and kids shouting at all hours There were no tea or coffee facilities in the room, despite being mentioned on our booking. I've stayed in $50 hostels that have free tea and coffee. The bed was a double, not a queen, as stated on our booking We were missing bath towels on check-in which I had to request The room was really poorly lit. There is no main light in the room, just a couple of lamps that weren't sufficient One light switch was broken and only worked sporadically The bathroom was poorly designed with very limited storage space There is no air-con vent or extractor fan in the bathroom. And they don't provide air freshener, leading to a new level of intimacy between my husband and I that neither of us wanted. Housekeeping was inconsistent and at times, just confusing - why take the robes away?

The pillows were as limp as a chewed rag. After the first night I requested firmer pillows - which on arrival proved somehow to be even worse. After the second night, I was more specific in my request and asked for a memory foam pillow. This time I was presented with a pillowcase that looked like it had been stuffed with a hundred offcut foam pieces - I have no idea why something like that even exists? After asking twice to no avail, I just gave up and bought one at Target.

The WiFi/Chromecast config is a fresh hell I've never experienced. They've installed the cheapest Chromecast devices, not designed for commercial use, so there is no unique code for your TV in your room. Which means every guest can access any other device across the hotel. The connection drops incessantly, or you're kicked off by another guest, meaning you constantly have to re-pair your content while casting, which was rage-inducing. Also means it's theoretically possible to cast "The Human Centipede" to the ratbag kids' TV next door, which I considered doing at one point just for the lols. We also had access to a device called "Roof top loft display", which feels like it's an internal device and should not be accessible to guests - see previous RE Human Centipede.

However, it's the downright predatory capitalist exploitation that really takes the cake. The bottles of water you are HANDED when you check-in are not complimentary. The WiFi is not complimentary. Any more than five deliveries to your room - which is entirely made up and completely arbitrary as the number of deliveries remains static regardless of the length of your stay - are not complimentary. This is a hotel where Management just spin the chocolate wheel to determine how exactly they'll try to rob you today. Frankly, I'm surprised they don't make you tap your credit card in the lift to access your floor, in place of the room key. There you go, Management, you can have that idea on me.

I can forgive a lot of things, but for the money we paid, this experience was a level of inadequacy and grift I didn't previously think possible.

I hate this hotel, and I will make it my life's purpose to tell every single person I encounter, from now until I am cold in the...

For the Ratchet; By the Ratchet.

The following is the email I sent to the General Manager. For which I never received a reply. I removed the names of employees.

Good Morning General Manager,

I've not had the moment to write you back as I've been quite busy. I was married on the fifth and was entertaining family who flew in for the wedding.

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointing our stay at the Gansevoort was. Aside from the deplorable state of room 1005, which had clearly not been properly cleaned for weeks; the overall experience of the stay left me wishing I'd never booked with you. The only reason we did not depart to another property was that we were getting married. Too many moving pieces for a move like that on such short notice. And proximity to the wedding venue was of great concern.

Aside from the state of the room I was very curtly informed upon arrival that the early checkin I'd been assured I had by your reservationist, was not available. I told the woman working the desk that I had been promised an early check in when I'd called a week earlier. She simply said that early check-in is not a guarantee and only a request. No apology, no concern. It was my problem. This was the first of several charming exchanges I had with a Ms. X as she is referred on my invoices.

If I had been aware of that early check-in policy I would not have adjusted my travel Itenerary to be at the hotel early. As you might imagine the hours and days immediately before getting married are quite valuable. I would have used that time more efficiently than showing up for a room which was not ready. And the less I spoke to your employees the better the stay would have been.

The approach Ms. X employs in her communicating with guests can be found over and over at your property. The young lady who works the evening desk shift seems genuinely annoyed by my approaching her. The only woman who works the door is also extremely annoyed about having to do her job. The general sense I get from the woman working the door is disdain. Interrupted only by the occasional rolling of her eyes. It's as though someone forces her to go to that job every day. And then doesn't pay her.

My hospitality experience is extensive. I've been in the industry for twenty two years. Most of them in Manhattan. I ran venue's X and X; amongst others. It's as though your staff is under the impression that the name Gansevoort does the actual work for them. They've collectively gotten their feet under the dinner table and now they get to relax. And whatever problems arise are those of the guests.

I'm sure you have many guests who buy into the lure of Gansevoort. I'm not one of them. I'm not paying for a name. I want the actual experience. And the experience was an embarrassment. Especially for the price we paid. I'm not the person who wants to speak with the manager. I'm not the person who calls out employees. But this was outrageous.

I'm really an easy going customer. But not at $685.00 - $745.00 a night. And I realize that with the money we spent we are still likely on the low end of money spent by your clientele. But if this is as good as it gets for spending $5200.00 +/- in your hotel than you should should make that information public. So people know what they are actually going to get before they commit.

Your bellhops and valet were good. Genuine guys. Actually looking to do their job without seeming incovieninced. But that's it.

Genuinely wishing we'd spent our...