Hotel AKA NoMad — Hotel in New York

We're fans of AKA properties and lived in one for an extended time in Philadelphia. ||Unfortunately AKANomad was not well-suited to our needs during a recent stay. We booked this after an extensive conversation with AKA reservations. I was clear that this was a special trip (25th anniversary) and we were looking for a space that accommodated our family of three (two adults and a 5'11" teenager). ||I was assured that the room (suite) we booked was a good fit for three. I was told there was a couch and pressed to understand if it was a pull out bed or large enough for my tall son. The reservations agent spoke to the hotel directly and confirmed that if my son didn't want to sleep on the couch that they would provide a rollaway. We were also offered a promotional rate that included early check in/late check out/drinks and a food and beverage credit.||Positives: the location is wonderful. Close to dining, attractions and the subway. A great spot when visiting many different parts of the city. The doormen were exceptionally hospitable and helpful. Daily housekeeping kept us in fresh towels. The main bed and bedding were very comfortable and the air conditioning worked well. Overall the room was clean. We did receive the late checkout as promised.||Negatives: the first suite we were given was tiny with low ceilings and a bathroom the size of my powder room (no counter). The window overlooked a ceiling full of garbage. This was a significant disappointment as we booked several weeks in advance and made our needs know. ||After much discussion and negotiation, we chose to upgrade to a terrace suite. This was considerably more expensive but offered a larger bathroom (with a counter) and a larger living area to accommodate the rollaway. While the staff addressed this issue and worked with us to sort it out, it took a considerable amount of time at the end of a long travel day.||While the bathroom was lovely and stylish, sadly it was not conducive to a family of three. There was no fan, so the mirror was perpetually fogged. All lighting is indirect, so very hard to get ready. There was a tiny, lighted makeup mirror. I do appreciate the full size shampoo/conditioner/gel in the shower. One tiny little tube of body lotion for a four-night stay felt like an insult. Most days we received three sets of towels. There were only ever two robes. It was very clear that there were three of us staying there.||AKA in my mind is meant to be an extended stay hotel. Unfortunately there was little to no storage in the unit. One small wardrobe with shelves and drawers, one nightstand and one drawer over the mini bar. One shelf under the sink in the bathroom. No place to unpack luggage. There was a very nice ironing board and steamer.||Furnishings are touted as curated. They might have looked nice when they were new, but I was reminded of Ikea. The area rug was already looking shabby and the ugly rug pad showed.||This room would have been fine for two people. It was not really for three. There was no way my son could have slept on the couch (length and comfort) and his feet hung off of the rollaway.||Our room was not available when we arrived and we told check in was at 3pm. When I mentioned that our reservation included early check in we were told that was only based on availability. We did receive a text when the room was ready in a couple of hours.||The person who checked us in was confused by the promotion we received and initially told us it was a one time $40 credit (either food and beverage or destination fee) and then corrected to say that it was a $40 food and beverage credit per day. Sadly we believed him. This was not the case and it was indeed a one time credit. We did receive the credit against our first breakfast. I'm just relieved we didn't eat there every day expecting the credit. We did end up paying more than we expected for additional beverages.||We were charged for minibar items that we did not consume. They did refund that charge when alerted to it. We only realized too late that the drink vouchers never materialized.||Overall this could be a good fit with the right expectations and party size. Unfortunately it was not what we were expecting on this anniversary trip and we ended up spending an unexpected $1000+ on the stay in order to be comfortable and pay for food and beverage with thought were included in...

I stayed at Hotel AKA NoMad during a recent trip to New York and overall, it’s a very well-designed, peaceful, and comfortable hotel in an excellent location — but there are some details that travelers might want to know in advance.

The Good:

The design here is beautiful. The entire hotel has a very calm, minimal, almost spa-like feeling with its combination of Japanese and Scandinavian style. The lobby, bar, and lounge spaces are thoughtfully designed with clean lines, neutral colors, and natural materials like wood and stone. You feel like you’re walking into a quiet retreat rather than a noisy Manhattan hotel.

The location is excellent. It’s tucked away on a quiet block in NoMad, just a short walk from Madison Square Park, the Empire State Building, multiple subway lines, Penn Station, and plenty of great restaurants and coffee shops. Despite being in such a busy part of the city, the hotel itself feels quiet and restful — no street noise bothered me during my stay.

The rooms are very comfortable. My bed was excellent — firm but not too hard — with high-quality linens and pillows. The room felt very clean and well-maintained. There was also an in-room coffee maker, which was a welcome touch, and a large flat-screen TV with streaming options. Some rooms, especially on higher floors, offer great city views — including the Empire State Building in some cases. I stayed in a mid-range room, but friends staying on a higher floor said the view was a highlight.

Service here is professional and friendly. Every staff member I encountered — from the front desk to housekeeping — was polite, efficient, and ready to help when asked. Check-in and check-out were fast, and the front desk was helpful in providing directions and local recommendations.

Amenities are very good for a hotel of this size. There’s a well-equipped fitness room (Technogym machines), a small business center ("Mac Lodge") if you need to print or work, and a beautiful bar/lounge area that’s a great spot to relax with a drink or do some quiet reading or emails. The daily light breakfast (continental-style) is served in a bright mezzanine area, and the lobby offers coffee, tea, and water throughout the day. The vibe is quiet — not really a "party" or busy social hotel, which I appreciated.

The Not-So-Good:

The bathrooms, while clean and modern, are small — surprisingly small for a hotel in this price range. The sink and counter space are limited, and while the shower had good water pressure, it was a tight fit. If you value big hotel bathrooms with room to spread out your things, this might be disappointing.

Another small negative is the room layout. Due to the building’s design, some rooms have odd shapes or narrow spaces. Mine was fine, but my friend's room felt a bit awkward and tight. It wasn’t a major issue but could bother some travelers.

There is also the common NYC "facilities fee" of around $35–$40 per night. This covers the gym, Wi-Fi, business center, and lobby refreshments, but if you’re not going to use these, the fee feels unnecessary. This is typical of Manhattan hotels, but still something to factor into the total cost.

Closet and drawer space are limited. Fine for a short stay, but if you’re here for a week or more, you might find it hard to unpack properly.

Lastly, valet parking is available but expensive (over $70 per night) — again, not unusual for this part of the city but worth knowing if you’re driving.

Hotel AKA NoMad is an excellent choice if you care about design, peace and quiet, location, and solid service. It’s best suited to solo travelers, couples, or business guests who want a restful space in the middle of Manhattan. If you need lots of space, storage, or large luxurious bathrooms, it might not be the perfect fit, but for what it offers, it does very well.

I would definitely stay here again, but I’d request a room with a view or better...

Beautiful location in the heart of the city. I stayed here with my wife, heading to MSG for the evening, and wanted a hotel within walking distance. Arrival was smooth off Henry Hudson, though the hotel is easy to miss as it looks like an apartment building, which was actually pretty cool.

Valet was available and check in was a breeze. We had booked through some credit card points and as I checked in they told us our card was just for valet and incidentals.

Up to the 14th floor and an Empire State Building view with balcony. The room was clean and sizable. The balcony was all brick and had limited partitions between rooms.

The room offered QR codes to access amenities electronically. The Netflix, HBOmax and YouTube did not work, or couldn’t get it to allow me to login.

Looking out the room I could see MSG down the street and it was about a 10 minute stroll of a straight shot to the venue.

The bed creaked but overall was comfortable. The bathroom was tight but manageable and we never even used the shower.

Upon check out we wanted to head to Eataly, so the front desk took our luggage and explained they needed an hour to get the car out so to take that into account. After our stroll we sat down to eat and called for our car. Timing was perfect when we got back and we checked out.

I stepped away to use the bathroom and when I came back we got in the car and I never got my folio. So when I got home I noticed that my charge was for much more than the 85 or so for valet. I called and left a message because no one was available at the front desk.

No one called me back, so after 48 hours I tried again. I spoke with Lisa this time and explained the situation. She told me there was some sort of resort fee that we were responsible for but I explained we used points and on the receipt from the credit card points it showed taxes and fees on top of the points we used. She was very nice but said a manager would have to be the one to resolve. She assured me someone would call me back and repeated her name as a POC.

7 days later and no call, so I called again and as luck would have it got Lisa. I told her that I trusted she passed on my information but that her upper management is making her look bad. After putting me on hold for a moment she came back and even though I hadn’t re-explained the situation, she remembered it was about the resort fee. She said she would not want to lose me as a future customer and made the executive decision to refund it. I was impressed. Lisa saved me as a customer and while it wasn’t ideal to make so many calls, she did what was right, with a smile (you could hear it in her voice) and apologetically. Thank you Lisa for saving the day and making things right.

P.S. Lisa is a keeper, but I would seriously review your SOP on issue escalation. It feels like it is non-existent. Feel free to reach out for...