Placemakr Wall Street — Hotel in New York

I stayed here for 7 weeks whilst in New York with work. The accommodation was booked by my employer so was not my choice. The studio plus has an alcove bed and a "murphy" bed (basically a fold-down sofa bed) so is advertised as being suitable for up to 4 people. I found it quite claustrophobic for one person so I wouldn't recommend it for 4! It is very dark - admittedly I was on quite a low floor and there were just tall buildings outside my window, but the design choices inside do not help - a dark grey wall behind the TV, a black kitchenette and very poor lighting. It is necessary to have all the available lights on at all times, even in broad daylight. There are two bright lights in the entrance corridor but only one dim overhead light in the main living area. A curtain can be drawn across the room to divide the sofa bed from the rest of the room but the ceiling light is then on the other side of the curtain and there is no light at all over the sofa. I ended up moving the desk lamp to the windowsill so I could see to read while sitting on the sofa. I didn't try it as a bed but as a sofa it is uncomfortable and the seat cushion constantly slips forward and overhangs at the front. The arms are very thin so I used an extra pillow to pad them out and make them comfortable to lean on. ||The kitchenette is probably fine if you are there on holiday for a week and just want to make a cup of tea or a quick snack but I wanted to cook properly during my long stay and it is not designed for this. There was absolutely no worktop space so I had to balance the chopping board on the edge of the sink. There was no tin opener, sieve/colander, scissors... The microwave is about a foot off the ground so you actually have to kneel on the floor to use it, and (like everything else) there are no instructions for it and the only button I could get to respond was the one which adds time in increments of 30 seconds. The hob is an induction hob but again comes with no instructions. I am unfamiliar with induction hobs and when it kept flashing up with an error message I actually reported it broken to 2 different people on reception until the second person told me I had to put the kettle on the hob before turning the hob on. How was I supposed to know this?? A few coffee bags were provided with the room but I was surprised that there was no filter coffee maker or cafetiere/French press. After I mentioned this to my employer, it was arranged for coffee makers to be provided and this was much appreciated but clearly isn't standard for this type of room. When I arrived the water in the kitchen sink was running at a very thin trickle and part of the sink plug was missing so it wouldn't retain any water. When I reported this it was quickly sorted out by one of the building's engineers, but I would have thought this might have been checked when the room was being prepared. ||Admittedly this is personal taste, but I was not keen on the student union aesthetic in the room. The hidden cupboards were frustrating - I was walking around pulling at the wall panels to discover which were cupboards and which were just the wall! It took me ages to find any pans because they were in a hidden drawer which I just thought was part of a skirting board. Personally my preference is also for a shower which isn't of the "wet room" type - "wet room" is accurate because with no division between the shower and the rest of the room, half of the bathroom floor ends up soaked even if you angle the shower head towards the wall. ||There was probably more storage space than I have in my entire permanent home - SO many cupboards, drawers and shelves - and yet other basic things were lacking. It would be possible to fit in an additional small armchair for example, but apart from the sofa the only other seating is an upright desk chair so if the sofa bed was in use there would be nowhere else to sit. A small dining table would also be useful - the only place to eat is either at the desk (not great if you are working from the room) or with a plate on your knee on the sofa. ||The air conditioning/heating system was SO loud it sounded like a small aircraft was taking off and even when the system was switched off, there was a cold draught permanently coming through a vent under the window and through another long vent which runs across the width of the room, right next to the sofa. I ended up laying towels and the spare duvet over this to block the draught. I could also sometimes smell cigarette smoke which I assume was somehow coming through these vents from outside. ||It is quiet in terms of not hearing much noise from outside the building but the actual noise levels will depend on who is staying in neighbouring rooms. The doors are heavy and slam noisily, and the windows also make a loud metallic clanking sound when closing. The sliding glass bathroom door is INCREDIBLY loud as it rattles along its track and I was more than once woken up by this noise from neighbouring rooms, along with footsteps from overhead. The walls by the window are particularly thin - voices and water pipes were very loud in that area and I could even hear the people in the next room opening the curtains.||There is a laundry room which is free to use (bring your own detergent). It is also reminiscent of a student union with vending machines, ping pong, arcade games and pounding music - again, not to my taste but some of my younger colleagues liked it! Some of the tumble dryers were not great and did not seem to get hot at all, but obviously you only discover this when the drying cycle has ended and your clothes are still wet. Even with a small load I sometimes had to put it through two cycles in the dryer (90 mins in total) and some items were still damp. After 6 weeks I discovered by accident that by pressing the Start button a second time you could lengthen the drying cycle in increments of 15 minutes. I was unaware of this before because - like everything else - the washers and dryers have no instructions with them. ||For me, the lack of information was one of the most frustrating things about Placemakr. Why can't there be a small welcome pack in each room containing basic information? As I have said, there were no instructions for using the hob or microwave, or how the heating works, or what to do with rubbish/recycling, or how often the room was cleaned. After 2 weeks I noticed a Trash room in the corridor with recycling bins in it but I had previously been putting everything in the one bin under my sink. There would be plenty of room under the sink for separate recycling bins. My room was cleaned 3 times in the first fortnight, always on different days of the week and once it was actually done two days running, including complete bedding and towel changes. After that it was once every 2 weeks, which was okay but I was surprised it wasn't weekly. If cleaning is only done every 2 weeks then perhaps there could be some cleaning products in the room so residents can wipe down the shower or kitchen in between cleaning visits. ||A phone in the room to contact reception would be useful. There is a phone number provided for reception but you would have to call from your mobile phone, and I was visiting from overseas and could not make calls from my phone without incurring charges so had to go down to reception to speak to someone if something needed sorting out. Reception staff were always friendly and helpful but to have to go down to speak to someone was frustrating and inconvenient, especially if I then needed to follow up the conversation a bit later on and go down there again. This was made doubly frustrating by the fact that the elevators were incredibly slow, regularly with at least a two minute wait before one turned up and more than once I waited over five minutes, so to keep going up and down was annoying. One of the three elevators was out of service for the entire time I was there and on two occasions all three elevators were not working and staff were directing guests to use the service elevator. ||By the end of my time here this had become the single most frustrating thing about Placemakr. One of the most convenient things was being literally one minute from the ferry pier at the top of the street, where I could take the ferry directly to work, but the benefit of this was entirely negated by the fact that I had to leave my room about 15 minutes before the ferry was due simply because of the uncertainty of how long it would take me to be able to leave the building. This is a building with 20 floors and presumably over 250 rooms so you can imagine how many people are trying to use these elevators. You would think that the speed and reliability of the elevators would be crucial but it is sadly lacking. ||Placemakr is perhaps okay for a short stay if you only want to sleep here but I would not recommend it for...

OMG! I’m in love. I may never stay anywhere else in NYC. Where do I begin?!? This place is located on Wall Street in the financial district facing the river. It is about 3 blocks from the subway, has a Starbucks across the street and is a quick train ride to literally anywhere in Manhattan (or Brooklyn for that matter). I’ve been to NY many times and have stayed in hotels, AirBNBs and now this lovely condo-hotel. This takes the cake. The neighborhood is quiet and removed from the loud hustle and bustle of Time’s Square. It’s also a safe area with plenty or residents strolling about, walking their dogs and going to and from work. Like with all of NY, there are great places to eat at every turn. We had outstanding bagels at Leo’s Bagels just 3 blocks out and a few other places nearby, that I regrettably cannot remember. But the room. Wow, the ROOM. No, they’re not huge, as with most units in NYC, but it was still roomy enough for our family of 4. We stayed in the Studio Plus. The kids (14 & 10) loved the alcove bed. The Murphy bed was very comfortable, NOT like a sofa bed at all. It has an actual mattress on a platform bed. The large flat screen TV was great for lulling off to sleep after a long day of exploring on our tired feet. The bathrooms are simple, modern, well stocked and BIG. I also loved the decor and feel of the property. Everything is so clean! The hallways are fun and welcoming with cute decor that is unique to each floor. Lounge areas welcome you on each floor too. The laundry room has vending machines, a pool table, video games and couches where you can chill while waiting for your laundry cycle to run. We shot a couple of games of pool while doing ALL our laundry before packing to go home. What a treat it was not having to do that upon arrival from our vacation! But back to the rooms…did I mention they have stocked kitchens with full refrigerators, stovetops and microwaves? Man did that kitchen save us some money on eating out 3-4 times a day for 8 days! We shopped at the local Target for groceries, just a train stop away, and stocked our fridge. Sometimes breakfast, other times dinner or midnights snack, but the kitchen was EVERYTHING. I can’t end my review without mentioning the level of professionalism, friendliness and kindness shown to us every, single, day by literally every staff member at this place. It really set this place apart from the rest. To me, customer service makes or breaks it and these guys went above and beyond to make us feel at home, and what a wonderful feeling that is. A big hug to everyone at that front desk. We hope to see...

The Placemaker Wall Street hotel is a well-equipped hotel with everything you need for your stay.||The area felt safe. It's across the street from the ferry and about a 5-10 minute walk to the subway station. ||The lobby has a coffee station and a restaurant next door. There is also a Duane Reade convenience store across the street.||Note that the doors lock after 11 pm if you arrive late. The staff said they have staff 24/7, so someone can still let you in.||SHARED SPACES:|The gym is on the 7th floor. On the 8th floor is a laundry room, vending machines, and a pool table. You need your own detergent for the laundry room. ||On the 9th floor is a community area with kitchen appliances. The community kitchen had a toaster, microwave, stove, toaster oven, blender, and even a KitchenAid. There are tables available if you'd like to eat together with your friends/family.||MY ROOM:|I booked the Studio Murphy room. When I first got to the room, the Murphy bed was not set up. I couldn't figure out how to set up the bed, so I had to ask the staff for help. I wasn't a fan of having to set up my own bed.||The kitchenette had everything I needed: a large refrigerator with a freezer, a microwave, an induction cooktop, a kettle, cookware, utensils, plates/bowls/cups, and a sink. My room also came with an ironing board and an iron.||The bathroom was basically a large wet room. A shower curtain was the only thing separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom. I had to use exta towels to prevent the rest of the bathroom from getting soaked. The bathroom was a good size, so at least that's a positive.||THE NEGATIVES:|My room was on the 9th floor. Unfortunately, I was placed next to the elevators. The doors/walls were not soundproof. I could hear when other guests used the elevators and when anyone was in the community kitchen area. Someone decided to use the communal blender at 12 am! Maybe more signs about quiet hours might help the noisier guests be more considerate.||The walls in my room were not soundproof at all. You can hear street noise during the day, but it's not too bad at night. However, I could hear my neighbors' conversations all night long, even if they were talking normally. I don't recommend this hotel if you're trying to get a good night's sleep. I was up until 2 am because of my neighbors. You can hear everything. Bring earplugs if...