Sanctuary Hotel New York — Hotel in New York

Overall it was a good stay but it wasn’t quite what we were expecting. The parking was close (about a block and a half away) but there was no valet and we probably could have found cheaper parking on our own - though it would’ve been a little further. The directions they gave to the parking garage weren’t valid after 2 because of closed off streets. Our bags, which were dropped off with the doorman to be taken up to our room, were sitting in the lobby when we returned about 15-20 minutes later. They informed us on check-in that breakfast was bagged and delivered to the room due to Covid and we needed to relay our preferences the night before. We did and requested it brought up at 8:30am. At 8:50 the next morning we called the front desk and they said they’d tell the staff and have it brought up (no apology for being late or for not having us listed). At 9:00 I had to walk into the hallway and ask the lady who was delivering food to other rooms if we could also get food - she had no listing of our preference but was helpful and got us breakfast within another 5 minutes (croissant, somewhat dry muffin, cup of OJ, cup of coffee, yoplait yogurt and maybe an apple? We got one the second day but not the first and we didn’t get spoons for the yogurt..). Breakfast was delivered 20 minutes after our requested time the following morning, but we didn’t have to remind anyone so that was a step up.

The rooftop bar, The Haven, was also a bit of a disappointment. The interior was great and the ambiance was as well. But there was pretty much no view and we had to make reservations for the bar (almost didn’t get to go up) even though we were staying at the hotel (we were not told on check in that reservations were needed, only that it was available for us to go to).

As far as the room goes, the bed was very comfortable and plush! We loved the comforter and pillows. The room was decorated nicely and had everything you would need (no microwave or fridge, but we didn’t need one).

There was unfortunately constructions on the Hotel’s street so it was pretty noisy but that’s no fault of theirs. Also, the location is great if you’re looking to be right at Time’s Square! Keep in mind though, being that close to Time’s Square means here’s lots of noise (yelling, honking, etc) late into the night.

Overall we had a good stay, but the customer service and small details...

The good:|The great thing about this hotel is it’s|proximity to Times Square. Literally 70 yards away. Front of house staff are all young and we found them all helpful and friendly at all times, especially Vichet. |Breakfast is continental style with choice of two cereals, two breads, bagels, pastries and a muffin, apples, bananas and oranges and various teas and coffee. Self service style. Closes at 10am sharp. |Room was generally clean and was maintained well throughout stay. ||The not so good:|The hotel is beginning to show some signs of tiredness, some of the public rooms don’t exactly reflect the hotel’s own pictures, furniture and fittings in public areas in particular, nothing too bad just not quite as pics on line. The downstairs bar wasn’t open for three of the four days we were there and the rooftop bar was so crowded and noisy that we left within minutes- of course if you like that it’ll be a plus! Drinks were expensive even for New York $40 for two drinks- ‘well’ spirits so nothing fancy, gin and tonic and vodka and coke. |The room we had on the second floor-206, was tiny. I don’t expect a lot of space in New York but as we had been travelling for a while we had two large suitcases and two hand luggage cases. There was only space in the ‘wardrobe’ (more on that later) for one of these. There was no room on the floor space for the second large case so it spent its time on the dressing table for the entire time, making the room feel even more crowded, the other suitcases had to be stacked between the wall and headboard in an upright position. This left just enough room to walk around the bed to the shower and sink, which as you can see from pics are actually in the bedroom not in a separate room. There is a curtain you can pull across to divide the room if you want privacy when showering The sink was badly cracked and needs replacing. |The overhead light didn’t work, wall switch is faulty. |The window was small and was opaque- couldn’t see out of it which enhanced the feeling of it being claustrophobic |The ‘wardrobe’ opening is at best 18 inches wide and a little wider further back, given the large suitcase was in there it wasn’t particularly useful or accessible for...

The positive- This boutique hotel was clean and the staff was very pleasant. The front entrance is about 50 feet from Time Square. The room was very small, but clean. The beds were comfortable and the hotel was very quiet at night. Our room was cleaned and replenished everyday. Negative- The website has not been updated in while. Neither has the hotel rooms. There are no concierge services. The website indicates that upgrades can be made that do not exist. For a fee the hotel supposedly offered “extras”. I ordered chocolates in the room for our arrival and said I wanted to book massages for my daughter and I. When we arrived our room wasn’t ready so we waited. When we did get up to the room there were no chocolates or any visible way to book our massages. I called the front desk and they said they didn’t offer massages. The clerk did admit she just saw me requests and instead of fulfilling our request they offered us a bottle of wine or a dessert. We chose dessert and 40 mins later we got a piece of chocolate cake, with 1 fork. The wallpaper is pealing and every time the elevator was used the lights would blink and dim. The view from our sixth story room was a cement wall. The continental breakfast that was supposed to be delivered to each room was served in the large dining area next to the lobby. You would figure a hotel with 2 restaurants would have an excellent breakfast. We have had better breakfasts at Hotel Six. The choices were slim and unimpressive for being in such a culinary rich city. Because we were leaving early I asked if the front desk could get us a cab. It was only a 16 minute walk, but it was only 5 am and still dark. The car picked us up and had no idea where the entrance to Penn Station was so he dropped us off on the corner “near the door” he said. It took us 7 minutes to get there and cost $47!!!! At nearly $500 a night I had expected far better. My recommendation is to book at the Renaissance hotel or the OYO right across from the Sanctuary. This hotel was beyond disappointing. I give it 2 stars, but only because the staff...