The Gardens Sonesta ES Suites New York — Hotel in New York

Go To Loew's Regency Hotel Instead - they have clean rooms, friendly staff, and best of all no roaches.

I recently stayed at the Garden Sonesta, and my experience was far from what I expected from a "four-star" establishment.

Upon arrival, we unloaded our luggage (no help from a bellhop or the manager at the front desk) and checked into our room, only to find it felt dirty. There were oil stains on the headboards along with noticeable stains on the chair, and couch fabrics. Bathroom sink was clogged. The outdoor patio was unswept (cigarette butts all around), and the furniture was more than dirty (covered with cigarette burns). This was not what I anticipated, especially after reading what seemed like good reviews.

I had surgery scheduled for the next day, so we tried to make the best of our situation. We bought cleaning supplies and flowers to help with the dingy, basement-like feel of the room. However, the room was uncomfortably hot, and after calling the front desk, a bellhop was sent to assist (did not even know they had one since no help was offered when checking in). He agreed the room felt "hot and wet" but could only offer us a fan. Later that night, the heat persisted, and when we called again, the bellhop entered our room without knocking (should never happen), clearly frustrated and unable to help. I asked him to get the manager who did let us move to a new room.

The new room was less dingy, had working air conditioning, and no stains on the headboard. Things were looking up. Upon returning the next day after my surgery, I receive a phone call from the manager and spoke about our previous issues, and they acknowledged that their service and hotel did not meet the expected standards .. however to make matters worse, the following morning, we found roaches in the bathroom and crawling around our luggage. We decided to pack up and leave immediately.

Overall, this hotel does not live up to its good reviews regarding cleanliness and friendly staff. I would rate it as a three-star hotel at best, and even that feels generous. I usually don't leave reviews (especially negative), but I booked this place based on pictures and reviews, and I must emphasize that it is indeed a three-star hotel with the third star hanging by a thread when it comes to cleanliness and professionalism.

1 star review may seem harsh, but this hotel is advertised as a 4 star hotel priding themselves on cleanliness and service which I did not see even after trying to make the best of it. This hotel has potential to be a great hotel with large rooms, nice outdoor space, and good location (hard to find in NYC), but needs improvements in decor, housekeeping, and overall staff training to achieve.

I would recommend Loew's Regency Hotel. It is a few blocks from this hotel, still close to all hospitals, and much more equipped for after...

BEWARE: I would not recommend this hotel or their associated parking garage to ANYONE! I had numerous problems with this property including lack of efficiency, negligence, damaging property, dishonesty and overall lack of care.

EARLY BIRD BOOKING….I booked a 2 bedroom suite for my best friend’s bachelorette party 4 months in advance to ensure that I picked an appropriate room for our bridal party. I proceeded to call again 1 month leading up to the event on May 25th to confirm all was set with the reservation and to request an early check-in as I needed to decorate the room before the bridal party’s arrival. I was advised this would not be a problem. Not only did they not let me in early when I arrived, they didn’t even check me in on time, they checked me in LATE, which did not provide me adequate time to set up for the event in time.

LATER IN THE NIGHT when we arrived back to the hotel after our Bachelorette activities and attempted to shower, we found one of the showers in the room was not working and the water was yellow and would not drain.

CHECK OUT I FIND THEY DAMAGED MY CAR: I had paid them to park in their garage upon arrival. When I went to get my car in the morning I found my car had a flat tire with a huge slash in it. (See picture below). They refused to take responsibility for the damage, in fact they laughed at me when they saw how upset I was. My friends fiancé had to drive 2 hours to NYC to put a spare on my tire as they would not help me. I filed a claim thereafter, which they denied.

FINAL INSULT TO INJURY: I had purchased a beautifully decorated $200 Bachelorette cake that we had not even cut into with all of the distractions at the hotel. In the midst of the tire debacle I had forgotten it in the hotel room refrigerator. I called them immediately after leaving the hotel when I realized that I left it boxed and UNCUT in the refrigerator so I could go back and get it and I was told that they threw it away already.

DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL: they are negligent, dishonest and uncaring. I have never had a more terrible experience from beginning to end, and I am a business woman who travels consistently for work staying at multiple locations across the US and Canada. I have never written a bad review for any business, but I felt compelled to warn fellow...

We were here this March 2025 to visit family. It was near their place that was why we chose this hotel. There was mixed reviews, but decided to take a chance due to its location. IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION! It was hella spacious!

MINI KITCHEN: There was a mini kitchen that was complete with a full size fridge, microwave, big sink, ample counter space, utensils, plates, coffee maker, coffee packets, tea packets and also plenty of cabinets and drawers.

DINING AREA: There was a table which has two dining chairs but it was honestly big enough for four people. There was also a lot of space around it.

LIVING SPACE: There was a pull-out couch which we used because there were four of us in the room. It was right in front of the TV, but it still left enough space to walk around. There was also a wingback chair in front of it. So, aside from the couch there was also another single couch. PERFECT!

KING BED: The bed was perfect for us! There were just some stains on the sheet but that didn't bother me at all. It probably depends on you, but it was a great night's sleep for me.

BATHROOM: THE BATHROOM WAS HUGE! Compare to other Manhattan hotels, this was such a beautiful surprise. It was clean (with some black stuff on the grout, which I believe is very common in hotels) and spacious! There were shampoo, body wash, soap, extra tissue papers, a lot of towels, well illuminated, long counter space and a huge body mirror.

HOTEL IN GENERAL: The lobby was quite small and cramp in my opinion but that wasn't really an issue for me. There was also a business area with couches and coffee area. There was a fake fireplace in the lobby with seating area. The gym was small with limited items, but it was still decent. There is also a refilling station inside the gym. It was quite and clean for all public spaces.

AREA: Around clinics and hospitals. That was why most of the people we encountered were senior citizens and I guest people getting ready for surgery or recovering patients (allegedly). Good restaurants and marketplaces around the area. Walking distance to the train station.

NOTE: There was a credit (I forgot the amount) that you can use in their mini marketplace to buy chips or water. You can use that daily.

OVERALL...