The Marlton Hotel — Hotel in New York

I can usually come up with some reason that a hotel doesn't earn 5 stars. It should be a superlative experience with virtually no faults. And I may be applying some personal bias because it was such a happy stay for me, so perhaps your mileage as a business traveler or someone wanting a particular convenience to an attraction, may vary. And I paid for a higher end experience so maybe a regular room is only 4 star or whatever.

But this was a top notch experience. I stayed two nights this weekend for my 50th birthday, taking the East Penthouse to enjoy the private terrace. (A pair of terraces for hotel guests are open 9-9). The room was not ready until right at 3, which was a slight bummer for weary travelers but they get until 3 and that's fine. We had a bite in the restaurant in a solarium type area with bamboo shades and a nice airy feeling. Food was well prepared, came quickly and was reasonably priced. The fries were especially on point.

We know some folks in NYC and had a little gathering which I let the desk know about while picking up my room key. Sidebar: they are old-school keys, generally you get one and return it to the desk when you leave the hotel. They come with a sensor for unlocking your elevator floor, which tends to confuse folks (I was in the elevator a lot greeting friends in the lobby so I met a lot of confused people of all ages). But it makes things secure.

To be honest I probably bent their rules a bit about gatherings, but come on: 50th birthday, beautiful evening, open terrace that fits several friends easily--that calls for celebration. The desk people were entirely chill; they traded their strictness for my discretion. They even sent up a gratis bottle of champagne and Keith the restaurant manager whipped up three sets of small items to eat for guests, on virtually no notice. We behaved like adults, got no complaints, and several New Yorkers walked away impressed with the hotel, so win-win.

They have breakfast but we never made it, too late one day too early the other. The room is NY-small despite being a penthouse suite; minus the terrace it's not much bigger than a Hilton Garden regular room and the furniture in the lounge area crowds the space a fair bit and actually blocks one of the two(!) front doors to two(!) different elevators. It was a guess sometimes which one was being knocked on but small matter.

Every single request was granted immediately, with superb dignity and class from Keith the manager to the desk to the bellman (who walked three HEAVY bags of party supplies up the elevator while I returned the grocery cart) to the folks who brought up ice (which is on request) and cleaned the room, which we left fairly challenged the first night despite our surface cleanup. (Tip your hotel staff generously; they work HARD while you relax.)

I'd stay here again in a heartbeat. If you want classy that isn't snooty, organized but not regimented, attention that isn't obsequious, and service with skill and speed,...

We had a good stay at The Marlton and a fabulous week in New York with our 4 year old. We stayed in the Queen Deluxe and they provided a rollaway bed for our toddler. The room is very small which is not surprising for New York so that didn't bother me whatsoever - I knew what I was getting into with 3 people in 170 sqft and we made it work just fine with thoughtful organization. Pros: The room is clean & beautiful and the hotel is very charming and historic. It feels truly special and very old New York. The shower was very nice and there was always tons of hot water which was lovely after a long day of walking in New York summer. The shampoo, conditioner, and lotion are very nice quality. The room attendant that made up our room every other day (we didn't request it daily) was wonderful (cleanliness is huge to me and I have a phobia of roaches and bed bugs and there was ZERO evidence of this - high praise!). The area is very good as far as ample choices of fantastic restaurants and coffee shops, closeness to Washington Square Park and the West Village, and multiple options for nearby and easily walkable subway stations that connect everywhere. (Note: The W 4 St-Wash Sq station is quite sketchy with a lot of visible drug use so we opted to walk a little further and take the Astor Place or NYU stations and they were less so - just a tip!). That said, the building felt very safe with a doorman and keys required for elevator or stair use - we appreciated this while travelling with a small child. Cons: The restaurant and breakfast staff. The breakfast was decently good and it being included was a very nice bonus (it has 4 choices daily : oatmeal, yogurt parfait, pastry basket or frittata) but it was the staff that seemed so unhappy and were quite unhelpful. They never check on you and never smile - it was just a strange environment. We actually chose not to try dinner there based entirely on our breakfast experiences. I found the bed and pillows both very uncomfortable but I do understand this is based on preference. The bed was pretty hard and the pillows seemed to disintegrate under your head and neck with zero support. In spite of those few cons I am still glad we stayed at The Marlton because it was an excellent home base for us...

Excellent location. Position A1.

After this it all goes downhill. For $500.00 per night you expect a half decent room with half decent service.

Not so apparently.

The rooms are very small and cramped even by NYC standards. The clothing storage space is inadequate. There was a huge ceiling pendant light which even if you are 5ft5 (165cm) you still knock your hands into. There is a useless wall mounted TV in the corner which again gets in the way. Also they had a huge chunky stool again getting in the way. The bathroom was not much better. Water leaked from the shower outside to flood the floor. The basin tap protruded far too much and there were no hooks near the shower to hang your towel. Additionally no lock on the bathroom door! The customer service in general was apathetic/indifferent. None of the staff who all looked miserable by the way ever asked us about our stay, how it was going or how it was at the end after paying $2500.00 in total for 5 nights. The complimentary breakfast for guests is cheeky to say the least. They have basic items on the complimentary options side and then all the stuff you really want to eat like a basic omelette with avocado is a la carte. The pastry basket items in the complimentary section were like rocks. This method of sneakily upselling is underhand. The lobby atmosphere is vibrant however if you are a guest it is awful. There are dozens of individuals and groups hanging around the lobby all day with their laptops and phones, using the area as their workspace. When my friend and I on the odd occasion wanted to have a seat after a long day traipsing around Manhattan, there was no seating to be found. There should be designated seating for hotel guests. In general they do not care whether you are a guest paying $500.00 a night or someone who spends $2.00 on a herbal tea and sits in the lobby for 6 hours, you are all treated the same and albeit poorly.

The Marlton should be and cold be a fantastic hotel given its amazing Greenwich Village location but it falls well short. Major improvements required...