The Modernist Hotel — Hotel in New York

"Hello, I am writing this with regret because this was the most disappointing Airbnb & hotel experience I’ve ever had. When we made a one-week reservation, it was immediately approved and the payment was taken right away. When we went to check in at the hotel, we were very tired. However, they told us that they would charge us nearly $600 in extra fees and would take a $350 deposit.

They made us wait for almost two and a half hours in the lobby. Maybe this was my mistake, but it was something we had never encountered before. We asked for a refund and for them to cancel, but they did not.

They said if we didn’t want to stay, they wouldn't refund our money. Because of this, we had no choice but to stay. We had to extend our stay for another week, and for this, we had to pay another $350 deposit, $311 in tax fees, and additional cleaning fees.

During our two-week stay, the cleaning staff knocked on the door only twice, and even though we told them we’d be available soon, they never returned.

At check-out, I asked the receptionist to email me if they were going to charge any damage fees. However, no one sent me an email, but we saw that they tried to charge $400 on our card and then charged an additional $200. They also requested an additional $360. I wish they had informed us so we could have discussed it and paid ourselves.

I regret to say that this was the most expensive and uncomfortable experience I’ve had.

Note: They charged us $13.07 for a towel that got stained with makeup :) I wish I had done laundry and returned it myself.

Anyway, it's your choice if you decide...

The first thing you will notice about The Modernist is the enormous garland of artificial flowers around the entrance--you can't miss it! The second thing you will notice is the scent when you walk in the door. I didn't love the scent, although I got used to it, and it permeates the whole building, so beware if you have a sensitive nose. The desk staff was pleasant enough, if not especially engaging--not that they were required to be, it's just that my interactions didn't feel like I was staying in the super-welcoming family-run business they suggest they are. The room, bathroom, and (Juliet) balcony were all very compact--this may be Queens, but it's still New York City and space is still at a premium. As others have noted, there was no art in my room, making the hotel's marketing slogan ("Come for the night, stay for the art") seem a little disingenuous. The first-floor lounge/"art gallery" seemed more like an art-sy installation than an actual gallery, with fancifully shaped furniture and beads hanging from the ceiling. In researching places to stay, The Modernist was one of the better-reviewed, less-expensive spots available for the night I was in town. Overall I felt like it has aspirations toward real elegance that it can't quite achieve, perhaps given their budget, but I didn't find its efforts in that direction to be as quaint and charming as some other reviewers have. All that said, I could have spent much more money and/or done much worse. Pro tip: There are lots of good spots to eat and drink in easy...

This small boutique hotel is cute as a button; loved the aesthetic. I wish I could pick it up and put it on another street that has any kind of space for a car or taxi to pull over for pickup/dropoff... that was the one major flaw for me. My work required frequent travel by cab, and arriving and departing, the street is super narrow and crowded, and taken over by the business next door with delivery trucks and unloading seemingly all day and evening. You either have to circle around and around, or unload with a bunch of angry cars honking behind you. I'm so grateful to the front-desk people who helped me with my bags; I don't know what I would have done otherwise.

Aside from this, it was an excellent place for me to stay for a business trip where I needed the LIC location, the mini-kitchen to save money on eating out, and a table to work on, as well as a quiet, comfortable place to sleep.

You may want to bring slippers (floor is cold) and your own dishes and soap. The dishes and silverware were fancy and had price tags on them so I made sure not to touch them. I'll agree with one other reviewer that the heat/cool unit was very loud and seems quite outdated. Maybe that varies by room?

Finally, I assume this will resolve eventually, but the construction noise around the hotel was relentless. Starting at 7:00am every morning with banging and sawing. Two different sites on either side. Noise cancelling headphones to the rescue. Hopefully not an issue on...