Westgate New York Grand Central — Hotel in New York

I took a chance on this place, as many previous visits at a Hilton affiliate has been the furthest possible from a bad experience. What an absolute mistake! I saw less than 4 stars, to me, typically points to an absence of customer service (in the hotel industry at least) and from walking into less than an enthusiastic front office, I walked into what seemed like a very outdated, barely functioning room in which the lighting was insufficient, the bathroom poorly maintained, and no real justification for the $219/per night rate I received- several other options merely $30 differences in pricing (as we found out) were so different in terms of experience adding to disappointments. I wish that was the end of it.

I booked it for $219/night for 2 nights, Friday and Saturday which should've come to maybe $520 total after taxes and fees. I was charged $586.06, when I inquired about why I was charged more, the receptionist Tracy had let us know it was a security hold in case we order anything to the room- which they conveniently forgot to mention at check-in. When I inquired why I wasn't given any paperwork, she says "typically only customers in business utilize our hotel and we don't need to tell them- they assume the holds." (Would look into this if you don't work in corporate and have to pay out of pocket for expenses related to work travel)

The guest queen bed in our convertible sofa was stained with former occupants drool, and was absolutely disgusting to sleep on. Even though we had initially told them we had 3 guests, they forgot to supply our room with extra sheets and a pillow for the third guest. We're in NY for the very first time together after years of not seeing one another and an important family function to go to. You're going to charge me half of a typical monthly rent for 2 nights...And hire employees who are inept in terms of customer service? Employees that don't report when rooms need maintenance? I felt insulted to say the least.

Take my word for it, the gym is a complete joke. I don't even have to describe it, check it out and let me know if you find you had a different experience. If the amenities are where they charging me a premium, they have failed to correctly execute their business plan, because that's a complete rip off.

So then we come down to the issue. Friday night goes by, we come back, a few of the housekeepers were giving us dirty looks. We reset for Saturday. We had no issues period. We come back around 5, and they tell us our room smells like smoke and we must leave. We told the housekeeper we weren't, we opened our door, he walked inside, walked outside- and said you must leave now. This was the same housekeeper wearing a suit, middle aged Hispanic gentlemen, who was giving us dirty looks the night before.We had a family event to be at by 9P and were running extremely late. We quickly rushed out booked an emergency room at the Kitano. We realized we were about to enter into a minimum of an hour situation.

After leaving I called on the way to Kitano, the Hilton front office, they said I would not be charged don't worry about it.

It's Monday, and I haven't been given the correct initial pricing ($60 overcharge), they charged me a $150 smoking fee, and they wouldn't refund my room. I'm out $400 (not including the $270 for the new room I booked Kitano) because this housekeeper bullied us into leaving and didn't tell anyone about it.

I kept asking why they were saying we smoked, and it keeps pointing to age-related discrimination or race related discrimination. The manager Tracy needs some serious customer service training, or needs to be compensated higher so she doesn't treat people in a rude fashion/sounds less miserable on the phone. I asked to speak to a higher up and she tells me it's a Jewish holiday and he can't be reached. I asked to speak to another higher up, she said the same. I asked them to take my number down and follow up with me, she said no just call back.

This is the first time I've left a negative Google review and I've been on google for 10 years. You...

Westgate Grand Central Hotel Review

I recently stayed at the Westgate Grand Central Hotel in downtown Manhattan for a work trip, as this was the accommodation chosen for me. My experience was disappointing, and I would not recommend this hotel for business travelers or anyone expecting comfort and modern amenities.

First Impressions & Room Quality

Before my trip, I checked the hotel’s online photos, which appeared stunning. However, the reality was quite different. The studio-style apartment had a rustic, outdated aesthetic, and the space was extremely limited. The hallways were narrow, and despite claims of extensive renovations, I saw little evidence of improvements.

The room itself was small, with a king-size bed that left almost no room for movement. The vents were dusty, and the lighting was insufficient. The refrigerator overheated, making the cabinet warm to the touch, and it failed to keep food fresh—items like lettuce, tomato, and onion spoiled quickly. It was only useful for beverages or sealed yogurt at best.

Noise & Sleep Quality

One of the biggest issues was the extreme noise levels. The walls were paper-thin, and I could hear everything happening above and around me. Despite using a sound machine, I was frequently disturbed by loud conversations, TVs, and phone calls from neighboring rooms, often in the early hours when I needed to sleep for my 12-hour hospital shifts. When I complained to the front desk, they said they could only intervene if the noise was loud enough for the entire floor to hear, which was disappointing and unhelpful.

Amenities & Services

While the hotel advertised in-room espresso machines, the quality was subpar. A single pod produced watery coffee, requiring me to use three to four pods to make a decent cup. The provided creamer was also of poor quality. Ice was inconveniently located only on the 8th, 14th, or 2nd floor, making it a hassle to retrieve every morning.

The Wi-Fi was another major disappointment. It was slow to the point of being unusable for basic tasks like filling out expense reports or streaming content. My coworkers also experienced the same issue. When I complained, I was routed to an external customer service number, where I waited on hold for 20 minutes before giving up. The hotel’s Wi-Fi performance was unacceptable for a place that presumably caters to business travelers.

Hotel Layout & Accessibility

Another frustrating aspect was the hotel's disconnected elevator system. The first set of elevators at the front only serviced certain floors, and to reach mine, I had to walk past the bar to another set of elevators at the far end of the building. This layout was inconvenient and not well-planned.

Final Thoughts

Overall, my experience at Westgate Grand Central Hotel was far from satisfactory. The noise levels, lack of space, poor amenities, outdated facilities, and terrible Wi-Fi made for a frustrating stay, especially for a business trip requiring rest and reliability. Despite claims of renovations, I saw little to justify the price or the reputation of this hotel. I would not recommend staying here, particularly for...

“ Impossible For a plain yellow pumpkin To become a golden carriage!… Impossible”

You remember the song from Cinderella! And, it is impossible to imagine the things we experienced at Westgate New York Grand Central hotel, while attending the US OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS. From the hotel’s website, we expected views of the city and newly renovated historical charm. But, what we got from our room window, #715, was a view of historical bricks. There were no city views, only darkness and claustrophobia. We asked for a room change, which the staff was nice enough to accommodate. That was after he verbally spanked us with, “if everyone knew the hotel is surrounded by other buildings” circa 1927, “no one would come.” Our replacement room #1711 was definitely an upgrade. This room offered ‘some’ light. We were excited! Nice room and a wonderful city to explore! Unfortunately, this excitement would quickly turn into fear and anxiety. As we pulled back the sheets, there vigorously crawling up towards the top was a roach!!! Oh, my God! There would be NO sleeping in this bed, this room, this hotel tonight!!! For this incident, I called the hotel’s central call center. They passed the information onto the hotel’s front desk staff. After a short wait, a staff member/night manager knocked at the door. He stood at the door’s entrance and asked us about our experience. We invited him inside to see for himself, he deflected and asked us to bring the roach out to him. WHAT? He said, he needed to use it, the roach, to prove to management that a room change was justified. Perhaps he thought we planted it there! Just like we reserved a room facing bricks! Nevertheless, I scooped up the roach, in a cup, and handed it to him. He then gave us keys to room #1915. This would be the second time we would pack our bags and haul all our belongings into this tiny elevator onto another room. If you can’t imagine, here’s what happening…I’m frantically searching online for a room in downtown Manhattan at 11 p.m. Because, I just know the next room will have its own problems. Nothing is available! From #1915, although it’s dark, we could see a sliver of the Hudson River, in addition to having separate setting and bedroom areas. What happens next, made me wonder, ‘are we being punished for asking for a room with a view?’ We are in our third room, #1915 and we have NOT slept one ☝️ night in any room in this hotel……..there are loud, crashing, frightening sounds coming from the closet? The floor above? Inside the bathroom? The loud noises are everywhere inside the room! DON’T COMPLAIN! It will only be seven long uncomfortable days and it will all be over! A previous Google reviewer mentioned loud noises during their stay, but I didn’t believe them. Now, I do! The loud crashes woke me from my sleep, fearing someone had kicked in the door. The loud noises went on both day and night. My God! This place, Westgate New York Grand Central hotel is a nightmare! Some people are afraid of clowns, some snakes, but I’m afraid of one ⭐️ hotels posing as four star historical charms. Please! stay...