The Chelsea — Local services in New York

Time for a nearly 3-year update!

My daughter and I have been here at The Chelsea for nearly 3 years - she on 14 and I on 12. Since having raised her in my own hometown of Westfield, NJ, never has any place felt more like “home”.

From building management (currently a trio of three fabulous women, led by a dynamo of a businesswoman!), to our resident Super and his staff of porters and maintenance crew, to the handful of the city’s BEST doormen – I call The Chelsea “the BEST building in the city”. Why?

This place seems to attract friendly residents from young singles and couples to families and growing families, to older singles and couples --- and everyone in-between. Folks are generally happy to coexist here, and I suspect much of that attitude starts with the overall management of the building and grounds.

#1 MANAGEMENT: Let’s face it…the rental process in the city is cumbersome at best. Management at The Chelsea works hard to make the experience as efficient and pleasant as possible. These are tough times, and rents seem all over the place. Remember - the management team here will listen to you and do their very best to work with you to your satisfaction.

#2 MAINTENANCE: The Chelsea is impeccably maintained by a very visible and dedicated team, led by our beloved resident Super. Maintenance requests are answered, and problems solved quickly, with residents able to report concerns with both individual apartments and common grounds and amenities (which are numerous and outlined in The Chelsea’s online overview).

#3: DOORMEN: The Chelsea employs the city’s very best crew of guys who keep our safety and personal needs paramount, 24 hours a day. The doormen keep life moving here, serving as the “glue” connecting residents’ interests and needs with management and maintenance…and everything else that is daily life! It’s always buzzing here, with our guys at the front desk conducting the show!

I cannot speak to the look and feel of every apartment, as they vary. What I CAN speak to is the look and feel of both my daughter’s and my homes. The layouts and finishes are a great backdrop to our individual styles. And our views? You can’t beat waking to One World Trade out one window, and the iconic Hotel Chelsea out the other!

The Chelsea gets a “10” from us!

Laura (Swicker) Barber and Sydney...

We haven't even moved in to the building yet and we are already so thrilled with the entire staff at the Chelsea.

Our first interaction with the Chelsea was with the leasing team - Tim, Daniel, and Jordan. We were immediately impressed with the knowledge and attentiveness of all three leasing agents. Obviously, touring apartments in COVID creates an extra layer of difficulty. Upon our arrival to the Chelsea, we sat down with Tim in the lobby (which is newly renovated and beautiful) and went over what we're looking for in terms of space and price. He then had us see every unit in the building he thought we would be interested in - he didn't push us to go above our price range at all and was very honest about each unit - which ones were smaller, which ones were in better locations relative to the elevator/trash rooms, etc. We ultimately found the unit we were looking for and applied for the apartment almost immediately. The entire leasing team was very attentive in getting all of our documents ready as quickly as possible and, thanks to their hard work, we were able to sign the lease in ~72 hours.

Since then, we've had about a month before our move-in date and we have been absolutely blown away by the entire building staff. Azad, the maintenance manager, and the rest of the team have brought furniture deliveries up to our apartment as well as other packages and have helped us immensely in preparation of our move. We feel so confident in our choice of apartment and are very excited to be residents of the Chelsea, thanks to this...

I lived here for a year and actually thought it was okay. The doormen team are particularly friendly and helpful. However, during my move out process, I had a shockingly unpleasant experience with the leasing office. We booked the freight elevator two weeks ahead of time and got approved. 4 days before our moving day, there was an announcement that the elevator goes into modification for the next 4 months starting that day. No mention of alternative plans for moving. I tried to ask if they can start a little later on that day, and I did not expect the attitude that I got. Giana from the office gave me a lecture on how these massive projects always have short notice and I should be flexible. They can't confirm a start time, and on top of that they are "unwilling" to compensate any additional movers cost since "it's not our fault". When I asked what my options were, she told me I'm welcome to throw things away ("Maybe you want a new couch or a new bed.") She also said the whole management team will for sure echo her response. This is a decision made at company level and I should feel free to take it up. Putting aside the fact that I pay a mandatory monthly amenity fee and I reserved that elevator in advance, the way she handled it lacks any basic respect or empathy. Fortunately I talked to other people on the team and they don't think this is too crazy of an ask to start the construction a few hours later (I mean we will still see whether we can successfully move out) I would just avoid this person if...