Stay Report: Hilton New York Fashion Districtcomment below and let me know your thoughts :)
I was spending the weekend in New York and previously I have stayed in the Chelsea/Fashion District and really enjoyed the district. It was within walking distance to subway stations, within walking distance to Penn Station, and easily accessible and within walking distance to many restaurants and shops. I have stayed at the Innside by Melia many times and I really enjoyed the hotel, and I tried to stay there this time but the rate was too high so I was looking for alternatives nearby and that is when I saw the Hilton New York Fashion District. This hotel is located in the Chelsea/Fashion District on 26th Street between 6th and 7th Ave (a block behind the Innside by Melia hotel). Their average daily rates were high, but they had a good discount of points + cash so I was able to use some points and get a good rate for the night. It was easy to book and manage the reservation through the HiltonHonors app and website.
I arrived at the hotel around 2:30/3pm and even though check-in is scheduled at 4pm I was able to get a room without a problem. The hotel itself is narrow, like many New York hotels, and that was evident in the lobby which had a wide circular car entrance but the lobby itself was narrow and long. As you entered, in front were the elevators and to the left was the small check-in desk and to the right was entrance to the hotel restaurant. Check-in was relatively quick and as a HHonor member, I received two complimentary bottles of water. I then proceeded to the elevator - there were 3 elevators but one was dedicated to go to the rooftop bar so was not accesible; another one was out of service and so were reduced down to 1 working elevator. It was also a very slow elevator and very tight elevator, but because it was the only working many people tried to get in since you did not know when the other one was coming; that made it very unsafe and not a pleasant experience to get up and down. You also needed your key card to enter the guestrooms and there were many examples of many individuals asking me and other guests to use our cards to enter their room.
My room was on the 14th floor and the narrowness of the hotel also showcased on the hallways which were tight as well as the room size. I have previously stayed at Motto by Hilton which is Hilton's answer to tiny/capsule hotels and the room size at that hotel in DC and this regular Hilton in New York were somewhat similar. As you opened the door, you entered into a little hallway which had the closet, wardrobe, and coffee stand/shelves along one wall. The closet was narrow but still contained places to hang your clothes, an iron, as well as an ironing board. The coffee stand was on an open shelf next to the closet which contained the coffee maker and items on top, a minifridge down below, and another shelf/storage on top. Next to that was a mini chair space to put your luggage. Along that wall was a large desk with lots of desk space and places to plug in your electronics. There was a standard office chair which was very comfortable. Above the desk on the wall was the large TV and below the desk were drawers for additional storage.
Across the desk, along the other wall, was the bed along with two bedside tables. The bed size was a large full-size or a small queen. There were lots of pillows available and the bed was generally comfortable to sleep on - it was a bit tight so not sure if two people could fit comfortably on the bed together. Next to each side of the bed were nightstands with nightlights and places to plug in your electronics on each side. The bathroom was across from the bed and next to the desk. It was narrow but did have a walk-in shower, a toilet and a sink. There were refillable bottles of lotion next to the sink, and shampoo and conditioner in the shower and bars of soap were provided next to the sink as well as in the shower. Like the room, the bathroom contained the basic necessities but was narrow.
I was only in New York for one day and most of my time was spent outside so I did not experience other facilities of the hotel including the rooftop bar, the restaurant, the fitness center, or the business center. I did experience the wifi which was strong and was not limited to a certain number of devices. I was able to stream videos on youtube with no connectivity issues. Checkout was at 11am and I had requested a late check-out at 12pm but I was told 'to call in the morning and check'. I called at 10:30am and they said 'no, the latest we can do is 11:30am but you can hold your luggage at the front'. This was the first hotel that did not offer at least checkout until 12pm and the service was not the greatest in their response. I checked out and was going to leave my stuff at the hotel and that is when I was told there is a $2 charge to leave your items at the hotel - I wish this information had been told beforehand so customers could be aware. I am glad though, that unlike other hotels in the area the hotel does not charge a 'facility fee' per night for the wifi and the bottles of water, but $2 to hold luggage when you are demanding customers get out of the room at a certain time is a bit greedy.
Overall, its a nice location but the high rate, the narrow room, and the lack of working elevators does not make this place a favorite in my opinion. I had better experiences, rate, and service at the Innside by Melia - and yes they charge a facility fee per night but I am willing to pay that because better service, better attention and communication to issues, and overall its a bigger room.
Overall, its a nice location but the high rate, the narrow room, and the lack of working elevators does not make this place a favorite in my opinion. I had better experiences, rate, and service at the Innside by Melia - and yes they charge a facility fee per night but I am willing to pay that because better service, better attention and communication to issues, and overall its a bigger room.
