AAE New York Hostel Inn

We had a really bad stay. I called beforehand to ask whether there was a complimentary shuttle to JFK, and they said there was. But when we reached the lobby, we found out the shuttle had been discontinued under new management, with no plan for customers who had already paid. We had to pay for a cab in the morning. That makes it seem like the new management is going in the wrong direction. The room was a 2 out of 10, with loud noise on the second floor all night. The elevator was in bad shape, so you may end up hauling your bags on the stairs. Guest service was a 7 out of 10, but the stay overall was 2 out of 10. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

Security took money from the locker in the room. Why was security there?

The room was clean, the bed comfortable, and I slept surprisingly well, even though I’d only needed somewhere to rest for a few hours after a last-minute flight scheduling problem at JFK. Breakfast was included, and the shuttle took me back to the airport. The driver was nice, and the hotel is only a few minutes away. The front desk clerk was very kind and helped carry my suitcase to the elevator after checking me in. I did wait more than half an hour for the shuttle. Some of the more expensive hotels’ shuttles passed two or three times before mine came. The price was high, but it was a very last-minute NYC booking and they could fit me in, so I understand the premium. The neighborhood seemed rough. As a woman traveling alone, I wouldn’t have gone outside after dark, though I hadn’t planned to anyway. My room was below street level, the only time I’ve had one like that, with the window at sidewalk height and a flashing neon liquor store sign directly across the street. Once I closed the curtains, it didn’t matter. I woke once to people shouting on the sidewalk. It was a mixed experience, but much better than spending the night on the airport floor, and I’m grateful for that.

We stayed in room 507 on November 1, 2016, and it was a terrible experience. The room was damp, the pillows smelled moldy, and there were stains on the bedspread. Parking was awful. We could hear people hollering outside all night, along with plenty of sirens through the single-pane windows. The first warning should have been the smoke detector missing from the ceiling. I woke up itchy, searched around the dirty bed skirt with my phone flashlight, and found bed bugs. Then I saw blood on the sheets where I’d been bitten. The hotel desk clerk offered no compensation. The hotel Expedia recommended when booking our flights and stay was not nice at all. I hate complaining, but I’d tell other travelers to avoid it.