Best Western Plus Soho Hotel

It’s easy to explore downtown on foot from here, and the subways are close by. The whole staff were friendly and helpful, and quick to sort out issues. Jotej was at the front desk each morning with a warm smile and welcome. Lara kept the downstairs breakfast area spotless and in great shape, and the coffee was hot and delicious each morning. Breakfast was well looked after. The rooms and bathrooms were very clean and fairly spacious for NYC, and the cleaning staff were happy to bring fresh towels. There’s also a cute little gym for a light workout, a nice surprise. A great hidden gem in SoHo. We look forward to coming back, and I highly recommend the BW+.

I was on tour after hours on the road and needed a few hours to rest, shower, get my hair and makeup done, and prepare for my show. When I checked in, the air conditioning in my room wasn’t working. I reported it right away and was told it would be fixed. After several follow-ups over the next few hours, I was told they’d only learned of the problem that day and wouldn’t repair it until the following week. There were no alternatives, no replacement room, no reimbursement, no solution. The windows wouldn’t open either, so sleeping with them open and a fan wasn’t an option. They expected me to stay in a room without air conditioning or ventilation. I understand things break, but renting out a room that isn’t fit to stay in and offering no real solution is hard to understand. At first they weren’t willing to refund me, and my team had to push. Less than an hour before my performance, I had to leave, find another hotel, and check in all over again under extreme time pressure. It was stressful, unnecessary, and avoidable. The broken AC wasn’t the real issue. It was the lack of urgency and accountability, and the disregard for guest comfort and basic hospitality. If you expect a hotel to take responsibility when things go wrong, I’d strongly suggest staying elsewhere.

There are lots of good restaurants and cool bars right around the hotel, which is in a great location. Our room, 602, was so small we couldn’t even fit our luggage. The window wouldn’t open even a little, and the heating and AC were controlled centrally. It was either heat only and too warm, or cool only and too cold. Breakfast was American style, served without porcelain, but the selection of bread and food was actually nice.

The location is excellent, but we wouldn’t stay here again or book with the Best Western chain after this experience. There was clearly visible black mold in the room, and it smelled strongly of mold. The window wouldn’t open, and we couldn’t adjust the ventilation. We reported it to the front desk. The staff member offered to send someone from cleaning, but I explained that cleaning wouldn’t address the underlying cause. No cleaning staff came by that day anyway. We were told the issue would be passed along and a colleague would contact us about changing rooms, but nobody ever followed up. It felt like our concern wasn’t taken seriously. We then contacted Booking, where we’d made the reservation, and they responded promptly and accommodated us. That’s the kind of response we’d expected from the hotel. Severe black mold isn’t a minor issue.