Casa Azul Hotel Blu JFK

We were in town for a family celebration and had little time to find another place, but this stay fell well short of reasonable expectations. The room was uncomfortable, and what was shown online didn't match what we found. The listing's photos and amenities seemed misleading. There was a strong marijuana smell in the hallways and even inside our “non-smoking” room. The worn pillows had visible yellow stains, and the TV didn't work properly during our two-day stay. We asked for help; the remote worked briefly, but the problem was never fixed. There was a refrigerator but no microwave. The lighting was so dim it was uncomfortable to move around, and the bathroom had no shelves or other space for toiletries while showering. Between the cleanliness and maintenance problems and the mismatch with the online listing, I left very disappointed. I'd urge future guests to research carefully, since the pictures don't reflect the property's actual condition.

We left within 15 minutes and found another hotel. I'd never experienced a place like this, if it can even be called a hotel. The owner refused the photos we took as proof, denied our concerns, and wouldn't refund us. We were told to request the money through the booking site. The smoke smell was so strong that I got a headache within five minutes. Despite our non-smoking room, there was a pungent odor of smoke and weed. Someone told us smoking was allowed upstairs, while the lower levels were supposedly smoke-free. With the stairs openly connecting the floors, I don't understand how the smoke wouldn't travel down. The room itself was awful. We were worried enough to check the bed for bugs ourselves. The pillows were flat and stained, and the comforter wasn't the grey one shown in the photos. It was a thin blue rag with threads, little white balls, and various stains. The sink faucet and smoke alarm were broken and sticking out of their fixtures. The toilet had stains and urine in it, as if it hadn't been flushed before a new guest arrived. The walls and ceiling were stained too. The pictures are edited to make the place look brighter and bigger. The room was like a prison cell, and I'm trying to be as objective as I can. I rarely post negative reviews, but this time I had to. Everything negative people say about this hotel is true. If you have any other place to stay, avoid this one. You'll spare yourself smoke headaches, anxiety about the pillows, possible bedbugs, sheets, broken faucet and dirty toilet, and the cost, since we couldn't get a refund even after leaving right away and providing photos.

I only needed somewhere to sleep, so it did the job, but I spent a lot of time away from it. The price was low for a reason. It's not the sort of area most people stay in, and the hotel wasn't especially clean or good. The floors felt sticky, the walls were dirty, and the towels had stains. The rooms weren't quiet either, I could hear everything in the hall, so earplugs or sleeping with the TV on seemed necessary. The whole place smelled like smoke; I put dryer sheets in the fan to help. The photos look much better than the current condition, and the cheap fixtures are starting to wear.

The room keys never work, and the service people are disruptive. The floors are always sticky too. Night staff are very sweet, but the morning staff are consistently terrible, dismissive, and unresponsive. They take no responsibility for miscommunication with clients. This morning, I was first told I could rebook over the phone and that she must have misheard me. Then I was told we had to book online and there'd been a payment mix-up. Because of the front desk's miscommunication, I was given just 10 minutes to get out of the room. I won't stay here again. Find somewhere else!