Hilton Garden Inn NYC Financial Center/Manhattan Downtown

The rooms were clean and comfortable, with nice beds, a Keurig, and a microwave, though they're the usual small NYC size. Staff were friendly and efficient, helped us with early check-in, and gave recommendations. The area was quiet compared with Times Square but still central. At Hilton Garden Inn Financial Center, you're steps from Battery Park, ferries, Wall Street, and subway access to Midtown. Good value for downtown Manhattan, and I'd come back.

NYC rooms are tight, and this one was very small, but it was clean. We stayed for seven days and found the location great for subway access and fun nightlife, even with kids. We used the on-site washer and dryer twice. The front desk team answered every question and helped at every turn, and housekeeping was extremely accommodating. The downside is the poor ventilation and mold growth. Even with that shortcoming, we'd highly recommend the hotel for a future stay.

The location was awesome, with easy access to Times Square, Chinatown, little Italy, and the Statue of Liberty. We could hear what sounded like bar fights from the bar right behind the hotel. The daytime front desk receptionist was very helpful and even showed me how to navigate the subway. The night receptionist, who I believe was named Alecia, was super rude. I checked in very late and she wasn't at the desk; another guest had to fetch her from the back office to let me in. Then she kept rolling her eyes and sighing as if I were an inconvenience, even though customer service is her job. When I came down to pick up our pizza, she was again sighing and rolling her eyes from the back office instead of being at the desk. I checked out at 2:00 am, and the day people kindly offered to order me a car to the airport. When I came down to the lobby around 2:15 am, Alecia was in the office again. I had to knock on her door, and she told me just to wait without knowing what I was talking about. She acted like she hated her job. She definitely isn't a friendly customer service rep, and her rudeness is a huge turnoff for coming back. I can see why they keep her on nights, with less contact with the public.

I was relieved to leave as soon as I could. The hotel agreed to comp one night when I checked out, but nobody apologized, and the whole experience made it feel like hospitality wasn't a priority there. The room itself was decent and the hotel seemed fairly new, so I might have rated it four stars for a short stay. Instead, there were several problems. The electronic lock failed and I was stuck outside my room for nearly two hours while maintenance tried to work out what was wrong. They eventually had to replace the mechanism, so it wasn't just a dead battery or bad keycard. I got another room in the meantime and retrieved my things once the original room was accessible again. Check-in was also a mess. They couldn't find my reservation, even after I showed my Expedia confirmation. It took around ten minutes to sort out, and then they handed me a key with no explanation or apology. The bathroom faucet in room 2101 was loose on the countertop and wobbled when I turned it on or off. Its handle was stiff, too. I don't understand why housekeeping hadn't reported it for repair.