Hotel Alameda Highline

The rooftop bar views were a nice extra, and this felt like good value for a chic, artistic stay. Hotel Alameda is a stylish Chelsea gem, with modern, comfortable rooms, great beds, nice design, and good amenities. They’re compact, as you’d expect in NYC. Staff were friendly and helpful with check-in and recommendations. The location is solid, steps from the High Line and Chelsea galleries, near trendy places to eat, and with easy subway access.

I wouldn’t stay at Alameda again. The front desk staff were unresponsive and unfriendly, and rushed us through check-in. The rooms are incredibly small, with mattresses directly on the bedroom floor and no back support. The huge pillows hurt my neck. The bathroom is tiny, with a salad-bowl-sized sink and dirty shower curtains. You can see the shower from the room, so there’s no privacy. Hallways smell and the carpets aren’t clean. They give you half a roll of toilet paper, and you have to request new towels very often. I don’t know how this is a 4-star hotel. Stay away.

The event noise was the biggest problem. A private basement event kept thudding until 2am, and we could hear it on the 5th floor. We’re heavy sleepers in our 20s and not easily bothered, but it was so loud I stuffed my ears with toilet paper and still heard it. I called the front desk, was put on hold, and the gentleman said it would end at 2am. He’d just been on the 3rd floor and said he heard nothing, but would check in case it was something else. He seemed to be deflecting and wasn’t apologetic. Meanwhile, I could hear someone else calling down with the same complaint, “It’s too loud.” Nothing was done, and the noise continued until 2am. There were some good points. The place is affordable and close to the High Line. When we arrived, a running club event had filled the lobby, but the front desk got us checked in efficiently. The staff were friendly, held our bags, and lent us an umbrella. Free coffee and water in the lobby were nice, too. The $35 per night amenity fee wasn’t disclosed in the Capitol One portal we booked through. Thank you to management for the prompt response.

The alarm was the last straw. At 11 PM, after we’d gone to bed, it went off and we had to walk down the fire stairs and leave through the exit. The New York Fire Department came and eventually said it was a false alarm. For what we paid, we won’t be returning. The whole weekend at Hotel Alameda was disappointing. The Chelsea street felt dark and unwelcoming at night, and the black hallways were poorly lit. The receptionist was friendly but rushed through the amenities so fast that a written handout would’ve helped. Our platform bed had a foot-wide wooden frame around it, so we had to watch our step getting on and off. The bathroom’s open shower offered very little privacy. We also wished there’d been a local restaurant guide, since reception didn’t know the neighborhood well.