Phoenix Hotel

A practical, no-frills place for the Sunset Park area. The location is its best feature, and made getting around very easy. The room and service were clean, functional, and consistent, pretty much what I’d expect from a standard three-star stay.

This was nicer than I expected, and I’d book again. The decor feels inviting, with thoughtful details like LED lights in the headboard and behind the TV that make the room cozy at night. The ceilings are tall, too. There were a few small stains on the sheets, though everything else was clean. No individual toiletry bottles or coffee in the lobby, but at this price point that’s expected.

The room itself was a problem throughout our six-night stay. We didn’t get clean sheets or towels on the second day, the bin went unemptied for days, and the shower handle kept falling off. The toilet seat slid around, and sharp bits of ceramic in the bathtub could easily hurt someone. Noise from the hall and the street kept us from sleeping well for days. The windows wouldn’t lock, which made the outside noise even louder. We also got no breakfast, despite it being advertised when we booked the original reservation. Getting there was stressful too. The hotel cancelled our first booking after trying to take payment upfront, even though we’d chosen “pay at property.” We weren’t told this charge would be attempted, and the reservation was cancelled immediately. It felt as if they knew we were already committed because the property was named on our visa. We had to book again at a price £300 higher than originally agreed. I’ve complained to booking.com as well. On arrival, the front desk said they couldn’t find our reservation, even though they’d messaged us on the booking app earlier that day. We waited 45 minutes in the lobby before getting into a room. The place felt disorganized and poorly maintained, with little attention to cleanliness, safety, or basic comfort. For our first visit to New York, it was a lot of stress, money, and disappointment. I’d tell people to stay elsewhere.

It’s close to the subway and has the basics for getting some rest before a day in the city. I’m unsure how safe the surrounding area is. The hotel was booked for me, and I was with a small group of guys, but I wouldn’t want to walk there with family at night. There were some real annoyances: the tub didn’t drain right, I saw small cockroaches on the bed one night, people talked loudly in the halls late at night, and once the hallway smelled strongly of weed. If you can put up with things like that, the place isn’t too bad.