The Gatsby Hotel

The tub drained so slowly that after one ten-minute shower it took more than ten minutes to empty. The shower curtain was barely long enough, and once we figured out how to turn on the shower, water blew it over the edge and onto the floor. The lever was broken and kept coming off when we pulled it up. There was paint on the bathroom tile where it met the drywall, and on the bottom of the bedroom mirror. A towel rack was being held up by a screw pressed into the wall. It all looked like a quick conversion from apartments to a “boutique” hotel. We also paid a $17.21 facilities fee at check-in, which we were told covered WiFi, despite the website saying WiFi was free. The fee was also supposed to include water bottles and filtered water, but we never received any bottles. One employee didn't know about them, another said she'd have to check and doubted that was what the fee covered, and a third said the shipment hadn't arrived and pointed us to tap water in the lounge. We didn't even ask about the advertised safe or the missing iHome clock with charger. Our room also lacked the pillow-top mattress and nice curtains shown in the pictures, and a mini fridge would have been useful. My husband and I visit NYC every year and have tried many chain and boutique hotels, as well as Airbnbs in different areas. This was one of the worst. I hardly ever leave reviews, especially negative ones, but I wouldn't stay here again or recommend it.

Traffic noise came straight through the very thin windows, and the room was extremely loud. The room itself was dirty and smelled damp, and it wasn't properly cleaned the next day. The toilet barely flushed and was almost unusable. Customer service was the worst I've experienced. When we raised concerns, the manager, Dario, was dismissive and no help at all. Twice, staff left our door open, which was a serious security risk that their own cameras confirmed. When we tried to leave early, staff were unclear and never promised a refund, so we felt stuck. They even told us to carry our luggage to another hotel for storage, which was incredibly inconvenient. Unsafe, unclean, noisy, and staffed by people who don't care about guests. I can't recommend it to anyone.

The heater had a problem during my three-night stay, but two lovely receptionists got it fixed and provided another heater just in case. That was fantastic. The area is particularly busy, and street noise is constant, with sirens and beeping. The walls are incredibly thin too, so you hear everything in the corridor and all the banging and crashing from around the building. Be prepared to lose sleep. On my last night, a dog on my floor barked repeatedly for at least five minutes at a time, starting around 2 a.m. I told reception, and the male receptionist said, “They're a service dog.” Unless the dog was alerting someone for five minutes straight in intervals, I don't think that was true. He acted like everything I said or asked was a bother, including my request to leave bags for two hours after checkout. When I came back for them, he stayed focused on his phone and giggled.

I was put in a basement room without natural light, and the street noise was noticeable. I asked to move and was told they'd check availability within an hour, but no one got back to me by the end of the day. Hot water wasn't working properly either. Staff told me to wait 10-15 minutes, which wasted water unnecessarily. The agency booking hadn't clearly disclosed a $50 service fee. After it was charged, staff couldn't generate a receipt or invoice, and didn't offer any receipt at all. That left me concerned about how charges are handled. The location is noisy, communication was limited, and the unclear fees and billing made the stay frustrating. Based on my experience, I wouldn't stay here again.