The Herald Powered by LuxUrban

We ended up at the Hilton Garden Inn, where the staff were incredibly helpful. The Herald had cancelled my reservation, along with those of three other families who were there to check in. The front desk person had quit, the building had no AC, and there was nobody working there. When I went down to the Hilton lobby later, I kept seeing people check in after The Herald cancelled their reservations too. They couldn't reach anyone to get their money back.

The staff were rude and wouldn't give us towels, and the TV had no signal on any channel. Some outlets worked, some didn't. They also charged a $150 security deposit, not just a card hold, and said it would take 7 business days to return it. For $319, I expected much better. Terrible stay, and I wouldn't recommend it. The AC barely worked. Our room was 81 degrees, and the “engineer” they sent, basically a guy with a thermometer, couldn't fix it and told us to put up with the heat. After several complaints and asking to move, the front desk worker brushed me off. Only when I said I'd leave a scathing review did he “find” us on a room change list. They moved us to room 1313, which wasn't a big deal, just kind of weird since I didn't know hotels had that. It was still very hot, though the AC sort of worked, then switched itself off every 20 minutes or so.

The location was excellent, just 10 steps from the 34st Herald Subway, and the price was good for a budget stay in Manhattan. I stayed 3 nights, and they serviced my room each day, changing the towels, taking the trash, and making the bed. There was only soap in the bathroom. The reviews had made me unsure about staying, so I brought my own towel and toiletries just in case. For a 3 star hotel, it was acceptable for the price and location.

We'd stay again. It costs less than many other hotels, and the area was great, with the subway stairs right outside and good shopping nearby. We had to bring our own toiletries, though there was a tiny bar of soap. The deluxe room was clean and comfortable, and a good size for Manhattan. It came with one set of towels, and we had to go downstairs for more since supplies were limited. The tags on those towels looked like they might be from other hotels. The furniture is old and the walls are scratched, so you can see the place's age. It also looks like this used to be a courtyard. The elevators creaked a bit. Our room stayed around 74 to 77, which worked for our group, though the AC never got very cold. Keeping the bathroom fan on helped move air through the weak unit. I don't think I was ever charged for the credit card hold, so that wasn't an issue.