The William Vale

The location is great, but after our wedding weekend here I’d give this place three stars at best, nowhere near a five star hotel. The rooms are pleasant enough, though worn, and our corner suite cost a lot. The hotel knew it was our wedding weekend, but we still waited an hour and a half for the room after arriving well past check-in time. Staff kept disappearing behind the desk, and each person who came out gave a different explanation. We had to plead to get access and nearly missed our own welcome festivities. The shower curtain was damaged and never got fixed. Checking out took another 45 minutes in line. The valet also returned our car with more bird poop on it than I’d ever seen in my life. The service and overall experience fell far short of what we expected. Just absolutely a joke as a 5 star hotel. Otherwise this place sucks.

The staff made the biggest difference for us. They were friendly, professional, and helpful, and when we asked for something it arrived quickly. They even left chocolates, balloons, and a sweet note in our room for my son’s birthday. I’ve stayed at the Brooklyn Hilton most times I’m in town, and its rooms are nicer, honestly, but the staff there are seriously lacking. This team stood out. We were upgraded to corner suite room 1820 when we asked. It was comfortable and had one of the most amazing views of manhattan. The hotel was clean and well maintained, and the downstairs restaurant was spacious, nicely decorated, and had a great menu. The rooms are small, and the wood floors feel cheap and cold. The beds were super soft and comfortable, with great pillows, linens, robes, and slippers. The decor seemed a bit cheap to me, with no quality furniture in sight. There were metal lamps by the beds, a metal IKEA style table in the living area, and the motorized drapery system had issues most of the time. The drapes were dirty too. Somehow those things didn’t take away from our stay. In some places in Brooklyn, staff can lack hospitality training, with no smile, greeting, or acknowledgment. Not here. Good job to whoever handles hiring and training. Great stay and great staff!

For what we paid for one night, the service and stay were far below expectations, especially for a special occasion. The romantic setup was a nice touch, but the wine bottle wasn’t chilled. We also couldn’t get any spa information because the QR code didn’t work. Check-in took a while, and the front desk team didn’t feel very friendly. There was no coffee machine in the room, which surprised me at this price. We asked for a make-up remover kit, but there wasn’t one in the room, reception didn’t pick up after several calls, and the item eventually brought to us wasn’t a proper remover. I left disappointed.

The lobby is beautiful, and the bathroom setup was fantastic. The floor-to-ceiling doors make it feel like you have a private room to yourself. It’s probably quiet most of the time since everyone is in their own room.