Kestrel Hotel

The Elixr coffee they provided was spectacular, so we went to their cafe and bought some for ourselves. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom spacious, and the helpful instructions before and during our stay made things easy. I would suggest adding a luggage rack. There's no TV, which was fine with us. We liked staying somewhere with its own character instead of another generic hotel, big or small. The location was perfect for our show at the Met, and the compact garage was a nice extra. If you want a different kind of place to stay in the city, this is it.

The Mayor's Study was probably not used much, and while I stayed in the most luxurious apartment, the bed was by far the worst part. The mid-range Ikea mattress was so soft it felt like it swallowed us, and it was uncomfortably hot. We had severe back pain that lasted for weeks. We could sometimes sleep on the divan, but there were no curtains to darken the room, and we could hear the neighbors in the stairwell even more. The hotel wasn't as noisy as the city center, but it wasn't quiet. We heard every footstep from neighbors, a barking dog, water pipes, students playing games in the street, garbage trucks, and background noise from the nearby highway. A loud party on the upper floors one evening was especially out of line. Quiet hours don't seem to apply everywhere. Our expectations were high because of the beautiful pictures and the fairly high price. The building looked freshly renovated, and our complicated arrangements for several people and rooms worked out well. The apartment was very large, with extra rooms, clean by American standards, centrally located, and had a well-equipped kitchen and nice panoramic view. They let us check out an hour later too. With more reasonable prices, perhaps some issues would be easier to forgive, but at this price point, unfortunately not.

These notes are for The Hive Room at the Center City location. The lower-level floor is concrete, and during the record cold snap when we stayed, it wasn't room temperature. Bring slippers if you're someone who takes your shoes off indoors. The room has no TV, and its thin walls let us hear effectively everything in the surrounding apartments. The loft also has a noticeable echo when you talk, which can feel unnerving if you have audio sensory issues. Parking will almost certainly mean a nearby paid lot. Street parking is technically possible, but the location makes it unlikely you'll find a spot. One other detail: the door lock is fussy about the timing of the code. For our room, we had to press and hold the confirmation key for a second or two before it registered. It wasn't a bad stay overall, but folks should know these things before booking.

The garage parking on site was worth paying for with all the snow around. The location was great, and the email gave detailed, accurate instructions that made the contactless stay easy. Our room was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the bathroom and kitchen had what we needed. It was extremely quiet compared with a traditional hotel room.