We stayed for five nights, but unfortunately our experience got off to a frustrating start. I had added my son to the booking three days before arrival. Virgin advised that this could be done at check-in, but I also contacted the hotel directly and received confirmation from reservations that a note had been personally added to my booking. However, reception couldn’t find this and I had to show them the email, which delayed check-in.
We were eventually given room 404. At first, the room seemed fine, so we unpacked and went out. After a long day, we returned and went to bed, but the sofa bed my daughter slept on (she weighs less than 8 stone) squeaked every time she moved, keeping us all awake.
I reported this to reception the next day. The staff member I spoke to was polite and relayed the issue to his supervisor, who simply shook her head and did not come to speak with me. I was told there was nothing they could do, despite us having four nights remaining. On the fourth day, maintenance randomly came to inspect the bed but only pressed on it rather than properly testing it. I got my Daughter to lie down so they could hear the noise. They adjusted the springs, and housekeeping added blankets underneath, but neither solution worked. I was told the bed could only be replaced if multiple guests complained!
Additionally, when the sofa bed was in use, it blocked access to both the fridge and the curtains. On the second night, the same noise issue occurred, and the TV also turned itself on four times during the night. As reporting issues hadn’t helped previously, we simply unplugged the TV each night. The bathroom was clean, but the shower door didn’t close properly, causing water to leak onto the floor. The bathroom wall to the hall and bedroom are opaque glass so you can see if someone is in the shower. The door is a sliding one so there is very little privacy when you are in as there is a gap all the way round. This isn't good or a family with older children or guests that are friends.
Breakfast was another letdown. We expected queues, but not the extremely cramped layout. There was very little space between tables, making it difficult to move around, especially with plates and drinks. The curved chair backs made this even worse as they didn’t tuck under the tables. The food itself was good, but accessing it was challenging due to the layout. For example, the juice station was positioned near the hot food queue, so you had to interrupt others to get a drink. By the time you navigated back to your table, hot food was often cold. Pastries and bread were stored in plastic bins above the hot food, which were difficult to see into (especially as I’m 5’2”). The fresh fruit was nice, but again, everything felt too cramped.
Overall, we were very disappointed with our stay and would not recommend this hotel. While we tried to not let it spoil our first trip to New York, we do wish we had chosen somewhere else.
