Knowing I wanted to be on a subway line that was an easy trip to the training, I ended up monitoring the price of the Hilton in Chelsea because I had 4 subway options to choose from. Unfortunately, the prices kept fluctuating from $106-140/nt and I was simultaneously bidding on Priceline hotels daily, hoping to get less than $100/nt deal. My over analyzing was making the booking process a challenge.
During one of my searches a new hotel popped up on Booking.com for a studio apartment hotel rental for $119/nt + tax. The location was ideally located 1.5 miles from the training and 2 blocks from Union Square and many subway lines. I was intrigued by the photos previous guests had taken and I loved the idea of having a small kitchen area for breakfast, snacks, and a place to store and heat up leftovers. The site indicated there was one 1 room left, so I somewhat hastily booked it (I'm pretty sure that is a ploy because booking.com said the hotel was booked through Saturday but the front desk told me they had room if I wanted to stay another night).
While a hasty reservation is not usually my style, the search was becoming exhausting and I was running out of time. Thankfully, the hotel turned out to be a great place to stay. I won't say it was the best place I've ever stayed, but I think it was a good value and had a lot of great things about it. When I arrived at the hotel, I wasn't thrilled about carrying my luggage up 2 flights of stairs to the 3rd floor, but thankfully my parents were in town and helped me "move in." I had also been warned about this and it was very clear on the website when I reserved the room.
The stairs leading up to my 3rd floor walk-up
Because the hotel isn't a chain or a typical accommodation, I had to work with the staff to get a receipt that reflected my total cost and would be reimbursable by the state. Thankfully, they were able to do what was necessary to show my costs were paid and once I walked into my room, I was pleasantly surprised at the decor, cleanliness, and size of my "apartment."
My spacious studio apartment
The kitchen and it's basic necessities
The small fridge, and "closet" area
The bed
The simple Ikea furniture gave the room a modern look, while the radiators, hardwood floors, and trim reminded me that I was in an old building in NYC. The apartment provided me with lots of coffee and tea and a coffee pot and hot water kettle to easily prepare these beverages. I would have liked a few more decaffeinated tea options, but I didn't care so much about it to ask. The microwave served its purpose in heating up leftovers one night, and the small refrigerator allowed me to keep the few items I wanted from spoiling.
One of the things I take great notice of is the water pressure in the shower. I would have preferred a better showering experience, with more water pressure and instant hot water, but I was only slightly inconvenienced. Where I had the biggest challenge was with sleeping. The sheets were fresh and clean, but were very strongly scented. I kept trying to "air out" the bed, but it took a few days for the fragrance to dissipate. The pillow was also a bit too soft for my liking and I wished the company took the idea from hotels to offer "soft" and "firm" pillows. And worse of all, the building next door was under construction, so I was woken up at 7:15am every morning. In NC I would have been fine getting up that early, but I quickly fell into the "late to bed, late to rise" NYC lifestyle. Knowing I would be on a major road (5th ave) in NYC, I used earplugs and a mask at night. The mask was helpful because NYC has a constant glow - especially if your room faces the street. I don't know if the earplugs were necessary, but they would always fall out sometime during the night, so they didn't help at 7:15am.
One of the best things about the hotel was that I was "in the middle of it all." I walked the 1.5 miles to and from the training pretty much every day, and walked to dinner in the evenings (even getting up to 46th and 9th was only 2 miles). My commute was fun because I got to see the change in people and atmosphere from the NYC crowd in Washington Square Park, to the posh shops in Soho, and finally making my way into the more "business" area of Tribeca. It was also cool to spend my training days in the building right next to where Colin went to law school.
I don't know if the "hotel" will go up in price once there is no longer any construction next door. But if it remains in the low $100s/night, it is a great deal. I will certainly look for it the next time I'm in the city and the only thing I will change will be to ask if they can use a hypoallergenic detergent for my sheets. If you love lavender scented sheets, soft pillows, and don't mind low water pressure, a 3rd floor walkup, and only 1 stovetop burner, this place is definitely like living in a studio apartment for a little more than the cost of NYC rent (wait, you can get a studio apartment in Union Square for less than $3900/month, right?). Some of you might need to correct me on here if I'm wrong.
Where is the best place you've ever stayed in NYC?
