Not the best Hampton Inn
We usually stay at the Hilton New York while in NYC, but have stayed in many Hampton Inns all over the country. The Hilton New York is very expensive and really looking dated so we decided to stay here based on all the good reviews. Quite frankly, I feel as if we stayed in a different hotel than many of the reviewers. We did NOT have a wonderful experience. We arrived in New York very early in the day. I had called weeks ahead and asked if there was any possibility for early check-in, and they assured me they would do their best. We ALWAYS get early check-in at the Hilton (possibly due to the larger size of the hotel). They suggested we leave our luggage which was very convenient and check back later in the afternoon. When we returned back at 1:00 the woman at the front desk was so unbelievably nasty when I asked her if there was any possibility of checking in. I also had a question about the billing that she refused to answer. She was too busy answering the phones rather than take care of customers right in front of her. So we tried to have a seat in the unbelievably crowded small lobby and waited. We watched atleast 2 or 3 other people arrive and be given rooms immediately. When I started to get up to inquire all of a sudden the bellhop came over with a key. Strange since the billing question was still not addressed. The room was OK, but showing a little wear and tear. We had been walking around the city all day and just wanted to take a rest before we headed out. My son picked up the remote for the TV to find gum stuck to the back of it. Well, after my experience with the front desk I knew they weren't really helpful so I cleaned it myself with purell. Gross! Then my son went in to take a shower and got water all over the floor. So I used a towel to wipe it up and the towel was black from the dirty floor. I don't know how long it had been since that floor was cleaned. The bathroom has a nice vanity but it has space on either side of it where it is place on the wall. On closer inspection, the floor was filthy on the sides and around the vanity. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't already disgusted by the floor. The bedding looked fresh and clean as did the tub and toilet. I guess my mind starts wandering when I realized how dirty the bathroom floor was. Our next experience was with the breakfast. Oh boy! It was our own fault for going at 9am which is the busiest time. However, a hotel this size should have a breakfast area that can accomodate the number of guests staying there. There was a huge line and not one place to sit. There were even people sitting in the lobby eating amongst the large group of kids with luggage everywhere waiting for a bus to pick them up. There was nowhere to move in the mine field of luggage. We waited in the line and had cold sausage, burnt powdered eggs and some Fruit Loops which was all that was left. There was cereal all over the floor and not one piece of bread or a bagel or anything left just a big empty case. There was 1 waffle maker for a fairly large hotel with a huge line. I ended up taking my kids across the street to a deli and had a great breakfast of egg sandwiches for under $10. We never went back to the breakfast again. Upon check out I did fill out the survey card and one of the managers was very concerned and apologized profusely. She did try to make amends which was nice, but I still would not stay here again. My husband did finally get the billing issue taken care of after 3 attempts. With the exception of that one nasty woman at the front desk everyone else was very nice. It is also not the staff's fault that there are large groups of tours staying here, but whoever designed this hotel did not take into account that people would have to wait in the lobby for their transportation to arrive. It was also very poor planning to have such a small room for the breakfast area.