Rocky start at the hotel Gansevoort

The Hotel Gansevoort is beautiful, however, the staff lacks proper training. Nice amenities and great location are appreciated, but the service will truly set you apart from the rest of the hotels in New York . I recently stayed at the Hotel Gansevoort for 6 days during August 2-7, 2004. Initially upon arrival, the front desk staff was having trouble with the check-in procedures on the computer, which fortunately turned out fine. Unfortunately, during my stay I had to remind housekeeping to make up my room and bring me new towels every day except for 1. I also requested business packages to be brought to my room which took 2hours. Once again, the furnishings were nice, but they still need to work out a few kinks with their staff training.

Nice hotel, nice people

Okay - first things first...I HATE hotels. If I can possibly avoid them, I will. I much prefer staying in serviced apartments or on friends' floors than checking into ANY hotel. The number of stars don't mean a thing to me - I just don't like them.

So I have to go to New York for a few days. It's a city where I have no friends (or even friends of friends to chat up and persuade them to lend me some space on their floor) so there is no alternative - I HAVE to check into a hotel.

I arrived at the Gansevoort about four in the afternoon. Not only was the receptionist efficient, she was nice with it (a few weeks ago I checked in at the Mondrian in Los Angeles and I had experienced the exact opposite at the hands of a complete -------- who was clearly only doing the job for the Paul Smith suit and shirt!)

She said that the hotel was a bit quiet and that because there was some building work going on, I was being upgraded to a suite. Nice.

The rooms are airy, light and well furnished. The showers are superb, the bed the most comfortable I have ever slept on.

The TV wasn't working - one phone call and within ten minutes it was fixed.

Okay - at night there was a "queue" to get into the hotel because of the number of people trying to get into the very mediocre bar on the roof but a polite smile and "I'm a guest" satisfied the doormen the first night, and I was recognised subsequent nights and allowed back in without a problem.

I couldn't find a fault with the hotel and would recommend it to anyone visiting NYC.

Cool New Property, Snobby Staff and Security

The Gansevoort is a really beautiful new building in a cool area of town, and it's really great that they took advantage of their rooftop space for breakfast and for a small pool area. The rooms are nice; with all the mod amenities. The hotel is only mediocre overall though. It's unfortunate because with its location, pool, rooftop and rooms it could be great.

However, the major issues are twofold: (i.) service mentality and (ii.) construction quality.

Towards the first point, the hotel is a little too cool for its own good. There is a line to get in the door at night and every time you walk in someone will accost you and demand impolitely if you are a guest. Then, security at the pool will rudely instruct you that you are not authorized to use the pool because the check-in agent didn't record the correct number of people staying in the room (2). It's not that any of this is awful; its just that no one in the hotel was half polite. The security manager was particularly self-important; declaring "I am not being rude; I am the manager" when I explained that I was feeling a little unwanted in my own home away from home.

Secondly, it seems that while the room is nice it was painted very quickly without any attention to detail. The closet doors did not close (they were too big for the frame) and the tub and tiles in the shower were cracked during installation. It's almost as if they realized they won't need ot be around for very long; they just need to be cool long enough to make their cut.

Overall, I would rather spend $600 / night somewhere where I could be treated nicely; although the pool is a nice touch. If the property wants to be successful in the long-term, though, it needs to develop an entirely different guest service mentality and also realize that one space may not be compatible with use as a nightclub, lounge, restaurant, pool, breakfast area, and deck. The roof is special: they should realize that and preserve it's quality instead of herding club-goers up there to make a buck off martinis.

Great Location, great views, great service

Having read the other recent reviews I was seriously considering cancelling my reservation - but I am pleased I didn't. The hotel has had some teething problems on opening but I think these are finally coming to an end and everything should be up and running for summer. The plus points of the hotel are the location - there's lots going on here, new bars & restaurants, this is filming and photo shoot city so you have a window on the buzz of the area and also you have the pool and roof terrace - a great place to chill out and look at the views. Uninitiated the owner spoke to us and sent round free drinks in compensation for there not being a full bar here yet - I'm sure it's imminent. Service was great and pre-emptive so every need was catered for with friendliness and humour. It's not a budget option but if you want something that's unstuffy and cutting edge in this location it's worth it.

Don't Stay Here

I cannot say it any better. I understand that the place opened in March, but it is no excuse for absolutely the worst service I have had anywhere and that includes the cheap hotels I stayed at when in college. I wish I read the previous review first, everything said about the room is true. It is tiny without a plasma TV. I was told if I upgrade to the deluxe I would be given a room overlooking the Hudson and a balcony. When I did not recieve it I was told they were sorry and next time they would upgrade me to a deluxe. I told them I was in a deluxe and they once again apologized. One night we ordered a snack (fried Calamari) to hold us over until dinner, it took an 1.30 to deliver it to our room. I was tsill billed for it and then I was billed an extra 51.00 for mini bar which I never touched. The only way I go back is for free. Once again DO NOT STAY HERE.

This hotel is not ready for guests

Although they apparently attempted to create a "cool" hotel, the gansevoort doesn't come close. The pool and rooftop view were lovely, and the bellmen and front desk staff friendly, but our stay here was a disaster. Nothing worked, not the wireless, the television, one day, not the elevator. Our room had plaster on the floor, tiles missing in the bathroom, no pillows, no art on the wall, no cd player--stuff you expect at a hotel that is charging more than $300 a night. There were no do not disturb signs available and staff entered our room, seemingly, at will. Although charged luxury hotel prices, there was no turn down service the first three nights, shampoo was not replaced. in six nights, we were moved to three different rooms in an attempt to find one that had all it's bits and pieces. After the second move, the bellman retrieved someone else's clothing and luggage and brought it to our room. In a laughable twist, despite thinking we had paid far to much for what we got, at checkout we were charged for a whole host of services we never received, including 4 nights of parking, and a grocery store's worth of mini bar snacks. On the plus side, the squishy featherbeds were comfortable, and room service served up one of the best BLT's I've ever had.

Not a good value

Picked this hotel becuase of the location and information on the website. Was upgraded to a Grand Deluxe room which goes for $405 per on their website and it was worth about $250 at the most. The room is quite small actually is pretty weak with the features. I wonder what the cheap rooms must look like. It says they have plasma TV's in the rooms but they are really cheap LCD's. The AC didn't work, and I had to call a technician to repair it. There was no ice available, the table in the room was stained. The shower/tub is basically the same you find at any cheap hotel, and the view is really nothing special. The bed was very comfortable at least. If you want to pay $400 for a 350sq ft. room with a comfy bed, a cool lamp, and electronic retracting window shades(wow), then stay here. Also, the housekeeping woman let peak into a suite to see what its like, and its even a bigger ripoff. The suites actually do have a plasma TV, but their so-called balconies are only large enough for one person to step out on. This place is a complete ripoff at this point. For that price you can stay like a king and many other properties around the city. Not to mention when I made my reservation, nor the website or the person on the phone mentioned to me the rooftop pool, the bar, and the restaurant were not open yet. The plus is this hotel has an A+ location in the meat packing district close to a lot of cool restaurants and bars.

Ask for a view!

Beautiful hotel, lovely rooms -including slippers and bathrobes. (but no coffee maker!) Make sure if you are staying in a regular room, you ask for a river view room. You will be disappointed in a room that faces the street, when for a few dollars more you will have an amazing entertaining view of the Meatpacking District and the Hudson River.

Great hotel and a great location

Great hotel and a great location. The best new restaurants engulf this hotel. The view is amazing and my only regret is that the pool wasn't open when I stayed. The service was great the rooms are beautiful and I cant recommend it enough.

Best of New York Hotels to be launched

Meat Packing District meets New York City best boutique hotel yet that I've seen. I had the pleasure of getting a site inspection. Soon to be launched in early 2004 this hotel will cater to and pamper the needs of the jet set and entertainment industry. Superbly located near Soho, and Tribeca.