Row NYC, New York City.

 

I was lucky enough to visit NYC at Christmas time, and had the pleasure of staying at Row NYC.

Hotel Interior

My first thoughts when entering this hotel was how dark it was. It definitely had an edgy contemporary vibe to it, with lighting to match. The hallways near to the rooms were adorned with funky, almost eclectic art work, which added to the contemporary vibe of this hotel.

Lobby

Hallways (source:google)

The lift (elevator) system was definitely different to anything I'd experienced, and I only knew how to work this because I'd done my research. There were many tourists that were left in a state of confusion when trying to access them. Basically there were approximately 6 lifts to choose from (each numbered 1-6). You typed in the floor of your hotel room, and it would give you a number. That number correlated with the lift number that you needed to access. It definitely reduced a build up of people and was certainly a clever way to do it, however instructions next to the lifts would have been helpful for others.

Service

 

Admittedly, we didn't come into contact with many staff from the hotel. The gentleman that served us during check-in was polite and friendly, and even upgraded us (no reason/request to). The older gentleman in the small on-site shop was pleasant enough too.

 

Hotel Room

 

We didn't have the best view (being on the 4th floor) but the extra space that the upgrade provided us was more beneficial to us than a pretty view. It was a disabled room, so lots of floor space and a large bathroom which I was really thankful for. New York appears to be renown for its small hotel rooms and steep prices so I was grateful for the free upgrade. The disadvantage of being on the 4th floor (apart from the poorer view) was the sound. This is the first time I'd visited NY and I didn't realise how crazy the traffic was. Constant sirens and cars beeping. You could hear all this quite clearly from the room, however most times the A/C drowned the noise out, or we just got used to it. It did occasionally wake me up in the morning though (New Yorkers seem to honk their horns at all hours of the night and not give a monkeys... something that us English aren't used to!).

The bed was slightly smaller than anticipated (I have always experienced large beds in the US) but the comfort definitely made up for this. The bedside cabinets provided plenty of storage and charging points integrated into the lamp base meant I could charge my phone beside me whilst I slept, winner!

 

The only downfall to this room (and its a strange, but annoying one!) was the wardrobe. There were 2 hanging rails inside the wardrobe which were positioned facing outwards instead of across (like most wardrobes). The hanging space between the top rail and bottom rail, then the bottom rail to the bottom of the wardrobe was ridiculous. You could probably just fit a babies outfit in there for it to hang freely. Adults clothes? Forget it. Half of the clothes would have draped onto the bottom of the wardrobe or the other rail. Such a bizarre set up, and so frustrating that we couldn't use it.

The bathroom offered a powerful shower as well as a bath tub that enabled me to rest my aching feet after miles of walking each day.

Spacious bathroom (source:google)

Minus the few hang-ups, the room was clean and spacious, and they were the things that mattered. It was also nice to have access to a bath to rest those aching feet after a long day walking - I'm not sure if all rooms had this or if it was because this was purely a disabled room.

 

Hotel Amenities

 

Although we never used it (although I had good intentions to start off with!) the hotel offers guests the use of a well-equipped gym, as well as a café/restaurant (City Kitchen) which we never unfortunately had the time to access, but offers a huge range of foods at all hours of the day.

 

City Kitchen (source:google)

 

 

Location

Area wise, this was perfect. The hotel is located on 8th Avenue and was surrounded by restaurants, gift shops, tour bus stops, and only a 5 min walk from Times Square.