Have never heard of it. Have you checked tripadvisor?

It is not listed on Tripadvisor, presumably because it is just opening now.

We live just a few blocks from the hotel, but have no idea of its comfort and cleanliness.

It is the best food value neighborhood in the city and if you like night life this is the area. It is primarily residential with a combination of would be writers, artists, and musicians, old writers, artists, and musicians, a strong Latino community, the remnants of an Eatern Eurpean community and kids who live here as their first stop in NYC.

I did find this thread in the TripAdvir discussion forums.

It is a bit weird, because BookIt seems legitimate and takes credit cards.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k5466450-Grand_Opening_of_The_East_Village_Hotel-New_York_City_New_York.html

This appears to be an apartment building. Do a search for the address and you will get a few hits, including this one:

http://www.urbanedgeny.com/property/147-first-avenue-apartments

Ekscrunchy, I am not sure if there is a real connection between the UrbanEdge site and this address, or if they have just set up a way to trawl search results - I think the latter.

I phoned BookIt, and the agent said the hotel would not be advertised if it weren't real.

It has 4 floors and 18 suites, I was told.

This seems to be the interior designer blogging about this hotel on Tumblr:

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/wileen-pagaduan

Did you read the posts on the TripAdvisor thread that you linked above? For example:


<6. Re: Grand Opening of The East Village Hotel
yesterday, 21:40
Destination Expert
for New York City
Where is it you are hearing about or reading about The East Village Hotel?

I walk past the corner of 9th Street and 1st Avenue on a regular basis and there is certainly no hotel there. There hasn't been any hotel under construction there...................

I googled the address you gave me to see which corner that is because I am familiar with what is on each of the four corners. Why don't you take a look at maps.google.com and plug in the address and look at the street view. There hasn't been any construction going on there that I've noticed and there certainly isn't a hotel there.>



I found a few things online, like this:
http://evgrieve.com/2011/09/rumors-ground-floor-at-147-first-avenue.html

I wish I had read your thread here because I passed by that address this morning. It may take a few days before I can return, so if you are not in a big hurry........

I would be leery until you find out more.....there is a good chance that it is an illegal hotel operating inside an apartment house. That might or might not bother you, just be aware of what you are signing up for...

The hotel is supposed to have its entry on 9th, so the lack of an entry on First Avenue is not necessarily a concern. BookIt describes it as an extended stay hotel.

This link seems to be about the property under construction.


http://evgrieve.com/2011/03/sidewalk-shed-returns-to-147-first-ave.html?m=1

I would be somewhat leery of an illegal operation, certainly.

Ekscruchy, I would love to hear your first-person look if and whenever it is convenient.
At this point, it is just a minor mystery that I am investigating.

Do you happen to have a phone number for the hotel? I can call them for you tonight if you like..

I hope I didn't come across like a naysayer. It must be because I've read so many threads here admonishing visitors to beware of illegal hotels! A few months ago, I recommended a brownstone rental in Harlem (great place; owned by friends of mine) to someone here looking for a place to stay. I thought I was doing a good turn for both the visitor and my friends. That thread turned into a big brouhaha with one poster who seemed all but convinced that I was promoting something quite nefarious!

The lack of an independent phone number, or at least I cannot find one, is definitely a concern.

I live around the corner from this location. Haven't noticed a "hotel" per se, but the ground floor spaces have been empty for years and just recently have been renovated and reoccupied by retail renters. The upper floors seemed to be getting a facelift as well. The corner will soon be occupied by a branch of The Bean, a popular coffee and tea shop that has a very popular branch a few blocks away on Broadway opposite The Strand. I'll be out and be sure to walk by and see if I can see anything official looking for the hotel.

Ellenem: That's great..please report back!!



Apropos of this thread, look what I just found in today's paper--under $100 per night for prime Soho rental!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/02/nyregion/falling-prey-to-a-fraudulent-vacation-rental-crime-scene.html

I am guessing, by the references to codes for entry, that the entrance is rather low-key.
Thanks for the info ellenem and Ekscrunchy.

The odd thing is that there does not appear to be a website or phone number. We must investigate further.

All suites sounds like a failed condo development. If you call 311 in NYC they can give you information on how to find the Certificate of Occupancy for any address - which will tell you if it's actually a hotel or not.

This is not my neighborhood - I'm upper west but there are a number of posters that live/spend a lot of time in the area and look to see if there is a hotel open there. But no phone number or web site is extremely suspicious. (A couple of years aglo a poster paid for an apartment in what sounded like a similar situation - and it was a scam/they lost everything they had paid).

There is no wat I would even consider staying at a place without a 24 hour landline that is answered - even if you call in the middle of the night.

I asked on Flyertalk too, and the existence of a 9th Street entrance has been http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/new-york-city/1352532-what-about-east-village-hotel.html
Apparently it looks better than expected.
I, too, would want a 24-hour number, though.

It appears to be an apartment building that's being sold as a "hotel" and is likely illegal. Extended-stay hotels are generally larger. I'd steer clear of it. It may be beautiful, but it's likely illegal and could be shut down before you are able to stay, and then you'd have no legal recourse to get your money back. It's illegal to rent an apartment in NYC for less than 30 days; these units are obviously apartments.

This has been done many many times in NYC, and these "hotels" are usually closed down within a few months. The last that I know of personally is Hotel Toshi, which was in Little Italy and had to close since it was, of course, completely illegal. It then moved to Williamsburg, and Toshi is still trying to open an actual hotel in the Flatiron district.

I just walked past the place. The entrance to 147 First Avenue is actually around the corner on 9th Street. It is a small lobby-ish looking place: floor to ceiling glass for both window and door, perhaps 10-foot by 10-foot space walls painted designer black with a white crystal chandelier and a modern tufted bench. It looks like something, but difficult to tell what. (I noticed two other people stop to stare at it, wondering aloud what it is.) There is NO signage identifying it as anything, except for a small paper sign on the door with "147." There was a keypad by the street door with a screen with alternating messages relating to the electronic door lock, but nothing that mentioned a hotel.

If it wasn't clear, there were no human beings in the "lobby", nor was there even a desk or podium. There was some kind of standing sign or perhaps it was an electronic device, but it was facing away from the window. This is my new neighborhood mystery that I will be monitoring.

I could see extreme inconvenience resulting with a shutdown, if this is illegal, but surely if you pay with a American Express credit card, you would get your money back?

I really appreciate everyone's man/woman on the ground surveillance.

I've been skulking on this thread for a bit. FWIW, every address in NYC can be searched on the Dept of Buildings BIS database (accessed from nyc.gov). Here's the listing for 147 1st Ave, Manhattan:
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?boro=1&houseno=147&street=1st+Avenue&go2=+GO+&requestid=0

There is a C of O for 18 units, effective 5/4/12 - 8/2/12. It's not SRO restricted (whatever that means). If you dig into some of the complaints (like for the boiler under Violations-DOB), they appear to be categorized for a residential building...

Anyway, nothing really "jumped out" at me, but I don't have the patience right now to read it all!

This should jump out: There's not a hotel there. There's a coffee shop there. The building above is empty with No signs of life. The empty space that can be seen from the street is empty. EMPTY. There's no hotel there no has their been any construction going on there. Nada.

bookit is located in Florida somewhere. They have no way of checking to verify if this is legit or not but they are accepting reservations for this hotel for rooms tomorrow night! Imagine the poor chumps driving up to that place tomorrow night!

There's nobody, nothing there. Nada. Zilch. If it's going to be a legit hotel it has a way to go yet to get there. If it isn't legit, it'll be shut down faster than you can type East village hotel.

There's enough doubt here to justify some due diligence on the op's part to first: contact bookit and let them know of the concerns expressed on this travel site, and second: book a legitimate hotel.

What's your budget, how many people, and when are you coming? You'll get lots of help finding the right place. If your budget is under $200.00 start checking rates for Long Island City hotels. Good luck!

There hasn't been a legit hotel opening, even a soft opening, in NYC that's 'quiet'. Never happen.

I see it was also posted on another travel site that the building has a "numerical keypad thingy on the outside for guests to get in." which could speak to this being an apartment building. My guess is that the intent is to use this as an illegal hotel.

Across the street is a bad roast beef place, maybe they have a cot in the back.

air mattress?

I am not sure I have only slept there once.

If you pay by credit card - and there's no way I would conssider anything else - the problem is that you are taking part in an illegal transaction, since it isn't really a hotel. Assuming you use AmEx I believe they would give you refund immediately. You might have a longer wait and more problems with another card.

BUT, if you are left standing there with not hotel - only you can find another place to stay on the spot - and who knows how much you would have to pay.

If it isn;t operational now and they are taking reservations for today - obviusly a big fat scam.

Still sounds to me like a failed condo (owner can't sell the units or doesn;t have enough money to finish them) that he is trying to collect on by using as a "hotel". I wold contact the booking ageny, explain this and ask for the 24 hour phone number and photos of the "suites". From the description above it doesn't sound as if the rooms have drapes, blinds - or probably furniture.

Actually it seems not at all clear to me that you'd get your money back if you book an illegal hotel. Maybe, but if you knowingly book an illegal lodging, I'm not sure Amex would refund. It's not something I'd choose to do. You'd also be on the hook for an expensive hotel room booked at the last minute.

Are you set on the East Village, or do you want other recommendations for possible places to stay?

Ekscrunchy, I am making plans for a East Coast trip, but I am unsure if I am including NYC or not.
On previous visits, I stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel ($99 per night via a Facebook special), and the Fairfield Inn Fifth Avenue ($125 via a discount resulting from Marriott's Look No Further guarantee). So I am really cost-driven, but also want reasonable quality.
I was also thinking of trying a non-Midtown location.

With all the dire warnings about not getting one's money back - if you book this and cancel 3 days in advance, you are refunded all but $20. So if it's a matter of waiting and seeing, there is not a huge risk here, in my opinion. That said, I have not jumped to book this place, and that is in part due to the uncertainty of the service offered.

Take a look at this thread; you can read people's thoughts on the possible illegality and what it might mean for you if you book. Within the thread I give the link to the building owned by my friends in Harlem who rent apartments. You can decide if it looks good to you.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/new-york-holiday-apartment-needed.cfm


Here is another article that might be of interest, from this week's NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/realestate/the-short-stay-apartment.html

Thanks ekscrunchy. I was thinking of trying AirBnB also, but not sure I have the nerve.

Yeah, nothing like sleeping in a strange city next to strangers.....

The NY Times article is the worst of its ilk. There's no such thing as 'technically illegal'. It's either legal or it isn't. Renting apartments for less than 30 days is illegal in NYC. Period.

The owner of the apartment, condo, co-op must be present while staying in an Air bnb lodging.

Yeah, nothing like sleeping in a strange city next to strangers.....

____

I will take your word for it.

I don't know why Airbnb seems so strange to so many Fodorites. It's certainly more guaranteed than couch surfing - and that genre of travel exploded once the internet supported sites like couchsurfing.org.

Airbnb sends in their staff to review an apartment and take the photos for any offering that says "Airbnb verified". Secondly, the more reviews an offering has, the better one is able to suss out the situation (just like hotel reviews). And if you know someone who lives in the area, just have them meet with the host/see the space before you commit!

FWIW, the Airbnb host isn't always in the same apartment. For example here in brownstone Brooklyn, the owner might let out a garden apartment in his building that his parents stay in a few times a year and is otherwise empty. (This isn't me; I no longer live in a brownstone LOL.)

As posted on TripAdvisor, this place now has a website:

http://eastvillagehotel.com/

The price is much more expensive on that site, than it is using the BookIt promotion.

looks like they renovate buildings and then rent them out as hotels.
http://ny.curbed.com/tags/hotel-toshi

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2011/06/30/robert-toshi-chan-s-illegal-hotel-empire-still-going-strong-despite-violations/

AirB&B does not seem strange to me; I think it sounds like a great idea for the easy-going and flexible looking to travel on a budget.

More on Air B&B in Manhattan:



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/your-money/airbnb-gets-five-night-test-in-new-york-city.html?pagewanted=all

In my price range and preferred locations, I would have to take the apartment-share options with AirBnB. Then it would be like having an unknown set of roommates.

Maybe we can help you with alternate locations within the city (???)

Re. East Village Hotel and Trip Advisor link: That link shows what I suspected: this is another illegal 'Toshi' hotel. While you're on Trip Advisor please do a NYC forum search with the words 'Toshi' and you'll read all about Mr. Toshi's illegal, scam artist activities. TA doesn't vet their hotel listings; it's up to the consumer to exercise caution and due diligence.

Mr. Toshi is a well known scam artist, always running from the law, his properties are regularly shut down, he breaks laws routinely, etc. He's a disaster to be avoided, as is his newest venture, the east village hotel.

If you put the phone number listed on the hotel website into Google, you'll see some odd results from Craiglist like this one for a "no compensation" job http://wpdojo.net/author/webmastercraigslist-org/page/1083/

Basically its a job for someone to create "listing and social media platforms. ", maybe like some for this hotel that suddenly showed up?

I think some people won't be convinced that there are red flags all over the place.

Let us know if you want help with legitimate alternatives --there are cheaper hotels with shared baths down the hall, even hostels that sound more reliable than this option.

nyer: Anything attached to the Toshi name isn't just waving red flags. It's howling, "SCAM!!! RUN!!!"

Knowing that Tosi is involved means it is madness to even consider this option. If yuor budget is uper low consider one of the reputable hostels - like the Hostelling International on 103rd Street. Very large, lots of services, and it will still be open whenyou arrive since it is legal.

Thanks nyer. I have several good options for booking for my dates: Clarion Park Avenue for $108/night (lmtclub.com), Sheraton Tribeca (best-guess) on Hotwire for $113/night, Astor on the Park for $76/night (lmtclub.com).

Although the East Village Hotel looks very tempting in terms of appearance and location, the lack of staffing is too much of a hurdle - and to be honest, even though the BookIt price is probably a great deal, it's more than I would want to spend.

And the phone number listed is a CELL phone - not a land line. Ever heard of a hotel without a dediated phone number?

WillTravel: This is an illegal hotel. Do you regularly involve yourself in scams and illegalities if the price is right?

I would suggest willtravel is merely willful and should be left to his own skill set while trying to find lodging in the city.

The phone number is not necessarily a cell phone. Lots of new landlines have been the 917 area code in Manhattan. Also 646. But I'd run from anything Toshi-related.

My name is Steven Meyer and I am the GM of the East Village Hotel. I want to address everyone's concerns and questions as well as introduce myself. First off I see that many people are nervous about our CoO. IF you navigate to http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?bin=1079106&requestid=2

click view Certificate of Occupancy and scroll down on the PDF till you see: Permissible use
R-1 is new code in NYC for hotel. Call a fire department or NYC DOB to confirm!

The building is above The Bean coffee shop and our entrance is located on 9th st.
Please feel free to ask anything. My number is 9172388729 if you would like to call me directly.

Bowsprit, I would say you might be edging into libelous territory, both for me and this new property.

Doug and I agree: One should run from anything that is Toshi-related. As I said, willtravel, use your own skill set while finding lodging. You've been offered good advice here which you've chosen to ignore. Book a room there and let us know how it goes.

I passed it this morning and it looked extremely dark. I also looked at the virtual tour so to StevenMeyer_GM_EVH:

Were those photos taken at this location? And if yes, is the furniture still there.

How many hotels have fire escapes?

When will this thing open?

I can't beleive that anyone would provide a link to an extensive list of bulding complaints and violations - one of which seem to state that the elevator has not been inspected (meaning it can't be operating).

I wouldn't touch this place with abarge pole until one of the local members actually gets to go inside and check out the facilities. (Still think it is a failed condo conversion.)

That GM guy linked to the same Dept of Buildings page that I did. The CofO is a *temporary* one for 3 months expiring in early August, with 12 outstanding requirements to get a permanent one. Building developers will tell you that it's "all just paperwork". But from past experience (residential), I wouldn't trust it until it's fully approved.

This link is to the primary permit, filed in October 2009 and subsequently approved, for work to be done on the building, and to which all corollary permits refer. (Find it by clicking the Jobs/Filings link on the lower left corner of the page referenced previously.)
#120186100 REMODEL EXISTING 4 STORY BUILDING:
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?requestid=2&passjobnumber=120186100&passdocnumber=01

On that page, Item 5 Job Types identifies the request for "Change in Occupancy / Use".
Scroll down to Item 13 Building Characteristics which identifies the change to the CofO as this:
Occupancy Classification: Existing: RES - RESID. BLDG - OLD CODE
Proposed: R-2 - RESIDENTIAL: APARTMENT HOUSES

All subsequent permits issued reference that main permit. The permit requests from this year pertain to the commercial spaces in the cellar and ground floor. For these, the applications state that the use of the building is "R-2 - RESIDENTIAL: APARTMENT HOUSES ... NO CHANGE IN EGRESS OR OCCUPANCY FILED UNDER THIS APPLICATION."

// Sorry, all-caps are pasted from the DoB site. Makes it a little difficult to read here... At any rate, nowhere do I find anything concrete indicating it's a building with legal use for a hotel.

I know - hoist with hs own petard.

Exactly.

Just to follow up with this, I booked a rate of $126/night at Cosmopolitan Hotel in Tribeca for a double room for my 5 nights in late August/early September with www.lmtclub.com . This was an on-request booking, but I got an email confirming the reservation. I had tried bidding on Priceline with various night combos and failed, and I had found a $113 rate on Hotwire for 3 of those nights at the Sheraton Tribeca (best-guess), but this option allows me to get all 5 nights at once at what looks to be a decent hotel. I would love to stay in the Lower East Side, but I won't be that far away.

The East Village Hotel has now gone up to $209/night for its classic studios, on the BookIt.com site.

did you get the HOTEL's reservation number, not just the booking site? With 3rd party bookers I always get the hotel's reservation number.,

I will - I've done dozens and dozens of third-party bookings, and I've used that site before, but of course you can't be too careful. I am in full agreement with the principle of confirming your third-party reservation with the hotel.

but of course you can't be too careful.
-------------------------------------------------------------

That's very funny, considering the author.....

Hmm, Bowsprit - what is your problem exactly?

lol. No problems here. You?

You know all about the knock off purses around Chinatown, don't you will travel?

This exchange is becoming too personal. Let's dial it down a notch please and stop with the personal attacks. If there's something else to discuss here on topic, I'm all for it, but the thread is about this hotel, not WillTravel.

I was interested in investigating this property. With the postings of the manager Steven on here and TripAdvisor, I am tentatively convinced this is a real hotel, but it's still not one I wanted to book for 3 reasons - a) price, b) Toshi, c) unattended.

Nevertheless, I want real information, and some posters here and on TripAdvisor have clearly posted erroneously but with complete confidence, insisting there was no entrance to this property, and that this property did not actually exist, for example. I really appreciate the people who actually did walk by and determine the property's existence.

I must have missed if you had some other question, but my investigation of this property is complete from my point of view, except as an academic exercise.

I agree your investigation was academic and perhaps not thorough. You received 'real information' here and on Trip Advisor. The building's existence was not in question. I'm glad you've moved on. This lodging choice is to be avoided.

Will: The Cosmopolitan has a superb location!! You got a very good price on the rooms there.
When my mom lived in that area, she had friends who would put their overnight visitors up at that hotel and they were always very pleased with the value, and the location. I've been inside and think it's just fine. You did very well!!

YOu will like the Cosmopolitan Hotel. I have stayed there many times when I have business at the US Attorney's office a block down on Chambers St. The front desk is very friendly, the hotel is clean and very decent, location is excellent, right on the 1 subway line, some good dining options nearby (24 hr diner a block away, a Whole Foods, a sports bar, couple Italian restaurants and delis and ethnic restaurants within 2 blocks, and the restaurant at Thompson's Smyth hotel across the st.). IMO, one of the best bargains for a NYC hotel.

Thank you ekscrunchy and emd. I am looking forward to staying in a non-Midtown location. All of that sounds great.

is the Cosmopolitan Hotel in TriBeCa? We were in that Whole Foods recently - wow! - without a doubt the biggest and nicest WF I've ever seen. They have a concierge (and nice restrooms too)!

sf7307, yes, in TriBeCa.

I will definitely have to visit the Whole Foods for comparative purposes. So far, I've managed to visit Whole Foods in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Austin (the flagship store). (I haven't made it a priority elsewhere, but maybe it will start to be a thing now.) None have had a concierge, to my knowledge.

The Whole Foods on Houston Street has foods that the Union Square does not.

The Whole Foods in Tribeca is immense! You need to scatter crumbs on the floor to make sure you can find your way out! It has got to be the biggest supermarket in Manhattan. Or at least it seems that way to me.

Lots of good eating in that area, too. And that great park on the Hudson River. And you can shop at our famous Century21 discount emporium! And J&R music, computer, tv, phone, housewares, etc etc etc.

https://www.c21stores.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/login.forms

http://www.jr.com/

A GREAT location!!

Yes, that Whole Foods in Tribeca is the one a block away form Cosmopolitan Hotel. It is indeed huge and very nice, and the prepared food section has provided dinners for me many times when I have stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The prepared food and food bars are really good.

There is an unusual system for checking out at that store. They are so busy that they have about 10 to 12 checkout people in the evenings, and a system that tells you which checker is open when you are at front of the line, so check out goes fast in spite of how busy they are.

Tribeca is a very cool place to stay. Lots of trendy hotels and restaurants there now (DeNiro's Greenwich Hotel and the Laconda Verde restaurant there, Symthe across from the Cosmopolitan Hotel, the fairly new Sheraton Tribeca, on and on). But you can not beat the Cosmopolitan hotel for value in that area. I got a rate on their website of $103 for each of 4 nights last Sept. in a nice room w/two double beds. That was probably the best deal I have ever gotten directly from a hotel website for NYC.

There was quite a bit of construction going on at the Cosmopolitan Hotel recently which may explain the great rate. If construction noise bothers you (not sure that it does!), check with reservations to get a room away from the noise.

(can't wait to read the longitudinal study about Whole Foods near and far.) fun is....

without a doubt the biggest and nicest WF I've ever seen.

They're beginning to build one in between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, that will be over 50,000 square feet! We've been waiting for this location to break ground for about seven years. But I have to admit, that size and its distance from any subway (unlike the others in the city) scare me to death!!

There is an unusual system for checking out at that store.

That's the same system they have in use at the Union Square store. (Smaller locations like Columbus Circle and Chelsea don't have it.)

Just went through it a few hours ago. Gotta love the nickname, Whole Paycheck.

// The Cosmopolitan Hotel is just a few blocks from Blue Spoon Coffee Co, on Chambers. Yummy sandwiches and coffee in this tiny shop. In the other direction, up West Broadway, Odeon is still same as it ever was after all these years - it's a sentimental favorite of mine, since it was one of the first places I dined when I moved here.

It's also an easy walk to Chinatown for dim sum, or over the Brooklyn Bridge for views of the skyline and treats in Dumbo on the other side!

ggreen, yes, I have had many good lunches and good coffee at Blue Spoon.

I really like Kitchenette, a 50s style Mom's diner w/great lunches and legendary brunch, also right there on Chambers. I have not eaten dinner there but they are open til 11 pm and have a nice homey dinner menu. Very reasonable prices and good quality food.

I also really like Zucker's Deli, across st. from Cosmopolitan Hotel. It is small and not much eat-in space (although I ahve always been able to sit to eat lunch), but it is very good for traditional deli sandwiches and killer soups and wonderful bagels, pickles, and everythign else you expect form a good NYC deli. And it is a very friendly place also, nice workers there.

I love Tribeca, it is one of my 3 favorite neighborhoods in NYC.

Emd3, what are your other 2?

I have the objective of discovering Brooklyn on this trip - just no time before.

As happy as I am about a Whole Foods near my hotel, no branch is likely to impress me, having seen the 80,000 sq. ft. one in Austin . But it will be very handy.

Chelsea. And the Lower East Side/East Village.

We'll be staying at the Cosmopolitan this weekend - first time, although I have friends who swear by it. Since it's a spur of the moment trip, trust me when I say I did NOT get a $113 rate! (Still reasonable by NYC standards, though, especially last minute.) You did well, WillTravel.

I love TriBeCa. I used to work on Park Place so know the area fairly well. Correction: I used to know the area fairly well. I had a heck of a time narrowing down our eating (and drinking) options for a trip that will amount to less than 48 hours, but I think my short list is completed (including some places mentioned above.)

I have the objective of discovering Brooklyn on this trip

Yay! In addition to walking over the bridge, you are at a nexus of subway lines that make a lot of Brooklyn really accessible. All of the following serve downtown Brooklyn, plus:
- 2/3 to Prospect Heights, the Brooklyn Museum and the north/main entrance to Prospect Park at Grand Army Plaza
- R to Park Slope, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge... also, switch at Dekalb for the B to Brighton Beach
- A/C to Dumbo and Fort Greene - also, switch at Jay Street for the F to Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens/Red Hook or out to Coney Island; or at Hoyt-Schermerhorn for the G to Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Queens

The only part of Brooklyn that's more of a drag to get to from there would be our newest artsy neighborhood of Bushwick, off the L train farther north.

<<<I love Tribeca, it is one of my 3 favorite neighborhoods in NYC.>>>

Me, too, and I don't think I'd ever been there before our last trip. I could so happily live there!

Will, the TriBeCa Whole Foods is close to 70,000 square feet, so I doubt you'll see it as "less" than Austin. Plus it's in New York, which is worth at least 10,000 square feet!

Booked a room at the East Village hotel through bookings.com in mid-June based on TA reviews. All looked to be normal until I emailed the GM Steven Meyer yesterday and the email bounced. Then my email to the main address bounced. Calls to bookings.com are in progress. They had trouble raising a human to talk to. Finally they did, a mobile phone. We (myself and booking.com) were informed that Steven was no longer with the company (four weeks after I received my booking confirmation from him). I'm now waiting for a promised new confirmation email from someone who says he represents the property. I paid with a visa card through booking.com so I have no idea what hoops I'll need to jump through to get a refund if this place is shut down. A sincere thank you to you Fodors locals for your investigations. I wish I'd found this forum first.

Archrivalinc: Why not just get your refund from booking.com and move away from the East Village hotel? Keep us posted and I'm sorry you're going through this.

If I were you I would get a reservation at another - legitimate - hotel. And then just collect your money from bookings.com - or Visa if the latter refuse to cooperate.

From 8 years of experience on the TA Paris forum, I recognize that a first time, first post is (and should be) suspect. I've never been on this forum before, discovered the topic "What do you think of East Village Hotel?" on a google search, and decided to register my ordeal with locals as some people do on the TA Paris forum. I often go out and do footwork for visitors in Paris so I especially appreciate this insightful local help in the case of my first stay in New York, a city I know little about. ekscrunchy, I'm the real deal. Honest. I really should have prefaced my first post with some context.

Archrivalinc, what an awful situation to be in! I don't have any suggestions except to offer some sympathy. I agree with nytraveler that finding new lodgings would be advisable! You have a "paper trail" with bookings.com and your bounced emails - did you save the "mailer daemon" bounce-backs? - so at least through Visa you should be in good stead.

(As a side note, as a long-time poster here, I didn't see your post as a flame like what frustrated first-posters occasionally practice - that are suspect as you rightly say. And I appreciate your added context!)

It would be great if you come back and let us know what happens with your East Village Hotel experience! If this post was helpful to you even after the fact, whatever you go through next will hopefully be useful to someone else...

I hope the anxiety and this experience don't diminish your trip to our city. Let us know if we can be of any additional help!

First, thanks to all for all the quality background info here. Short story is; we came out relatively unscathed. If you're interested, the long story follows;
In the end, we dodged the bullet and backed out of this booking successfully. Bookings.com came through on the cancellation for the 5 night booking and the hotel finally credited-back the one-night deposit. I do have a few observations to share:
THE HOTEL seemed fine at first glance. Their unconventional check-in system wouldn't have scared us if we were booking a B&B but this "hotel" appears to be exactly the same as any full service hotel when viewed through the bookings.com website so all the quirky stuff just raised alarms. At first, the person who sent the initial confirmation email, Steven Meyer appeared very professional and explained that the check-in is a bit different than a typical hotel. We had no problem with that. Actually, we were a bit excited at the prospect of an alternative accommodation with some edge. He was clear and articulate and in his mail, he offered further assistance if we needed anything else prior to arrival. When the booking was confirmed, we briefly enjoyed the confidence that we had booked a winner - exactly in the center of our preferred neighborhood.
Two weeks later we sent an email to Steven Meyer asking some transportation questions and the email bounced. So did a mail to the reservation email address. Then we tried phone (disconnected), etc. and got nowhere. I hit the web and that's when I found this thread.
CALLS TO BOOKINGS.COM were slightly reassuring at first. The polite customer service rep assured me that everything was fine and I didn't need to worry. I recounted my email/phone problems and finally AT MY URGING, she said she'd call the hotel and ask what was up. I was to wait for her call-back. It was already late here in Paris and I stayed up till 1AM but there was no call from them. This happened again when I called bookings.com the next day (during east coast business hours). I waited AGAIN for a call back that never came. Deep breath.... I called them one more time to ask if they'd found out anything and an incredibly rude CS rep cut me off in mid-sentence and told me that it takes time to investigate this and I should just wait for them to get back to me.
it's now 24 hours later and I'm ready to call visa to cancel the credit card transaction and report a fraud. The hotel people had my CC number and I had nothing. I give bookings.com another call just for kicks and finally get someone who was willing to put me on hold while they tried to contact the hotel. When they came back to me, the answer was "we can't reach them at the moment. The number we have doesn't seem to be working". After a lot of negotiation, I gave her some other numbers I had for the hotel that rang without answer and she agreed to keep trying and finally raised a guy named "José" by his cell phone. Apparently Steven Meyer no longer worked for the company and they were "revising their web site" so email was disrupted. I was to wait for José's call and a fresh confirmation email with new codes for entry. I waited the rest of the day. Nothing happened.
The story's too long as it is so I'll cut to the chase - I asked bookings.com to cancel the reservation (I didn't have a back-up hotel yet but I had no choice) and they agreed to that. They said that the hotel would refund the deposit within a week. They may have done so but it didn't show up on our statement for two weeks. But it did in the end. All is well with us except our hotel budget just went through the roof because of the late booking at another hotel.
BTW, I finally got an email from José the following day after cancellation. It was a boilerplate "welcome valued customer" email. No mention of any of the crap I'd been forced to endure.
Anyway, many thanks to all of you. Even if the hotel turns out to be healthy and fully operational when we are in NY, the worry would have killed me if I hadn't pulled out of the deal when I did. They would have had a happy customer if they'd payed even the slightest attention to how they appear to us on the outside of their bubble. I should have pulled out the first time an email bounced - no questions asked!

Thanks for the explanation -- when you're there, definitely check it out and report back!

Archrivalinc--haven't been online this week but just pulled up Fodors and saw your post. So glad you got your refund.