Good Choice? On the Ave. Hotel
Jun 18th, 2009, 07:33 AM
#1
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Good Choice? On the Ave. Hotel
Booked 4 night stay at On The Ave Hotel for December with DH. Never stayed there but we like the upper west side. The Lucerne was way too high and we got a queen suite at on the Ave for $308. Thought this was a good price NYC. Anything I should know about it????
Jun 18th, 2009, 08:20 AM
#2
I've stayed here about five times; most recently in a queen suite 4 nights in May and 2 nights last weekend in a standard room. I prefer it to the Lucerne or the Excelsior in the same neighborhood.
The queen suites are nice and quite spacious by NYC standards; Ours was overlooking 77th so the view was pleasant, but windows thick enough to avoid any street noise. I like that they have wood blinds as well as blackout drapes so that you can control the amount of lght in your room.
All rooms have very posh beds with down mattress covers, down duvets and lots of fluffy pillows. I'm allergic to down, and even the replacement bedding was nice! Two TVs -- one on a stand that can be moved to face beds or the sitting area, and one on the wall in the bathroom. Huge marble walk-in shower walk-in with a wood bench at one end, several shower heads, and a big frosted window to the outside.
I prefer rooms in on the 77th side, as the seem a bit bigger and don't look out into a brick wall or space between other buildings. The hotel is right across the street from a Westside Market (lots of gourmet take out food) and there is a 24 hour diner with great breakfasts on the other corner. The OTAH just got its own upscale seafood restaurant, but I've not tried it yet, as there are tons of good places to eat on Broadway and Amsterdam in the Area.
The staff are pretty nice, rooms are very clean, and the lobby is comfortable with lots of seating. seem to be lots of regular guests.
The subway station is a minute away on 79th and Central Park is a short walk away on 77th. Good taxi coverage and Hertz and Alamo rental cars are in the same block.
The queen suites are nice and quite spacious by NYC standards; Ours was overlooking 77th so the view was pleasant, but windows thick enough to avoid any street noise. I like that they have wood blinds as well as blackout drapes so that you can control the amount of lght in your room.
All rooms have very posh beds with down mattress covers, down duvets and lots of fluffy pillows. I'm allergic to down, and even the replacement bedding was nice! Two TVs -- one on a stand that can be moved to face beds or the sitting area, and one on the wall in the bathroom. Huge marble walk-in shower walk-in with a wood bench at one end, several shower heads, and a big frosted window to the outside.
I prefer rooms in on the 77th side, as the seem a bit bigger and don't look out into a brick wall or space between other buildings. The hotel is right across the street from a Westside Market (lots of gourmet take out food) and there is a 24 hour diner with great breakfasts on the other corner. The OTAH just got its own upscale seafood restaurant, but I've not tried it yet, as there are tons of good places to eat on Broadway and Amsterdam in the Area.
The staff are pretty nice, rooms are very clean, and the lobby is comfortable with lots of seating. seem to be lots of regular guests.
The subway station is a minute away on 79th and Central Park is a short walk away on 77th. Good taxi coverage and Hertz and Alamo rental cars are in the same block.
Jun 18th, 2009, 11:19 AM
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You will see bad reviews on Trip Advisor for every hotel in the world. The impetus for many people to post is to give a place a bad review. So take all that with a grain of salt. It's a nice budget hotel, but it's not the Ritz. If you go into it with an open mind, I think you'll like it, but if you are expecting a luxury suite for $308 a night, I think you'll be disappointed. But the rooms are pretty nice. And it's in a very convenient location for the Upper West Side, which is not my favorite neighborhood in New York.
Jun 18th, 2009, 11:43 AM
#6
I think hotels in expensive cities like NYC are more likely to get bad reviews, too, because the prices are so high. People's expectations are high because of the prices. They get there and the rooms are small, building is old,or staff have big city attitude, and the visitor thinks the hotel was a bad deal.
I find many Marriott Courtyard hotels at airports - with big brand new rooms, free wi-fi & parking, bathtubs, free breakfasts, and friendly relaxed staff - are more satisfying than most New York hotels, but I think that's partly because I'm paying under $100.
By NYC or UWS standards though, I find OTAH's value to be very good. The immaculate queen suite has two queen beds, and one night we had four people in there very comfortably.
I find many Marriott Courtyard hotels at airports - with big brand new rooms, free wi-fi & parking, bathtubs, free breakfasts, and friendly relaxed staff - are more satisfying than most New York hotels, but I think that's partly because I'm paying under $100.
By NYC or UWS standards though, I find OTAH's value to be very good. The immaculate queen suite has two queen beds, and one night we had four people in there very comfortably.
Jun 19th, 2009, 03:43 PM
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Based on your query and comment about bad reviews, I just had a look and was dumbfounded. I think something is clearly amiss and I would be very worried about booking there. There's consistent complaints about service or lack thereof but the story that takes the cake is the man who claims he was woken from a deep sleep in a room with his Mother by security guards claiming he was smoking marijuana and would either be fined $250 or they would call the police. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ECK_RATES_CONT
I had a friend stay there this past January so got to see the rooms and had some dealings with hoetl staff. There were definitely some hiccups (phone not working, problems with a previously canceled reservation that they said was never canceled) but I thought it was ok in the end and my friend was satisfied. But based on these reviews and the fact that no one from the hotel has chosen to answer any of these allegations/complaints on tripadvisor (a common thing for other hotels to do) I wouldn't book it and I sure wouldn't pay $300 to stay there. My friend stayed in a regular room for about $100/night from a quikbook booking but that was Jan.
The Beacon hotel was recently renovated, has 1 bedroom suites and is probably a better option. beaconhotel.com
I had a friend stay there this past January so got to see the rooms and had some dealings with hoetl staff. There were definitely some hiccups (phone not working, problems with a previously canceled reservation that they said was never canceled) but I thought it was ok in the end and my friend was satisfied. But based on these reviews and the fact that no one from the hotel has chosen to answer any of these allegations/complaints on tripadvisor (a common thing for other hotels to do) I wouldn't book it and I sure wouldn't pay $300 to stay there. My friend stayed in a regular room for about $100/night from a quikbook booking but that was Jan.
The Beacon hotel was recently renovated, has 1 bedroom suites and is probably a better option. beaconhotel.com
Jun 19th, 2009, 04:07 PM
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Prices in Jan are nothing like those in Dec - when $300 can be a great deal. I'm surprised at all complaints - but if you read them carefully a couple of things come through.
Yes, the rooms are small. Rooms in NYC hotels are small unless you pay for a superior room in an upscale hotel. That's just the deal.
Second - someone complained about their not being a "wardrobe". Hotels in the US never have "wardrobes" - this is a european thing. They have closets, which this room had.
Another poster complained that the desk clerk didn;t have much personality and the people in the are weren;t friendly. Desk staff is not competing for miss congeniality - as long as they're efficient and polite you really haveno cause for complaint. And expecting random strangers on the upper west side (or anyplace else) to be super friendly in the street simply isn;t going to happen. You're in a city with a lot of people who are very busy. We are generally polite and will help someone who asks us a question - but aren;t looking to make friends with the tens of thousands of visitors that come through.
This is a 3 star hotel - and seems to me to be what you would expect for a 3* hotel in an older building in New York. If you want huge rooms with everything brand new and untouched - then stay at a chain hotel at an airport (but not a NYC airport - they' not like that).
Certainly feel free to explore other options - and there are a lot of deal out there now - but be realistic about what $s buy in NYC.
Yes, the rooms are small. Rooms in NYC hotels are small unless you pay for a superior room in an upscale hotel. That's just the deal.
Second - someone complained about their not being a "wardrobe". Hotels in the US never have "wardrobes" - this is a european thing. They have closets, which this room had.
Another poster complained that the desk clerk didn;t have much personality and the people in the are weren;t friendly. Desk staff is not competing for miss congeniality - as long as they're efficient and polite you really haveno cause for complaint. And expecting random strangers on the upper west side (or anyplace else) to be super friendly in the street simply isn;t going to happen. You're in a city with a lot of people who are very busy. We are generally polite and will help someone who asks us a question - but aren;t looking to make friends with the tens of thousands of visitors that come through.
This is a 3 star hotel - and seems to me to be what you would expect for a 3* hotel in an older building in New York. If you want huge rooms with everything brand new and untouched - then stay at a chain hotel at an airport (but not a NYC airport - they' not like that).
Certainly feel free to explore other options - and there are a lot of deal out there now - but be realistic about what $s buy in NYC.
Jun 19th, 2009, 04:44 PM
#9
Well, as I said, I've spend 12 nights over 4 separate stays at OTAH just in the last year, and would definitely stay there again.
I found the tripadvisor interesting in that the overall ratings for OTAH are very good, but in June they have had some really ugly ones from mostly new contributors..
However the renovated Beacon Hotel looks fine too, and I would love to hear a firsthand review.
I found the tripadvisor interesting in that the overall ratings for OTAH are very good, but in June they have had some really ugly ones from mostly new contributors..
However the renovated Beacon Hotel looks fine too, and I would love to hear a firsthand review.
Jun 19th, 2009, 05:48 PM
#10
I just stayed at the Excelsior this past weekend and paid $168/night for a standard room through Hotels.com - an absolute bargain for a very nice hotel in the classic tradition with a great location.
Jul 30th, 2011, 05:47 AM
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The problems being discussed were over 2 yrs. ago. I think it's fine and you'll have a great time! http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ty_New_York.ht
Jul 30th, 2011, 11:33 AM
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I've stayed here several times in the last few years. The most recent was in October. We like this property very much for the great location and the very comfortable beds. The rooms are smallish but not the smallest I've seen in new york but we love staying on the upper west side and the staff is nice and like i said - comfortable beds! My last trip was June and as we had 5 in our party we stayed for the first time at the Hotel Beacon a few blocks down from On The Ave. We walked around there one day and the only bad thing was the entire block that had housed the 24 hour diner (and where we had eaten several times before) was now closed, the diner gone. The good news is the Viand Cafe which is right next to the Beacon will only be a few blocks from you so you can have breakfast there.
