HotelChatter

Check-In
The hotel was easy enough to get to on Bush Street near Union Square and Chinatown. We noticed it's right across the street from the Hotel Triton (which has some eco-floors of its own) and the funky Hotel Des Artes. But the check-in experience made us not want to stay here at first. They gave us double beds when we specifically asked for a king with a view (at $189).

We went all the way to the sixth floor only to find this out. When we hauled back downstairs, the front desk clerk was just like, "Oooh, we are all out of kings." No apologies, no nothing. When we tried to explain that we were traveling with a significant other, the clerk just said, "Well sleeping in a double will bring you closer together." Whatever.

Common Areas:
There are no common areas in the lobby to sit and hangout at unless you count the tiny (organic) restaurant Roots and its six-seat bar. There is however, a rooftop courtyard with tables and chairs but is by no means large and the views are so-so.

Parking:
$37.00 a night and they recommend calling a half-hour before you want your car to give the valet enough time to retrieve it. We didn't even want to know where they were parking it. But luckily they didn't joyride in it a la Cameron's Porsche.

Room Reaction:
Denny Lee of the New York Times had harsh words for the room's decor but we thought it was pleasant. Best of all it was new. There's a flat-screen TV (with complimentary DVDs to watch at the front desk), good-sized windows and plenty of mirrors. The green duvets and floor weren't particularly our favorite but we guess that's just the hotel reminding you that the place is green.

Green Things:
Your key card controls all the lights and the heating/cooling system in the room. So when you walk in and put the keycard in the slot, the lights all come on at once which is overwhelming. The good thing is you can turn individual lights off like the floor lamp in the corner which was unnecessary.

The heating/cooling system woke us up around 5:30 in the morning as it was getting consistently louder. For a second, we thought, "Great. How do you make that noise go away?" But then we realized we could just pull the key card out. And we did. And the noise stopped.

The lights use the energy-efficient bulbs and there's also a recylcing bin for paper, trash and bottles and cans. But the big green thing is the hotel's LEED Certification.

WiFi:
Some good news--the WiFi is complementary although we confess we didn't have our computer with us. It was a Saturday, afterall. We're allowed at least one day without it, right?

Service:
Afer the check-in snafu, we found the other staffers there to be helpful and pleasant. The hotel also includes a continental breakfast in the room rate. While not all of it was appetizing, the croissant was buttery, flaky perfection. (We love croissants!)

Cost:
$189 for double bed room with a view. You can pay $169 for double beds with crappy back of a building view.

Bottom Line:
Not a horrible hotel stay but it is kind of bland. Still, you can put your mind at ease about destroying the earth by staying in this green hotel.

Visit the HotelChatter Flickr Pool for more photos of the Orchard Garden Hotel