HotelChatter

Checking In:
We checked in late Sunday afternoon. When we arrived, we were pretty much the only guests in the lobby. A nice but brisk front desk clerk checked us in and assigned us to room 919.

Room #1
This is where we first encountered the billboard. But we would have been perfectly content in our room (shown in the video above) had it not been for some funky smell in the bathroom. It wasn't an herbal smell nor was it something you would expect from a public restroom but it smelled.

Our best way of describing it is this: have you ever washed towels in the washer and then forget to put them in the dryer before you left on a four-day weekend trip? So that when you returned you had to deal with mildewy towels that you just have to run the wash cycle on again? That was what the bathroom smelled like and it was an aggressive smell too.

We called to request a room and a new front desk agent said she would get on right away. We waited a half-hour before calling again and the clerk apologized that she had gotten a lot of arrivals. Fair enough. We waited 10 more minutes before heading with our suitcase downstairs to wait.

Room #2 and #3:
We were then assigned to room 819 which had the same view and another smell--this time a smoking smell. So we left our suitcase in the room, trooped down to the lobby once more, and requested a new room. We then headed out to dinner, hoping that would be enough time to square away a room. It was. We were relocated to room 1201 which was perfect. Except for that hole in the sheet.

Room(s) Reaction(s):
The Gansevoort rooms were modern and hip as expected and dare we say a bit reminiscent of the W Hotels? The first two rooms were in were smallish but with large albeit smelly bathrooms. The third room was slightly bigger and had a larger window thus letting in more light. We could still see the billboard even though we were now above them and we got to witness a changing of the Peroni ads.

Amenity Assessment:
Room amenities included a very cool stereo with CD player, a flat-screen TV, three phones (one next to the toilet), a minibar with standard selections (chips, candy, soda), two bathrobes in the closet and three different types of bottled water on the nightstands--all avaialble for $8. There was also an old timer alarm clock but we had no idea how to work it. Fortunately, our 5am wake-up call was fulfilled.

One thing we found odd is that the Gansevoort had special Cutler hair products on display in the bathroom. These were different from the complimentary toiletries. But if you cracked the Cutler products open, you would be charged. Just some unnecessary product placement.

Service Standards:
Overall, the staff at the Gansevoort was polite and helpful even through our different room changes. Everyone we encountered was friendly but not too friendly. We would say they had a good intuitive sense as to when we did and did not need their help.

Room service was actually very quick and very good but as with most hotels very expensive.

Internet Connect:
The internet was free wireless which made us very happy. It was also spotty at times, mostly because the signal strength was weak. At one point, we thought it might be easier to try ethernet but we couldn't find the cable in the room. As we went to call the front desk, we realized our signal was back up and working. Go figure.

Bottom Line:
We paid $325 for the first night and $395 for the second night which made for a hefty hotel bill. While certain parts of the Gansevoort have lived up to our expectations--the G-spa lounge, the amazing rooftop lounge, views and pool and the decor--we were a little disappointed with the hotel's wear and tear.

Everywhere in the hotel from the lobby to the hallways to our three rooms we noticed lots of scuff marks and the like. Guess that's what happens when you're more of a party hotel. We'd hate to see what the Hollywood Roosevelt looks like inside.