Desmond Tutu Center - New York 40.74622, -74.00524

I have two questions: If you make your reservations months in advance, why should you have to haggle over the room location you had recently been reassured you would receive when the room location you want is available. Question: When you arrive back at the hotel late in the evening and are told your room has not been changed as you had been told it would be that morning, and that it could not be changed because there were no staff available to clean your room, how can you expect to please your patrons? Illogical and ingracious treatment. The facilities are lovely however. I believe some of the staff are poorly trained.

Good, clean, recently remodeled hotel in Chelsea. The room was very nice -- even had a beautiful original (non-working) fireplace in it. Breakfast was good -- great coffee and good pastries, and the smoked salmon to go with the bagels was very tasty. Highly recommended.

I pretty much gasped with delight when we entered our room.Everything is brand new and clean,especially the bathroom.Very comfortable.Lovely setting with a private park out back.Quiet and serene.Landscaping was being completed out front during our days there.We parked easily on the street for 2 nights.

Great location in Chelsea, offering a nice escape from the hustle/bustle of most of NYC. Very accomodating staff. Beautiful refectory for continental breakfast.

My daughter and I stayed at the Desmond Tutu Center recently for a weekend trip to New York and we LOVED it. Everything about the hotel was wonderful. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The property is BEAUTIFUL. The rooms are clean and well-appointed. The continental breakfast is more than I would expect and the location is fabulous. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the city.

Outstanding hotel, very friendly people, loved to go back some day.

We had a terrific time staying at the Desmond Tutu Hotel for two nights in NYC. They have a lovely buffet continental breakfast and the staff is friendly and helpful. My sister and I had requested a room with two beds and the first night we were in a room with one bed. The Manager was very apologetic and moved us to a luxury two bed room larger than any NYC hotel room I've stayed in. I will definitely go back.

I recently stayed here while on business. Room was very clean. Staff was professional.Great continental breakfast in a beautiful setting,but one would expect local NY bagels instead of the frozen kind. The 3:00 check in time with this hotel is the only problem. You lose a business day by the time you check in and cleanup after your arriving flight. Check in at 1:00 would be a much more convenient time.

I was in NYC to visit my daughter and this location was perfect. The Chelsea neighborhood is lovely and very close to many excellent restaurants, the Joyce theatre, and not a far walk to Union Square. My room was very clean,upscale, and the bed was comfortable and everyone was very nice. The construction is not bothersome, just a little inconvenient. If you want the "fancy hotel experience" then don't stay here, but if you want a nice, upscale, clean room in close proximity to everything, this is just fine.

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We were awestruck by the grandeur of the breakfast hall in the morning. It was paneled with wood, hardwood flooring and was of Hogwartian proportions. We feasted on smoked salmon, toasted bagel, cream cheese, cut fruit, OJ and cheeses. I would recommend this hotel for an unconventional but romantic getaway.

Great room for the money, it was a bit noisey in the morning due to construction in the front of the hotel. Best to ask for a room in the back if you are not a early riser. Over all, I the hotel was nice & the bed was great. Staff was very friendly. Transportation was a few block away such as subways & bus. Otherwise you can catch a yellow cab right outside the hotel. I would recommended this hotel to a friend.

When I was looking for last minute hotels, The Desmond Tutu Center was one of the best prices I found. Once I arrived, the staff was friendly, the service was prompt and my room was great! Beautifully decorated interior, large windows and a very comfortable bed (not to mention, they deliver a free newspaper to your door every morning). I'll definitely stay here again.

This is a great little hotel, still in the process of renovation, very clean, and with personality. We were aware that ongoing construction in front is noisy, so we asked for a room in the rear, which was very pleasant, overlooking a day care playground, and relatively quiet (it is New York City, after all). Our room, with double bed, was clearly set up for one occupant (one robe, one chair), but since we asked for a rear room only at checkin, so it goes. Would happily stay here again.

Despite the construction on the exterior, this was a beautiful site. It was very comfortable, the staff were very friendly and helpful and the breakfast was in a beautiful room. The location was a short pleasant walk from the subway, and the neighborhood had many fine restaurants. Chelsea is a great area to stay if you prefer to get out of the NYC madness. I hope the room rates will stay reasonable as I would like to make this my "go to" inn.

I noticed this new choice on the site and thought I would give it a try based on location in Chelsea, in-range price for area, and advertising of breakfast in the (former) refectory. Overall I was gratified with the stay. The staff was quite helpful. The location is very good in West Chelsea (check out the Empire diner about a block and a half away, and the 23rd and 18th St. subway stops are within 10-minute or so walk). My room was pristine and very spacious for Manhattan. The refectory is nice on ambiance but only average in terms of food. That said, only overall minus was ongoing construction work directly outside my room - some sort of drilling/boring into concrete or ground that was extremely loud and impossible to ignore.

An intimate hotel with recently renovated, spacious (by NY standards), well appointed rooms for a reasonable price.

We stayed there for a week, first night at a room towards the street. That was pretty noisy but we then changed to a room towards the back and that was very nice and quit. There was no problem in changing rooms. The room is very comfortable and nice - especially the bed. It's not big but everything you need. The breakfast was great, and especially nice with the fresh fruit and juice selection. There is quite a way to the nearest subway - it could have been nice if that had been closer but on the other hand, there are so many nice restaurants in the neighborhood that we most evenings found something nearby. One night we had some problems with a not tight toilet but they were very quick to fix it eventhough it was pretty late. The internet connection wasn't that good but it worked and was free! In overall very satisfied with the stay at Tutu Center!

This unusual hotel is a very good choice for those willing to accept a 15-minute walk to the subway and interested in staying a little bit off the beaten track in transitional Chelsea with its industrial touch. There are a bunch of decent restaurants and the Chelsea Market close by. The hotel/rooms are extremely clean and - given the recent conversion into a hotel - everything is quite new. The included and clearly above average breakfast is served in the historic and impressive 'Refactory'. Unfortunately, breakfast ends at 9:00 am sharp (everything was stowed away by 9:10), which can be a hardship for the leisure traveler.

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great hotel for little cost... We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, great staff, the breakfast should not be missed.

We were in a corner room so it was large for a hotel room in the city. It's a small hotel (60 rooms) with a small lobby. They served a great expanded continental breakfast every morning. The staff was very polite and friendly. The hotel is being renovated and the construction noise may be a bit loud during the day. It was not a problem for us because we were out most of the day. I would stay here again.

We visited NYC for the first time over the St. Patrick's Day weekend and stayed at the Tutu for its location and for how it looked. The neighborhood was nice and convenient to buses and subways. The hotel is still being worked on, but the room we had was great. We felt the staff was helpful and the continental breakfast in The Refectory is very relaxing.

After all the renovations are done I feel certain that the Tutu Center will go up in price. But now, it's a wonderful bargain. The carpet in our room looked like it had been installed that morning. The furnishings are sleek and chic, the bed comfortable. Breakfast was served in a refectory with stained glass windows and heavenly music playing. We wandered by accident through the lovely grounds in the back and into the seminary to be greeted by a group of priests. When I asked how to get out to any street one of them responded, "Oh, didn't they tell you when you checked in? You can never leave" I wouldn't have minded.

Great hotel for the price! The rooms are bigger than any I've seen for the price. Very clean. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The breakfast was amazing. Location is out of the way of tourist attractions, which provides a much more authentic experience. The neighborhood was wonderful.

My 15 year old daughter and I spent 3 days on her Spring break at the Desmond Tutu Center. We loved this hotel. It has a European feel. Our room faced the large courtyard. It was very quiet. The location was perfect. We enjoyed walking around Chelsea at night, it felt safe and there were many inexpensive dining options. The staff at the hotel are very friendly and helpful. The room was new and clean. The breakfast was fantastic. We are looking forward to returning.

The hotel has very large rooms for New York City standards and has nice accommodations. The hotel is located in Chelsea which is a great area of New York. The hotel is currently under construction and is using jack hammers to remove a portion of the front part of the building. They began jackhammering in front of our room at 7:20 am. So, I would recommend to only stay at this hotel once renovations are complete.

It took for awhile to find the hotel because entire front of building was wrapped with plastics!! I read about remodeling going on there and it was still going on. BUT once we were inside, it was a very different story. Loby was small and modest but when you find out that this was originally built as a seminary, you will see it differently. And from then on everything was pleasant surprise - room was nicely remodeled, very clean and cozy and stylishly decorated. The staff was very kind and eager to help us. Out of all the wonderful experience in the hotel, the best part of it was the breakfast at the refectory. You will be in awe when you first see the beauty of the room. The table setting was so classy and thoughtful. This hotel is one of kind and I recommend to every one.

THis hotel has the potential to be a wonderful place. .IT is still under construction and the staff seem to be making there way through the various challenges. My tub was dirty and I called housekeeping and they came within minutes to clean it. The lighting in the room was very dim for reading. The size of the room and the decor were quite lovely and the room itself was very large. Overall it was quiet except when people were in the hallways they are not carpeted and the echos of conversations could be heard as if they were in the room. The location is perfect to great restaurants...and the feel of the place is more like a b&b than a hotel. We did not get to experience thebreakfast room.

The hotel is still under some remodeling construction on the inside and outside. It did not interfere with my stay too often, but some gliches are still being worked out. The staff was very quick to satisfy my guest and my needs. The continental breakfast was delicious and full of choices.

The room was small, but very nice. The service was nice, but it could not compensate for the construction. I would consider staying here again, but only after the construction is complete.

We were more than pleased with the wonderful room, great breakfast and helpful staff. Besides softer pillows, which the staff brought right up,and a way for us to request not to do towels(ie sign to put on door?)I will go back for next stay.

Magnificent cathedral setting to have a continental breakfast: beneath vaulting ceiling and stained glass windows. My room was clean and comfortable. The staff was accommodating and friendly. The Chelsea neighborhood is utterly splendid: across the street is the Cookshop, one of New York's most desirable elite restaurants. A few doors down from the hotel on l0th Avenue is an independent bookshop of the highest quality, with a first-rate authors' reading series. The Chelsea neighborhood may be the most aesthetically compelling in all of Manhattan -- this coming from a native New Yorker who was born 60-plus years ago in the Chelsea neighborhood when l0th avenue was not art galleries and elite restaurants, but the inspiration for "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue."

Although the hotel is a little hard to find--i.e. the address is 10th Avenue, but due to construction the entrance is actually on 20th Street, it was well worth the initial confusion. The hotel room was extremely comfortable and the refractory where the breakfast is located is a beautiful wood paneled room. Breakfast was very good. All in all, I would definitely stay here again.

Lovely location, historic street, beautiful rooms, extremely accomodating staff. Free parking! Wonderful continental breakfast in magnificent refectory. There is construction that should be finished shortly, until then, the drilling begins at 8 a.m.

This is going to be a great little hotel. It has a wonderful location in a great neighborhood and what you get for the price is outstanding. Unfortunately it is still under construction and the entire front of the hotel is obscured with loud construction work, but with that said I would stay here again even if the construction was still not done.

The hotel is undergoing renovation and that may put some people off, but I found my room very comfortable and the outside noise just a whisper, which in some New York hotels can be very loud. The hotel is located in the heart of Chelsea, with all of the art galleries close by. The one consideration is that the hotel is located 5-6 blocks from the nearest subway station. Other than that, I found the service very good, the hotel breakfast excellent, and the rooms very well maintained. I'd go there again.

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I recently spent a weekend at this appealing hotel with my husband and some close friends. Even though we had been warned that the exterior was still under construction, we were all a little surprised upon arrival to find that the entrance was hard to locate and looked like a construction site. Inside, however, the staff could not have been more pleasant or accommodating. Although the lobby is utilitarian and distinctly no-frills, the rooms themselves are stylish, sleekly designed, and spacious. The continental breakfast, served till 9:30 a.m. in the charming Refectory of this former seminary, offers a plentiful array of pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt and beverages, and is much more lavish than we had anticipated. The surrounding neighborhood is far from posh, but offers cutting-edge art galleries to the north, and chic boutiques to the south. We also found some fantastic restaurants within a short walk, including The Red Cat and La Lunchonette. Our only (minor) quibble with the hotel: The so-called fitness center is antiquated and could definitely use a facelift. Otherwise, a great stay. We will be back!

A charming eclectic renovation of classic building and rectory with quiet, quite comfortable rooms - a labyrinth of halls - a soaring breakfast hall replete with original stained glass and rows of coat hooks on the wall. Still undergoing limited exterior renovation but quiet until 8:30 AM. The staff is delightful, and will do their best to find a quiet spot.

The hotel is still under construction which wasn't really big problem but it does take away from it. When we arrived (at 3:30pm, check-in is 3pm), they were late cleaning and inspecting the room and we had to wait about 15 minutes to check in which was kind of irritating. A maid stopped up after we'd already checked in and said it wasn't inspected yet(?? I think/hope they did when we were waiting). There's no smoking throughout the entire hotel in any room so if your preference is smoking, this isn't the hotel for you. No ice service once the kitchen closes. And it's a seminary, so not the best hotel for a younger crowd. The room was gorgeous, but I felt restricted. May be better for a business crowd or families.

I was quite impressed with this hotel. I was unsure at first - since no one - taxi cab drivers included, had ever heard of it. It is so new that the word is not out yet. It's like a boutique hotel. Plush down comforters, pillows-- Warm, inviting rooms. They are putting the finishing touches on the landscaping so the main entrance is not open yet. Entrance is off 20 ave, not pleasing to the eye but it is only temporary. If you are staying in the near future ask or the higher floors facing the inner courtyard. Very quiet and private. One of the most impressive aspects of this hotel is the REFRACTORY, this is where breakfast is served - absolutely beautiful. Old Oak 30+ tall ceilings, stained glass - not your normal inadequate continental breakfast. The list goes how impressed I am of this property --to much to describe. I had mtgs at Javits -- it was a $5 cab ride daily -- a pleasure to return in the evenings. I will be returning to this hotel.

We were really impressed with the hotel. It was a little hard to find because of all the construction work on the front, but the location is convenient. There are several restaraunts right down the street and only a few blocks to the subway. The beds are extremely comfortable. The dining room is an old reflectory with wood paneled walls and giant fireplace. It's a very peaceful experience to eat there. The staff was friendly and the hotel is well organized. I would stay here again.

While the "Desmond Tutu" has a few minor kinks to work out, overall I was pleased with the value this hotel represents. The continental breakfast was nice and well-presented and my room was large and very comfortable. The few kinks (slow draining bath, no lid on the toilet, not enough bathroom storage area, can be easily remedied or overlooked. It's not terrifically close to the subway, but it's NYC - walk and enjoy the street theatre.

Great hotel for the money. The room had beautiful crown molding, a huge fireplace (non-working) and a nice big bathroom. Everything in it was new. They are doing renovations to the outside of the building but it didn't affect our stay at all. The staff was wonderful. Definitely would return to this hotel!

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While the entrance was hard to find (on 20th St. while construction is underway), the service and room were outstanding. I stayed over a weekend so construction noise was not an issue. My room (top floor) had a separate walk-in-closet/dressing room and a very pleasant, clean room with flat screen TV, nice bathroom with tub and very comfy bet with nice linens. Plenty of lighting, heat I could adjust and not noisy. The adjacent neighborhood is well stocked with bakeries, eateries and shops; the 8th Avenue subway is a short walk away and will get you to Times Square in three quick stops. Not too far, however, is a housing project, so you have a typical NYC mixture of wealthy people and poor people. Provides local color and many cuisine options. Building is a bit of a rabbit warren, not intuitive to get from your room to the dining hall (need to take two different elevators down then up again) and a little time consuming if you are in a hurry to make an appointment, but well worth the hassle for the clean, stylish stay for the prices. Front desk staff let me do a late check out and were friendly and competent in every interaction I had. Other guests I met said they didn't have a closet in their room, so rooms are not uniform and you could ask at check in to make sure you have a closet. My room was equipped with iron and ironing board, safe, extra blanket and pillow - all the amenities you would expect in a more expensive place plus the really nice breakfast. Excellent for conferences - consider it if you have a group event. Breakfast room/refectory is beautiful and no religious symbols, just pretty stained glass and lots of round tables and chairs solid enough for the larger person.

I cannot stress how GREAT this hotel was. Immaculate rooms (as clean as a 5 star hotel!), spacious, BRAND NEW, friendly staff, great location, super reasonable price. Rooms are cozy and decorated subtly and tastefully. Furniture is great quality, beds and top quality, ironing board, coffee machine and water bottles all included in the room. By far the best hotel experience I have had in NY without paying more than 500 bucks! HIGHLY recommended.

unusual, intelligent, looks like a remodelled cloister, breakfast room in refectoire outstanding. lobby very small not suited for big groups. rooms with fireplace outstanding.

While this hotel was a great bargain, it really is a construction site on the outside. During our check-in the staff told us that the fact that the construction was still occurring at 6pm was a fluke and usually ends at 3pm. When we asked about the noise level in the morning (from the construction) we were assured that it wouldn't be a problem. IT WAS! Starting a 8am there was LOUD construction out the window. Sleeping through it was not possible. Furthermore, the room we were in did not have blinds causing the it to be extremely bright in the morning. However, the hotel was really beautiful on the inside - the continental breakfast in the refectory was amazing and the location was unbeatable. Moral of the story, this is a great place to stay if you don't want to sleep in past 8am.