Empire Hotel

They should have mentioned when I checked in that the room w/ a view would also result in extreme construction noise from the street. The construction noise (jackhammers, etc.) started in the early AM & woke me up. I never would have stayed in the room if I had known that.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We reserved a suite. We found on arrival that what the hotel calls a suite is in fact a single room with two full beds. No kitchenette, no fridge, no door to a bedroom. The hotel and our room were both very dark. The decor is not appealing. The bathroom has no counter space. In general, the layout of the furnishing was not very functional. We would […] not return to this hotel despite the great location. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The front desk staff was rude and dishonest. They gave me a smaller room than I had paid for through Expedia and refused to accommodate me even when I showed them my Expedia confirmation. They literally tried to lie to me and tell me that the room I received was the one I reserved! Meanwhile, looking through their website, one can clearly see the the […] Double Superior room (which they gave me) was smaller and without a sitting room like the Junior Double Suite (for which I had reserved AND paid)!! The accommodations were okay and the location is great, but considering their total disregard for honesty and customer service, I will never stay there again! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The front desk agent at check in was very robotic. When asked if a better suite was available, her first reply was there will be an additional charge. It seemed like she was annoyed that I asked. Bathroom is a mess. Shower door missing, towel rack hanging off wall and door paint heavily peeling. Heat did not work, kept air conditioner on at 62 degrees […] and room was still sweltering hot. Would never recommend hotel. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This hotel was truly awful! The room was drafty and noisy. We heard every car on Broadway. There are no shower doors, so the entire bathroom (2x3) got wet whenever we took a shower. The back of the bathroom door was moldy and wet. There were no washcloths or drinking glasses in the room. A glass from the bar downstairs remained outside our door, on […] the floor in the hall, for our entire 4 day stay. The concierge, who said room problems weren't his job, said if I gave him my cell phone #, the manager would call me. After 2 days of arguing, the manager finally changed our room. It went from horrible to barely bearable. A bench in Central Park would have preferable. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

This is just an old, old hotel with cheesy veneer. Having stayed a few weeks ago at an lovely hotel in Berlin, I was shocked. The staff are condescending, as if they are doing you a favor by letting you check in. The much praised lobby is dreadful, like something out of an art class committee. I read criticism of the tiny rooms so upgraded a step. I […] got a decent-sized room...right next to the huge, noisy hotel HVAC units. They rattled ferociously. A competent mechanic could at least fix the grinding rattle...if the hotel cared. The shower (no bath) is right out of a double-wide trailer. I was amused by the bathroom cabinet door that simply would not close. I would never stay here again. I am pretty sure I got the "here's where we dump early reservations from Expedia" room. The W has small rooms, but so much nicer. When the UN is not in session, the Millenium has spectacularly better rooms. If you must stay here, get personal and detailed assurances about your room. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We were pretty disappointed with our stay at The Empire Hotel. The room was clean enough and fine, but definitely not worth the hefty price tag. On the positive side, the staff was really nice and helpful, and the location is great. On the negative side: - our room was on the first floor, next to some weird room to which the door was always open, it […] looked filthy, there was a stove and also what sounded like a pretty loud laundry machine. - the door to our room did not close properly - the bathroom door did not close - there were long waits to use the elevator so stairs were typically the best option - the bathtub looked like it was 20 years old and had been beaten up pretty badly -- it looked nothing like the fancy something or other that was advertised online - we used the glass cups in the room and new ones were not provided every day Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The personal are far from being accommodating or friendly. I will not repeat it a again

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Elevators broken, 20-30 minutes before the front desk would answer a phone call, view of brick wall with no light, no shower door, half empty bottles in mini-bar, no closet, "gym" is actually a room they put two treadmills into (one was broken), etc...

Genuine Expedia guest review

The staff was very rude and condescending on many different occasions. I actually heard the concierge tell someone to go look something up online because he didn't have the time.

Genuine Expedia guest review

We stayed in two different rooms on the 8th floor and both bathrooms had mold. Both rooms as well as entire 8th floor smelled of noxious cleaning fumes. Would not stay at this hotel again.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

NOW, the BAD!!! My wife and I were planning a romantic getaway. We looked at several hotels. We chose the Empire for a few special things it had to offer. The club on the roof of the hotel is advertised as a selling point. There is a club, but it is NOT affiliated with the Empire! So after great anticipation of having a few drinks there, you can imagine […] my anger at having to wait outside on the street to get in......and after an hour wait, not even getting into the club at my own hotel. So after that disappointment, we decide to rent a poolside cabana for the next evening. There are many pictures on the hotels website. There are placards in the hotel directing you to the cabanas. There is even a price guide in the information packet welcoming to your room. So NOW, imagine my disbelief when the concierge tells me, as I'm trying to reserve a cabana, that they "got rid of the cabanas LAST YEAR". So basically, the two things that swayed us toward staying at the Empire Hotel, are NOT part of the Empire Hotel!!!!! I tried to speak with the hotel manager. He must be a VERY busy man. Either in a meeting, unavailable at the moment, or just simply not here right now are the reasons i got for not speaking to him all 3days we stayed in his hotel. I have been home for 3 days now. And after many more calls and emails, I still have yet to be contacted by him. I will be returning to New York. But I will DEFINITELY not be staying at the Empire Hotel!!!!!!!!!!! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The hotel is centrally located near the Lincoln center. However our stay was not very pleasant due to the following problems: We were assigned a smoking room, meant to be used by handicapped people, with a view of the back alley. This was after the reservation specifically stated that we would be assigned a non-smoking room, with a good view. Since […] the bathroom was designed for handicapped people, there was no tub or a partition between the shower area and the rest of the bathroom (which led to a flooding of the bathroom). Aslo we could not go to the rooftop bar area, since it was booked by a private party the evening that we were there. All in all, a very un-pleasant stay. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Horrible service. Rude service people. Will never stay there again!!!!!

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Room was in the basement, small dark and gross. Stay away!

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We had a bad experience with the elevator being on the headboard wall and screeching all night keeping us awake. We changed rooms and were told we were "upgraded" The only upgrade was an extra outlet. Very tiny rooms and the smallest of bathrooms. We would never recommend this hotel or stay there again.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Disappointed. 1) Specifically requested a room not on the 11th floor, when we arrived of course we had a room on the 11th floor on a Saturday night , which was one floor below the dance club. We had made the reservations 4 months prior to this date. They were unable to put us in another room. 2) We had to extend our stay by one night , ask the desk […] staff for the same room which they said they were unable to do and that the hotel was booked. We had to go on line through hotel.com to get the same room and then go down to the desk once again to tell them we had a reservation for the next night. 3) Charged us a daily fee on $100.00 for our pet when the charge was to be a one time $100.00 fee with a daily $25.00 fee. This was corrected. The staff made little or no effort to accommodate us in our request. No ice machines, no ice bucket, no bath tubs. A house keeping staff that does not speak English. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The Empire Hotel is extraordinarily pretentious; very, very loud; the rooms have no dresser or nightstand drawers for undergarments and socks; they have a tiny, far too shallow closet that wrinkles one's suits; and looks as though it has not been redesigned since the 1970's. In addition, the staff is condescending and rude.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The worst hotel that we have been in new york. the matress was very poor as the service. the superior king was all ecept superior.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Even though expensively priced, this hotel takes EVERY opportunity to charge absurd prices for EVERY service. $9 bottle of water???????? $60 a day parking? It felt insulting

Genuine Expedia guest review

I would never stay at this hotel again regardless of the price. I could not stand in front of the sink to shave because the wall juted out too far. I had to shave standing at the corner of the sink. Even the sink stopper did not work properly. The temperature outside was in the seventys and yet the register in the room kept coming on and sending heat […] out into an already heated room. The rooms themselves are extremely small - 13X 27 feet. When a bed is placed in the room along with a bureau at the foot of the bed, there is only one foot clearance. The decor of the hotel was extremely drab and dark. Sleeping rooms and lobby are painted in dark browns with dim lighting giving a very deprssing atmosphere. There are only two good things about the hotel. The first is location and the second is free apples. I would not recommend the hotel even to my worst enemy. A Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

This isn't a four-star hotel; more like 2.5 or 3........................................................

Genuine Expedia guest review

While this hotel was conveniently located to Lincoln Center, it was staffed by incompetent, unprofessional personnel who could not offer satisfaction (except to discount our room for only one night) for the discomfort we had by an overheated room. A manager should have been called and offered a better solution. In addition, Gossip Girls was filming […] and their crew had more attention and respect than my family, the paying customers. I spent a significant amount of money for my stay at Empire (stayed 3/25 - 3/29 - two rooms) and again, the overheating of the room did not match the cost of the stay. I was very disappointed indeed. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We Hardly slept the entire night since there was a very loud gathering outside our door. We called security twice. The first time at 1:30 a.m. the second time at 4:00 a.m. The manager was supposed to call me. I am still waiting for the phone call. Even though the location is so convenient to Lincoln Center, I will never stay here again.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Was a wonderful hotel totally recommend it . Husband and I stayed two nights, very convenient to our childs school, Juilliard as well. The neighboorhood was the best, upscale but warm. Only thing I was I wish we could have gone to the rooftop lounge they have there but it was operated by another vendor and there was a line snaking up the block for people […] to get in. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This Hotel IS NOT a four star Hotel. Broken glass in hall in front of room for two days. No closet in room, cabinet only that would not hold a coat. Lights did not work properly, even after reporting to front desk. Had to call for shower mat and sufficient towels. Bathroom very small for a Suite

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The room was the smallest I have ever stayed in anywhere and the bathroom was also the smallest. While the location was perfect, it didn't make up for the discomfort of the room. Surprised that hotel.com and the Empire would offer hotel rooms like that.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

It took an extremely long time to check in while the manager chatted up with a woman he knew in the lobby. The water in the shower ran freezing cold for about 5 whole minutes before it warmed up. The bathroom was not clean when we arrived. The only good thing about this hotel is location. Everything else left much to be desired. There are other hotels […] with great location, better service and look nicer. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I paid an additional rate for a king bed. When we arrived, they were "out" of king beds and stuck is in a small queen size room next to the garbage shaft. The hallway was so small our suitcase could hardly make it to the door. They found a King size room the next day but we then discovered they don't put top sheets on their beds, so you're covering […] up with a bed spread that everyone has used. Trendy hotel with a great roof top, but would recommend only having a drink there, wouldn't stay there again. Too many hotels with good service to settle for what they provide. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I usually stay in midtown, but I wanted to visit Central Park and thought this upper west side location would be ideal. Based on location itself, I give this hotel a good rating. However, based on customer service, I give this hotel a negative rating. The front desk manager (blonde female) was extremely uninterested in anything I had to say, the housekeeping […] services were less than average (forgot to replace our towels) and when we reported a missing wallet, no one seemed to care. Not to mention that they didn't even have my name in their system correctly, so everytime they asked to look up my account, we had to wait several minutes while they tried to find my records. After we checked out and went home, I checked my credit card statement and found an erroneous charge of $32. When I called to inquire about it, I was transferred around 3 times before someone would actually speak to me. Apparently, I used a universal adapter and consumed some items from the mini bar. Funny, because I don't recall doing those things. I was told that he couldn't help me, but their special accounting department had to help me the following day. I said that wasn't acceptable and after a few tries, he had to get special permission to credit my account. I'm disappointed because this a nice, clean hotel, but the service has turned me off for good! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We were celebrating our second wedding anniversary and brought our two Yorkies since the hotel is pet friendly. My husband Dan called the concierge days before to get champagne and flowers put in our room as a little surprise for me but not one phone called was returned I later found out. We checked in to our queen size room which was described as "cozy" […] and unpacked and went out to dinner. When we returned a couple of hours later we were suprised to find a note that said " Your dogs barked all night!!" and the hotel had locked us out of our own room.  We went down to the front desk and talked to a woman named Justina, she explained quite obnoxiously that she had complaints from other guests about our dogs barking so she decided to go into our room ( which had a privacy card on it) and see if she could handle the dogs herself. Really? A stranger is gonna go into someone else's room with someone else's dog to calm them down without permission? That is quite unbelievable. She went on to tell me that I needed to control my dogs and that is why she locked us out of our room( control my little five pound yorkies?) and she was extremely rude and disrespectful. I know my dogs, they bark for a little while and then they give up and calm down, but if they think someone is breaking into their room that they don't know of course they'll go crazy and bark. I asked to speak with the general manager and she informed me he wouldn't be in till Monday. The next day I went down to speak with another manger to see if we could switch rooms so maybe it would be less bothersome to the guests that had complained maybe to a corner unit and he informed me that if I wanted a corner room I would have to pay extra to move. I repeatedly asked him what the solution was and he suggested I stay in the room with the dogs the whole visit. Every time I left the hotel and came back there were notes on the door, it was harassment! I felt very insulted and when hotel management was confronted about how Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

No drawers or shelves to put anything--and 2 women were sharing for 3 nights; had to call housekeeping for missing water glasses (replaced on the 3rd day);called for washcloths; no hot water; bed linens weren't changed (same hole in the same pillowcase), room wasn't vacuumed second day (same crumbs on the floor); cosmetic upgrades did nothing to make […] our stay more comfortable. Terribly disappointed; considering the price, I expected a minimum level of cleanliness and comfort but got a TINY room with little in the way of usual amenities. Would NEVER recommend this hotel to anyone; in fact, would advise people not to stay there. The only thing going for it is its proximity to Lincoln Center. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I had high hopes for the Empire Hotel. Great location, nice re-design of a grand old seedy Lincoln Center hotel. The staff was cheery, the restaurant (Chowder House) quite nice. The bathrooms badly redesigned but manageable. However, Saturday nights are apparently disco night. The noise thrums through the building until 3 or 3L3o am and even noise-canceling […] headphones don't help. Why pay for a hotel in which it isn't possible to sleep? If Empire cares more about its disco operation than its residents, they don't deserve a clientele. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Not a hotel for a business person. Too many drunks in the hallways.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Small room, rude staff, valet was nasty and had a 30 min wait to check out my car! Never Again !

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

After speaking with more than one person at the hotel in person to let them know that we would be having a business meeting in our hotel suite during our stay, they recommended we reserve a "corner suite". We did so, and upon arrival discovered that, not only was it way too small to accommodate 5 people in the living area, but the closet must have been […] an afterthought since it didn't even go all the way to the floor, and there was no bathtub in the bathroom. We moved to the Trump International Towers immediately. Would not stay at the Empire again! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I loved this hotel! What a FANTASTIC location! It was all I expect for a boutique hotel in NYC. It was beautifully decorated, the staff friendly and helpful, right down the the door-men. The room was small considering. BUT not the smallest I've encountered in the city! The only minor thing is the shower does not have a curtain and floor gets wet. Well, […] I could manage fine, but my 8 year old daughter flooded the bathroom everytime! Quick dry up with towel and all was well. That won't keep me from staying at the Empire again next holiday time! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The rooms are very small. The showers don't have proper doors. The rooms are not soundproof. The shower is sometimes cold water only. There are dogs barking in the hall. Etc., etc., etc....

Genuine Expedia guest review

This hotel had the smallest, most uncomfortable rooms and the dirtiest rooms I have ever seen. They even upgraded me into a larger room that was completely filthy. Do not stay here!

Genuine Expedia guest review

If you do stay here, DO NOT let them put you on an upper floor. They play insanely loud music on the rooftop bar all night, to the point that we couldn't sleep and had things shaking in our room at 2 am. Easiest thing is to find another hotel!

Genuine Expedia guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The hotel staff was very rude - when we checked in there were plates outside our room. When I asked a staff to remove them, he response was its not his job to remove plates, its the job of the room service staffs! Then the hotels valet service took one hour to get my car - and when I complained to the lobby staff - he told my he doesn't want to get […] involved and was at best rude and his colleague started laughing; the whole experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. I had young children with me - and as any one with kids would ascertain how bored they would get waiting for an hour. My wife and I will not go any where near this place again. I am sure other hotels near by would welcome my business. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

I chose this expensive hotel for one night because it had a pool on a roof top and wanted a romantic experience. I just had time to check the "pool" the evening i checked in, it is in fact a tiny pool, barely big enough for 4 kids (congratulation to the photographer who did the pictures posted on the website, it looked like a real pool). Then i decided […] we could at least enjoy sunbathing the next morning. Problem, staff warned us at 10pm that the rooftop will be closed the next day. Though i complained at the reception, then just didn't care about it and didn't bother apologizing. I am extremely disappointed to have spent so much money finally not to enjoy the rooftop that can be closed whenever they decide though it is largely advertised throughout the photos of the hotel on the website. Moreover, the room was small and the bathroom was tiny, with no door on the shower, which is appearently for 'design' purposes but completely soaked the bathroom in no time and made it very dangerous because slippery and then also dirty. Not very nice to have to wipe the floor before going to the bathroom in a so-called 'classy' hotel. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This hotel is horrible. The rooms are super small and not worth the money at all. The pool is a joke - it looks like a nice pool but it's small andnot much area aroundit to sit. The drinks at the pool were $20 for a gin and tonic in a small plastic cup. The place is a rip off. I would never ever stay there again and I'm in NY all the time.

Genuine Expedia guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Travelled across the USA for 3 weeks, staying in numerous hotels and resorts and the Empire was by far the worst experience. Between the elevator clunking all hours of the night, the nightclub on the roof and the lack of sound proof windows and doors to block any noise from outside and other guests and house keepers in the hallways, it was extremely […] difficult to get a good nights sleep. We had to be moved from the 11th level to the 2nd halfway through our stay and it didn't get any better in the next room. The staff were not helpful in any way during our stay, but were always quick to put their hand out for their tip. I would suggest to anybody thinking about staying here, to think again. We had friends travelling with us that stayed in other hotels that were less expensive, and far more comfortable. Staying at the Empire for the duration of our time in New York really ruined on our time there. Also, do not bother going to their lobby bar as it is extremely over priced and the drinks are falsely advertised to be something they are not. I would not recommend staying at this hotel to anyone, and furthermore would steer anyone clear of it. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

As you can see although I believe this Hotel was well located for our needs and clean in poresentation. The Bar staff were very accomodating and the housekeeping staff were lovely. However our stay was spoilt by the heavy handed rudness of the reception staff. Make sure if you ever book at this holtel that they are not filming some trashy gossip show […] in the bar/lounge are because if you do you will be banned from the are till they leave. You will be moved on by rude security guards and the services you expected when booking were withdrawn. As an alternative to the free wifi in the now off limits area your are directed to use the Starbucks next door or "in your room" at and extra cost. In addition if you wanted to relax in the lounge area with a drink at the end of a day you again could not and were told to order room service again at an extra cost. Very disappointing that what should be fundamental good manner was completely lost on these people. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Perhaps it's pot luck as to which room you get at this hotel. The renovations have obviously been made to the general areas. I had very little sleep due to the constant banging of the heating pipes, with short 10 min respite every hour or so to then be woken by the banging again. But it did mask the constant sound of the hotel air con units outside […] the window! I'm quite sure that this level of noise would affect most of the internal facing rooms. The sheets weren't long enough to fit the bed so there was a gap of a foott between the bottom of the sheet and the bottom of the bed. The room was barely big enough to swing a mouse, certainly unacceptable size for 2 occupants. The bathroom wasn't clean (dirt in the corners of the floor and shower base). Dust on the shelves that obviously hadn't been cleaned for some time. And the bathroom was tiny.. couldn't close the door to use the loo! None of the bathroom soaps, shampoos etc were replenished between days. Decor had been superficially updated only. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review