The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York

It is a shame I’m writing this review as this was the first hotel we visited in New York in 2005 and we actually got married in this Hotel during that stay we loved it that much. We decided to bring our 10 year old daughter for Christmas and New Year to NYC and thought it would be a lovely idea to stay at the hotel we loved to show her where we got married and to experience the quality hotel as it was - Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore……. 1) The staff on reception were very abrupt, had an attitude problem and they seemed like they didn’t want to be there. 2) Previous visits, there was always 1 and sometimes 2 very helpful doormen on shift who would open the door on your way into the hotel and on your way out. This time we visited most times there wasn’t anybody on the door and when there was, there was no good morning or good evening and they just stood at the door and waited for the door sensor to do its job. 3) Our room was on a high floor which was great but I can honestly say the decor is probably the same as it was in 2005 and looks very very dated. Two of the window blinds were broken and couldn’t be closed fully or opened in a straight line and one of the windows wouldn’t open. 4) The toilet had a bad leak where we would leave the trash can underneath so that the water would drip into that instead of onto the floor - we didn’t report this as we really liked the high floor we were on but regardless, the cleaner emptied the bin on a couple of occasions and then put the bin back under the leak. On the same issue, one day we flushed the toilet and it just filled up with water and wouldn’t drain. We went downstairs to inform reception as the phone in the room didn’t work and the ignorant woman said “what have you done to it!!!!” “You must have done something to it???” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing?? And then, when I told her we had simply flushed the toilet and it didn’t empty, she didn’t send maintenance, she sent a door man up to have look who then sent a maintenance man????? 5) We stayed 11 nights at this hotel and spent over $5800 which I’m not complaining about as we chose to stay here expecting it to be like it used to be but during those 11 nights we only had a cleaner 6 of the 11 days and on previous visits you would always get a turn down service at approx 6pm where they would lower the blinds and turn the lights on but that doesn’t happen anymore. The hotel is very very dated, the staff (the ones we dealt with) were horrible, the restaurant doesn't exist anymore and the nice lounge that used to be on the 2nd floor is now meeting rooms. It just doesn’t feel like a luxury hotel anymore. I can honestly say that I don’t think we will ever return to this hotel which makes me sad as we always used to try and visit on our anniversary as a nice memory of our wedding in that hotel. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel anymore Read less

My four-night stay at Benjamin Sonesta in New York was largely positive. Currently under renovation, the hotel’s aged look is being refreshed. The highlight was the spacious one-bedroom suite with a functional kitchenette, accommodating four but equipped for two. Customer service was excellent, though the front desk staff, while efficient, lacked a personal touch and occasionally engaged in laughter post-guest interactions, which could be off-putting. The room’s design had its quirks, like a toilet flush hidden under the countertop and a toilet seat that wouldn’t stay up, minor yet noticeable. Despite being on the 9th floor, noise was minimal, although water pipes showed signs of air bubbles and noise. The gym was well-equipped, a plus point. The daily $10 snack and water allowance was appreciated, but the $50 daily resort charge felt excessive given the absence of typical resort amenities like a restaurant or pool. In essence, Benjamin Sonesta offers a comfortable, if not luxurious, stay in a spacious setting. It’s suitable for those looking for ample room space and a central location, though some aspects, like certain customer service elements, could be improved. Read less

Be warned. This hotel is in dire need of a total revamp. It’s undergoing renovations to the restaurant but needs to shut down and remodel the entire property. The only good thing I can say is that the sheets were clean. From there it goes downhill. The room was filthy. Every single item was stained: lampshades, bed head, chairs, carpet (see pics). There were used ear buds in the bathroom windowsill. The elevator was scratched, dented and stained. There is no restaurant on site so no food/breakfast options. The room itself is old: the air conditioning is a window unit that is extremely loud. The heating from the bathroom is not controllable so the room is either boiling hot or you have to crank up the air con to compensate? I could not sleep due to the noise of the air con and so had to leave the bathroom window open to try and cool the room - in NYC in Jan. Absurd. I was here for business and relied on the listing. Be warned. This property needs serious investment and the brand/franchise owner needs to do much better. Extremely disappointing. Read less

We (myself and 2 adult young daughters) stayed in a deluxe twin room in January, Upon arrival we realised that the hotel was having renovations which is normal for Manhattan hotels this time of year! However it did not interfere with our stay no noise or anything! The staff couldn’t do enough for you and were so attentive, The beds were so comfortable and the pillow menu was fabulous Especially the full body pillow which was perfect for me as I suffer with skeletal & muscle pain I would definitely come back & look forward to seeing the restaurant open up again after its major restoration, The kitchen in the room with full size fridge and microwave was a huge bonus especially with the plates and cutlery too, They even provided washing up liquid and tea towels ect I found this very good, The shower was lovely too especially with the Elemis toiletries I couldn’t fault our stay it was amazing! The hotel is on 42nd street and so is perfectly placed to get around, There were restaurants close by from a steakhouse to a Chinese & New York deli, Across the road was also a Starbucks and a restaurant consisting of foods from around the world to choose from so if you wanted to eat close by or get something to take back to the room it’s easy to do so, Overall I’d highly recommend staying here & can’t thank the staff enough for making our stay a special one. Read less