Excelsior Hotel

, New York City, United States
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Excelsior Hotel

, New York City
3 star

Rooms: 197

45 West 81st Street - New York City - New York - 10024 - United States Hotel Website | | 212 362 9200
743 Traveller

Reviews - Excelsior Hotel

7/10
All but the loo
Submitted by: Timothy Mcmahon in 27/06/05
  • Age Group: 31 - 40
  • From: Canada
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
This hotel was very good, great location, very clean and friendly staff. Only problem was that the loo did not flush.
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Historical Traveller Reviews of Excelsior Hotel

Abysmal!

from MLVReading
It baffles me as to how this hotel could possibly be regarded as a four star. I had booked a room on Expedia, stating explicitly that I wanted a quiet room, on a high floor, with two beds. What did we find when we arrived? A room on the fifth floor, overlooking a busy main road, with a small double bed!! When I complained to reception they stated nonchalantly that all rooms were fully booked and they gave us what they had left - which was the worst room in the hotel! My wife was so upset she cried, and I was utterly furious! I then rang a number of NY hotels, finding them all fully booked until by a miracle I managed to find a room at the decent Novotel hotel (see my review of that one). We left the Excelsior as soon as we could but still had to pay one night to them - they did at least refund the other five nights.

Avoid this place like the plague!!

mediocre but with bling!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
I booked the hotel through expedia. we stayed for a week in feb. The hotel itself is very glitzy when you enter the reception area. the room was small but comfortable and the bathroom was nice. We spent most of our nights absolutely freezing as the 1950's still industrial heater made so much noise that we could not leave it on, all we could do was huddle together under the thin sheet and blanket that was supplied (no duvet!). Staff were pretty unconcerned, the odd one was friendly and polite but the rest tended to be rather aloof. There was no internet access which proved to be a pain and no bathrobes either. Really I could live without these but I don't think it desrves the four star status that Expedia afforded it. I wouldn't stay there again but have to say it gets top marks for location as it is directly opposite the museum of natural history and is easily accessible for all public transport.

Not recommended

from A TripAdvisor Member
We have just returned from a 6 night break at the EXcelsior. This was our third visit to New York but first time at the Excelsior. The room was okay but lacked tea and coffee making facilities. The real problem was the staff. Not at all friendly and on one accasion positively rude.
We asked the concierge to book us return transport to the airport with supershuttle having used this method to get to the hotel on arrival.
I'll book you a car he said, it's cheaper and direct. We agreed and he asked how many were in our party, 4 we said. When the car turned up the driver said we had too much luggage. (We had the same as when we arrived!!) It was a different concierge who was very rude to us but booked a "minibus" at a cost of $32 more than Supershuttle!!! Perhaps the Excelsior staff need to attend a Customer satisfaction course!!!

An ideal tourist hotel

from A TripAdvisor Member
My girlfriend and I have just spent a lovely week here.

The hotel is in perfect condition, always clean and tidy. All the staff were very helpful and cheerful to us, so I guess those who found them to be rude in previous reviews must have been catching them on a bad day.

It's in a superb location, putting these two New York novices instantly at ease with the very clean and safe neighbourhood. Travel to the main tourist areas is simple thanks to the subway station on the end of the block and plenty of passing taxis. The nearby blocks are bristling with lovely restaurants, bars and shops, so anyone feeling a little tired after a long day of serious shopping can happily stick closer to home rather than venture downtown to eat (Fred's bar and restaurant a couple of blocks away was our favourite find).

The only negative I'd note against the hotel is the complete lack of in-room coffee/tea making facilities, but as there are so many coffee shops within very short walking distance it is only a tiny issue - a Starbucks is less than 2min walk away.

For the money we paid (approx 480 ukp for 1 week in a double room via Expedia), I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to travellers coming from the UK. It will certainly be at the top of our list should we decide to visit NY again.

not terribly impressed

from A TripAdvisor Member
We just spent nearly two weeks staying at the Excelsior. In terms of location it must be one of the best mid-price hotels in NYC, and it was quite comfortable, but not quite as good as I expected. The major issue for me was that I could never get the room cool enough to sleep comfortably, even after the maintenance man switched off heating to the room, and we began leaving the windows open all day (30 degrees and snow outside.) The desk staff didn't make much effort to appear concerned. Eventually I bought a humidifier, lay under a sheet, and just put up with it. Also, the hotel listing on Expedia (whom we booked through) advertises in room web access and bathrobes, neither of these amenities were actually supplied to us. A couple of nights we could hear people in the rooms next door, which was a little unsettling. The lack of hot drink facilities mentioned by other guests I knew about in advance, but I still don't understand why they can't have even a vending machine somewhere, so you don't have to dash to the corner shop in subzero wind and rain. oh well. The room was immaculately clean, and of a comfortable size for two people; the view from our room was great, and the doormen and bell staff were friendly and polite. In summary, I think the hotel is good to stay in but don't pay too much for the privilege.

Great

from makemontour
Excellent hotel, well situated, you will need to go out for breakfast though for the best experience, local deli good and Starbucks on corner. Location could not be better and room was a good standard and clean. Subway 5 mins walk and as ever in NYC lots of cabs. Give it a try, we did and enjoyed it.

Best Hotel Towels in New York!

from MarylandTravelgal
It's the little things...and the big things too. We are a family of three who definately appreciates the finer things in life. OK, so we have lived in a ger in Outer Mongolia but that's another story. We had stayed at the Excelsior 7-8 yrs ago( before the "Big Change"). We paid $89 at that time for basically a one bedroom apartment, kitchen, bedroom, livingroom, funky big bath,etc. We heard it was bought, remodeled and now going for $289. We also heard about the fabled surly staff.

Fast forward to early Jan '04, celebrating a 50th birthday and a 12th birthday, got a great winter rate at $139, front room, spacious, 14th floor facing the glassed in Planetarium and park of the Nat. History Museum, the thickest, whitest towels, spotlessly clean room, gorgeously tiled bathroom w/hairdryer, highend toiletries, two double beds you could sleep on forever. Wonderful old touches like the mail chute and deep window wells that you can sit in and even open the windows! Lower rooms could be noisy but not up that high. No mini-bar or in-room coffee? Stay at the Trump or Holiday Inn. Give me the Excelsior anytime. Oh, the staff, well it's not Mongolia (land of friendly faces!) but for New York, not bad. They can't be accused of fakey smiling (thank goodness) but fullfilled their duties pleasantly enough.

TRY SOMEWHERE ELSE!

from A TripAdvisor Member
Definitely NOT a four-star hotel - no room service, no refreshment facilities in the room. We were gasping for tea or coffee on our arrival and first thing in the morning.The breakfast was not included and they charged $18 per person for a full American breakfast, which was not even that nice to eat.The staff weren't exactly rude but not entirely friendly or helpful either. The receptionists were a bit snooty, although I couldn't understand why - they weren't working at the Ritz Carlton.The suite was comfortable but they gave us a room with a double bed which my son and daughter (teenages) had to share, so no thought had gone into giving us a twin room.LOVED New York but would try another hotel!

Excelsior excels!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
We just returned from five days and four nights (12-26-30-2003) at the Excelsior and we would highly recommend the hotel. After reading some of the reviews on this site I was a bit concerned but we had NONE of the bad service that others experienced. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Requests for things like extra towels and blankets were responded to within five minutes. The hotel was very clean, the rooms beautiful in a French motif and the location on 81st and Central Park West was perfect. Half a block to Central Park, subway station or Museum of Natural History. 15 min stroll to the Metropolitan museum of Art. Fantastic family oriented restaurants!! I am sorry that others had a bad experience, perhaps all those folks were fired because the current group of people from the front desk to the concierge to the bellman were all great. Please dont hesitate to stay here.

s finest

from A TripAdvisor Member
This hotel is definitely not a 4-star as listed on Expedia. The staff is extremely unprofessional, standing around chatting and ignoring the line of people waiting to check in on a very busy Saturday morning. Our room was not ready, so we were told we could check our bags, but it was 30 minutes before a bellboy even came - we went up to 5 different staff members scattered about the lobby who weren't doing anything, but we were told that only the nonexistant bellboy could check our bags. Also, the rooms themselves are quite run down. Our suite was hardly a suite - a tiny bedroom with a 5x5 foot sitting/entry area is what they consider a suite. Also, it was the middle of winter and when we walked into the room it was freezing because the bathroom window had been left open.
With all the great hotels in New York there is no reason to waste your time and money on this one.

Top Local Tips for New York City

Half Price Broadway Plays We found we had some unexpected time before our flight home and so we headed to The Marriott Marquis in Times Square to see what Broadway plays were available that day at half price. Many were available and we didn't get there till after 1:00 and most plays started at 2:00. We chose Xanadu and got 5th row center orchestra seats for $61.00 each. These same seat go for $121 a piece when full price. Loved the play, although we knew nothing about it prior to buying our tickets. A great way to spend part of the afternoon.

Aquavit Best restaurant ever!!!

Subway The subway system is great once you understand it. Or like us you may end up in completely the wrong part of town. Just ask at the information booth and they are very helpful!!

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Other names for Excelsior Hotel

  • excelsior new york city
  • excelsior hotel new york city
  • excelsior hotel new york
  • Address: 45 West 81st Street - New York City - New York - 10024 - United States
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8.0/10

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"All but the loo" - Timothy Mcmahon

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