Not bad in the middle of a Nor'easter.
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 10/15/10
My Ex and I were making a pit stop in New York before traveling down to Pittsburgh. On the way to our original hotel (which LOST our reservation) we managed to blow out not one but TWO tires just after getting off the Queensboro bridge. Imagine our disgust when it began to snow and sleet as we waited for a tow truck. Bitter cold, freezing rain and snow, two tires gone, and a hotel that lost our reservation. This pit stop was beginning to suck more and more.
And did I mention that this was all in the middle of that Nor'easter blizzard that encompassed everything from Canada to Virginia earlier this year? No? Well, it was.
Luckily, two hours later, the tow truck arrived at 5:30 AM, the driver informed us that there was a hotel across the street. We decided to chance it, I mean it looked like crap on the outside. "What's the worst that could happen?" I asked.
Nothing. Nothing at all "bad" happened.
The initial thought I had walking into this place was "Are we going to be able to afford this?"
Surprisingly yes. The swank atmosphere could throw you off a bit, but the $149 plus tax price tag made it a little more endearing. However, after explaining our situation to the manager (and showing him the receipt for the tow) the price was dropped to a little over $100 after taxes. That may not be practical in a business sense, but it was a kind gesture in a bad situation.
We stayed in a standard room. Which, given the outward appearance of this place, was pretty impressive with 9ft (2.6 meter) ceilings and it's modern decor. The bed was soft and warm. After dealing with below freezing temperatures (being from the south it's not something that I'm accustomed to) and driving all all day, it was almost a forgotten luxury. The bathroom was great, the shower was one of the best hotel showers I've ever experienced.
The view from the room was, well, not terrible if you're into old buildings and bridges. I've read a few reviews online about the dilapidated brick building across the street. It's kind of charming with a foot of snow on it.
We did, however, make one mistake. We left this hotel for the one we had originally booked. In comparison, the location of the other hotel was better (Midtown Manhattan), but the beds and the showers of the W on 39th and Lexington could not compare to those of Ravel. Seriously. W beds and baths