The Milburn Hotel, New York

Did not give us the room we reserved-- like something out of a "Seinfeld" episode. I had reserved a 2-room suite with a door, so that my child could sleep while we could be in the outer room with the light on. I called 2 weeks before to confirm my reservation. Upon arrival, was told by the manager (who was very rude and defensive) that I had been "upgraded" to a more expensive and larger ONE ROOM with 2 twin beds and fold out couch. They even tried to charge me more. We were forced to stay in that room the first night (with much insistence, they gave me a "reduced" rate, equal to that of the original room I had reserved). The next day we were moved to the room we had originally asked for. Breakfast was mediocre, and there was often a wait for a table (so not a good choice if you are in a hurry). The swimming pool is at a nearby JCC that requires swim caps, which are not easily available unless you bring your own, so be forewarned. The neighborhood is nice and the rooms fine. We got parking, but there is no guarantee so best to arrive early.

We last stayed in the hotel in May, 2010. We had stayed there twice before, and had been impressed by the service and the decent quality of the rooms. The Milburn was good value for money. More recently, the hotel has started providing guest with a continental breakfast. Unfortunately, it also provided us with something else -- BED BUGS. The staff refused to admit any possibility of an infestation, and merely agreed to change the sheets. It took five months for the rash caused by the bites to disappear. We will not stay in the MIlburn again.

Of all the hotels I have stayed at in my travels, this was the worst. Old is one thing, neglected is another. The lobby furniure was soiled and thread-bear. I have seen flood-damaged basement carpeting left for refuse pick up that was in better condition than the elevator carpeting. The room, actually, smelled - with foul odors coming from the bathroom plumbing. The one star awarded is a result of the good location, and the friendliness of the staff. Ownership would be better served in raising the rates $50. a night, and investing it in the maintenance and upkeep of the hotel.

The Millburn Hotel lures you in with "reasonable rates" but will steal your money at every chance. In June 2008, I had 14 rooms booked for out of town guests for a family event. I was told on the phone that any cancellation needs to be made 24 hours in advance of check-in date. The Millburn claims its website requires more than 72 hours cancellation notice. According to 24-hour cancellation policy that the Millburn representative told me on the phone, I gave the hotel 53 hours notice that I only needed 10 rooms and that I would like to cancel 4 rooms because of two guests canceling and a few family members deciding to share rooms. I gave the Millburn over $5000 worth of business from June 11-15, 2008. The day after all guests checked out, my American Express credit card was billed an additional $1368 for rooms that were allegedly marked as "no shows." I wasted so much time and energy over the following four months with my credit card company getting affidavits and copies of bills paid to the Millburn by my guests to prove they were wrong. Ultimately I won and American Express issued me a full credit for the "no shows" (which were wrongly charged against my card on top of the $5000 worth of business the Millburn did receive form my guests.) Manager Hakopian exercises NO judgment in dealing with customers and the idea of customer service is non-existent. My guests also complained that the front desk staff was abrupt, rude and unhelpful. They guests also found the bathrooms to dingy and dirty. I would NOT recommend this hotel to anyone and have told all my friends and family members to avoid the Millburn and go to the Beacon Hotel, On The Ave Hotel, Hotel Lucerne, or the Excelsior Hotel (all of these hotels are on the Upper West Side nearby the Millburn but are much better.) If you have no option but to use the Millburn, make sure you have your reservation dates checked three times over because they will attempt to overcharge you and try to rip you off for an extra night or more, regardless of how many nights you stay or how much business you give them. Bottom Line of Reivew: The Millburn has absolutely HORRIBLE customer service and will steal your money if you are not careful by taking advantage of good customers by over-charging and giving conflicting information on its ever-changing "hotel policies." To enjoy New York City, please stay somewhere else!

My husband and I used this hotel for our guests for our wedding. We went with them because they came recommended and gave a good deal on rooms. However, everything went downhill from there. They guaranteed us 20 rooms at our locked in rate. After 14 rooms were booked they began telling our guests that there were no more rooms available at our rate and they had to pay more. When we spoke with Albert Mason, the manager, he began yelling at us. For one of our guests he charged both the credit card they used to pay for the room and the separate credit card they used to hold the room. The family is still fighting these charges.

We booked this hotel and they gave us an upgrade! We were on the 15th floor. There were 2 flat screens in this 2 room suite. The bed was very comfy. Small kitchen, nice breakfast. Very close to the subway. Everyone was very nice that worked there and it was a clean place to stay. It was on a very quiet street. I recommend staying here!! It was awsome.

We had 2 double beds that were so comfortable I hated to leave! The desk personnel made us feel so welcome & were so helpful & protective. We had a nice size kitchenette with a basket of goodies and a decent sized bathroom with another basket of goodies! We had bagels or croissants for breakfast in the lobby each morning and hot apple cider 24/7. The room service was extremely quick, huge selection, & very tasty. Also the hotel, off Broadway Ave., is very close to great places to eat. My only complaint, and it was not really a big deal, is that the view was of the rooms across the way. Also it was overcast when we arrived and there are no heat controls - when the temp hits 55 the hotel's big heater kicks in, so we were sort of chilly, but they gave us the best blankets I've ever felt! I was supposed to go back to NYC on the 12th of June but the Milburn is booked so I'm changing my plans so I can stay there!

lived in nyc for 20 years, finally went back for a visit. the milburn's in a great location (restaurants, subway and bus, plus zabars of course) and the staff couldn't have been nicer. the mini-suite was very comfortable, good to have a small refrig and microwave even tho used them rarely in the 4 day visit. only imperfection was loud air conditioners - it's an older hotel. that was a minor inconvenience given the excellent value, great location and extremely pleasant staff. computer room in lobby enabled convenient printing of boarding passes, etc. would definitely stay again.

This was a wonderful and convenient location at a marvelous price. Very convenient to subway, museums, Central Park and great restaurants. The desk staff was very helpful in providing directions and suggesting places to eat and drink as well as allowing us to check our bags before check-in and after check-out. The rooms were very spacious, and we appreciated the sitting area and kitchenette. This is an older, charming building. The building's age can be noted in some of the details. My husband and I enjoy historic buildings, but for some it may be a turnoff. For the location and price, we were especially pleased.

The hotel was great - great location, staff very friendly and informative; hotel & rooms extremely clean. There were 3 couples of us and all of our rooms were different in style and everyone loved their rooms. The only thing that I would like to see the hotel update are the refrigerators in the rooms. They are small compact refrigs (which are perfect for the rooms) but they didn't get as cold as I would like. All 3 couples of us highly recommend the Milburn! We will be back!!!