The James New York - NoMad

Visited NY from the UK with husband and 2 adult daughters and stayed in this hotel for 9 nights - Nov/Dec. We found the male receptionist (can't remember his name) very welcoming and helpful. We were upgraded from 2 queen rooms to 2 king rooms on the 6th floor and were also given a complimentary bottle of wine on arrival. The rooms were a decent size with a large bathroom, although the wardrobe space was quite small. Our rooms were at the rear of the hotel so didn't have a view and unfortunately had some sort of air conditioning plant just outside which droned constantly. However, had we been at the front we would probably have been disturbed by sirens and horns as central NY is obviously noisy, so we put up with the 'white' droning noise. We were also missing the complimentary bathrobes/slippers from one room when we arrived. We didn't have any meals at the hotel. They do offer 'complimentary' hot drinks and fruit (just oranges & apples when we stayed) in the reception/lounge area for breakfast and in the evening there was hot cider for a few nights, then wine, and finally a very thick hot chocolate. Of course there is quite a hefty hotel tax to pay at the end of the stay which must more than cover the complimentary items. There were no pastries (as advertised) at any point during our stay. There are bakeries, Starbucks and a Whole Food Market all very nearby, so it is easy to buy something for breakfast. There was a minibar fridge in the room, so had a little space for anything we wanted to keep chilled. The hotel was comfy and staff friendly. We only experienced our rooms and the reception/lounge area which was decorated festively but often busy. We did try to visit the Seville Bar a couple of times, but were turned away as there were private Christmas functions in there which was slightly annoying as we were paying guests. We found the location of the hotel excellent. It was fairly central but not too busy. At the end of the road is 5th Ave and a great view of the Empire State Building. We would generally walk back that way at night and see it lit up. In fact, the top of the Empire State can be seen from the hotel lounge and presumably some of the front bedrooms. We arrived in time for Thanksgiving and were easily able to walk to 6th Ave to watch it. The Flatiron building and Madison Square Park were close by in the other direction which has an Eataly for cheaper bites or snacks. We found a good cafe opposite called Mangia for lunch on our last day. There is also a Lego store and Harry Potter store close by. The quieter end of Broadway was very near and has restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. It also wasn't too far to walk uptown to Herald Square or the major attractions around the Rockefeller Centre area. There are a couple of subways very nearby in 28th St, so it was easy to go Uptown or Downtown from one or the other. (We just tapped in with out debit/credit cards - its capped at $34 for a week). I have docked a star for the lack of pastries, droning noise, being unable to use the bar and also because the hotel debited my husband's account when we got home without notice, for a missing umbrella and a bottle of wine - neither of which we had used. Thankfully they did resolve this quickly when I complained, but I shouldn't have had to and it seems obvious that the housekeeping team haven't been properly checking rooms between guests. If you haven't got 2 bathrobes, 2 pairs of slippers AND an umbrella in your wardrobe, I would suggest telling reception immediately. Overall we did enjoy our stay though and should we ever return to New York I would definitely consider staying here again.

It's not the ideal location to stay while visiting NYC, especially for families. The room lacks all standard appliances, such as a coffee maker and microwave. Our room placement was horrible; across the elevator, we couldn't get a whole night's rest; we heard people and movement at all hours of the day. At one point, we had a drunk individual knock on our hotel room in the middle of the night. The room's temperature was horrible, and there was not enough insulation to keep us warm during the cold nights. The furniture is dated, run-down, and will not accommodate a family of 4. The bathrooms were full of black mold, which was a hazard issue; at no point was the bathroom adequately cleaned. The linens and towels were not cleaned; they were dirty. In all honesty, the pictures online were a scam to the reality of this hotel.

The perfect location for a quick trip to New York! The hotel is clean, warm and extremely welcoming: the king size bed is definitely the most comfortable I've ever used and the staff is very helpful and always smiling. The glass of wine offered in the afternoon was also much appreciated ;) I wish I could stay longer! Can't wait to be back.

We had two rooms. The queen room was beyond small where the bed practically touched the door. the shower leaked water and there wasn't really anyway to stop it. The king room was bigger but neither had a luggage rack or any practical place to put a suitcase. We arrived early, dropped our bags and they said they would text us when rooms were ready. Didn't receive a text until almost 6pm. They claimed they didn't see or could not find our F&B credit for one of the rooms. Rooms were clean but nothing special and the mini bar appeared to be the design focus of the room. Did appreciate that room keys were required in the elevator to reach guest room floors. They charged my card for the rooms in full more than 24hrs in advance without any notice or explanation even though it was pay at the property reservation and when questioned I was told it was a pre authorization. They appear to treat those who book through third party services differently than those who book directly and we were given rooms that reflect that compared to others who booked directly. Stay elsewhere.

Thank you for a fantastic pre Christmas stay. Our family were well looked after. The rooms were spacious and clean. The location is perfect. Just off 5th Avenue. Wholefoods and Eataly close by - The nightly complimentary happy hour serving hot chocolate and wine is lovely touch. Daily breakfast at Scarpeta is a perfect way to start the day. Will definitely return.