Suggest you read these reviews and draw your own conclusions
The Benjamin
125 E 50th St
(between Park Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 715-2500
(between Park Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 715-2500
- Nearest Transit Station:
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51 St. (4, 6, 6X)Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)5 Ave./53 St. (E, M)
- Hours:
- Mon-Sun 6 am - 6 am
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Paid
97 reviews for The Benjamin
Review Highlights What's this?
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"The room was well appointed and I loved the pillow menu." In 31 reviews -
"And the kitchenette was also great to have for cold beverages." In 18 reviews -
"Our room was amazingly roomy for NYC, and very clean." In 24 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
97 reviews in English
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Review from Stephanie B.
Rockville, MDBest hotel I've ever encountered on Hotwire. It felt like we hit the jackpot on our three day weekend stay in mid September. Pillow menu was cool, decor was fresh, loved the robes on hand, and service was great.
It was especially nice being up on the 21st floor--we really couldn't hear the city and had great natural light. I've stayed in the Marriott San Francisco and the Sheraton Austin, TX this year and the Benjamin was much, much nicer. -
Review from L K.
Cambridge, MAAfter a weeklong stay in the Benjamin in a King-bed suite (checking out tomorrow), my experience was marred by poor service--the hotel put a $2000 plus $100/day hold on my credit card, which the front desk employee acknowledged was not supposed to happen. That was the full amount I had on the card (I'm a foreigner and don't ordinarily use my American card unless I'm on the East Coast), which meant I couldn't actually purchase anything with it during the end of my stay in New York. I didn't bring another card with me this time, so it's been rather difficult.
I'm staying here at the expense of a terrific and generous company that I am considering joining. Rather than putting the $2000 hold on the company's expense account (the hotel was booked through their travel agency) as things should've gone, the hotel put the hold on my card. Fine, I pointed out the error--everyone makes mistakes, I was fine with that as long as they'd resolve it immediately. After going downstairs, they couldn't resolve it and asked for an extension to Monday morning (today). They assured me that the hold would be resolve this morning but after I spent $40 (cash) for a cab to catch the end of the last day of a sample sale (plus to visit a department store so that I could pick up a much-needed extra piece of luggage), I found out that I couldn't use the card after all (evening). $40 (cash) back to the hotel empty-handed... I'm not really sure what I will do tomorrow when I am slated to go to Laguardia without the extra piece of luggage. To this point, my card is probably still on hold. I've been going on fairly tiring day-long interviews and meetings through the week and this evening was the only time I could afford to actually shop and enjoy New York. Thanks, the Benjamin, for being a hotel I won't rely on in future.
Also: there is oftentimes no reception for the televisions in either room in the suite. -
Review from Sangu G.
Hockessin, DELet me first begin with the positives: The National restaurant attached to the hotel, kitchenette in room, prompt room service and comfortable bed.
Downsides- we were on the 21st floor and they only have two small elevators. We had to wait for quite some time to get down to the lobby. There isn't a separate extension for the valet parking or room service. You have to dial 0 and go through the front desk to get anything done. Also, it takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the valet to get your car- so make sure to call in advance with the claim number. -
Review from Eric F.
Lancaster, PAThis is by far the best experience I've ever had with a hotel in NYC. Location is wonderful. The staff is courteous, prompt, and insanely helpful. And those pillows? Damn, that's some good stuff.
Pet Friendly. Food is great. And is very quiet
First time my fiance and I stayed there they upgraded our room(from a queen to a king), no charge. Will definitely be staying there again. -
Review from Desmond E.
Manhattan, NYI loved my stay @The Benjamin. Was very memorable.
Everything was fresh and clean. Staff was exemplary! No complaints here!
Just be careful with the room service, it is costly if you don't watch it...
You can order from neighboring restaurants/food spots etc so do that instead, plenty of good places to choose from, and they have a huge stack of menus to choose from at the front desk. -
Review from Alan R.
Cupertino, CAstaff is great really made my wife feel special great stay. 5 days and wanted to stay longer competitive price and hustled to pelase us/. heck clean room and enjoyable stay winner on this choices we will be back -
Review from Pat L.
Barnegat Township, NJThis is our little go to in Manhattan. We always opt for a Junior Suite and it's exceptional. The room is large and comfortable. The bed is soothing after a day of shopping and they offer a pillow menu which adds to the good night. The spa tub is also a plus.
We never eat at the hotel because we are in the City and just choose to eat elsewhere. We have had breakfast sent up and it's been good; no complaints.
The location is excellent. East Side Midtown; right in the center of it all. -
Review from Richard T.
Santa Fe, NMThe Benjamin claims to be a fine hotel. Yet, in fact, it is not up to the Holiday Inn Express I stayed in two weeks ago. The 12 by 12 room was made even smaller by a huge desk which took up one wall and the large bed. No room for a comfortable chair. It had a noisy air conditioning unit that cycled on and off all night, keeping us awake. The bathroom was maybe one and a half as big as an airplane bathroom. To Pee, I had to hold up the seat with one hand so it didn't fall down , and the toilet paper had to be tucked away and was hard to reach (other users complained). In the shower were three pump bottles fastened to the wall (tacky)for gel, shampoo and conditioner, with pumps that had to be pulled up for each stroke. Tiny amounts dribbled out.
Two small elevators were available for a huge building and were slow to come and often crowded. A classic case of trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear. -
Review from Tziporah S.
Brooklyn, NYI stayed here for one night and thought that it was okay. It was clean, the lobby was contemporary enough (although those tall mirrors were streaked and need some attention). The room was on the 15th floor and it was clean and the temperature was ok when we came in.
The pillow menu was kind-of cool so I'm giving the place four stars, but without that bit of creativity, I would say that it's more of a three star boutique. I've stayed at a few boutique hotels in the city and the concierge here is pretty slow, also the room was clean and big enough but they only gave us one wash cloth (I don't wanna share that!). The little coffee maker only was stocked with enough to make one coffee each and I like two cups in the morning.
The thing that really annoyed me is that the shampoo and shower gel are locked to the wall so you have to stand up to keep getting gel if your'e taking a bath or bathing a child.
Bottom line: It's a mediocre boutique hotel that specializes in sleep engineering. I was able to order a special pillow for the night, and that was fun, but the novelty wears off if you're looking for more in a hotel than just a good nights sleep. -
Review from Stephanie M.
Walnut Creek, CAWe stayed here last weekend and this is what I have to say about that.
The suit was very spacious, great balcony!
The bed was not comfortable at all.
The shower was way too small.
The pricing for the room was excellent!
The restaurant, not so good.
I am giving this place 4 stars because of location, price, and room size. Everything else is 3 Stars.
But if you don't frequent Manhattan then I feel this is a must try for a hotel, especially if you are a family and need space. -
Review from Marielle Q.
Austin, TXStayed there recently for a birthday trip to NY and was underwhelmed by our stay. I usually stay at either the Maritime or one of the Kimpton Hotels and am usually very pleased but just decided to try something new and while nothing was awful, I have stayed at better 4 star NY hotels before.
Our suite was large and comfortable but the service was just a little...OFF! Had room service bring up "warm milk and cookies" and everything was cold and taken straight from the refrigerator. Also the room service attendant was wearing jeans, Nike running shoes and just did not exude the level of service I expected.
I also went to the spa for a massage since we had a $100 credit. That was possibly the worst massage I have ever had! The sheets on the table were cheap and scratchy...instead of kneading into my muscles all I got was a rapid rub up and down on my limbs...and did I mention the obscene amount of BABY OIL that was used?? It made me feel a bit like I had just participated in a college oil wrestling competition.
Anyhow...there were nice elements (pillow menu) but overall I won't be going back. -
Review from Lifes G.
Santa Monica, CAOkay I admit I can be a tough customer. I'm in hospitality and worked in hotel management for both Four Seasons and Fairmont Hotels for a number of years, so I can be a bit picky, but I'm also realistic for what I'm paying for. I also find that treating the staff with a little respect back doesn't hurt either.
For me this has all the makings of a great hotel experience without the sky high rates. First of all the location is great, you can walk to Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue etc. Check in was warm and courteous without being stiff. Sarah, the concierge, made it a truly memorable weekend for me and my family, upgrading my two sister's room and sending me an amenity for my birthday. Again, charming without pretention (if you are looking for pretention, look somewhere else as this hotel is not for you).
The rooms have an old style New York feel with modern amenities and they range in sizes. Ours was a corner with a great street view and my sisters were higher up with an unobstructed city view. Other than cleanliness and service the most important thing to me is the bed....and these are amazingly comfortable!
Equally impressive was their restaurant, The National. Robin, our server was top notch and the food was outstanding! The oysters, sea bass and short rib were fantastic and the dessert was delicious. A big thumbs up to the chef and culinary team. If a good restaurant is a reflection of the management then Nobel deserves a promotion. He was attentive, gracious and went above and beyond to ensure that we have a great experience. Being in hospitality I couldn't help but notice how attentive he was for all the guests around us.
I also want to give a shout out to housekeeping and front desk staff. Extra sheets....no problem, extra pillow...no problem, late checkout...no problem. Bottom line, this is a great little hotel with outstanding service, comfortable rooms and amazing food. Since my partners new business is around the corner we will no doubt be regulars during business and pleasure trips.
My hat is off to the General Manager and his staff.....well done! -
Review from S L.
Pacifica, CAI spent three nights at The Benjamin Hotel with a traveling companion. The hotel is pretty centrally located, two blocks to the bus stop and three to the subway station. Our room (a junior suite) was spacious. The bed was very comfortable and the room was quiet, despite the street noise. Housekeeping forgot the top sheet to my bed but remedied that the second night. The amenities were adequate and it was convenient having a mini-kitchen for morning coffee/tea. The sofa bed was fine for my companion and we each had plenty of privacy. We did have breakfast at The National, the hotel's restaurant, and the food was good - not great, but good. I ordered tea with my meal and it never received it, even though I asked for it three times. We also stopped into The National for a drink after the theater on Saturday night and they were closing up at 11:30. Seemed a bit early to be closing, but they accommodated us, nonetheless. All-in-all it was a great stay, despite minor blips. -
Review from Cat M.
Santa Barbara, CAReally surprised at how funky my stay was with being a 4 star hotel. There was NO hot water ... it only got warm ... and at $389 per night, I expect more. The room service attitude was awful and overpriced. Rooms were small and bathrooms even smaller and more unimpressive. Gym was kind of funky and not very clean and at 8am one morning, a maid was in the hallway half way shouting on her radio for a long period of time. Just really unprofessional all the way around and NOT a 4 start hotel! The sleep menu was nice but literally just a choice in pillows ... the sleep menu and the front desk trying to be understanding to the lack of a hot shower brought this review up to a 2 instead of a 1.
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