Friday, September 27, 2013

Hotel Bedford

Well, the Bedford Hotel has a nice exterior but a lot of the reviews refer to it as "funky" or something similar-- yet it seems for every person who disliked it, someone else liked it.

All depends what you are looking for in a hotel, I guess

Bedford Hotel

2.5 star rating
18 reviews Rating Details
Category: Hotels
118 E 40th St
(between Park Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill
(212) 697-4800
Nearest Transit Station:
Grand Central - 42 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
Grand Central - 42 St. (7, 7X)
Grand Central - 42 St. (S)
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
No
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18 reviews in English

  • Review from

    Chatham, NJ
    5/28/2013 1 check-in here
    A NYC Hotel that lacks a lot of style.
    Pro's:
    Location if you want walking distance to major tourist attractions (Times Square, Empire State Building).
    Check In and Out were a breeze and staff was very friendly.
    Con's:
    Feels like it has not been updated in years. Wall unit AC, worn out rug and tube TV.
    Bed was hardest hotel bed I have ever slept on...well actually I wasn't able to get much sleep because it was uncomfortable.
    Parking is several blocks away and it was discounted. How much remains a mystery as the parking attendant wasn't able to answer that question ($23 for 24 hours which isn't terrible though).
    Tiny elevators that can barely fit 4 people with bags. Small front desk as well.
    I wouldn't make this place a top hotel for my next visit.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 22 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    6/30/2013
    DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL.

    The rooms are okay, but the service is so unprofessional I wouldn't stay in this hotel again even if it was free.  The wifi also doesn't work.

    The clerk at the front desk (the middle aged Indian guy) is a huge ass and needs to know how to act professional.

    It was check out day and my key card just stopped working. I was a bit annoyed since the wait for the elevator was long, so I went downstairs to get it reset. The front desk guy gave me an annoyed look, but okay.. I was leaving so I let it slide.

    I went up to my room after waiting for the elevator again, went into my room.. and all my stuff was gone! I had under wear in one of the drawers too.. awesome that these guys had their hands all over my personal things. I'm freaking out at this point since I had done pricey things with me and I go downstairs again to find out what happened.

    I express my concern to the guy at the front desk and he (giving me the annoyed look again) just tells me to go upstairs and talk to the maid nonchalantly. Ummm what? I'm angry at this point and flat out day this is the worst service I received at a NYC hotel.

    I go to the elevators again and I'm just seething and say to myself "This is bullshit." The guy at the front desk BOLTS at me screaming how I can't curse here, he'll call the cops on me, get me arrested, and how I've pissed him off. This guy also had the audacity too wave and flail his hands in front of my face.. WTF? Keep in mind, I'm a 5'3 100lb girl.. does this guy really think this is necessary?

    He screams at me again and snatches my key card and orders me into the elevator to go to my room. At this point, I'm uncomfortable being in an elevator alone with a crazy guy so I just tell him to go ahead and call the cops since I'm not the one going ballistic. 10 minutes later, he comes down with a security guard (you're scared of a girl smaller than you that much?) and essentially throws my things at me and stomps off muttering. I check my things (that have been disheveled.. thanks!) and just leave.

    This is so far the worst customer service experience I have ever had at any hotel. Threatening and psychotic staff is not something I paid for, SO STAY CLEAR OF THIS PLACE AND THIS SOCIOPATH. I'm filling a complaint with the general manager on  Monday. Hopefully I won't get anymore threats of having the police called on me  for complaining. *rolls  eyes*
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 13 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    1/15/2013
    Wi-fi doesn't work there, so it's no internet there except in lobby, but I didn't pay $ 260 per/night for using internet in a lobby. There was big Cockroach in my bed, also in bathroom, it's was disgusting!!!!!! There is one rude black woman on frondesk in the morning shift, I was trying to explain to her that I have a problem in my room, that my air-conditioner doesn't work and bathroom when I'm taking a shower is filling full with water,she was laughing about my english!!!!!!!! So rude and unprofessional!!!!!!! I never gonna go back to this Hotel ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck
  • Review from

    • 710 friends
    • 107 reviews
    Philadelphia, PA
    7/20/2012
    Honestly, If the Concierge wasn't so friendly when we arrived I may have even give the Bedford 1 star.  It's not that I think it was all that bad, just for the price of roughly $250-300 a night, there are so many better hotels in this part of the city you could stay at.

    The rooms were dull, the bathrooms were old, nothing was really all that appealing to the eye, the bed was as hard as a rock, only 30 channels on the TV, and no good view.  If I was paying in the $150-$200 price range, these might be features I expect.  My girlfriend even left her camera in our room after Checkout.... she realized an hour later when we were home and the Manager and house-cleaning staff claim no one ever found it.  That is hard to believe when we both know it was right on the dresser, but can you really be surprised when a cleaning staff swipes items like that???

    O well, if your in a bind I guess this is a good hotel to stay at... but if you have the time to plan and shop around you'll be able to find much better.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Pismo Beach, CA
    6/26/2012
    Very conveniently located and reasonably priced. I stayed in one of the suites and had plenty of room for a family of four. The rooms were clean and the a/c worked fine.
    Grand Central is located two blocks away so travel was about as easy as it gets. There is no restaurant in the hotel but there are plenty within walking distance.
  • Review from

    Denver, CO
    9/21/2011 2 photos
    I suppose hotels reviews are a little subjective. It really depends on what you're looking for. Unless I'm on vacation, I'm looking for something clean, reasonably priced and located where I need it to be. On my latest trip to NYC I ventured out of Times Square (where I normally stay) and opted for somewhere closer to Grand Central Station, as I'd be taking the subway  to Queens for the weekend to work a tradeshow.

    The Hotel Bedford was perfectly adequate for me. The rooms were bigger than many traditional NYC rooms - there was definitely no cramped feeling here.
    Bathroom had been redone; however, the rest of the room was a little dated. The king size bed was clean and comfortable, as was the hotel in general.

    Bonus: micro, fridge and coffee maker in the room. HUGE closet. Awesome shower + water pressure (I'm 5'10 and I can't tell you how many times I'm pelted in the face with water from a low showerhead - this one was a good foot above my head so water was actually falling ON me, not shooting AT me.)

    My only real issue was that the Hotel Bedford has no business center - this would have come in handy as I wanted to print my boarding pass before I left to return home.  There's a Kinko's close by with printing capabilities, but that wasn't really conducive to my plans. Ces la vie.

    Good location though, and friendly staff.  All in all not a bad place to stay.
    • Clean, updated bathroom
    • Large room (by NYC standards)
  • Review from

    • 57 friends
    • 75 reviews
    New York, NY
    10/12/2006 2 photos First to Review
    What a wonderful hotel/deal for Manhattan.

    This hotel is a hidden gem it seems in the sea of cruddy budget hotels in the city.  It is labeled as a three star and you can truly find it for about the same price as the one and two stars in the area.  The rooms were spacious and the view was great, right by the empire state building and the Chrysler building.

    The staff was friendly.  The only complaint I would have would be that our bed was so firm, rock firm.  But truly fantastic otherwise.
  • Review from

    Philadelphia, PA
    2/2/2010
    I was going to give this place two stars, because it's pretty crummy, but in terms of value, location, cleanliness, and service, it was just fine.

    The lobby is cool, and there are always staff chatting away down there. I have no idea what language it was, but they seemed to be enjoying their jobs, so that's good enough for me. Everyone we spoke to was courteous and professional, certainly not excessively friendly, but no complaints there.

    The rooms themselves are, well, they're weird. It seem the hotel was recently purchased and renovated, apparently by only replacing items that absolutely had to be replaced. For example, the bathroom had a brand new pedestal sink, new toilet, and partially new bath and shower (combined), but the worn out faded wallpaper remained. The light in the bathroom shocked me every time I turned it on while wearing my boots.

    The heater was evidently not one of the things to get replaced. While it wasn't the kind of hotel where you'd expect a bellhop, we had one, although I strongly suspect his function was more as a guide to the mysteries of the room, including the heater. He showed us how to open up the metal lid and turn a valve to adjust the heat. We just left it as he set it during our demonstration. He also introduced us to the small kitchen cleverly hidden behind two doors to look like a wardrobe. There was a mini-fridge, sink, a two burner electric stove, a kettle, and various dishes and utensils. No toaster, toaster oven, or microwave, however.

    The room itself was clean, although the carpet was extremely old and covered with crumbled paint along the edges. I walked on it barefoot on the way to the shower, but was wary to do so otherwise.

    The mattresses were visibly sunken, but bedbug free and surprisingly comfortable considering how they looked. The sheets were stiff but not old.

    One thing that was really annoying was the television. Every time we turned it on, it would be really loud and on a static channel. We learned to quickly turn down the volume or change to a known channel immediately.

    I didn't use them, but there were a couple of menus for restaurants who would deliver to the hotel, and reasonably priced it seemed.

    In all, this is a place to sleep, period. It's close to Times Square and, awesomely, it's just around the corner from the JFK/LGA airport shuttle, saving you a taxi ride or a long schlep with luggage.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 4 reviews
    Pittsburgh, PA
    5/17/2013
    This hotel is in a good location, but room was old, very worn, and had dirty carpeting and upholstery.  The sheets and towels were clean.  King size mattress was sunken in on both sides with a ridge in the middle.  I wouldn't have stayed here again for this price due to the accommodations, but the following really sealed the deal.  I accidentally left an outfit in the closet and tried to pick up the next day, which was a Saturday.  I had to request to speak to a manager to even confirm that they had the items, as the lost and found person wouldn't even do that.  Then they wouldn't give them to me.  The manager said that the items were locked up and the person who had the key would only be in M-F from 9-3 -- and that I would have to call during those hours.  Wouldn't budge on that.  Wouldn't call the person who supposedly had the key.  Completely unacceptable.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Brookline, MA
    5/27/2012
    Shabby rooms, brain-dead staff ("surly" would be a compliment), grungy lobby, beds exceedingly small and worn-out, elevators broken, carpets stained--oh, let me count the ways this hotel is disgusting.

    The capper was a very large and oddly slow-moving COCKROACH found lingering on the pillow the moment the hideous bedspread was pulled back.

    To paraphrase the JDL: NEVER AGAIN.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 3 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/17/2012
    I did not stay in a room here but did drop into the lobby with a colleague while waiting for a nearby appt.  Very conveniently located and the people were quite pleasant.  They seemingly served the guests quickly as they came to check in. Grand Central is located two blocks away so travel was about as easy as it gets for access just about anywhere - particularly airports.  It sounds like the rooms are what one should expect in manhattan - though I don't think you have to pay $250 for a median room. Shop harder to get a better deal but I think I would stay here for $2000 or less.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 21 reviews
    Puerto de Santa MarĂ­a, Spain
    7/9/2011 1 photo
    I think hotel room reviewers can be categorized into two main classes:

    1) Those ULTRA-picky types who get obsessed with aesthetics (e.g., perfect carpets, perfect reception staff, perfect doormen, perfect elevators, perfect beds, ideal shower water temp & pressure, perfect-homogenized everything; AND

    2) Those (yours truly) who'll accept less-than-perfection for good value in terms of location, space & ultimate cost.

    Our family of four had a 1-BR suite with two full beds in the bedroom and two pull-out sofa beds in the LR.  This fit we parents and two teenagers perfectly.  Throw in the kitchenette (Fridge, coffee maker, plates & eating utensils for in-room eating) and a TV in EACH room for different tastes for our cost of $225 per nite and we are VERY happy for a NYC stay.  This was our second repeat visit to the Bedford.

    You can't beat the central midtown location (5 minutes to Grand Central station and a 15 minute walk to the Empire State / Macy's in one direction --  and 15 minutes to Times Square in the other).

    For breakfast we always hit Bloom's deli on the corner...while the same street has Italian, Japanese and Indian take out food very handy (they'll also deliver to your room).

    As a comparison, some friends of ours were cross-town in a Marriott property OFF-Broadway down around 8th ave.  (buuuut had all those  "perfect" & predictable Marriott hotel amenities).

    For this they paid over $300 per nite; and their family of four had a SMALL room with two queen beds.  You know the drill here:  Dad shares his bed with Jr. while mom & the daughter cram into theirs....

    NO THANKS -- I'm returning to the funky, feel-at-home Bedford next time.
    P.S.- My only complaint this stay was the WiFi router serving our corner never seemed to get configured right all week---but I could do my internet sessions down in the lobby fine.

    As for the room views, this time we also faced an interior patio...but our first visit we had the side of the building facing the Empire State --AWESOME !
    • Bedford hotel: terrace "Tower Suite" side view

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