Sunday, November 3, 2013

Next Door to the Algonquin-- the Iroquois

I found it amusing that there is another (smaller) hotel ALSO named for a NY Native American tribe here on 44th Street next door to the Algonquin

Let us see what Yelper's say 

Not a five star hotel, but then, as one happy Yelper says, it doesn't pretend to be

Pretty good reviews I would say...wish some of these people did not go on at such great length (you may feel otherwise)

Iroquois Hotel

3.5 star rating
21 reviews Rating Details
Category: Hotels  [Edit]
49 W 44th St
(between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 840-3080
Click Here For Our Specials!
Click Here to View Our Current Specials & Packages. Find the Best Rates Online Here!
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Nearest Transit Station:
5 Ave. (7, 7X)
42 St. - Bryant Pk (B, D, F, M)
47 - 50 Sts - Rockefeller Ctr (B, D, F, M)
Price Range:
$$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
Free
0.6 Miles from Iroquois Hotel
Lisa T. said: "A 4-star rating for a 2.5-3 star hotel. The location of this place is seriously fantastic, and to sum it up - this is a clean, comfortable, few frills New York City…" read more »

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "...just a short walk from Times Square and the shows of Broadway." In 7 reviews
  • "Excellent location for midtown shows & shopping." In 6 reviews
  • "The beds were very comfortable." In 3 reviews
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21 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 24 friends
    • 54 reviews
    Seattle, WA
    7/13/2013
    This is a nice, clean, classic hotel located in Midtown Manhattan. A beautiful old gem for a decent value.

    Location:
    The hotel is quite close to both Penn Station and Grand Central. Just a short walk to Bryant Park, Times Square and Rockefeller Center and just a little longer walk to Museum Row, The Park and Madison Ave. This location is also very close to Broadway. For a typical tourist it's nearly a perfect location. However my personal opinion varies a bit. I've been to Manhattan a lot. Midtown no longer does it for me. In fact my belief is that nothing differs from "real" New York City more than Manhattan. I prefer Brooklyn or one of the villages. This opinion however does not effect my rating.
    Rating: 4 Stars

    Appearance/Condition:
    The building is roughly 113 years old. It's a gem that has been restored beautifully.  The street is clean and the condition of the building is very good. The lobby is classic and clean. It reflects the style of the building in its heyday and is in very good condition. The elevators are a bit small, slow and old, but it is not an issue.
    Rating: 4 Stars

    Service/Check in:
    Efficient, polite and without issues. A new person was being trained and she did very well. No issues here. They referred to me by name and gave me a welcome packet.
    Rating: 5 Stars

    Room:
    Small but comfortable. Nicely furnished although a bit dark. The one window in the room opened up to basically a small shaft in the center core of the building. No biggie because when one is in New York one shouldn't be spending time in the hotel room. The only problem I had with the room was the AC was REALLY loud (so were people int he hallway from time to time...don't people know to be quiet?) as was the mini-bar and the fridge we had put into the room. We didn't get any exterior noise however. The room has a mini-bar (don't touch anything or you'll be billed) but they will bring up a fridge upon request.
    Rating: 4 Stars

    Bed:
    I rate the bed separately, since a great room can have an awful bed and an awful room can have a great bed. This one had an average bed. I slept well, but didn't want to spend all day in the bed.
    Rating: 3 Stars

    Overall Rating:
    4 Stars
  • Review from

    Richmond, TX
    7/11/2013 2 check-ins here
    A very friendly staff me nicely located in time square near Fifth Avenue.

    The crew here was excellent everyone was always smiling and very friendly.

    The hotel is very small (as most NY hotels are) but doesn't have that many opportunities of a good view.  The rooms are clean and comfortable with flat screens and iPod Dock.

    They also have a good gym, with a bench press.

    Basically the hotel is an average hotel that is highly priced for time square.  Nothing in specific wows me here.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    Burbank, Los Angeles, CA
    8/26/2013
    I went to New York City for the first time in August (my birthday) to stay for a 5 day vacation. I chose this hotel because I'm a big James Dean fan and he lived in one of their hotel rooms for around 5 months.

    They have the "James Dean Suite" but he was a broke actor when he stayed there. He wasn't staying in a suite. But it's still a cool looking room. I didn't stay in that room, though I wanted to. I stayed in room 603 which is probably a better estimate of a room Dean actually would have stayed in.

    The first night we stayed there it was nice. The room was what I expected of a NYC hotel room. The bed was comfy and the room had everything one would expect. I didn't come to NYC to stay in a hotel room so I didn't spend a lot of time there.

    The second day of my stay we got back to the hotel at 1am. We went to open the door and the key cards did not work nor did the door respond to me. We went downstairs to the front desk where we met Patrick. He was nothing but nice, polite, calm and courteous to our situation. In fact, they were almost too nice due to the fact that this obviously rarely happens that guests are locked out of their room. He sent us back up with the bellhop, Arion. He gave him a skeleton key to open the door.

    When we were on the elevator with Arion he was very polite, happy and talkative. He asked us how our night was and what we were doing in the city. He found out we had gone to a pub earlier that evening and asked what we drank. We said whiskey and wine. (I know this seems silly and inconsequential now, but wait)

    We got up to our room and he put the skeleton key into the door and the entire locking mechanism fell out of the door. Arion turned to us with a look of fear on his face. I looked at him and laughed and said, "It's alright. Don't worry. Just a shot in the dark, this doesn't happen all the time does it?" He said, "Never!" I said, "Don't worry." We left him to continue working on the door and went back downstairs.

    We met Patrick again and I told him the situation to which he had the same perplexed look on his face to which I again said, "This doesn't normally happen, does it?" Jokingly of course. He said, "Never."

    I began joking with him saying, "Patrick, the reason I stayed here was because I'm a huge James Dean fan. Any way you can hook up the James Dean suite?" The look in his eye said it all. The Dean suite was already booked through our entire stay. Ah, oh well. Can't blame a guy for trying. I told Patrick we would be down the street at a bar grabbing a drink while they figure out the door situation. No big deal. I think he expected us to be a little angrier that we couldn't get into our room at 1 am which was now 1:45am. But I came to see the city, so I did.

    He called us about 30 minutes later and asked us to come back. We got back to the hotel and he apologized for the inconvenience and offered us an upgrade. We said, "Sure! Why not?" Now, I've seen the room I was in. A nice enough room but not like a huge Vegas hotel room. So when Patrick said upgrade I didn't expect a huge difference.

    Come to find out Patrick bumped us up to the Presidential suite. It has a kitchen, dining room, living room, king size bed and huge walk-in closet. No extra charge. And Arion gave us a free bottle of wine on the house since he knew we were wine fans. The bottle in the room was 25.00 Now I'm not a high roller so this was mind-blowing. This room was on the 9th floor over looking the city. AMAZING. We couldn't have been happier. What an amazing birthday gift and first time trip to NYC. I was spoiled.

    Now, I'm not telling you to go break your locks or anything like that. And I'm not saying if you stay here you will be upgraded to the Presidential Suite. But what I can tell you is that no matter what you pay for your room, no matter who you are-you will be treated royally. You will be catered to and cared for with everything they have with a smile on their faces. I will not be staying at any other hotel in New York but the Iroquois. No matter which room you can afford, it's worth it!

    Thank you Patrick and Arion for making my stay with you a story to tell forever.
  • Review from

    • 8 friends
    • 100 reviews
    San Antonio, TX
    1/12/2013
    Stayed here with family members in Dec 2012.  Excellent location for midtown shows & shopping.  Nicely remodeled with quality: good beds, furnishings, bathrooms, etc.  Rooms not huge but more spacious than many.  Service was friendly and overall capable.  While not cheap, is better value than the Algonquin & Sofitel (in the same block).  The restaurant Triomphe is great for lunch or dinner or drinks & the Lantern bar (reservations recommmended) is awesome.

    The only reasons to not give them 5 stars:  1) lobby is fairly minimal (however, the Algonquin & Sofitel are just steps away, if you want bigger/better lobbies) and 2) we had one bad experience early one morning when a nearby room of guests spend over an hour (before 6am past 7:30am) getting their stuff out of their room, which involved a surprising amount of noise in the hallways: banging, talking, 3 luggage carts, etc.  I don't think the guests meant to be rude but the noise from the hallways carries very clearly into the rooms along the hall.  I stuck my head out to see what was going on, then called down several times to the front desk to ask them to please see if they could keep it down until a normal hour (after 8am, say) but no luck.  So bottom line, if there are other noisy guests on your floor, you may be screwed, but it's hard for the hotel to control that.
  • Review from

    • 25 friends
    • 29 reviews
    Southlake, TX
    12/18/2012 5 check-ins here
    Iroquois has a great location near everything in Midtown.  We didn't use the restaurant or bar.  Our room was constantly cold (65-68F)--we gave up on asking for it to be fixed.  The staff there was only marginally friendly.  Almost on the edge of an attitude. Water pressure in shower could be better.
    A few bright spots.  They did have free WiFi and printers attached to two computers in their "Library."  The afternoon cider was tasty. Our room on the 12th floor away from the elevators was thankfully quiet. Convenient safe in closet.  Some days they forgot to give us new water glasses.
    Decent value, great location, but there must be better choices.
  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 59 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    7/22/2007
    While in New York for the first time, my sister and I stayed at this very cozy hotel.  The room was very small, but comfortable. The bathroom was small but had a luxurious look.
    Location was great because we were able to  walk to Time Square, Grand Central Station, Broadway Shows and many great restaurants.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 11 reviews
    San Jose, CA
    3/2/2007 First to Review
    Finding a hotel over the internet for a stay in NY can be a bit dicey sometimes; however, we made a great find in the Iroquois. It is in a great location right in the heart of midtown, just a short walk from Times Square and the shows of Broadway.

    The rooms are typical NY small, but very cute with all the expected amenities - minibar, safe, robes, flat screen TV, etc. The bed was incredibly comfortable and I think we would have been just as happy staying there all day versus getting out into the city. The staff is very helpful and service oriented and all in all we found it to be a safe, comfortable, pleasant place to stay.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 13 reviews
    Aliso Viejo, CA
    4/19/2008
    The reason this lovely hotel didn't get 5 stars is because the air/heat is controlled by floor. However, we did get to experience the "true" NY accommodations by opening up our windows and listening to sirens, cars, etc. That probably sounds horrible but it was actually great!

    WOULD STAY HERE AGAIN.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 24 reviews
    Oakville, Canada
    5/3/2009
    We had a suite which was far more than we needed for the 2 of us.  The rooms was beautifully appointed and clean and scored an 8.5. Be aware that the beds are very firm. The Reception staff were the disappointment;  they were just adequate.  We were never greeted as we entered the lobby or made to feel welcome and responses to questions were minimal.  I forgot my hair brush and we phoned down to ask if they had a 'borrow'.  The answer was just .. no!  There was no suggestion from the staff that just 2 minutes away were stores were one could be purchased which would have been helpful.  The coffee urn in the lobby in the morning is a nice touch, although minimal and basic.  We asked Room Service for a cup of tea and cookies and were told they didn't have cookies!

    Don't bother going to the restaurant for breakfast.  Food was mediocre and pricey.  Continental breakfast offered packaged goods only.  They ran out of baguette at 930am and replaced the bread with packaged stale sliced bread.  Cooked breakfast of french toast was not much better.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 7 reviews
    Glendale, CA
    8/13/2008
    We came here for my birthday last year, and this hotel turned out to be less than stellar.  When we checked in, they put us in a room on the 4th floor, and while it was a bit on the small side, its New York, so I was expecting it.  What I wasn't prepared for was the construction happening in the room bordering ours that started at 8 the next morning.

    When I asked to change rooms, I was told it would be no problem.  They moved our room within half an hour, but when I walked in the new room, saw that we had been downgraded.  So, of course, I ended up down at the front desk.

    The agent told me he didn't have another room, but he promised that day was the only day of construction near our first room.  Then, someone whispered something to him and he disappeared for awhile.  When he came back he said the construction was not actually ending that day, and he'd see what he could do about a room.

    Long story short, he finally put us in another room.  The next day there was a note in front of our door that said that since we had our "do not disturb" sign up housekeeping didn't come in, and if we needed them, we could call.  When we walked in the room, there was another note on my computer asking me to move it off the bed.

    I called the front desk to ask why someone came in our room if we had the dnd sign up that they obviously saw based on the first note, and they didn't even apologize.

    Overall, very disappointing customer service, but I gave it a couple stars based on its location.

  • Review from

    • 7 friends
    • 59 reviews
    Newton, MA
    11/29/2010
    My wife and I stayed here for 2 nights for Thanksgiving weekend and enjoyed our stay. We didn't require a full service, lavish hotel as we want to spend time out in the city. Iroquois (booked via Expedia) fit the bill as a is nicely styled hotel in a fabulous location.

    Pros:
    - Comfortable room (but small, usual for NYC) with modern amenities
    - Comfortable bed
    - Restaurant was very good for dinner (but snoozey and uncrowded)
    - Convenient - blocks to major subway lines to easily get uptown or downtown
    - Blocks to Times Square, Rockefeller Center and other major mid town attractions
    - Helpful staff

    Drawbacks:
    - Avoid room 304 as it is next to the fitness center and you can hear people on the treadmill
    - No lobby bar or much of a lobby (go next door to Algonquin Hotel Oak Room or across street to Royalton)
    -Lobby music - bad, bad, bad!
    - Brass appointed bathroom - hello 80s!
  • Review from

    • 14 friends
    • 218 reviews
    Sweden
    10/4/2011
    The hotel is in general nice, but the lobby feel like an 2 star hotel, its the same feeling in their other hotel Chandler.

    The service is great,and room standard also, xtra plus for Molton Browns products in the shower.

    If you get a nice deal its worth a visit otherwise i would avoid this place for other 4 star hotels like Royalton across the street.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 59 reviews
    Santa Monica, CA
    9/27/2012
    This hotel is located in the very centre of midtown manhattan. (44th between 5th and 6th ave).
    As such it is ideally situated for Grand Central and the Theatre District.
    If you don't mind the walk, Central Park is not too far and hardcore shoppers will go crazy for the number of high end stores around this area (Macy's is 10 blocks south and 2 avenues over).

    We however, found that many of the places we wanted to visit, required a short cab ride (Chelsea, West Village, Lincoln Center). Cabs are easy to get and inexpensive - plus you can pay by card at no extra charge these days.

    If you are looking for a relaxing slice of NY life, this area is to be avoided. If you enjoy hustle and bustle - the centre of the action is right here. Bear this in mind when choosing a room in the hotel - if you are at the front of the building, you need to be high up.

    We stayed in two different rooms. The first room was a classic room with 2 double beds in the middle of the hotel on the 4th floor - it had views of a burnt out building and (because of the buildings shape) also afforded an excellent view into a neighbouring guests' room.
    This room had a small thin bathroom and a strange bath/shower arrangement with sliding doors and this made it difficult to get in and out. The decor however, was extremely nice.

    We extended our stay and moved to a Suite at the front of the hotel on the 8th floor. This consisted of a lounge with two sofas, a desk and two armchairs, a chest of drawers, some tables and a large TV plus mini fridge. Then a bedroom with a US King / UK superking bed, plus an armchair with footstool, a chaise long style bench, a chest of drawers, a couple of tables and another large TV. Also a very thin closet. The bedroom leads onto a beautifully decorated bathroom with a separate show and jacuzzi bath and lots of towels plus robes.

    We loved the mattress and linens in both of the bedrooms we stayed in. I will be investigating purchasing the mattress for our new house.

    One major drawback for us, was the low lighting levels in both of these rooms. At some point in the past, the hotel decided to remove the central light fixture from each room, leaving beautiful but somewhat impractical mood lighting as the only light source (lamps, picture spots etc). At times we even turned the TV on to provide more lighting! In our first room, we asked for an extra lamp - which was some help but I believe they use low wattage/energy saving bulbs, so not a complete solution.

    The service in this hotel was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble for the friendly and resourceful staff. This was particularly helpful when I was taken ill and required special considerations.

    Other small but nice features of this hotel, are the switches on the back of the door, which can be turned red for DO NOT DISTURB or green, so that a member of staff can ring your doorbell for service.

    The library downstairs is very small but comfortable and there is a good selection of books/papers, plus computers with internet. There is also free and speedy wifi throughout the hotel.

    We would definitely stay again if we needed a comfortable bed in midtown again.
  • Review from

    Durham, NC
    1/18/2012 5 photos
    This is a solid hotel with a superb location. Right on Hotel Row on West 44th between 5th and 6th, it allows a very easy walk to most Broadway houses, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central, 5th Avenue shopping, Times Square, the New York Public Library, and a host of other touristy things. It's a hotel bar-hopper's dream as well, since the Mansfield, Sofitel, Royalton, and Algonquin are on the same block. (The Algonquin is closed for renovation until at least May 2012.) The Bryant Park/42nd street subway station is a two-minute walk away, which allows access to several lines. Grand Central is slightly farther, but also has several other subway lines, so it's very easy to use public transportation from this starting point. I went all over the City and only used a cab once, and that was because it was late at night.

    This is a small boutique hotel, so everything is compact and cozy, but they have done a remarkable job of keeping the character of this 1930's-era building while updating it for modern needs and expectations. The lobby is charming with marble floors, a chandelier, and dark walls. There's a small library facing the street with complimentary computer/printer access and a selection of newspapers. The lobby offers complimentary cider in the winter as well. Off to the right of the lobby is the restaurant Triomphe (which also provides the room service). It has a small bar area in the front, then a cozy, small dining room. I only had breakfast here so I can't comment on any other menus, but it was fast, done precisely to order, and very efficiently served. To the back of the lobby is the cocktail salon, Lantern's Keep. It is, as they say, a "jewel box" of a room done in a Paris salon style. The juices are all fresh-squeezed and there is a terrific selection of house-created cocktails on the menu served by fantastic bartenders who will chat while they work even though they're busy without missing a beat. A stop here is a must if you stay at the Iroquois, though they aren't kidding when they suggest reservations. With only a couple of dozen seats, it can fill up very quickly and once here, you won't be inclined to leave for a while.

    The rooms are quite small, but space has been used efficiently. Tall leather headboards affixed to the wall give them a smart look and there is plenty of closet and drawer space. The beds are very comfortable. The mini-bar is a little pedestrian and it's one of those sensor-driven things, but at least the rooms are equipped with them. My bathroom seemed larger than those pictured on the website. The room was at the end of a hallway, so I thought perhaps the floor plan was a little different. Water temperature and pressure were great, which is a relief in an older building. Higher floors facing 44th St. have decent views of the block and some of the skyscrapers beyond--I requested one when I made my reservation and they took pains to ensure that at check-in. The rooms are equipped with DVD players and you will be provided with a password to the complimentary wi-fi when you check in. These extras are much-appreciated.

    For me, the true 5-star hotels in New York are high-luxury places like the St. Regis, the Mandarin Oriental, and the Four Seasons. As a boutique property, the Iroquois is not equipped to provide the same range of options and level of room size/quality. But they also don't have the pricetags of those hotels, and it's not their aim to be one of those guys. If you can score one of their frequent package or multiple-night discount deals online, then the combination of value, comfort, and location provided here make it one of the very top boutiques in the city.

    Side note: Also on the same block is the Greek restaurant Kellari, which has a sensational grilled octopus dish.
    • Room 1104
    • Lantern's Keep cocktail salon.
    • Lobby

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