AKA Central Park

Read and judge for yourself. I received an email 2 days before my trip letting me know there would be facade maintenance and to possibly expect noise and obstructed views from 9-5 during my stay. Fine, but, struck me as shady to send the note 2 days before with a 72 hour cancellation policy. I needed to work from the hotel so given this info I might have looked for another place. Day of, my flight lands at 5am, and I head to the hotel to check in. The place is a ghost town. I wait for somebody, anybody, to help, but not only was nobody working the front desk, there was no security or anybody from the hotel FOR OVER AN HOUR before I decided to leave. Who knows when someone showed up eventually. I left after 2 more people came in and we were all flummoxed on what to do. I tried calling the hotel 5x and could see the phone as it was ringing. I leave a voicemail (which was never answered, btw). From the lobby I tried calling the sales line and got through to a person who informed me that since it was the morning of the day after check in (because I booked an extra night to ensure I’d have a spot after arriving early in the morning) they could not alter, cancel, or do anything with my reservation. I was stuck. At this point I was panicked and decided to leave to find a place to crash before important work meetings. Alas, there must have been something going on in the city that evening. I physically had to walk into hotels to inquire about availability because reservation sites don’t let you book for the night before given an early morning check in. I got no after no given hotels were fully booked when thank God a Hilton had an opening. Another hour wandering around New York in the morning after a long flight to find this room. AKA’s General Manager, Lauren Barbot, emailed me later that day to ask when I expected to check in (lol). I explained what happened and guess what? No response. I bumped the email a week later as at this point I never received a call back to my voicemail or response to my email. She never responded and it’s going on 3 weeks. So… good luck if you decide to stay here. Sharing in case my experience is helpful to others deciding. At least the Hilton had several front desk people, a security guard, and I imagine if I called them someone would have picked up or called me back.

The hotel outdid our expectations of a typical New York hotel- the rooms were spacious for the city’s standards. The location was unbeatable especially for fitness enthusiasts like us who love the outdoors since Central Park is almost across the road . It has an attached AKA cafe which we couldn’t visit unfortunately but there are plenty of cafés and restaurants nearby , which makes it an ideal location. The staff are super friendly and helpful, we needed to drive down to Boston with excess luggage and the concierge helped us arrange the hotel taxi- the driver was extremely professional and efficient. The gym is very spacious , has all machines and is super clean . Not to mention , it’s almost empty mostly so you have the place to yourself ! The hotel has a laundry room which is so useful for travelers during the long haul . Definitely going back here !

By New York standards our room was huuuge! We had a king size bed, kitchenette, dining table and chairs, walk-in wardrobe and a big bathroom with bathtub/shower combination. The hotel also has washers and driers available for use free of charge and they even provide the washing powder free too. Location wise we were exactly where we wanted to be .....very close to Central Park without having to pay the ridiculous prices of the hotels literally just across the road from us. We have stayed once at The Plaza and several times at The Park Lane overlooking Central Park so we've been lucky enough to have the spectacular views but the prices have gone up so dramatically we decided it wasn't worth paying that price and opted instead for the AKA which is literally half a dozen steps across the road from the back entrances of both The Park Lane and The Plaza. There are subway stations nearby making travelling around very easy and, if you want to make your own meals in the room there is a Wholefoods at Columbus Circle just a few minutes walk away. When we return to New York we will be staying again at the AKA. The decor isn't as lavish and there is no spectacular view but at a much more reasonable price you get the same great location, an enormous room and more useful facilities than we had in either of the other hotels we have stayed in.

Great experience. Outstanding location. People very kind . We spend almost a week at AKA Hotel, and couldn’t be better. The hotel is new and with good facilities, at the best location in NY. We truly recommend to anyone . We will come back soon !!!