Freehand Hotel, New York

Really nice hotel in a great location in the city. It’s an older building but the rooms are bigger than in more modern hotels we’ve stayed with a higher price.

The building is older which was perfect for us. It’s nicely decorated but there’s some signs of aging

1. Location 2. Housekeeping was everyday

1. My room was on 11th floor, yet I could hear everything that was going on the street below. The windows don't really seal the room, and it becomes very noisy. 2. The water pressure in the shower was below average. 3. No kettle or coffee machine in the room - yet, the staff will provide you with a kettle IF YOU ASK.

Wonderful location, great family room with bunks, and a brilliant cafe (with great coffee) next to the lobby. Best bit was the mezzanine room which is incredibly elegant, and a great space to work in during the day, and have a drink from the bar in at the evening. Area very welcoming and safe - recommend a walk to Gramercy Park to admire the beautiful houses.

It would be great if one of the bars was open on Sunday and Monday night! Also the bulbs in the main lights in the room were very flickery - I know this is because they are LED which is great for the planet - thank you - but it would be good to upgrade the fitting so they didn't flicker - we got used to it but it's unsettling.

Location. We could walk from the hotel to almost anywhere. The hotel's aesthetic and decor were spot on. Bedroom facilities were very comfortable. Maid service everyday. Spotlessly clean.

The bathroom could have been better. It was very small which in itself I don't mind, but the wash basin was so small and there was a shelf above it, rendering it difficult to use.

Bed was amazing, the rooms were so quiet! Great views of the city. And the coffee downstairs was really good.

Everything was great. But the reception staff---holy cow. One guy was too cool to be of service. Like, it was almost funny to see this guy at a front desk and be so clearly disengaged. Could not have been less interested in helping when I had questions. Others at the front desk were much nicer. But this guy--unbelievable. I don't know why I bother mentioning him, maybe only because of the stark difference between his affect and the rest of my hotel experience, which was really nice. The bartenders and the cafe folks and the guys helping with the bags, everyone else was awesome, so this guy really stood out as not so awesome. I get it, like, guest interactions aren't always easy. But c'mon, man! You are a guest's FIRST interaction with the hotel. In other news, shout out to the guy named Hiro (Hero? Jiro?) who was super nice. He helped us, and then I saw him in the cafe where he was saying good morning to all the other employees. It was beautiful to see.

Everything from the entrance guy to the check-in (where they honoured my room preference request), to the room itself (18mr), double deb + bunk - great breakfast, great location, shower, products, all really nice. Will come back.

The room was on the 16th floor, and we still could hear a lot of street noise. Bear in mind that this is NYC. I'm sensitive to noise that it did affect me a bit but irrelevant compared to all the other positive aspects.

Good location within walking distance or short taxi ride to good restaurants and taverns. Very comfortable bed.

The hallways and access to rooms are very dark and aged. Understand that it is a classic older building buy it could use some updating.

Very convenient location close to everything. Good value for money. Comfortable bed.

The room was a bit dark. There were not enough hangers or shelves in the room and bathroom.

Friendly staff! Location!

Our door was open when we got back one night??

Great location and wonderful staff! I also enjoyed the bar and rooftop

The room was a bit small for 3 people

The room was plenty comfortable (especially the bed) with a desk space and tv and with a cool street view. Nothing overly flash but everything you need. Shower had great pressure. The best thing was the location and F&B within the hotel including cool bar upstairs, Broken Shaker. Step out on the street and you're right by all the subway stops of 23rd street, cafes, medical centres, shopping and Little India for great eats. Also walking distance to Union Square.

Light switches and toilet were a bit old school but did the trick.

It was very reasonably priced for the area, and the character of the building was great

Nothing

The highlight of the hotel is its great location. It is very easy to get around the city from here, and it felt safe walking around the area. Lovely rooftop bar worth visiting as well. The room was cozy and practical.

The room was a bit dusty- especially the wooden blinds. As these were next to the bed, the bed would sometimes also feel dusty. While the bed sheets felt and looked clean, the decorative pillow placed on top also felt dusty. One night there was a also a pipe-like smell in the corridor that was seeping into the room, but luckily it only seemed to have been one night.

Great location, all beds were comfy including bunk bed for the kid. Room was decent sized considering NYC, the kid had an actual bed and not a sofa bed which was a big plus. Location was great, near indian restaurants. Easy to get around NYC.

Very quiet. Cleaning every day. Safe broken on arrival. It was fixed very quickly. Coffee shop next door had great coffee and overnight oats.

A nice space without alcohol would have been nice for us to enjoy as a family. My daughter is 18 so we couldn’t use the facilities onsite.

Comfy, clean, good value, good stay.

Lighting a little dark.

Good location, clean rooms!

Staff sometimes a bit absent, bathroom incredibly small (but we made it work)

The bed is very comfortable. The designs of the rooms are simple and aesthetically pleasing. The location is well connected to Madison Sq. Park and all the nearby Subway connections. The housekeeping staff I came across were all really friendly, accommodating and 'with it'. Plenty of hooks in the room to hang jackets, purses, etc.

The bathroom sink was super tiny with minimal space to put cosmetics/toothpaste, etc. This is not true in all of the rooms there, though. The fridge is so, so small. But I guess it is good that it is there at all. It would be so nice to have a kettle for tea in the room or complimentary coffee for hotel guests. That would be a much appreciated feature but is, to me, very much missing at the Freehand.

Great location for us. Very clean with comfortable beds, quiet rooms. The cafe ground level had some great food options. Didn’t go to bars or restaurants on site but they did look great

There is no coffee maker in the room. I love having a cup of coffee in bed. It’s a pretty busy street with lots of city noise- you do get used to it.

I love that this was built as a hotel in 1929 and has of course been renovated, but retained so much of its historical detail in the common areas. My room was large, comfortable and well thought-out.

The window blinds were hard to use as partially damaged, and the windows were dirty. But that's New York baby!

Modern, good lobby, central location, fast elevators

Small (very small) bathroom. Rooftop bar not open everyday, needs better housekeeping, no coffeemaker in room.

Great location. Awesome rooftop bar!

Maybe this is a personal preference but for a design hotel the designs in the room were … weird. Ours was pretty bare bones except for this awful pencil mural we kind of hated. Bed was in the corner so we had to crawl over each other to get out. It was very hot and the a/c did little to help unless you kept the blinds open to aim the air directly at the bed, but then you woke up to blaring sunlight- for the price I’d expect it to be a little more comfortable. I thought the furniture choices were odd, and they could have used the space better to put more options with drawers. We had to get creative to manage our suitcases, despite there being a lot of space in the middle of the room.

Great location, many things happening around the neighborhood and well connected to multiple metro lines.

The room was tiny, much smaller than we expected from the pictures, and its layout made it very hard to walk with two large luggage bags. Also our AC was super loud as it was a window unit rather than the built in temperature control system.

Well-located, Nice wooden interiors, clean, comfortable bed

The room was very small but that’s OK, however I suggest changing the light bulbs because illumination was insufficient

Good location. The staff was very friendly, especially the housekeeping staff! The beds were comfy, and the shower was good. Very clean! Also enjoyed the rooftop bar.

Rooftop was amazing with great food, cocktails and bartenders. The bunk room is always comfortable and great value for 3-4 people. Coffe and breakfast were solid downstairs and we stayed in Chicago in same type of room two weeks later!

Hard to find a family room at an affordable price in Manhattan so this room fitted our needs almost perfectly. Four bunk beds in one private room with an excellent shower. Appreciated the television but with the room being on the small side (Manhattan, of course) it wasn't totally comfortable for relaxing. Appreciated the rooftop bar and the free bottle of water on checking in as well. Great location and did I mention how good the shower was?

Small room but expected that with it being Manhattan. It was a little inconvenient that most of the power points weren't working - we didn't mention it to staff (perhaps we should have) but it felt like it would have been a big job to sort.

The King size bed rooms on the 14th and 15th floors are quiet and, while compact, comfortably sized. They are well equipped with a small fridge, a nice AM/FM radio, large flat screen TV and a somewhat cramped but very adequate bathroom with spacious shower and decent linens. There's also a good size closet with a pair of Terry cloth robes, hair dryers and an easy to use safe for valuables. Climate control works well.

The elevators are small and slow.

Our room was a nice size. And we had two windows to the streets of NYC. Reasonably priced.

The bed was a bit lumpy (needs to be replaced) and the sink is really too small to use for anything beyond hand washing.

good location, nice hotel. Roooftop bar is unfortunatly closed on Sundays. free water bottles

rooftop bar closed on Sunday.

Room was air conditioned when I arrived. I was early to check in and the room was ready so they allowed me early check in.

$55 parking even with the discount. No one answered the phone at the number listed on my booking.com page. I called the same listed number at least 8 times on your website. No one ever answered. The hotel was difficult to find and I never got an emailed confirmation that you had a room for me until I arrive. Your front desk was very helpful once I arrived but need to be more vigilant in answering the phone.

Clean and very comfortable room in the centre of Manhattan, complete with airconditioning and daily housekeeping. The room had an ideal size for me as a solo traveller, but will probably feel a bit small for two people - although I think that according to New York standards it's more than worthy. Perfect location to start off every day to go and explore a new New York neigbourhood. The friendly staff at the register made checking in and out a matter of minutes.

The music in the lift was a tad too loud. As my room was directly across from it, I could hear the music late at night when the doors opened. But that's a minor detail; earplugs are always a good idea in a city like New York, no matter where you're staying, and they helped me with this issue as well.

We have stayed at Freehand before and it was the best option for this trip as well. Good location, convenient transit close by, and a good value. We will look to stay at Freehand again next time we are in the city!

No issues!

Location was great. The decor was great

Reception mucked up the key cards and another person burst into our room. Also the air con fan was ridiculously noisy

Remarkably quiet room considering its location. Built in 1930 like a fortress, interior and exterior walls are thick. On the 15th floor our room was quiet even though it was across from the elevators.

The elevators were small, old, and a little iffy. The elevator doors didn't stay open very long and could give you a good thump if they closed before you got safely into the elevator. Rooms are smaller than most hotels.

We loved the decor of the room, the ceramic accents in fixtures was really lovely, very comfortable, homey vibe. Bed was comfortable, we had a steamer and blow dryer in the room which was a great addition. The staff were very welcoming and friendly.

Such a small thing but the light in the shower flickered pretty aggressively, so we just turned it off, but it's a dark (but absolutely beautiful) bathroom, so not great for makeup and things, but there's a great mirror in the room, so it all worked out.

Location. Staff apart from the first woman we met who checked us in and was incredibly unfriendly. Beds were comfy.

It’s a very large hotel so feels a bit impersonal. No tea/coffee and the water supply was shonky (warm water coming out of the cold tap at times)

Great location and decor.

Nothing.

We have stayed at the freehand before and loved it. This time we came with our daughter who stayed in the bunk bed above our bed. She loved it. The bathroom is a bit of a tight squeeze for a family of 3 but it worked.

Location was great for getting around NY

The cleaning staff tried to clean room at 8:30 am

Beautiful hotel, stylish furnishings, comfy beds, great showers, lots of onsite food/drink, great location, and welcoming staff. The premium bunk rooms were at the end of the hallway and faced inside the building vs the street so it was nice and quiet.

Our AC broke the first day on check-in, however, a maintenance technician was able to install a window unit quickly to keep us cool and comfortable.

The rooms were smartly designed. Lots of hooks, space and traveler friendly. Staff was friendly and helpful. Bed was incredibly comfy and the entire property was spotlessly clean.

Nothing

Housekeeping staff and front desk staff were excellent and attentive, Rooms are typically NY small but well laid out and functional with fun, creative touchs.

My room had a strange smell sometimes. Might have been because it was raining quite a bit during the time I was there but it smelled a bit like mildew.

Perfect location, cool rooftop bar, spacious room

No free coffee, very loud elevator that kept me up on weekend, loud ac

The bathroom of the room was updated and clean, with good water pressure. I called the morning of to ask if there was a potential for an early check in time - they told me no but that I could drop off my luggage at the hotel in the meantime. When I got to the hotel they said the room was actually ready, which was great! I booked a queen and ended up with a king sized bed, which was very comfortable. The rooftop bar was fabulous. The decor in the lobby is very nice. I did not see any bugs. The location was great and we were able to walk to many bars close by.

The room was a bit dark and the lights flickered. The carpet in the room was weirdly sticky. The hallways were also quite dark. There was a gentleman host at the rooftop bar who was a bit rude when we asked if we could go to the bar because we did not have reservations. The rooftop bar is quite nice though and there is open seating so a reservation is not required we found out from the bartender, who was kind.

Good location, friendly staff, clean rooms

Room was a bit cramped, and had no tea/coffee-making facilities

Location convenient to get everywhere on the subway. Staff was helpful. Bonus to have free water. Room room was a nice size for a large city.

More brighter lighting and ear plugs if you stay in a lower floor.

We liked the 1920s charm and the bunk beds for our girls trip. The rooftop bar was fantastic and the food in the restaurant as well. The staff went above and beyond and were extremely helpful, especially Brandon.

Seems like it could use a bit more TLC.

I like the simplicity and effortless feel. The NYC hotel room experience needs to be straightforward because I'm there to be in the city, not the room. The location is perfect. The Broken Shaker's view is lovely.

Little things like a bottle of water with real glasses would've been welcomed. Our light fixture (in rm #1729) worked but was broken looking / didn't sit straight.