Freehand Hotel, New York

Comfy and clean, all you need in nyc.

Location

Lights in room

Attractive, rooftop bar, decent, healthy, good value breakfast option: Room was comfortable. Liked the wood benches, walls, and linen throw

Guy checking is in didn't explain anything...what was available, how to get hot water, hours...

Cool colors and decor. Friendly staff. Great location.

The bed could have been a bit more comfortable. Very small rooms, but quaint. Common in NYC boutique hotels. Love the attached restaurant, though I didn’t use it, I will next time! Smelled great, and solid menu.

Location

Liked it all!

the whole experience

room was very small

Was close to my daughters school where we were moving her.

Was cramped sleeping. Thought I was getting a room for three with a queen bed and bunk but got two bunk beds to sleep four. Also, called the hotel to get a room for another night by leaving a message. No return call which was disappointing since my back window in parking garage was smashed out and had to stay somewhere else while getting fixed.

The staff are friendly and helpful and the location is great for first time visiting NYC. Well located.

I am still waiting on my deposit to be paid back and our air conditioning unit did was a bit faulty so we were freezing.

Location was fantastic, and in a very walkable part of the city. Great view of the city from the rooftop bar.

The room carpets/ rags were not the cleanest, specially the side of the bed by the window.

Can’t fault the value and location

The room was nothing like the bright pictures shown on the app.

The only issue was street noise. So much of it. More than normal.

See above.

The location is great close to subways and restaurants. The area feels safe and within walking distance to places we wanted to visit. We heard a noise coming from one of the heating vents during our second night. When we called the main desk after midnight to report the issue, they answered the phone and reassured me that they will send a person to check the system. I assume this is an ongoing situation because they offer ear plugs. We were exhausted and went to bed.

The noise coming out of the heating vent was bothersome.

Great location, friendly staff

Our room don’t seem entirely clean - there was a towel hanging in the bathroom and the bed was all wrinkled. We were only there to sleep 1 night so did not seem worth making a big deal

Location is great, and central. Rooms are decent, and staff is pleasant.

Bathrooms are really small.

No view in the room despite paying for premium. And space was marginally bigger as a premium room.

Great location, nice ambience. Great bar

Showers could have hotter water

Excellent location. Beautiful hotel. Fun restaurants and bars.

Nothing

All of it

No dislikes

Location. Easy access to buses and Subway to travel full length of Lexington Park AVE Madison Ave.

Our 1st room was so cold and noisy we had to request a move. The 2 Nd room was less noisy by far but cold. Seems the heating had a problem. But they loaned us portable heater that sorted out the cold

Perfect for our 2 nights in NYC for a concert at Madison Square Gardens. Great neighborhood and local restaurants.

The halls are looking a little rough, but the room was excellent. Some duct tape around the AC unit needed to be tidied up a bit.

comfortable bed, great shower

poor lighting in bathroom , hard to apply make-up--need better lighting overall to illuminate area of full length mirror

calm atmosphere, easygoing chill staff, good security. I liked my room, good use of space.

Nothing, but would like liners in the garbage cans, water in the room though happily provided when requested and a few utensils, water glass etc.

Great for group sharing

N/A

Rooftop bar

Very noisy. Please provide earplugs for all the honking and party people on Friday and Saturday nights. Put noise shields on windows for insulation and noise. Additional resort fees with tax are bullshit and annoying -- difficilt to understand and annoying -- just tell me the price ahead of time.

The hotel has multiple restaurants and is fun. The location and food were good, the room had cool decor and the hotel has a great vibe

I booked a corner room since it had extra windows but unfortunately, the housekeeping closet was right outside of the room which meant that the closet door was continuously slammed closed and the cleaning staff talked quite loudly outside of my room door from early morning onwards. Would book again but would not stay in a corner room. Also, there is not a freezer in the in-room fridge. I needed one for mediation and the hotel bought a larger fridge to my room but unfortunately, the freezer did not work in that one either.

Great location in the heart of Chelsea. Very easy to get everywhere, and in a fun neighborhood. The hotel had a nice character to it, but without sacrificing cleanliness. Room wasn't spacious, but it was consistent with the space at a decent hotel in NYC.

The walls were a little thin. We were fine with earplugs, but you should bring some.

Second time I’ve stayed here. I like that the Freehand has character (based on other bad reviews some people might think it has too much character). But, I appreciate the fact that it has a trendy vibe, not some carbon-copy hotel. Yes, it’s loud. But, it has great bars and cool design. I’ve also never had any of the issues some people speak of (wifi has always worked great for me, front desk friendly).

I do agree that the bathroom could use better light over the mirror.

Super convenient location, easy check in and the rooftop bar was awesome

Found some trash under our bed + a sticky spill on the nightstand. Walls are thin!

Location, room furniture and set up, and the roof deck bar (Broken Shaker) was beautiful - so well decorated. Also enjoyed that there was an option of bars, but disappointed that none of them opened until 4pm. Check in is at 3pm, so maybe open one bar at 3pm ?

You don't know this when you book, but there is a dance club in the building (2nd floor) which you can also hear on the 3rd floor including late at night. The room was quite pricey for the small size and lack of coffee/tea in the room, but we recognize that you also pay for location.

Great bed

really would have likes an electric kettle to make Tea!

The carpet in the room. Wish floor was wooden

Location, room, lobby, lounge, bars and amenities.

We booked the Queen studio, which was really quite spacious for New York standards. Since we travelled with a toddler, the receptionist gave us a quiet room far away from the elevator that was indeed relatively quiet, no noise from the street or downstairs partying (the only noise came from the loud airconditioning). It was nice that the room had its own separate radio, which was easy to switch on and off.

The room was very dark and looked inside a dark courtyard. Even during a sunny day, one needed light in that room. For $350 per night, there could really have been a coffeemaker or a kettle or a microwave in the room! But no, even for hot water, we had to pay at the coffee shop downstairs. They even made us pay $4 for the hot milk for our toddler.

Our second room was comfortable

Our safe and air conditioning in our 1st room stopped working on our 1st night. We were moved to another room at 2am. A slight inconvenience

Lobby and lounge/cafe were all well appointed. Komodo restaurant was also very nice, good food and a nice bar.

Rooms were very small, bathrooms even worse. Sink was approximately 1/2 of the size of a regular sink and tucked under the mirror so you had to crouch to get over it. Lighting was very dark in the room as well. Front desk staff were all young, not particularly friendly or knowledgeable/helpful. Location was good but only because we were staying close to a friend who lives in NY.

The place is really beautiful and great location

The staff in general were amazing to me but I found one them a bit rude to my friend, when we arrived we wanted to check another option for the room and he kinda treated us as if we were stupid and didn’t make any effort to help us, it would’ve really helped if he had accommodated our request but overall I loved the place and would go again

Location, roof top bar

Charming and location. Friendly helpful staff

Bed was uncomfortable. Bathroom is too small and dark.

Great location, clean and fun

A bit noisy but it’s the city

The hotel was clean, and smelled pleasant when you walked into the lobby. The hallways are a bit drab, and could use a bit more artistic touch, like color or murals to liven it up. Even paint the doors differently! Bathroom was nice, cool tile on floor and shower stall, with a cute black and white checkered curtain. Towels were fine, and shower power was good. A bit more light about the sink would help with make up application. I feel terrible that I totally forgot to leave the housekeeper a tip, after 3 days of staying there! Room #916, very nice job of taking care of our room. Loved the upstairs rooftop bar, and fun vibe, very convenient and nice, younger crowd. I think overall we enjoyed our stay, great location, cute little coffee shop (their staff was much nicer!) fun upstairs bars, and overall pretty quiet and low key. I would come back again, and hopefully see if any of the rooms are bigger, for what we paid for. Tell the staff to greet the guest with a big smile and welcome, it wouldn't hurt!!

Room was so small, my sister and I shared a queen size bed, and I had to crawl over her to get to my side of the bed, since it was right up against the windowsill. We felt that the desk staff could have been a lot more friendlier, and helpful.

clean facilities, small but cosy rooms cleaned and fresh towels every day - good to leave a tip for the cleaning ladies. was able to book online late check out till 3pm for extra charge- $86 small breakfast place and lunch/ restaurant next to the hotel. tiny bathroom but clean. available: Air con/ fridge/ hairdryer/ steamer/ shower robes and slippers/ wardrobe with hangers/

plenty of lamps - lighting very cosy but not bright $200 deposit on credit card for a room

The style of the hotel was funky and nicely designed. I loved the roof top bar with the most amazing views of Manhattan. The staff were super friendly. Most of all I like the location.

The room was cleaned every day and was well presented. However there was lack of storage space for some of our clothing. Some drawers would have been good.

Room was super nice, bathroom was pretty and the cafe downstairs was great for an on the go breakfast.

The walls can be pretty thin which is fine as long was you're not a light sleeper.

Proximity to subway & attractions.

Lighting in my room was poor. Desk needs a small lamp.

Love this place … and its legacy as the once (infamous?) George Washington Hotel. It’s glorious hybrid of old/school NY and casual contemporary with a vaguely scandi-vibe.

The staff are great and relaxed - almost too casual and relaxed. The urban street cred vibe is charming enough at the price the attitude edge from some is a bit rich - perhaps tone it down a notch.

The location and the decoration

The staff and location were great!

My window was facing construction and so there was constant noise throughout the night. It made it hard to get a good nights rest.

The location - such a great spot to reach everything in the City. The restaurants and Bars are great as is the look of the reception area and rest of the hotel. Great facilities.

We had to move rooms when we arrived as our first one was directly above the club and was actually shaking it was so loud. Sadly the room we moved to was very small and dark, with a view of a brick wall and cockroaches.

Very comfortable and clean. Compact bathroom, but perfect for couples, and the shower was excellent. Well placed power sockets. Good size room for the price. Great roof terrace bar with food with views of the city, perfect for food and drinks when we arrived.

No drawers in the bedroom, but otherwise perfect.

Great location and lovely upbeat staff

No coffee included-they did have a lovely coffee shop, but I like having at least one cup on the house