Great hotel fantastic location

Firstly , we arrived around 20.00hrs after a long day, flight , immigration (1.5hours) Taxi ... No welcome doorman... Male receptionist was extremely rude , he upset me by telling me the room was about to be cancelled because he couldn't take payment !? We were only 4 hours after check in . I blocked my card after reservation to stop fraud. So my first impressions of New York was disappointing. Onto the hotel itself . Only one lift was working , Room was very tired and I found a haircomb so cleaning was not 100% the room decor was very tired and needs a complete refurbishment. On the plus: beds comfy . Location very good . Would I go back ...NO . For information to the hotel manager, we checked in on the 27th July around 20:00 hrs . Receptionist was an elderly man . The worst I have EVER experienced. Needs training in how to welcome guests .

I like to give credit where it is due, along with constructive criticism. The best part of this experience was the location and price compared to many hotels in midtown Manhattan. It was off the beaten path, but close to subway access and walking distance to our chosen theaters. Second best was the helpfulness when we arrived and asked to change rooms so we could have two double rooms adjacent to best accommodate our family. That may have affected the quality of the rooms however, since we could not compare with other rooms. The rooms and bathrooms were clean but tired-looking. One room smelled of mothballs. No bugs, however, as others have reported in the past, an accomplishment in older buildings. Friendly and responsive doormen and cleaning staff greeted us every day. Our bed mattress dipped in the middle, so sleep was not great and we are older, but sheets and pillows were nice, very clean and comfortable. We appreciated the blackout blinds and noise was not a big issue. We do like historic, older hotels when updated and the usual amenities are there. This could use more of that. It was the first time I had encountered soaps and shampoos in squeeze containers that were a challenge for older hands and too high for small children to reach. It made me wish I had brought my own soap. The tub/shower was slick and with no grab bar, so a real liability risk for the hotel and potentially dangerous for guests. It was nice to have a small refrigerator, utility sink and microwave, which we made use of. The location of the Belvedere Hotel helped make our total Manhattan experience wonderful and I might stay there again after shopping around because price and location matter.