Excelsior Hotel
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45 West 81st Street
New York City, NY 10024
Chain: Unirez
Customer Reviews for Excelsior Hotel
Loved it the 2nd time around as well! - posted on 04/27/2007
I had stayed at the Excelsior in 2002 and loved the quaint neighborhood location. It's so close to Central Park, Museum of Natural History, Subway, etc. and just a great location if you don't care or need to be in the hustle and bustle of midtown. The rooms are on the small side in general, but not when compared to other NYC hotels. The best part of the room is that it's spotless! I love the Excelsior and would recommend it to anyone who wants a less touristy NYC experience.
toilet - posted on 04/21/2007
The toilet overflowed all over everythig. No apology. No checking to see if it was OK. It wasn't. They stopped the overflow but it ran and ran forever. Breakfast staff and desk staff were rude and less than helpful.
A/C does not work - posted on 03/26/2007
Great location and hotel is generally a good value, but when I went to turn on A/C on a muggy night all it did was blast hot air. A call to maintenance did nothing - person confirmed it was "not working" and that they would send an engineer to inspect in the morning. Hot water in shower did not work during our entire stay. That said, it was cheap and centrally located. NOT recommended for families with young children as there are no window guards (even on 10th floor, where we were staying).
Excellent buy! - posted on 03/08/2007
Excellent room, excellent service at the front desk. Centrally located to bus and subway.
A great visit - posted on 01/09/2007
The Excelsior is well located and close to public transportation. It is an attractive relatively newly remodeled hotel that is spotlessly clean.
Great place to stay! - posted on 10/31/2006
We were pleasently surprised by the hotel because due to the reasonable price we expected a lot less. The staff was accomodating, the rooms were clean and the location (right across from Central Park and the Natural History Museum was unbeatable. I would recommend this hotel to anyone staying in New York City.
VERY NICE HOTEL - posted on 09/20/2006
VERY NICE OLD HOTEL, GREAT LOCATION, LIMITED FOOD SERVICE BREAKFAST ONLY, STAFF VERY NICE
Severely Disappointed - posted on 09/02/2006
Reservations desk was responsive to my need to change the date of my stay at the last moment. Doorman/bell captain offered no assistance. Front desk staff was very unwelcoming, lacking even basic pleasantries. Same at check-out. No concierge service. Floors squeaked. Large section of wall paper was pealing. Ugly view. Sloppy paint job around window in the tiny bathroom, combined with less than immaculate cleanliness was unpleasant experience. Standard motel television. Limited cable. AAA rating - 3 diamonds. Definitely will never go back.
A poor experience - posted on 08/22/2006
1. The a/c unit leaked eveytime it was on and the rug was soaked by the end of the week. 2. The signal on the wi fi which I paid for was so weak it was practically useless. 3. We bought a PPV movie and the picture was so broken up we couldn't watch it. 4. A bottle of lime juice was missing from our room after maid service - the front desk promised to check with housekeeping but never got back to us.
Great Location - posted on 08/07/2006
This hotel was great! It was conveniently located near the subway--we took the subway wherever we went. Being so close to Central Park was also a plus. The room was clean and the A/C worked great. The staff was very helpful. We loved the view from our room. The hotel was close enough to the excitement of the city but far enough to get away from the noise and crowds each night. We will definitely stay at this hotel again!
Great Hotel-Great Location - posted on 08/06/2006
We booked two rooms, ours and my parents. Excelsior was wonderful! Clean, comfortable rooms, close to subway and dining. Staff was friendly and helpful. We were there the first week of August during the heat wave and the air conditioner in my parent's room wasn't working. One call to front desk and maintenance was sent right up. When it couldn't be fixed parents wre moved to another room and maintenance went ahead, turned on the air and make sure everything worked properly in new room. Rooms are small but plenty of drawer space and a small closet. Will definitely stay here again!
This Is The Best - posted on 08/04/2006
This is my favorite hotel in New York in the moderate-expensive range. Single rooms are small. One and two bedrooms are true apartment size. You won't fee so much like a tourist here, and the location cannot be beat, just 1/2 block from Central Park and lots of subway stops. Don't miss breakfast, which is served in a small club-like room.
Coffee in Central Park - posted on 07/23/2006
The Excelsior is in a lovely location on the Upper West Side. A welcome relief from the chaos of Down and Mid-town, grab a Starbucks (around the corner) and walk across the street to Central Park for some first rate people watching. Subway stop is a half block. Nicely updated rooms, even if they are on the small side. Would stay here again.
Great Place to Stay - posted on 07/17/2006
Stayed there recently for only 1 night. No problem to stow luggage prior to checking in. Luggage was allowed to be stowed until midnight, which I thought was great. Bed comfortable and clean, front desk friendly, plenty of hot water, room quite spacious, bathroom a little small, but adequate, subway stop is within easy walking distance of the hotel. Hotel breakfast rather expensive, but found a nice diner on Amsterdam Avenue.
my favorite hotel - posted on 05/31/2006
I loved this place and won't bother considering other hotels for future visits. It has a beautiful lobby and helpful staff. The rooms look great. The bathrooms are small but have an old-fashioned charm with lots of 'extras'. It's in a quiet neighborhood, too, and so close to Central Park, the subway, shops, and terrific restaurants.
Great room/no breakfast - posted on 04/30/2006
Even though my AOL Travel printout said in large print "FREE BREAKFAST," the desk clerk was quick to tell me that there was no such thing there. In fact, the bare-bones continental breakfast is now $14.50. Hit the nearby coffee shops instead! A large, immaculate room, though, and great location with many restaurants.
We'll be back! - posted on 02/05/2006
Great location, cordial staff, pleasant room. We faced north away from the street and were pleased with how quiet even with the windows open. The decorated white tile bath was charming.
Nice place, great neighborhood! - posted on 01/11/2006
Staff were pleasant and professional and checked us in two hours early, and the room was fine. We were on 7th floor front; street noise did not bother us and the room was spacious compared to most I've had in NYC. We especially liked the neighborhood - we were able to stroll a few blocks checking out restaurants before selecting one and enjoying an outstanding Turkish dinner, and we stopped at a supermarket for a pint of ice cream to share afterwards.
Beautiful Hotel - posted on 12/15/2005
The hotel was beautiful, rich wood and an old world feel. It was in a lovely part of the city and the rooms were clean. The only problem was the temperature in the room, about 80 degrees and no thermostat to adjust. If you opened the window to cool off, you heard the taxicabs honking. I only got about 3 hours of sleep.
Very Satisfied - posted on 12/15/2005
We are a group of 6 Irish Women who stayed from 2-6 December, we were a little worried by some reviews in particular in relation to the Reception staff being unfriendly, we found the opposite to be true, they replied to all our queries in a professional and helpful manner and were pleasant on arrival, departure and for the duration of our stay. The hotel is not in the heart of all the activity of time square etc but is only a 10min cab journey away. Overall we would highly recommend this hotel.
Nice hotel - posted on 12/10/2005
Nice hotel...enjoyed our stay. Felt comfortable and clean. Fabulous location....could not be better.
Would definitely stay again - posted on 08/19/2005
I recently came back from a 4 nights stay at the Excelsior. The staff was friendly, the room was always made, cute bathroom, and the air conditioner worked. Extremely close to many local eateries, the subway, and Central Park. Taxi only cost about $9-10 (including tip) to get to 5th Ave. I highly recommend this hotel and will stay there again on my next trip.
Elegant Stop in Manhattan - posted on 08/17/2005
We enjoyed our stay a great deal. The rooms are beautifully appointed and very comfortable, and the location is ideal--less than a block from Central Park, directly across 81st from the Museum of Natural History and near the subway.
Happy - posted on 08/08/2005
This is the second time we have stayed at the Excelsior. We feel very comfortable. The room and bathroom are very clean, and we love the towels. We would definitely stay there again when in NY.
Great value, great location - posted on 07/31/2005
Wow, after almost giving up our search for something reasonable in NYC(reasonable being relative to being in NYC) we happily stumbled on the Excelsior. A beautiful suite for 300 a night seemed like a bargain in the city. The location is awesome; right across from the museum of natural history and the planetarium. Highly recommend for family because of location and pull out couch. Will definitely stay again.
Great Neighborhood - posted on 07/06/2005
My kids and I felt safe and happy here. We got an unexpected upgrade and were quite comfortable. Wish we had had more time to explore Central Park right across the street.
Great Hotel! - posted on 06/14/2005
We randomly chose this hotel and couldn't have been happier. It is at an excellent location--friendly, walkable neighborhood. Mostly residential apartments. Right by 81st Subway stop. Room was comfortable, clean. Front desk personnel cool but OK. A/C didn't cool enough. Breakfast buffet was marginal and too pricey. Right by Central Park and History Museum.
Great Room with a View - posted on 06/07/2005
We were in suite 1507- overlooking the Museum and planetarium. The living room and bedroom were fine for a family of 4 or 5. The bed was wonderful, and the kids didn't even complain about the fold-out couch. The bathroom was immaculate and everything worked fine. If you want to be within 1 minute's walk to the AMNH, this is the place.
