The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York

Truly exceptional stay — elegant, spotless, and perfectly located. I was genuinely impressed by this hotel. The classic interior design is warm and refined, everything was immaculately clean, and the service was top-notch from start to finish. The location is unbeatable — just steps away from Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, and so many great restaurants and bars. Everything you need is within easy walking distance. Highly recommend if you’re looking for comfort, style, and convenience in the heart of Manhattan.

I stay in NYC a lot and this was by far my favorite hotel experience. The room was incredibly clean and very well appointed. The air conditioning was the best I've ever experienced in my life in any hotel. Spacious bathroom; comfortable bed; friendly staff. I can't say enough great things about The Benjamin.

Maybe I just got unlucky, but my experience at The Benjamin was ROUGH. I recently traveled there for work. My client made the reservation on my behalf. Upon arrival, they requested my card to cover incidentals. I asked if they could charge the card used to make the reservation. They said they needed a physical card for incidentals, but they would charge the other card for the reservation. Cool, no sweat. I get to my room and am getting settled in when there is a knock on the door. I open it to find two other guests claiming to be booked for that room. They had double-booked us. They then informed me that I had to move rooms and that there was an additional charge to keep the room they had originally assigned to me. Eventually, the bellhop, who, to his credit, is the absolute MAN, convinced them to let me stay in my original room and waive the extra fee because it was their mishap in the first place. I was traveling with a considerable amount of production equipment, and the room they wanted to move me to was much farther away from the elevator than the original room, so relocating would have been a huge hassle. The rest of the trip went fine. Did my work. Returned home. Only to find that they charged ME for the stay, not my client. When I called to get the situation remedied, they said there was nothing they could do because of the "way the reservation was made." Because I gave them my card for incidentals, that was the card they had to use. So now I have to go through my client to get reimbursed. The place is great, the location is great, and that one bellhop is the coolest dude ever. However, the rest of the service I received at The Benjamin ranks among the worst of the hotels I've stayed in, and I've stayed at some shady ones.