The Mansfield Hotel

When we arrived at the Mansfield, we were told that the room was not available. We were handed an envelope and asked to show it to a nearby hotel, PrincetonClub, which was contacted to give us a room. When we got to PrincetonClub, we were given a room but the lady said it would be charged to my credit card. I said we already paid to an internet side and Mansfield will have my payment. She said that nothing was mentioned by Mansfield about payment and the two hotels are not associated in any way. Finally, she called Mansfield and confirmed that Mansfield would pay PrinctonClub. By the way, when she said she would charge us in the beginning she could reduce $30 of the room rate at Mansfield. However, when Princeton got paid from Mansfield, we were not able to have the reduction. This also means that we have probably paid more for a less expensive room. I am not happy about being transferred to another hotel but I understood things happen. The problem is that Mansfield should have some one accompanying us to PrincetonClub until everything settled, not just handing out an envelope and you are on your own! It is not a pleasant experience! By the way, people at PrincetonClub are very kind and helpful. Our stay there was good. Next time, I would like to stay at that hotel.

The toilet was broken, the a/c didn't work and the bathroom was tiny. There are far better hotels out there for the price.

The photos on the website must be rooms that they only use for photos. Because the room we had (for 1 hour because we left) was nothing like that photos. You can do much better for the same $$$. Keep looking. So two great stories. The guy that brought our luggage up dumped us in this room and I looked at him and I said "this is the upgrade" - his reply was "there are work rooms in this hotel" - GREAT. Then as we were leaving in a huff to another hotel (which was 10 times better and same money) the manager was standing right outside with two door men. We over heard her say "what's that all about?" and we kept walking. They didn't even try to move us to one of the "featured room" - but good old Orbitz came to the rescue and got them to agree to let us out without paying and Oribitz refunded our money for that part of the trip.

So, just so you understand the photos on this website are some "magic" room that I sure didn't see. The "upgrade" we got was a dirty rug on an old wood floor with a window bench that was falling out of the wall and a window air that sounded like it was maybe 20 years old. They seemed to have made a few photo opps in each room like a glass sink but a nasty bathroom. Trust me for the money you can do A LOT better!

Title says it all. Arrived for check in at 2:45. Waited in a long line to be told that room is not ready. Sat in lobby for 20 minutes. Given key told to go upstairs to my room on 10th floor. Upon arrival at room door found room trashed and maid working on it. Apparently sent me to wrong room. Maid tells me to go back downstairs to get another room. Given another room. Go up to 11th floor. Room is tiny, literally big enough for the mattress and nothing else. This is NO 4 STAR hotel. Need to take shower so I can get to my meeting. Looking in bathroom, NOT A SINGLE TOWEL ANYWHERE Call front desk , told towels would be right up. Wait 15 minutes, no towels. Get in shower , wash, lather, rinse repeat. Get out dripping wet. No towel delivered anywhere. Running late for meeting now. Call desk again, told towels would be there. Ten minutes later towels show up. Service is a disaster, either they do not care on bit about anything or ???? Room was tiny with LOUD window unit. Window faced some sort of ventilation shaft, No natural light anywhere. Definitely not a four star and not even a good deal. Could have stayed at much better hotels for same price.

This hotel has old-fashioned radiator heat, so the room was ridiculously hot and the only way to compensate for the heat was to open a window. The wood floors look nice, but you'll hear every footstep, chair scrape and bag drop -- all night long. The rooms are arranged around a large marble staircase, so you'll also have the pleasure of listening to hotel guests and workers hoof it up and down the stairs. The only positives: the rooms are dark (very little light pollution) and the toiletries are luxurious. I have begged, pleaded and cajoled my travel department to NEVER book me at this hotel again.

When we arrived for our long weekend, everything seemed in order. We did not have much interaction with the staff (our choice). Our problems occurred at the end of our stay. After checking out and arriving at the airport for our flight home, we reallized that we had left some things in the safe in our room. We immediately called the hotel to let them know. We talked with the person at the front desk who assured us that they would be returned to us. After giving this staff member our mailing info, we waited for our personal belongings to be returned. They never arrived. Basically the hotel staff stole the items out of our safe. Yes, I realize it was our fault for leaving without them, but it is still stealing. We love New York, will never return to The Mansfield.

The main problem we had is that the 'double double' room was sold to us as though we could fit 3 of us in (sharing beds), however the double beds are a lot smaller than UK beds - it was a twin room effectively with 3 adults in it! As it was a busy week (valentines and winter break) the hotel was booked up so we asked for a camp bed which they did give us. Just a shame we couldn't all have a nice bed. The bathroom was tiny - not a lot of room for manouver! The hotel was in a fab location and very clean. We didn't eat there so can't comment on that. However the coffee facilities were a machine in the lounge with no fresh milk.

For a 4 star hotel as Mansfield claims to be I cannot give it more than 2 stars. For a 2 star hotel, in this location I would've given it a 5 star rating. My wife and I stayed here for 10 nights in a Chambre Queen (during Christmas and New Year). The location is great - on 5th Av., 5 minutes from TImes Square. The room size is average - about the same size as other boutique hotels or even larger than 3 star boutique hotels in Paris. However, the bathroom sink is way to small. If you try to wash your face you'll find yourself in a big puddle. The bathroom wasn't very small so I don't know why they chose such a small basin. They have dark brown hardwood floors that absorb all the light so that's why people found this a bit dark. The lighting however is sufficient. The TV in the room is actually a DELL display with a TV tuner attached. I've seen reviews mentioning the fact that they offer free coffee and tea in the lobby. Yes, this is true - however most 3+ star hotels would have a coffee/tea machine in the room. This one doesn't so every morning you need to go downstairs to get the coffee. It's probbly ok in the winter but in the summer I'd rather walk to one of the many coffee shops in the area if I can't get a coffee in my room. The staff is friendly when you arrive but afterwards they NEVER said hello (at least in the 11 days I've been there) when passing by. I don't usually ask for directions or interact with the staff however I do expect to be greeted. If you do have an issue they are very responsive so no complain there (I actually had to call them a couple of times). The biggest problem however and this is something that I want to emphasize is the fact that there is NO way to control the temperature in the room during winter. All 3+ stars hotels have some sort of temperature control. The heat comes from a very small radiator that's controlled centrally. And while our room was very cold (we had to ask for 3 blankets) the next door guests had to keep their windows open because it was too hot. For the summer all rooms have a window AC unit - however that's useless in the winter as it only provides cooled air. Overall I would recommend this hotel for short stays but only if you get a very good deal. This is nowhere near a 4 star hotel but if you can get it cheaper than a 3 star hotel in the area go for it.

The rooms were very small as well as the bathroom Only one chair in front of a desk and one night table. the clothes closet one could say was half a closet not toll enough to hang dresses or slacks It did have a security box and a refrigerator all of this stashed in this small closet. no vanity to put small clothing items. Located three blocks from Grand Central Station whis is a big plus if you don't have your own car. Adequate business centrer.