Hudson New York Hotel Review: Buyer Beware

Hudson Central Park Hotel, New York City — Looks are deceiving — the sumptuous Phillippe Starck-designed lobby at Hudson New York belies a staggering lack of hotel amenities

Post contributed by Lisa Crovo Dion

Don’t Judge a Hotel By Its Lobby

The Hudson Hotel New York in New York City offers a great Hell’s Kitchen location and stunning Phillippe Starck-designed interiors including the lobby and Library Bar.

But not much else.

Buyer beware: My cousin and I met at the Hudson Hotel last month to celebrate our birthdays together in New York City, one of our favorite cities.

We stumbled across the Hudson Central Park on the American Express Travel Hotel Collection. It looked fabulous. Five bars and restaurants including a rooftop lounge; perfect location on the West side, a stone’s throw from Columbus Circle and Central Park; soaring, stylish interiors and an outdoor patio. They offer even included a $100 credit for food and beverages. We booked!!

Patio off lobby at Hotel Hudson closed to guests — The patio, like four of the five restaurants/bars, was closed to guests 🙁

Food + Beverage Credit: But No Food + Overpriced Bar

To get to the stunning Philip Stark lobby you first need to find the Hudson’s entrance, no easy task because the signage is terrible. Then, you need to take an escalator upstairs. No big deal. The space was super impressive — stained glass ceilings, a massive chandelier, groovy, eclectic furnishings, a billiards room. All good, right?

I arrived first and was pleased and appreciative that the clerk let me check in early as I just got off a red-eye from San Francisco and had schlepped my suitcase up from Penn Station. Staff was helpful and friendly.

The impressive design ended as soon as I stepped off the elevator. Our room was down a couple of creepy, dark corridors painted an obnoxious shade of fluorescent green. But, whatever. The room was a decent size with two big windows and a clean bathroom.

The tv was on but had a wide flickering line across it that distorted images. That was the first real sign that something was amiss.

Sometimes I’ll post a bulleted list of a hotel’s amenities, or the top 5 foodie eats in New York City. However, for this Hudson New York hotel review, here is a list of hotel fails:

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Hudson Fails

Broken TV
Broken phone
Loud clanging heating system at 4am
No mini fridge in rooms
No blankets on bed
Blinds impossible to open
No water available in lobby
No water available in rooms
No coffee available in lobby or rooms
Not a crumb of food on premises
Employees all hinted at hotel closing
Vending machines ripped out of closet
No liners for ice bucket
No hotel directory/guide books/pens/paper in rooms
Creepy dark hallways

Due to the broken phone, tv, and clanging pipes, we ended up in three different rooms during our three-night stay. After some digging, it appears the hotel is undergoing some type of rocky acquisition.

Whatever is going on, Hudson is not a fully-functioning hotel, lacking in the most basic of amenities. Save your money and aggravation and find another place to stay when visiting New York.