Gracie Inn Hotel

I have given 1 start because The system won’t allow to give less than that.
Had my parents in town for 8 days and since my apt is small I decided to book a room here which was decently close to where I live.
Horrible customer service, it had seemed an abandoned hotel from day 1. I had had several concerns to share within their stay at the hotel but I was never able to express it to anyone. Never once I found someone at the front desk, not even in the middle of the day. I tried emailing them, no response whatsoever. The hotel presented disgusting, dust everywhere, dirty and unappealing rooms, our room wasn’t cleaned or vacuumed once. Never got new bed sheets or towels for 8 days. I almost went to wash them at the laundromat a few steps away. It smelled bad. AC was not working at all, and we are talking about a mid August period of the year, when you do need an AC. TV wasn’t working either, 1 channel shown which wasn’t even projecting well. How can’t nobody check emails of unsatisfied customers and don’t even get back to them. I work in corporate hospitality as well and I know how a paying customer should be treated. Never again. The sad part is that this has affected the stay of my parents in NYC. Everyone deserves an explanation or an answer when paying money for something. Get it together Gracie inn.

WORST hotel experience ever! Only good thing is the location. Personnel unconcerned and disinterested, room in pretty dilapidated condition. Ice box totally frozen shut (we decided to defrost it, so we could use it and found an ice cube tray and an uncooked shrimp — the work was worth the amusement), several light bulbs not working, hard to reach outlets to charge phone & lap top, rice under the stove and kitchen cabinet. Other reviews (which I read after :-() mentioned mice. With the rice there, I am not surprised. We had to ask for a sheet on the bed, there was none. It took two attempts to get a new light bulb and there was no room service. We did not expect the 4 Seasons, but never such non-​caring attitudes of the owner/​manager. Spend a bit more. This is not worth your money.

Stayed here for a week. Great price for the location, but at the same time you get what you pay for. Bed is hard to sleep on, the maid comes some days but not others leaving you to run out of toilet paper, clean towels etc. We had an incident with a mouse in our room and the staff was unapologetic and actually pretty rude.

Great location but very disappointed with the room. Looks nothing like the pictures. We love old and quaint, but not old and run down. We had to duct tape up a window that had pulled away from the frame to keep the cold air out. We wanted to love this old gem, but couldn’t because the owners haven’t. They hit our credit card for the entire amount 30 days before we arrived. Just overall disappointed with the experience. Will stay elsewhere next time we are out to see our daughter who lives within a block. Bummer.

What a miserable place. After six o’clock you get an email telling you how to get in. No one had warned me, so it was just lucky that my iPhone can get emails. If the hotel planned (as it seems it does) to have no one on duty after six, they should have alerted me at booking and asked if I wanted information on how to get in then, or later by text or email.
The entire place smelled horrible, with a sickly sweet odor that was very strong. At first, I thought someone had sprayed a strong deodorizer everywhere. Later I wondered if it was roach or rat poison. Terrible smell.
WiFi didn’t work. When I complained in the morning, a very pleasant young man told me to take my chair into the hall to see if I could get it there. Sometimes I could.
The bathroom was clean, but there was no washcloth. There were two towels. One was damp and the other was dirty.
My room was called a «deluxe studio».
There was a kitchen, which contained: 1 fork, 1 knife, 1 spoon, 1 corkscrew (but no wine glass), 1 bowl, 1 tea kettle. No coffee cups, no sponge. There was a refrigerator that had not recently been defrosted, with almost 3 inches of frost. I put a salad in the regular part of the refrigerator overnight, and it was an ice cube the next morning.
The carpets in hall were horribly stained and filled with lint and litter. Nothing had been vacuumed in a long time.
If your shoulders or hips (or suitcase) are more than 14 inches wide, you will have to turn sideways to get into the room from its entrance.
All night long the heating system growled constantly.
Don’t even think about staying here.

This place was a huge disappointment! HUGE!!!
We stayed from 10÷16−10÷19 and if I hadn’t already paid in full I would’ve left after the first 5 minutes. I should have known something wasn’t right when Gracie Inn charged by credit card 5 days before checking in. I called to ask why they hadn’t waited till I check in on ¹⁰⁄₁₆ and the lady on the phone said they needed the money prior to check in. This isn’t a usual practice for most businesses.
First of all the place is located 9 blocks away from the closest subway so after hauling luggage down 9 blocks we arrived tired but hopeful. The clerk, when there is one there, sits behind a glass window that doesn’t have an opening so you have to use the doorway to communicate. The clerk gave me a piece of paper that said our room was 410, however my email communication from Gracie Inn said we were staying in room 306. The keys were even marked with a «6». He explained I needed to fill out the breakfast menu on that paper and turn it into the drop box before midnight. Unless we had changes to our breakfast options, we would receive the same breakfast each morning.
We headed to room 410 which was occupied and obviously the key wouldn’t fit in the door. We returned back to the lobby to explain this and the clerk apologized that he gave us the wrong key. He then handed us the correct one but we should have been shown how to open the room doors because there is a trick to doing it. So after having him come up to the room and show us how the door opens we finally get in.
Our room isn’t what was described on their website. The floors were disgusting. My socks picked up dirt and hair everywhere I stepped. The beds didn’t have bed skirts and they were very squeaky. They were also extremely uncomfortable. My back was hurting after 6 hours of sleep. My bed’s headboard was hanging on by one screw. They gave us one bath towel for two people and no hand towels nor wash cloths. I had to ask for more towels the next morning since nobody is available after 6 pm. The TV remote was a different brand than the TV so only the on/​off button worked. We were promised over 100 stations along with HBO and we were only able to view the PAY PER VIEW options using the satellite remote. So no local TV stations either. There wasn’t a clock to be found at all in this place! I had to use my phone as an alarm. This place was a joke!
We did receive breakfast the next morning and it was only OK, but we didn’t receive it on the other two mornings even after waiting till 9:30 am. When I inquired about where breakfast was on Sunday morning at 9 am, the lady (who said she was «just the housekeeper») said we never filled out a form indicating we wanted breakfast. This contradicts what the clerk said to us upon check-​in which was as long as you didn’t make any changes you’d get the same meal. Also the housekeeper was on her cell phone texting during our entire conversation so she barely made eye contact with me. Very rude.
The first morning there, we took freezing cold showers due to no hot water. We tried calling down to the desk and nobody was there (at 7 am). When we were walking out I found the clerk from check in the day before and he said the city of NY turned the hot water off and he had to call the city to get the hot water turned back on. His exact works were «It’s working now but it looks like it’s a little too late for you guys».
On the last day as we were coming back to endure our last night, the blinds in the room my sister was sleeping in were on the floor leaving the entire window facing the alley way exposed. Once again, it was after 6 pm so nobody was at the desk nor available to be reached by phone. I called the main line and left a voice mail explaining that the blinds were on the bedroom floor and that this was like this when we arrived.
Whatever you do don’t spend your hard earned money at this dump!!!

They lock the front door after 6 pm.
I was recently a guest at the Gracie Inn and was not satisfied with my say. So much so that I switched hotels after the first night.
There were many issues. I arrived a little after 8 am to find the hotel closed. When I returned at 9 am, there was a lady there who told me the manager would arrive around 10:30 am, and could not find my reservation. When I returned later in the afternoon, I had somehow been booked into a different room than what I had selected. I went to my room, and the tv was not working, the room was dirty, there were items, including old socks, left in the dresser, and when I sat on the bed it was incredibly noisy anytime I shifted around.
That night, around 11:30, I returned from a rehearsal dinner and my key would not let me in to the front door. I saw the sign saying the hotel is locked at 6 pm and to call the emergency number, which went straight to voicemail. I tried again 10 minutes later and the same result — clearly the person who is on-​call was ignoring their duties (and was never called back after leaving a voicemail with each call). Eventually another couple staying here appeared and told me they had the same issue and let me in. Ideally, it would have been nice to be told this was a trick lock when I checked in.
In the morning, I explained to the manager what went on and why I am leaving, since «getting into the building» shouldn’t be something guests should have trouble with. I was only issued a $ 25 refund, when any reputable hotel would have refunded my stay.
The Gracie Inn did not at all provide me the services I paid for, and I do not believe it is ethical business to keep my money when I have to switch hotels.
I understand wanting to save a few bucks on budget hotels, but you end up losing the money you save when you eventually switch to another hotel.

Tough review for me to write. Fair price, it is what it is a low priced hotel in a GREAT neighborhood. It’s like wanting a fAst food burger and complaining it’s not hot & juicy.
Can’t complain cause of the price.
Consider though when you book, the interior is similar to your buddy’s apartment and your crashing for the night. Bed not bad but not comfy, the TV had many stations but where’s the remote & when I plopped down on the squeaky bed sometimes cable or satellite? Didn’t work. Bathroom clean and got clean towels. Not much detail though with the maid service. Bed made, well bed was made.
Again for the price it was fair, and for me I was out 85% of the time enjoying Nyc. But if your THINKING you will be comfy hanging out in your room pay a tad more and pick another spot

Pros: Low price for an Upper East Side location. Diner nearby has good food. A/​C worked. Kitchenette was okay. Wifi worked alright. No bed bugs or roaches spotted.
Cons: Where do I start? No refunds once you book. Be careful. No continental breakfast as promised. No facecloths or handtowels provided. No linen service even though we asked for a change of sheets. We had to ask for new towels and even then, they left the dirty ones on the floor. No cleaning service for the four days we were there. Dingy hallways looked like they haven’t been vacuumed in months. Musty smell. Old furniture. Uncomfortable beds. Satellite broke down after a few days — we complained but they didn’t do anything. Finally, I spotted a mouse running from under the stove to under the A/​C unit. At least it wasn’t a rat, I suppose.
Summary: Spend a little more and get a decent room somewhere else. Or try airbnb. You could get a room for the same price or less and if you have to do all the cleaning anyway, may as well be in a decent place that doesn’t mislead you into thinking it’s a nice hotel.

I really, truly wanted to love this place.
It’s located in a neighborhood where I spent a lot of time as a child, but hadn’t returned to as an adult. The pictures looked funky and cool, reflecting an «urban farmhouse» aesthetic.
Things started out well: easy online registration, organized check-​in (even for me, arriving after midnight: there were wonderful specific directions for latecomers involving the lockbox by the front door, etc.). Even my first look at my room was pleasant: small but clean bathroom with nice big bath towels, nice bed linens, etc.
Then it started to go downhill.
Parched from a long walk from downtown, I searched for some cups for a drink of water. There.were.NONE. Nothing to drink from, despite the fact that my room featured a kitchenette. The front desk was closed, as it was after midnight. I finally figured out that the only suitable substitute was the small one-​cup coffee pot, and washed that in the sink before filling it with water. So… that was real stylish.
The TV would not work for love nor money. The TV, VCR/​DVD (wasn’t quite sure which) and phone all looked like they’d been around since the late 80s or early 90s and had been dropped off the back of trucks at least once… chipped, scratched, and non-​functioning. Well actually, I didn’t even try the phone; it looked non-​functional!
There was no booklet which mentioned check-​out times, general FAQs, etc. (and no mention of this info on the website), so I had to set an earlier alarm than I wanted to so that I could call the front desk in the morning and wouldn’t overstay the checkout time.
One of the electrical outlets had no cover on it and hosted a 6-​into-​one plug multiplier. Surely, not a safe option. If I’d been traveling with a young child, I probably would have run away screaming from that one.
The website proudly proclaimed the availability of an iron and ironing board; I assumed this meant *in each room*, which tends to be customary. But at the Gracie Inn Hotel, ironing boards are apparently made from spotted owls … I called the front desk in the morning to inquire whether one could be obtained, only to be told by the woman at the front desk «probably not.» About an hour later, an ironing board was brought to my room by a polite young man; I asked about an accompanying iron, and he said he would bring one. No iron ever appeared.
I don’t have a good idea how this place stays in business. Probably via people who, like me, didn’t read the reviews first. I’d like to give it 1.5 stars for all that it lacks (including things which are absolute hotel BASICS), but I’ll give it two on location alone … there’s not much more on offer here.

So, if I was a starving student, I would stay here for the price. But, I definitely will never stay here again. The rat that ran across the floor when I entered my room, dead cockroach in a desk drawer, TV that wouldn’t work, trash behind the desk, failed delivery of breakfast at the appointed time, stained bedspread and rickety bed with cheap mattress were too much.

My father in law was in the hospital a few blocks away and I stayed for several nights at the Inn, I found the staff friendly and my room was very comfortable. It was an excellent value for the price and the breakfast delivered to the room each morning with coffee was a wonderful edition. For the people who complain, why not go and pay $ 500 a night for something that suits your needs.

My husband and I really enjoyed our stay here. Great neighborhood, the staff was gracious and helpful, and the rooms were clean and more spacious than we would have expected. Breakfast delivered to our room each morning was a nice touch. Excellent value for NYC, and a charming place to stay!

No star would really best describe this dump. It’s really a old «tenement» 5 story apartment house, they type that have long ago been demolished. After hours check in a 12 step process that’s called easy, a joke. The locks on my room was falling out, there’s no flat panel TV just a small monitor hooked up to a cable box. No instructions of how to start the TV, and you need to use 2 remotes to get it working, or call the front desk, as I had to, to get it working.
The room pictures are not the rooms they have there. Steam heat, WTF? So hot I have to leave the AC on even though it was 47 degrees out…
Bathroom is pathetic and so small you can’t close the door…
The building must been built in the early 1920s
Be prepared to checkout the next day and face up to the fact you’re going to have to pay a lot more for a decent hotel in NY

The Gracie Inn is a decent place in NYC. The rooms are basic and some of the furniture/​walls/​décor is a bit dated. The bed had a sponge and then a memory foam type topper, so it was a bit soft. If you’re a light sleeper, pack your earplugs and/​or a fan because you will hear the traffic driving by and all of the sounds of the city.
Check-​in was easy and quick. The only thing that made me slightly uncomfortable is that they photocopy your ID and credit card to keep on file. You are given a sheet with your breakfast selections (bread, cereal, fruit, granola bars, and a cup of coffee, tea, or orange juice) and you get to pick four items per person. They will deliver the breakfast to your room or leave it by your door if you have the do not disturb sign up. Coffee arrived hot and we got everything we requested.
The rooms have a microwave, refrigerator, stove top burner, and some other kitchen basics so you could cook your own meals. There is an elevator so you won’t have to carry your bags up multiple flights of stairs. The staff was friendly. I’d probably stay here again because the rates are reasonable and overall it isn’t a bad place to stay.

26 degrees out and the heater didn’t run two nights. Thank goodness they had extra blankets. Convenient, local feel that really does afford you all you need in a room — the basics, but all of them (tv, stovetop, oven, microwave, good hot shower, hair dyer). However, when the heat goes out, if it must, you need a staff member accessible and confidence it will be fixed.

So, I’m breaking my rules. I didn’t actually pay for a room here. But I ended up staying here for a night when Marcus and a bunch of other people from Manhattan bought out the top floor and stayed in NYC for a weekend.
Many of the pictures show sort of the outside area of the top floor, which is where I broke another rule and smoked a lot of cigarettes (Marcus is a bad influence). But, for the price they paid (it was disclosed to me), I think that this place is a rare find in that, if you have a pretty big group of people, it’s fairly affordable (especially in NYC and ESPECIALLY on the Upper East Side).
I will say the placement of the «hot tub» (they shouldn’t call it that) in the top most room is odd, and there were many complaints about a sofa bed that was so uncomfortable you really couldn’t call it a bed. This nice redhead kid took one for the team and slept on it. I still have no idea how.
The receptionist never acknowledged us or even looked up as we came in. That somehow made me like this place more. Free breakfast if you fill out a form the night before. Recommended.

I’ve definitely experienced better than Gracie Inn, but it *was* OKAY.
The location is good, although not too convenient to the subway.
The desk is staffed from 7 am — 7 pm (supposedly, tho a lot of the time no one was around during posted office hours), but if you expect that going in it’s not that big of a deal. And the staff we did encounter were very nice.
Breakfast is «continental,» and they bring it to your room. Options are pretty standard, like Yoplait yogurt, fresh fruit, or muffins. We basically just drank the carafe of coffee and went elsewhere for brekkie.
Prices are really nice for New York.
The place itself is pretty shabby. So shabby it’s kind of hard to tell what’s shabby and what’s dirty. There were dust bunnies galore under our dresser, and I didn’t really want to go into the bathroom without shoes. It’s an old building with mismatched furnishings that have seen better days. But it wasn’t *filthy* or anything…
They need new beds. They’re not comfy. And the comforter was, again, so shabby I didn’t want anything to do with it.
I might stay here again based on location and price. But I’d definitely investigate comparable options first.
[I’m not sure where all the Inn’s pictures come from under their Unilocal listing — Daniel S. and uncredited — but they look *nothing* like the hotel *I* stayed in…]

Cozy, good location, friendly people and great service. Will stay again for sure!!!

My first stay at Gracie Inn was in June 2006 and easily 5 stars. I recently stayed at Gracie Inn again and was so disappointed — mostly with the poor customer service (explained under «cons»):
Pros:
1. Clean, cute B&B with kitchenette inside room.
2. They have comfy robes.
3. Reasonably priced.
Cons:
1. The breakfast is pretty shoddy. You get a choice of a stale muffin, bagel, or croissant with juice and mediocre coffee.
2. There were no staff/​innkeepers present 95% of the time we were there. When we checked in, we had to call a # to find out where she hid our key. The next morning, we had to call again to hunt someone down for breakfast and check out time. Upon leaving, we dropped our key at the desk and didn’t get a receipt, let alone a «hope you had a good stay.»
3. It’s a little off the beaten path at 81^st between York and 1^st. About 10 blocks to the nearest subway, which isn’t a big deal except it rained the whole time.
In comparison to the first time, in which we were able to overlook the crappy breakfast and location, at least we were greeted and there was a really nice person at the desk to get us oriented, take our breakfast order, and check us out. This time around it just felt like things were disorganized and there wasn’t the typical hospitality that you expect at a B&B.
Unfortunately for them, their half-​ass job gets them 3 stars.