Chuang Yen Monastery

I wanted to really love this hotel as it is in a great midtown location near Herald Sq. The surrounding areas are lively and safe, with lots of subway access and restaurants/coffe nearby. The hotel offers a wonderfully charming and boutique experience compared to the typical hotel. The building has old world charm. However, it is apparent that this charm comes at a cost as the infrastructure issn't up to par. One night I was awoken by honking cars at street level. The sounds came through crystal clear as if I had a window open, but upon checking the windows were clearly closed. Street level noise came through loud and clear. When opening my closet, the door knob fell right off. When using the shower, a loud vibration noise would come randomly from the wall mid shower. Not everytime, just randomly at certain points during a shower. When this noise happened, I would adjust the shower pressure and the noise would go away. A few light bulbs in my room were burnt out or dimmer. Otherwise, the staff were friendly and the overall hotel was clean. Wifi was blazing fast and stable. There is a cafe on ground floor that offers guest one free drink each day (I did not partake). There are two small elevators that can be slow when it is busy.

There is a doorman at the front door but couldn’t figure out what his function was other than to watch you struggle with your suitcase going down the stairs. Front desk staff was efficient in checking you in and out. Place is kept clean.