In the City that never sleeps, it’s difficult to find somewhere to catch your forty winks that doesn’t steal the dollars. Read on to find why The Seton Hotel stole our hearts and is our recommended place to stay in New York.
We were not paid and are in no way affiliated with the Seton Hotel, and we paid to stay there with our own money. We just loved our stay so much we felt we needed to rave about it!
Location
WHAT a location, right near Grand Central Station and the Chrysler building, most things are within walking distance of the Seton Hotel. On 40th and Lexington Avenue it’s in the brilliantly decadent deco part of the town (how perfect for Jess) and with three metro stations, and Times Square (and the New York Public Library and all sorts) within walking distance it is perfect for tourist and seasoned New York visitor alike. Right next to a pub (we didn’t have tome to visit), some amazing breakfast spots, and all the shops you could need, it’s at the quieter end of the tourist destinations which means you can have a good nights sleep!
Staff
The staff at the Seton Hotel were phenomenal. That New York charm is most certainly something that rings true of the Seton. From the lovely ladies who greeted us daily (and nightly) on reception, to the brilliant and amusing maintenance men, and the lovely, attentive cleaners; every member of staff that we encountered was incredible. Their personal touch, help and attentiveness really made our visit, it really was exceptional customer service.
Room Size
If there’s one thing we’ve found out about staying in New York hotels, is that you don’t get what you pay for with room size. Hotels in New York go up, not out, and the rooms are always tiny, even the deluxe ones. This is not the case at the Seton Hotel. At the Seton the ceilings are high, the rooms are big, the wardrobes are big, there’s storage in the desk, the bedside table, space in the bathroom, you name it. In fact, there’s space for a desk, which in itself is saying something! Even though the TV was mounted on the wall, it needn’t have been. And it was spotless. All day every day. We couldn’t impress on you the value for money at the Seton Hotel, in New York you won’t find much better, we’re pretty sure!
Amenities
The bit of Midtown where the Seton Hotel is, around the Chrysler building, makes it’s mark by being very art deco (Jess’s dream). The quintessential New York style is something that seeped through the whole hotel. There was a residents lounge, far nicer than our lounge at home, offering space to chill, have a coffee, read a book or watch the TV somewhere that wasn’t your room. Although it was quiet when we were in it, we have heard that people like to use it as a place to get to know other people if they are travelling at home too, and somewhere to recharge.
Additionally, the WiFi in the Seton Hotel was great, the only place that it didn’t reach were the lifts, but lets face it, you’re not in them for very long in a six floor boutique hotel. Although they don’t have any facilities for breakfast in the morning (a way of keeping the hotel perfect and the costs down), you are in the perfect location for amazing breakfasts (we went to Zuckers bagels too many times, and every time it was busy and delicious) the DO however do free tea and coffee in the mornings between 6.30am and 11am, which was suprisingly great every morning.
Bathroom
The bathroom, important to us both, but for different reasons. Jess is weird about toilets and so needs to have a great bathroom in a hotel in case she doesn’t manage to go the rest of the day, and Tim uses it as his time out from Jess so needs it to be light and airy! This was both. Spotless, warm, fresh towels daily (if you want them), enough towels that are big enough and soft enough to wash with, lots of light and did we mention, spotless. So great. The bathrooms at the Seton Hotel were big too, and not with see-through walls so there was no worry about anyone seeing anyone poop.
Although it could come under amenities, we saved the free bits you get in your room and bathroom for the bathroom section. Daily we were provided with make up wipes (individually wrapped), a cleansing soap and a moisturising soap, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser. If there was anything that we had forgotten (thankfully not this time) they also offer them on demand too, things like toothbrush and toothpaste, sewing kits, ironing boards etc. There was also a great quality hairdryer in the room too. Perfect.
Sleep Quality
Obviously the most important part of a hotel, especially when you’re busy seeing the sights is the quality of sleep. At the Seton we both slept incredibly. The bed was huge, and comfortable, with enough pillows for us both to be comfy and spares, and it was a proper Goldilocks bed – not too hard and not too soft. A perfect night’s sleep. We were also lucky with where our room was as we were at the end of the corridor next to the stairs and the cleaner’s supply closest, so aside from the opening and closing of doors, it was a quiet spot to catch up on sleep. In fact, considering the Seton Hotel was only 6 floors, the glazing on the windows and the direction of our room meandlt that aside from the odd siren, it was a truly silent night. The Seton had the extra bonus of having blackout blinds, so our silent night was also a dark one at the Seton!
Heating
OK, this is an odd one, and not one we’d normally comment on, but when it was minus 14 outside with a wind chill of minus 23, you need to know that you’re going to be warm when you’re inside. The room was toasty, not too hot to sleep in but had its own radiator, and the plush carpets made it even warmer and cosier – and don’t let the old school radiators fool you – they packed a huge heating punch. The best bit? The hot pipe ran under the bathroom floor so it was like the bathroom had underfloor heating to boot!
Price
Most importantly, for us especially, is the price. We weren’t given any special discounts for the blog, they just treated us exceptionally well and we fell in love with the place enough to want to write about it. But more than that, it over-delivered on value for money. We booked it for 6 nights for $720 including all of the taxes and fees – which is something that can sting you in NYC if you’re nor careful. That worked out as around £550 in total. Not only is that reasonable but it was exceptional for the quality of our stay too. Yes, we could have stayed in a hostel if we really wanted to be budget, but we were out celebrating an engagement and visiting friends, and the price of the hotel was nothing in comparison to some of the hotels online that billed themselves as ‘budget’.
Is there somewhere you love in NYC that you think we should try next time? Have you stayed in the Seton and loved it as much as we did? Would you like us to tell you more or help you plan your New York itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.
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We were not paid and are in no way affiliated with the Seton Hotel, and we paid to stay there with our own money. We just loved our stay so much we felt we needed to rave about it!
