Garden City Hotel

We checked in from JFK after a transatlantic flight around midnight on August 7th 2025, no one was here to help us out with the luggage. I am part of the I-Prefer loyalty program but no one at the front desk realized that nor recognized that. When I asked for the late check out due to my I-Prefer status, it was a clear no. The room was ok but we felt it was a bit dated and not as luxurious as we would have thought given the price. There was no little attention in the room as most luxury hotels do bring (small cake or chocolat,…). The morning after, I had reserved the breakfast at the King Bar. Based on the description of the bar on the hotel website, I was expecting to have a choice between multiple main courses. Actually there was only a very basic buffet with a limited choice (scrambled eggs that seem to be packaged food, no choice of yoghurt…) which looks like more a budget chain buffet as opposed to a luxury hotel buffet. There was no choice of omelette or other main courses. All of this for 100$ for the two of us… At the end of the day, if you added up the now traditional service fee (30$), this one night plus breakfast costed us 370US$ after using 10,000 I-Prefer points. So well north of 400$ without the points… Net, I do not recommend this hotel. You are not getting the right value for the price you pay.

Our stay at the hotel was just for one night for a wedding. The check in time was supposed to be 4:00, and arrived after the ceremony at 4:30. The reception for the wedding began at 6:00. We were told that our room was not ready, and so we sat in a comfortable seating area and waited until 6:00, when our room was still not ready. We stored our luggage. and went to the reception without having the opportunity to freshen up. We felt that this delay was unacceptable for such an expensive hotel. The accommodations were lovely, but it would have bee nice if we could have been in them for more than just sleeping, as we were couldn’t get into the room until after the celebration.

We came into the NYC area on Friday and stayed at the Warren Street hotel on Friday night in Manhattan. That was a spectacular hotel but because we had two back to back events on Long Island, we decided to book a two night stay at the Garden City Hotel for Saturday and Sunday nights. I am writing this review from my room on Saturday night. I am on the 9th floor in one of their Penthouse King rooms. I had requested an early check in for our stay on Saturday and I was told that it would be accommodated only if possible (but because of my i Preferred membership status they said I would be given priority). We arrived at the hotel at 1:14pm and check in was 4pm. I was told “my room wasn’t ready and they would call me when it was”. I asked if they could try to get us in early as possible since I had an event at 6pm and my wife and I needed some time to shower and get ready. While we waited, we walked the grounds of the hotel. The grounds around the hotel are quite nice. Well manicured and in good shape. While waiting, we first asked to use the bathrooms on the 2nd floor. Both men’s and women’s bathrooms were full of a wedding party getting dressed, shaved, doing their hair etc… My wife tells me that two of the stalls were unavailable because the wedding party had used them to hang clothing. Honestly, the 2nd floor bathroom situation, resembled a road side truck stop, not a high end hotel. Very strange to see that in an alleged 4 Star Hotel. We left and went out to 7th Street, got a bite to eat and came back at 3:25pm. I approached the reception staff and I was sternly told that there was "still no room available and it was possible our room would not be ready at 4pm". The staff at the front desk were terribly unhelpful and bordered on rude because we dared to ask them if our room was ready. Compared to the hotel in NYC last night, we were shocked at how terribly “inconvenienced” we were making the front desk staff feel. They were literally the opposite of the Firmdale hotels. Finally, at 3:47pm we were told our room was ready (a whopping 13 minutes early). We are in a Penthouse King room (Room 905). We walked in and all I can say is we were shocked. First, the AC is broken off the wall. Second, the AC sounds like a 747 is taking off. I can’t believe how old and loud this AC unit is. Third, the decor of the room looks like a 1980’s adult film is about to be filmed here. There is NO way this is a 4 Star hotel. That is just baloney. This is a 2-3 Star Hotel at best and the service is barely 1 Star. Front desk staff is utterly useless, terribly unfriendly and try to make you feel like you are lucky to stay here. I am shocked at what we are paying to stay at this dump. Last year, we stayed on Long Island at the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach and it is far superior IMO. Look at my pics and you decide if the Penthouse is worth about $800 USD per night (average price per night). I will likely be seeking a new room in the morning but I’d strongly advise against staying here if you actually are looking for an upscale experience. This is not it. If you think it is, you either haven't stayed at upscale or have low standards.

I recently stayed at the Garden City Hotel for a weekend wedding. The location is excellent— since it's located near restaurants. The lobby and event spaces are beautifully maintained and create a great first impression, especially for special occasions. Unfortunately, the quality of the guest rooms didn't match the rest of the hotel. The rooms felt outdated, and both the hallways and our room had a persistent musty smell, which really detracted from the comfort of the stay. For the price point, the accommodations fell short of expectations. While I’d consider attending another event at the venue due to its beautiful spaces and convenient location, I wouldn’t choose to stay overnight again.

Another amazing stay at The Garden City Hotel from start to finish. Our sons attend the US Merchant Marine Academy, so we are having be staying at this hotel over 4 years and it never disappoints. It makes for a lovely long-weekend getaway. Enjoyed the outdoor, patio bar on Thursday night with live music, had a delicious breakfast buffet every morning at the Red Salt Room Bar and finished up the night there as well watching the US Open and some baseball. Also, the location is great. Right across the street from the Garden City train station, so you can get into NYC easily. Hotel is located on 7th Street; therefore, if you turn left when you come out of the hotel, you can walk minutes to an adorable downtown area where there lots of stores and good restaurants (an amazing bakery, Leo's Tavern and il Gufo Restaurant in particular). We will be back soon!