The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York

Absolutely loved my stay at The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel! The rooms were spacious, beautifully decorated with brand-new furniture, and the bedding was incredibly comfortable — I slept like a dream. The staff was outstanding: professional, attentive, and truly went the extra mile. I had a small issue with a package that arrived after I had checked out, and they handled everything perfectly, making sure it was returned to me at home. The location couldn’t be better — just steps from the subway and close to so many of New York’s main attractions. I can’t wait to come back on my next visit to NYC!

TOP NOTCH!!!!! THE BENJAMIN EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS!!! BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT!!! The workers were EXCEPTIONAL!!! They were so gracious and greeted us and visited everytime we came and went I would look no further. My adult children said This is the ONLY place we would ever stay in NEW YORK. Best place Ever!!! Thank you Benjamin and your front desk and doorman It made our vacation Perfect! We took videos to show friends and family back home LOVE

We had to travel to NY on very short notice for a funeral, and I quickly found a list of hotels I had jotted down many months ago. The Benjamin Royal Sonesta was the first one I tried to book and, thankfully; I was successful in booking a room. We arrived to the hotel at about 1 am the same night as the booking was made. When we went to the check-in desk, Jose greeted us very politely and asked for our last name. He looked at the reservation, and said, "You booked a king room, but we don't have any left, only queens." At that point, at 1 am in the morning, I said nothing and would have been happy just to have a clean room with a bed. Then, he said, "I can give you an upgrade at no extra charge." Well, we didn't know what we were in store for. We thanked Jose and went up to the room, or should I say our penthouse apartment (24th floor) for three day. What an unexpected gift at a very difficult time (my husband's brother had just that morning passed away unexpectedly: and we had to fly from Texas to NY the same day we received the news)! We had a beautiful living room, bathroom with marble walls and gorgeous tile floors, and a very large bedroom. In addition, there was a private patio that surrounded the bedroom so that you could see midtown from every direction. Housekeeping was wonderful and replaced all the towels each day. We really cannot thank Jose enough for what he did for us. He is a super hotel attendant and a really nice guy. We had the privilege of visiting with him a little each evening when we came in for the night. The rest of the staff was very nice and accommodating as well. We will definitely stay at The Benjamin Royal Sonesta NY again. By the way, next door to the hotel is a luncheonette serving great omelets and sandwiches at a reasonable price.

Where do I start - the check in process was basic, no proper welcome, no warmth. Much like the other reviews posted about this hotel. I almost felt like I shouldn’t of been here, despite paying a premium to be there. Once we got up to the room, it was dusty, like somebody hadn’t dusted in weeks. I had to dust the room myself with wipes. Not what I expected for a 4* hotel in New York. The next morning I checked the bathroom some more and dust was over everything - but more to the point we found a chewing gum (which had been chewed…) near the sink area. Again, this didn’t give me much of a hope that our room was cleaned to a basic level. Overall the experience was below any basic level of 4* expectations. I would heavily suggest you look at other hotels if you’re visiting New York. This certainly isn’t a hotel we will be visiting again.

I stayed here recently after almost 30 hours of international travel, expecting the kind of service and welcome you associate with a five-star hotel. Unfortunately, my experience at check-in was anything but that. Despite weeks of email communication and triple-checking the reservation, payment, and guest names — all clearly listing my full name — I was denied check-in because the booking was under my partner’s name. No willingness to help, no flexibility, just a repeated use of the word “policy.” After such a long trip, I stood there while other guests were attended to, and when I asked to speak, I was told to wait because “they were being looked after.” I didn’t feel like a guest — I felt invisible. To make matters worse, when I questioned why the Concierge team I’d been liaising with hadn’t passed on any of the information, I was told by the manager at the counter that Reception and Concierge are “different departments” and “not really the same business.” I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How is it that a hotel of this calibre operates with internal departments that don’t communicate? This was one of the most disappointing check-in experiences I’ve ever had. I’m still waiting for a proper explanation — but more than that, I think it’s important future guests are aware of how things are being managed behind the scenes.