Steff D.
Yelp
I'm so thankful to Garden City Hotel! They were one of the only hotels available last minute during a recent NYC flooding, and after spending a whole day in the airport (with another whole day to go before my [finally rescheduled] flight), I didn't realize what a huge emotional and mental health boost this place would provide me.
I arrived feeling/looking not my best and I thought, "ohhh, this place is way too fancy for leggings, a sweatshirt, and messy blue hair," but every single person greeted me warmly like I was actually welcome there. I asked the person at reception if there was a dress code to eat in the restaurant, and when she chuckled and said no, I felt immediately at ease (though the website says otherwise, so heads-up there!). I was allowed a later check-out without question. There was water in my room; and, they gave me more water when I asked for it. The linens and towels were fluffy and smelled good. The room was enormous. The in-room Keurig was clean and had plenty of coffee/tea options. The plush pillow-top bed was gigantic and easily one of the top three most comfortable ones I've ever stayed in at a hotel/AirBnB/B&B. The shower was luxurious with hot water and good pressure, and the wonderful Gilchrist & Soames amenities felt spa-like.
Honestly, the whole experience felt INDULGENT.
I shopped at their gourmet lobby marketplace; such an impressive selection of snacks (including plenty of vegan options), coffee, booze, baked goods, and more to take to your room. I ate at the King Bar (not a lot of vegan options there, unfortunately). No one seemed bothered that, after checking out, I sat in one of the wingback chairs in the lobby with an iced coffee for a couple hours before calling an Uber back to the airport.
My first impression? I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this hotel - the atmosphere, the interactions and engagement with each staff member, the room itself. I'm not sure I'm necessarily their demographic, but I got to feel pampered and bougie (I mean that in THE BEST way possible) for a night, and don't we all deserve that from time to time (especially when the other option was 30+ hours in an airport)?