Aloft Harlem

I stayed here while attending an event at Columbia as it basically seemed to be the only affordable nearby place. It met those needs nicely.
It has nice, if small, rooms that are stylishly decorated in a way that makes you laugh and smile, but not necessarily want to imitate. In a frustrating turn, the shampoo and soap is an a push dispenser in the shower rather than getting actual bottles and bars. The shower stall was at least pretty spacious.
I was running short on time in the morning so I discovered that the coffee was awful even by bad hotel coffee standards. I literally couldn’t have a second sip even though it was my only source of caffeine that morning. The highlight of the place was the 10 minute walk to Columbia through parks and the fact that it was only 1.5 blocks from the subway.

After reading reviews of the hotel while on the train to NYP I was concerned: mixed reviews. I was prepared for the steep steps down to the lobby but expected a bellman. When we entered the hotel clerks were both deeply involved in what they were doing — they didn’t even look up. Promising in that one was giving very thorough directions to a guest but looking up and saying hi — I’ll be right with you is essential — especially when the cab is outside with the meter running and your luggage on the street. I finally got through to someone who said grab a cart? huh? I’ve never been to this hotel. Finally I insist on a bellman — I read there is a bellman here — and he tells a guy who was there watching me for 5 minutes to assist me. He’s a nice guy. But is there a bellman or not? The bellman should have offered his services as most other hotels do — need help with your luggage? By the time we return with the luggage the other young lady is off the phone. She is very friendly — (they are young & friendly which is promising). We get to our room on the 4^th floor. The first unfortunate thing I see is stained powder blue carpeting upon entering. The hallways are pretty, clean & warm but the room carpeting is not. This makes the tile in the bathroom look dreary & possibly dirty too. I don’t believe this is a staff problem however, this is a decorating problem. Once you get near the beds the carpeting is good but the walls are scuffed. It looks like a knife fight or something happened here. It takes getting used to — and ignoring to live with those cosmetic flaws. Then there is a huge problem. What’s with the heat problem? You have a heating problem — there’s a bathroom thing that heats the bathroom but the a/​c unit does not heat the room it only cools it. This is probably a heath dept problem. We solved the problem by running this timer heat thing in the bathroom. Fortunately we were in NYC during a warmer period. After that we found the lobby to be adorable, if not too mod — those big chairs that seat lovers could be replaced with one sofa that lets weary travelers relax at the bar without sitting on aluminum chairs — again — they need a little more function a little less flair. The ⁷⁄₁₁ style lobby mini-​bar is useful — not great but useful. Beds are firm, pillows are good, shower head was nice (not the best but nice) and tons of storage space in the foyer makes the room great for a lengthy stay). I would say the greatest asset this hotel has is it’s young and happy staff.

Ask for a view of the theater so you don’t end up looking at a brick wall. The Aloft Harlem is my favorite boutique hotel so far. The atmosphere is welcoming, the staff is nice (to be some olé Yankees) and décor is everything. Not to mention there’s a bar inside the hotel, XYZ, and they have live music on the weekend in the lobby with a deejay and pool table. Hands down, the best place to stay when you’re in NYC.

4 hours waiting after paying $ 500 for 4 nights, just because they did not have card to deposit awful bathroom has no tub, not hygiene, the very small room under the sink there is a fridge that horror
4 hours waiting after paying $ 500 for 4 nights, just because they did not have card to deposit awful bathroom has no tub, not hygiene, the very small room under the sink there is a fridge that horror

We stayed here for 3 nights. The location is really ideal, right off the subway 125 stop. Very very close to Yankee stadium, restaurants and shopping. My only complaint about all aloft is the weak showers. The people are nice, take real good care of you, and let us check in early.

This was a pretty nice hotel. The room looked nice. We had a room on the 4^th floor at the end of the hall.
Positives:
Bed was comfy, linens were clean, complimentary water, wifi included, convenient location within walking distance of the m60 which comes straight to/​from laguardia airport 24 hrs a day about a 35 min ride… also within walking distance of several trains, 1,3, A, B, C, and D. Didn’t have to rent a car so I was happy about that. Plenty of restaurants within walking distance to choose from. Very convenient location. Honestly I didn’t spend much time in the room except to sleep and shower! The room looked nice. We requested early check in and were accommodated. The front desk also gave us extra water upon request. Check in and out was a seamless process. Felt safe in the area traveling about. Very diverse area.
Negatives:
Carpet looked a little old. You could hear when other people opened and closed their doors… that was loud when we tried to nap during the day. Light in the bathroom would only turn on if light in the bedroom was switched on so you would have to be in the dark if someone is sleeping lol.
Overall I had a good experience. I would stay here again.

Aloft Harlem is essentially a baby version of the W sporting a youthful atmosphere. Our room was clean, the bed was comfortable and we were provided two free bottles of water.
Columbia University and «the Seinfeld diner» are within walking distance and Harlem makes for a quick entrance and exit of the city via car.
Valet parking is $ 50 a night, there are other cheaper parking options nearby. We used the garage only one block over.

Great decision to stay here while in town for a wedding. It’s a nice boutique hotel, good price (for Manhattan), with a much bigger, quieter room than you’ll find in the city. Also convenient to 125^th Station and other things.

A friend and I decided to stay at Aloft for Governors Ball weekend. We had the standard, 2-​bed room.
The hotel has a modernistic vibe which I liked, but everything about it just looked flimsy and cheap. For example the bathroom’s sliding door doesn’t close all the way and flies open. Also, the bathroom is the size of a closet
But nonetheless, it’s in a great location. Only two blocks away from the subway station.
The reason why I’m giving this hotel 3 stars is because the room smelled musty from the second we arrived. It looked like it hadn’t been dusted in months. The lack of cleanliness made it an unpleasant experience.

We had a great experience at this hotel. We were in town looking for housing and the hotel front desk staff was absolutely fabulous in helping us with information about the city. We looked to them for advice and couldn’t have been happier. They made us feel very at home in NYC. They also were quick with service and always had a smile on their face. We were very happy with out stay!
The hotel is also close to the subway so that is nice. The room size was good for NYC and there are snacks in the lobby that were convenient to buy.

Very Kind staff, as soon as i walked in the music was very relaxing and again the customer service was a+ will definitely book here in the future

Great location, student discounts for Columbia clan, a decent bar with happy hour pull, and the lobby as well as the entrance setup are hip and urban chic for sure. This spot with just over 100 rooms meets all the needs parents of students at Columbia would seek or Columbia visitors would need if walking distance is a desire. It could even suit standard out of town guests to the Morningside hood but I’m apt to jump on the subway or grab a cab and be elsewhere in NYC prior than stay here.

Great staff, low rates, and low charge for starpoints, close walk to a/​c or b/​d subway. If you want cheap food, or beer it is three doors from gourmet deli.
They offer 4pm checkout to gold point members.
Hint, to use elevator tap your room key to light in elevator below flo o r numbers. A security feature to keep public off room floors.

The rooms are tight, the setup is a bit weird.
Overview;
1) the bathroom doesn’t have an actual door that closes shut, it slide shut with no means of locking or 100 privacy if you are handling business in the bathroom, everything going can be heard.
2) the smoke alarm went off due to, touch steam from the shower because it was nicely placed withing reaching distance from the door…
3) the room is super small
4) the refrigerator is so tiny and so back breaking to get to because it’s on the floor below the sink.
5) there were numerous things wrong with our room that we noted and took pictures of and will be reporting get to some higher ups. ie broken latch, paint on carpet etc etc
Will I return, not on my free will
Will I recommend, yes but it will not be my first choice.

A great place to stay when checking the show at the Apollo theater around the corner.

My husband and I decided to stay at this location based on the rate offered on
and the easy access to the Subway to get to Manhattan. Plus I have had overall positive experiences at other Aloft hotels in other cities I have visited.
We arrived on a Saturday evening around 7pm to check in. It’s a brightly lit up, hip, modern spot in the middle of Harlem. If you have luggage, it’s easier to take a quick left to take the elevator to the lobby. Otherwise, you can take the steps down. The check in area is essentially a circular desk as you walk in. When we inquired about checking in, the employee on duty asked if we booked through Expedia. I said that it was
. She said «Same thing». A little snarky but whatever. And then she said she needed to check if our room was ready. At 7pm?! I would hope it was ready since we were checking in late. That rubbed me the wrong way at first but then she gave us our room cards and room # and sent us on our way.
We didn’t really get to stay too long once dropping off our luggage since we had dinner plans that night. However the next day my husband made a point of saying that he thinks we had a queen bed instead of a king bed (which we paid for). And this is after we had unpacked. And since we were already starting our day we decided to deal with it later since we didn’t want to have to wait around until a room with a king bed was ready. So that was another annoyance but not the end of the world. And fortunately we were able to switch rooms on the same floor later that evening with no issues.
For the most part the hotel is fairly nice and they did everything to accommodate us. They seem to have a lively night life in the bar/​lounge downstairs as there was always a big crowd whenever we walked through the lobby and the music was blasting. Our room was nice and had the essentials. They carry Bliss soap and shampoo products. The only things that I took issue with was the «free wifi». It’s not fair to advertise if the signal is terrible. Most of the time we couldn’t even get a signal. The walls are thin and you can hear every little noise outside but it’s NYC so I’m not surprised.
They do give you an option to go «green» by opting out of clean sheets/​towels every day and earning a $ 5 credit. Because we chose that option we had the choice of spending it on food/​drink in their snack bar downstairs or getting the Starwood hotel points.
I think we had a good experience overall. So if you are ok with being a little further out from the City, this is not a bad option.

Stayed here last month while in town for a Yankee game and some sightseeing. We were pleasantly surprised! Room was clean and comfy. Location was great.
Only negative I can say is that check out was slow. There was just one person working the front desk, just before check out time on a Saturday.

Just stayed here for the holiday weekend. There’s never anything wrong with staying in Harlem… so I love that there’s a cool clean option available.
It’s located a couple blocks from the most colorful block in Harlem…125^th which makes an adventure within reach. You can get to most trains, buses and cabs with just a few pace outside the door too. The rooms are small but that’s fully expected in NYC. It’s maintained well, the lobby is cute and they have a full bar downstairs.
It’s an affordable solid stay for a NYC getaway if you don’t mind being uptown and training/​cabbing it around. I’d stay here again.

Having stayed at a W Hotel, I would have preferred it to this. The rooms are nicely appointed. The bed was comfy.
Staff was slow in response time and you could feel the condescension in her tone when calling the front desk. Bathroom pocket door was hard to operate and dirty. How the heck do you control the hot and cold water? They lack in the complimentary toiletries. Two people cannot share 1 sample size lotion and 1 sample size soap. For +$ 289 we deserved better.
I don’t understand the concept of this hotel. No concierge, no bellman, and the lounge closes at midnight.

I love this place! Me and my husband went to NY for the first time. Stayed in this lovely hotel for 5 night. Staff was very friendly, rooms are just awesome! I like how modern they are. Love the fancy bathroom and we had cable flat screen. I would of gave them 5 stars but the room was so hot, every single night. They said the A/​C was not working due to them changing from hot to cold. Not an excuse to me, we were very uncomfortable through out the night.