Riff Chelsea

This place gets no stars, it’s a total dump. I stayed here with a friend and it was the worst hotel experience of my life. The staff is so rude and unprofessional. They were overbooked and put us in this creepy hostel room. The carpets were stained with God knows what. The bed linens were even worse body fluid stains, they made my skin crawl. Their bathrooms look like a scene out of a horror movie, so filthy. We had absolutely no heat in our room on a day that was below 20 degrees, it was unlivable. We had to sleep in our hats and coats because the staff did nothing to help us. They gave space heaters to every other room with the exception of ours. Their employee Robert was the worst!!! He is the rudest hospitality person I’ve ever encountered. Who trains the people who work here?? What kind of establishment is this !!! OSHA should shut this place down, violation upon violation. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else.

I booked this place last minute and was pleasantly surprised at how awesome it was for the price. It’s in a perfect location, right by penn station, and the place was immaculate. It wasn’t a fancy 5 star hotel but it was adorable, the rooms were really cool and cozy and very clean. The staff was SO nice and helpful, I will definitely be staying here again!

So I booked this place without looking at the reviews, and when I did look at the reviews, needless to say I was pretty nervous about it.
HOWEVER, for the price I paid for the room, my boyfriend and I found it to be a great place to sleep at night. I paid a bit extra for a private room with our own bathroom. Everything was clean and set up nicely. The bed was comfortable and freshly made. The bathroom was clean, and soap/​shampoo/​lotion/​conditioner were provided. I feel like the negative reviews concerning the bathrooms were mostly given by people who shared them with others.
The location is really great. It’s close to Penn Station, just a small walk from Times Square, and really central to most things that you’d want to do during your time in NYC. You can even hit up the Empire State Building — very close! Additionally, the Riff provides free WiFi and complementary coffee/​tea in the morning. And although my boyfriend and I didn’t use it, they even have some old-​school board games that you can borrow for free.
You do have to walk up stairs to get to your room — there are no elevators. But it’s really not that difficult. It can be slightly loud but again, you’re right near a lot of the action so it’s really not a big deal. The TV doesn’t have super many channels but if you’re not spending a lot of time in the hotel, you shouldn’t worry about it.
My 3-​stars come from the fact that a) the staff were not the friendliest people, b) there was a $ 100 security deposit that I wasn’t told about until I arrived, and c) they were doing construction or something right outside/​next to my room that was extremely noisy and I wish I had been told about beforehand. I didn’t necessarily have a problem with the security deposit; I understand why it’s done. But I wish that I had known beforehand so I could have budgeted a bit better and made sure I had the right amount of money in my bank account. The construction I would understand if I had been told about it — I can deal with the noise outside of the room from cabs and city noise, but when they are doing work right outside my door early in the morning, it would have been nice to know so I could have bought earplugs or something. As for the staff, they were kind of distant. I don’t think they even smiled during check-​in or check-​out. A little smile would have been nice.
But overall, this was a good budget hotel to stay in while my boyfriend and I were exploring the city, and I would stay again.

My room isn’t clean, the shower is broken, there are stains on the towels and on the sheets.
This is absolutely not acceptable.

Stayed here for two dreadful nights in July. Rented a room with shared bath to save money… It was a closet. No sink. Not enough room to even put a suitcase on the floor. Common areas including bathrooms were disgustingly dirty. No paper in bathroom for two days. Staff was absolutely uninterested in dealing with any issues. They admitted that the common areas were simply not being cleaned. This was the worst place — even for the money. Don’t let this be your experience of NYC. You can do much better — even on an extreme budget. This management of this place should be ashamed of themselves.

If I could have given 0 stars I would!
Checked in today and the shower isn’t working at all, no water… I know, it’s hard to believe but that’s the case. After talking to the «manager» he says that they can fix it only in the morning because the maintenance guys are gone! Seriously!!! And I’m supposed to pay 280 $ for a night without being able to take a shower?! They have no rooms available to change…
BE AWARE!!!

We had a good stay. Get the upgrade to get your own bathroom. It’s worth it. There was no refrigerator and no vending machines. The beds are super cozy and the AC was working very well. I like the location, too. I like the Riff. I’d stay there again.

I was very disappointed in the new Riff hotel in Chelsea. I suggested it to friends and will never do so again. They actually had a mouse in their room! Yes, they are doing construction but MOVE your guests to another room! Management handled the situation so unprofessionally, it was astounding. Too bad!

Do NOT stay here. We checked in earlier in the day, came back to our room later that evening to find someone sleeping in the bed. Told the manager and he asked «Was she hot…» True story. Disgusting accommodations and a trashy staff.

Two words: shared bathrooms. You don’t even get the luxury of having your own mirror in the room. Instead, I found myself having to share one toilet (that didn’t have toilet paper) and one shower (that didn’t have soap) with the entire floor. It was like I was back in my dorm room. There were stains on the carpet in the room, which was barely large enough to fit the two beds.
The only reason this place is getting 2 stars is because it has free wifi and complementary coffee in the morning. Will not be returning.

I booked my trip to NYC online. I read all the reviews for Riff Hotel (formerly Chelsea Star hotel) and they all seemed super negative. I checked out the photos and it looked like a super cool place so I booked.
This place is the coolest!!! I got a super amazing rate for my 3 night stay and the location is AWESOME and in New York location is everything!!! I don’t think I could have been any happier anywhere else. I loved everything about this place. The beds were super comfy and the room was clean. Front desk guys/​chicks were absolutely helpful! STAY HERE! Next to Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Harold Square, 34^th st Macy’s, Empire State Building is just a bit down the road and so is the High Line. Subway was ½ block away. Awesome pubs & pizza on same block!