Hotels to Avoid: Kimpton Hotel Eventi, New York City

HIGHLIGHTS: Kimpton Hotel Eventi, New York City

Highlights include the look and feel of the hotel and room – with its classy, intimate, and modern look, I really felt comfortable. Unfortunately, the actual hotel experience left much to be desired, with my room not being ready, even at nearly 6pm, standing there at check-in waiting for my room to be completed as the check-in agent looked frustrated as others would not pick up their phones. Food option was utterly disappointing, but I suppose this is what I get for going to a non-Marriott, non-Hilton property.

My standard hotel reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.

• Highlights
• Lobby
• Room
• Hotel Space / Ambiance
• Food & Drink
• Fitness
• Miscellaneous

LOBBY & CHECK-IN

Kimpton Hotel Eventi is located in Manhattan on 30^th and 6^th, so enter on 6^th ave, through the large double doors. Check-in is on the left. As mentioned, I arrived at nearly 6pm and my room was not ready, nor could they immediately tell me how long it would be. At check-in, with IHG Platinum they were not able to offer me anything in terms of benefits. I was afforded 600 points or the $15 Raid the Bar Kimpton credit, of which I took the points. They did apologize for the delay and give me the Raid the Bar credit anyway – but it was only valid on the in-suite minibar, not for any bar or restaurant drinks. Additionally, there was no breakfast offered.

Standing there, nearly 6pm, waiting for a room for a while without getting any answers, was an annoying experience. If they can’t manage something this simple, why give them your money?

Elevators were malfunctioning and slow as hell – I would randomly stop on a floor even if I didn’t select it, and nobody was on that floor either going in any direction. Not ideal.

ROOM

This room was a basic King room, decently large with a separate desk and living space. Note that the desk area was very shallow, with plug space hidden by a neat cover. The mini-bar was pricey (as expected) and is based on the honor system, rather than magnetics. I chose the corkscrew ($12) since that was the only item of interest and under the $15 limit.

I really enjoyed the bathroom – clean tile and marble, separate semi-enclosed toilet area. Certainly would love to have a bathroom set up like that in my forever home. Their shower rubbed me the wrong way slightly though, as it was an open concept – without a screen to keep the water inside, something I’m always very concerned about. Unfortunately I also flushed a contact down the sink – something I should be better about given the frequency it occurs.

HOTEL SPACE / AMBIANCE

This place was packed with both business travelers bustling about and others enjoying the bars and restaurant attached to the hotel. I saw a wedding party of some sort exit the elevators as well.

FOOD & DRINK

I thought about delivery, but ran out of time as I was only in for the one night and had plenty of work to occupy my time. I refused (on principle) to pay the exorbitant delivery fees asked of Caviar and Ubereats and the like, so I called in a take out order from L’Amico for a Soppressata Piccante pizza ($21). They said it would be ready in 20 minutes and I picked it up in a large paper bag.

However, the size of the bag belied the size of the maybe 10 inch pizza. This pizza was completely disappointing, especially given the $25 price I paid after tip. When I called I asked for which pizza has the most meat, and they referred me to the Soppressata Piccante pizza. Clearly, it did not have much meat at all, and the crust was burnt in multiple places that I just did not eat. Definitely would not recommend.

FITNESS

They did advertise in the room about Peloton bikes in the fitness center – something I’ve been meaning to try. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to squeeze in a workout during this super fast business trip.

MISCELLANEOUS

While I was having a poor experience, the look of the room was quite appealing, perhaps its only redeeming factor. I would not recommend this to anybody else, and certainly have learned a lesson about exploration and trying hotels outside my comfort zone and preferred chains. It is close to Koreatown so I was able to enjoy myself at some of my favorite spots like BCD Tofu and the Kung Fu Tea, neither of which are available in the Bay Area. Hotel Eventi didn’t work well for me, but maybe it will for you!

Also – I want to warn readers about Sabai Thai. I ordered an average noodle and Thai Tea, paid, and left. Only upon checking my statement and filing expenses did I notice they overcharged me by giving themselves a 31% tip. I promptly filed a complaint with my credit card issue and notified the merchant directly. They said they’d speak with the employee responsible, but I expect when they steal from a guest for them to be terminated. No idea how they got a weird charge (ending in .48) when I always round to the dollar. I blasted them on yelp and they issued me a refund of the overcharge so I consider it settled, but what a frustrating experience. Always take a photo of receipts!

Featured Image of hotel bar from Hotel site. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which, should you click through and/or make a purchase, grant me a commission. Also, I only post in the best interest of my readers. Lastly, thank you for supporting my blog and my travels. 

What do you think of my writing? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments, or reach me directly at TheHotelion@gmail.com! Like my posts? See more here, on TravelUpdate! Follow me on Facebook (The Hotelion) or on Twitter and Instagram: @TheHotelion