Hotel QT

Although Hotel QT was great in terms of location and comfortableness, I was misled about the pricing and shocked to find out that I was double charged from what two different hotel attendants told my friend and I we would be charged. Upon checkout, we were hit with a bill that was definitely consumer unfriendly. No help from the support staff on this matter either.

I was looking at what appeared to be a night club called the QT. My hotel was Hotel QT and it shared the same address with the place in front of me, yet I could not be sure that they were one in the same.

I walked in, hesitantly, expecting to be in the wrong place. The entrance area was a dimly lit and techno music was beating towards me from off in the distance. Straight ahead I saw a pool with a bar and people dancing to the music of a live DJ. So it was a night club. I was ready to leave when I noticed elevators off to the side and a luggage cart nearby. Was this a hotel? My hotel? It was.

The room was equally amazing. It was mMore of a loft than a room. Platform beds, an iPod docking station with speakers, flat panel TV on the wall, ultra modern design. My girlfriend asked me what I thought of the place, I told her it was the kind of place I would go if I was in a alternative rock band and I needed somewhere to party my ass off and feel special. Unfortunately, I was here for work.

The only downside is they do not have a rewards program, so for frequent travelers like myself, it adds up. They do have free wireless internet, which rocks, because I often stayed at the Sheraton (which is a 4 star hotel) and they charge extra for this.

The hotel has a good location. It has small rooms, but they have an excellent use of space. I liked the cool pool, especially at night when it opened up to the bar. They served a good breakfast. I loved the free wi-fi internet connection.

So this was my first test with the rising genre of hotels labeled "shabby chic." I used to live in New York, so I know there are cool places to stay that would have some style, but didn't want to get jammed with a big bill. I loved Hotel QT and would gladly tell others to stay there. Imagine a modern hotel that is half the price of all the other swank boutiques in Manhattan. The rooms have a flat screen TV and the hotel also has a small pool that is open 24 hours. Even the pool was swanky in this place.

For me, the only downside was location. It's in mid-town. That's great if you are in town for shows or work, but for me it just meant extra time spent in cabs to head down to the night scene on the lower east side. Of course, the money I saved more than paid for the cabs.