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Hotel Chelsea
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Chelsea
222 W 23rd St
(between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-3700
222 W 23rd St
(between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-3700
- Nearest Transit:
-
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
23rd St-8th Ave (C, E)
23rd Street (PATH)
- Price Range:
-
$$
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"Highly HIGHLY recommended. The extreme makeover inside still has me smiling. What a great place to stay in NYC. The room may have been…" read more »
51 reviews for Hotel Chelsea
5 Stars for the history, all the sorted stories, all the crazy stories your friends had that you were never a part of.
4 Stars for the art in the hallways
3 Stars for the actual accommodations my friend who I was visiting was on the 3rd Floor in a room that had no bed bugs or syringes but I have stayed in Hampton Inns with a better view (however Dylan Thomas never lived there)
2 Stars for my friends story about a dude passed out in his own vomit in a hallway
1 Star for a sketchy story she has about her stay that she is way reluctant to even tell me.
The Chelsea has a long way to go before it is Chateau Marmont (which why does everything always have to get upgraded and be all bright and shiny all the time?) I kind of hope it stays middle of the road adequate and keeps the quirk.
The Chelsea did not disappoint - It's like an old age home for Studio 54 regulars. To describe it accurately is to imagine a long, rambling red brick building, built in Victorian Gothic, sort of like old Danvers State Hospital, with French Quarter-like wrought-iron balconies, some with hanging gardens.
I've always wanted to stay here since I was a young lad, watching a bootleg copy of SID AND NANCY on VHS, wearing a hand-me-down Sid and Nancy shirt that has since gone the way of the dodo - thanks Ma! I had two buddies coming in this weekend, back to back, and looking for an excuse to stay at the Chelsea, I checked the website, with such short notice and being a holiday weekend, I was able to find a room - I guess the UN envoys and US Open spectators aint banging down the door to stay at this locale, so it wasn't IMPOSSIBLE, as I've heard - this aint no Chateau Marmont, let's be real.
The Chelsea has its issues (it's not for everybody) - sure, some of the stained glass windows are broken and boarded up, the floorboards are warped in some areas and on the verge of collapsing in others, the corridors remind one of an old, Pre-Kirkbride design insane asylum ward, but the guest register reads like a Who's Who, an Almanach de Gotha, of La Boheme New York. It's the type of place where one expects to find a polo stick or cricket bat in a forgotten corner, an old copy of Valerie Solanas' SCUM Manifesto on the nightstand, or a dog-eared VOGUE magazine with Edie Sedgwick on the cover in the john, it's that FABULOUS.
The front desk people, upon check-in and check-out, were very polite. I took the stairs up to my room, on the ninth floor, to look at the artwork lining the stairs - and bumped into a few characters, who are works of art in their own right, along the way. Looking down the stairwell from the top is a bit trippy, with the skylight overheard, with the old fashioned balustrades and treads winding round and round like a Hitchcock film. There was a lingering whiff of the ganja on the second floor landing, but it may have been leftovers from the Hendrix Experience, who knows.
The only dick I encountered was a pretentious janitor or something, who thought I was a gatecrasher, was quite rude about it, but once I flashed the coveted room key at him he shut his mouth right quick.
My room was simple - high ceilings and a window with ZERO view, but who cares. I had my own bathroom - I could have opted for a cheaper room, but would have to share a bathroom, and knowing myself the morning after a heavy drinking marathon, I wouldn't wish that on Quadaffi - well, maybe. My room was cheap enough, anyway (under a buck fifty). There was a double bed, comfortable, with side tables and lamps, an armchair with a quilted design, an antique table with a carafe and glasses, and a tv that was never switched on. The patterned, parquet floor was scuffed and worn, the walls looked recently painted, and the drapes may or may not have had bloodstains on them - I curled my toes in delight, imagining what atrocities may have been committed in this room. It had the vibe of a room in the Cassavetes apartment in ROSEMARY's BABY.
The lobby was peopled with interesting types - grotesques, somewhat, whether it was three in the afternoon or three in the morning, people working diligently on lap-tops, or enjoying a quiet talk in a corner. Everyone was done up in some sort of get up - I was the only square in my Rugby jersey.
My advice: stay for a night, take the stairs up to your room for the first time, and down for the last time, linger over the artwork, explore the interior hallways, be respectful (people actually live here - sensitive artists, all) and make this your new favorite hotel in the Rotten Apple.
.
Get kicked out of the Chelsea.
Check.
Glad I can finally write that one off the list.
Actually, the story is less interesting than it ought to be. I need to make one up. Basically, I was trying to get in and snap a couple photos, you know, being an annoying tourist fuck. The nice people at the counter quickly escorted me out of the lobby, so I went around back and tried to follow some delivery guy looking types in. I got a few pictures off when I was spotted by one of the gentleman who has escorted me out, and this time was physically dragged out my the arm and shoved onto the street.
There, straightening my jacket, I met the ghost of Dylan Thomas and invited him the lunch...
I swear to God this is a real conversation I just had with my parents, who won't pick a time when they're coming to visit.
Me: so, kelly just pointed out a hotel and listed off some of the people who have stayed there over the years. i'm going to list them and you tell me how many you've heard of
Dad: OK
Me: Joni Mitchell
Dad: no
Me: Bob Dylan
Dad: no
Me: Alice Cooper
Dad: no
Me: Jimi Hendrix
Dad: no
Me: i win
Help me.
I didn't know Wahol shot "Chelsea Boys" here. I didn't know about the rock stars and writers that held residencies here. But I do now.
My man friend wanted to be spontaneous so at 4am we headed here to get a room. The couple behind us had the exact same idea.
The lobby and every floor has awesome modern art *almost felt like an alternative art space in a NYC public school rather than a hotel**
The room was large but the decor and bed was nothing special but balconies are always a PLUS and this room had one. Though it was so late we didn't use it.
If you're interested in NYC cultural history, you want a large room in a hip and centrally located area of the city, or it's 4am - this is your spot.
So initially I had booked a room at another hotel for my trip to Manhattan, but quickly cancelled that booking after reading absolutely dismal reviews on Yelp (like 1.5 stars). I then decided to pick a hotel based on best ratings on Yelp and a moderate price range. I'm VERY glad I found Hotel Chelsea.
I love that the hotel has all sorts of historical art significance, that's a plus for me because that sounds more fun than a pinky-up, snooty hotel with a costumed doorman. The location of the hotel itself is excellent, I believe I may stay there again on my next trip to Manhattan. If you're a big fan of stand-up comedy like I am, you will also be thrilled to hear that the hotel is directly next door to the Gotham comedy club from Comedy Central's "Live From Gotham."
I love that the lobby and every hallway is adorned with art, the likes of which you've probably never seen before.
My girlfriend and I got the room with the kitchenette, but I was surprised it had a stove and an oven but no microwave. The room itself was cozy and just spacious enough. My favorite perk was the full-length windows that you can open up and step out onto the balcony for a cigarette or a view of Chelsea.
The room was painted sort of strangely; it was both artistic and a bad call at the same time. Now, the one thing I wouldn't want to see in my hotel room (besides a used condom, which is why I cancelled my booking with that last hotel) is a huge, creepy bug. The walls were painted with a metallic green with colorful sillhoutettes of detailed insects all over it. I uploaded a picture of it.
At one point during our stay, we had the window slightly open behind the curtain and something flew inside. I don't know what the hell it was. It wasn't a locust, it wasn't a cockroach with wings... all I know is it was some huge, hard, ungodly six-legged beast from hell that made the room's temperature drop 20 degrees when it entered. I had to send my screaming girlfriend to the bathroom so I could take care of it (we have this agreement where I kill the six-leggers and she gets the eight-leggers). The fact that the bug flew in has nothing to do with the hotel, but let me tell you, that was the least comforting wall decor I could have asked for in that moment. Hitting the lights didn't help at all. We kept staring at each silhouette in terror, wondering which one we had just encountered.
Aside from that single dramatic experience, we loved the Hotel Chelsea. Very clean, very hip, great location, and very kind and helpful staff.
Do you like cool? Would you prefer character over opulent luxury? Interested in art and history? Don't care about staying at a name brand hotel?
Then Hotel Chelsea is for you. I know it certainly was for me.
The one bedroom I stayed in was the largest hotel room I have ever seen. The bedroom is the size of my studio, the living room (yes, living room!) is just as big as the bedroom and the bathroom is big enough for a party. All with a dining table, full kitchen and flat screen TV. I would live here if I could (I asked at the desk and they don't rent apartments anymore. Sigh.).
It's like Old Rock n Roll New York got high with Contemporary Artists and *thankfully* gave us Hotel Chelsea. It's inexpensive too! You simply MUST stay here.
This hotel was beautiful, artistic, old and creepy which is why I fell in love with this place.
It's located in a non-touristy neighborhood so bars, shops and locals were equally unique and hella cool. Yes, I said hella.
Our room was very large for a NY hotel room. I loved our shared balcony that overlooked the city streets. By the way, the shared balcony is a great way to meet your neighbors. (Make friends with your neighbors. They are less likely to give you the universal, "keep it down" pound on your wall later if you have a beer with them now. I'm just sayin'.)
And remember:
*Inexpensive room rates =
1. One roll of toilet paper per housekeeping visit. (So don't get drunk and run to the bathroom all night. Housekeeping hated the 4am , "May we please have more toilet paper?" call.)
2. There was no iron, blow dryer or extra towels in the room. So when you call housekeeping, ask for all of these together...oh and extra TP. (Sorry for being a pain in your ass housekeeping. At least we tipped well.)
3. Here's where the old and creepy but cool part comes in. Everything creaked and moaned when ANYONE in the hotel moved. The elevator was tiny and ready to bust a nut. The paintings on the walls were amazing but I swear were staring back at me...Haunted Mansion style. Oh and the best part, our balcony door was locked by a folded piece of paper shoved under the door. Talk about living on the edge.
Positive:
Close to 3 subway lines.
Down the street from big movie theatre.
Close to great restaurants.
Friendly concierge desk.
Inviting, homey atmostphere
Unique, historic place to stay.
Reasonable pricing.
Negative:
Misleading website.
Accommodations are slim.
More of a place to stay long-term than short-term.
I'll be back to the Hotel Chelsea because it's more of an experience to stay there than anything else.
This place certainly deserves two stars but the experience, uniqueness/oddness of the place gives it three stars for me.
Being surrounded by the artwork and history is so right.
Sleeping in a bed where you feel like you should keep your clothes on is soooooo wrong!
Don't let you parents, friends or family stay here.
The service here blows, but just knowing who has lived here and decorated the halls you walk through make this hotel a place to visit once and only once.
I am writing just in regards to the bar underneath.
I love this place with all the hot music and men running around but they need to install some AC up in her. It's way too hot which usually keeps me and the friends from staying longer and mingling.
Uhm... hello, it's the Hotel Chelsea! The number of great thinkers and artists, visionaries that have lived or just simply stayed here... that alone gives me sentiment to put just 3 stars but... you walk in to the small, warm colored lobby, decked out in art from various previous and current residents and... it doesn't end! Up and down the winding stairs, pieces of a creative past, finally landing on the 10th floor with the glass roof and the hanging plexi glass chips...
And, the room. We tried two rooms for two different nights. The standard $219 includes a tiny kitchenette and bathroom; our room at 317 was clean, it definitely came with charm, decked out in a sexy red and located right next to the famous hotel sign. That, combined with the hotel's great location, and easy access to various public transportation to explore the rest of NYC, made the experience just... perfect.
We later tried a $129 room, which has a shared bathroom. This room, located on the 9th floor, has dry, creaking puce colored wooden floors, and old fold out blinds that almost didn't close. The bathroom was just like the one we had had at the $219, just that it was outside of our room, somewhat like... you would like of a dormitory. To me, the room was very old but very charming, and for $129 split between two people, totally decent in price (again, can't beat the location!). Still very clean despite it's condition, and open to a great deal of spring light. I definitely appreciate the $219 more, but have no qualms with the $129 (though note, could see it not floating a good 50/50 people's boats).
I would definitely come back to the Chelsea again. I do hope that they don't continue to change management into something more cold and corporate, it's okay as it is but having heard the very personal experiences of those prior to Bard's forced departure, I hope one day the Chelsea will find it's NOT antiquated bohemian roots and return to those days where it was not the last hold out for all things surreal.
Sometimes things look kinda wrong, but feel so, so right. That's how I would sum up the Chelsea in one sentence.
If you're going to be troubled by a surly, old man checking you in and then handing you a (gasp!) actual KEY straight outta the Holiday Inn circa 1976, then this is not the place for you. If you're bothered by an ancient elevator so slow that your best bet is to climb 7 flights of stairs with your luggage in tow, then take a pass. If you're not into a floorplan of a building that is slightly reminiscent of a state mental institution (long corridors, double doors, lots of hallways) then go somewhere else. And if a room with peeling paint and the scent of the resident neighbor's weed and Nag Champa seeping through the ultra-thin walls isn't how you imagine yourself waking up in the am, then the answer is a resounding NO.
I, however, love that all of these things come together in the Hotel Chelsea. OK, technically, the room I stayed in was huge but was run down and ugly. But I had a balcony. And room to walk around. And a bathroom that didn't give me crabs. So I'm willing to overlook the things that would normally send me running down to the Hotel Gansevoort for the privilege to lay my head in a place that has history. Passion. And serious street cred (yes, I'll admit. I did feel slightly bad-ass rolling out of here with my trench coat and big morning after hangover sunglasses. So there).
Room 721, people. Dig it. And prepare for a contact high at least twice during your stay there. PS. No internet access in the room, much to my chagrin. You'll have to schlep down to the lobby for that.
This is now the only place in NYC I'll ever stay again.
Stayed here for a night with a few friends. Just to experience it. It's a lovely place with lots of history.
However, the guys at the front desks were enormous pricks, who took way too much pride in their job. One guy was bragging about how he was there for 15 years.
Yeah, I guess there's not much for your future if you're at the same place for 15 years. But he was there, it seemed, to protect the people who lived there. I guess I'd want a egotistical sloping forehead neanderthal protecting my home if I lived at this establishment.
At the end of the stay, and as someone who lives in Brooklyn, this wasn't the best idea we had when we wanted to spend a night in Manhattan. It was fun, and it's great if you're an art enthusiast. But man, those guys narcissists behind the desk really hurt the experience. I know they get all kinds of people throwing money at them all the time, and they could care less about my contribution to the payroll, but please, do not use vulgar language in the presence of my 47 year old lady friend. It's kinda tacky for a place of your establishment.
4 star price / 5 star experience
this is the place to stay when you visit manhatten
Headin' down to NYC to do stuff. Always wondered about this place, so I figured I'd give it a try. I booked me the "shared bathroom" room, which apparently means "don't be too picky."
My room (#928) had all the basic "requirements" - a bed, closet, tv, etc. The thing is though, it just seemed like the hotel gave up on this room. How much for an area rug, a new bedspread? A litle TLC (not the band, thank you) would've done a world of good.
Unlike other people, I had decent wifi, and the bed and linens though obviously old were definitely clean and comfy.
One oddity - the room was both hot and cold at the same time. There was definite heat going on, but there was a cold breeze too. Never figured that one out, 'cuz the window was definitely closed tight.
The shared bathroom was the same. It was very clean and functional, but the shower curtain had origins in the Carter administration. I'd donate the $5 for a new one...
The rest of the hotel and its inhabitants are off-kilter and cool. There's no denying the hotel's history and character, and the price was ok. And yeah, I felt kinda badass staying here.
Even though I was up on the 9th floor, I found myself taking the stairs to marvel at the art on walls. Dorky as it sounds, I kept thinking Dylan or someone was waiting around the corner. It's just that kind of place.
3 stars for now - more if the next visit (and nicer room) are definitely nicer.
The epitome of "Bohemian" from the nonchalance and informality of the staff to the haphazard decor and disheveled appearance; it's heyday passed many moons ago. Very photogenic place though, the walls ooze character. Admittedly there's a certain charm and allure in passing time in spaces that were once inhabited by such peculiar and famed patrons (Dylan Thomas, Edie Sedgwick, Ethan Hawke, Bob Dylan, Arthur C Clake). And good luck finding as interesting of lodgings in the city below the two hundred mark.
Sid killed Nancy in #100.
The tiles in the bathroom haven't seen a sponge in months. What am I complaining about though? Where would art be without filth?
I stayed here a couple of nights while visiting a friend. I tried a shared bathroom room (I go cheap when I travel alone) - I do not recommend it. It looks NOTHING like the pictures on the website.
I think you REALLY need to appreciate the hotel's history to enjoy staying here in a shared bathroom room. You also need to be there during Goldilocks weather - no air, no heat. The room looked clean, but it didn't feel clean. I don't mind that the building looks the same way it looked decades ago, but the rooms are quite bad. Same thing with the bathroom - it looked, but didn't feel, clean. The bath tub backed up with water - nasty.
On the positive side, there is free wifi in the lobby and the location is good. There were plenty of (good-looking, dressed to party) people out late at night and there is a type of swap meet that I guess sets up every so often on the same block as the hotel. There is a club below the hotel that seems to be hip but hard to get into. I wanted to check it out, but you need to sign up for the guest list and even then you might not get in.
I'd give it 1 star, even with the price I paid, but it looks like they have better rooms, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Go visit the Guru in room 724 - it might just change your life.
Do you ever take a step back from the humdrum of every day existence and ask yourself
"What moves me? "
As you keep asking youself this question you peel the layers of onion around your Self and you realize what you are most passionate about. Once you are lit by the fire of your passion, the questioning becomes deeper and you start asking
"Who is the mover?"
the inner recesses of your Self reveals itself and suddenly there are no longer any onion layers between you and the Godhead within.
Do the names Mark Twain or Tom Wolfe move you? What about Arthur Miller or O. Henry, do they energize in you dormant creative feelings? Maybe music was your thing, not the letters.
Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin or Madonna; do you feel your hungry spirit seeking to be expressed? Then, you must stay atleast once at the Chelsea Hotel since you will be able to tap into the same Bohemian energy which all the above artists have left behind in their extended stay in this hotel(and long term residence). Maybe such a fertile ground of inspiration will help sprout the seeds of creativity which lies dormant in you.
The hippie artist in me gives this place a full 5 stars. I love the history of musicians and writers that have stayed, lived and died here...
The first time I stayed here I mistakenly booked a room at another NEW hotel that goes by a similar name a block away that had such small rooms their was No floor space. And it definitely was not the Historic Chelsea Hotel I was wanting to stay in. Luckily we were able to check out of the "fake" Chelsea and check in to the real Hotel Chelsea.
The historic building architecture and art work is amazing. The check-in is straight out of the 70's I seriously felt like I was on an acid trip checking into this place. The guys behind the counter were super friendly joking that "Harold and Maude" would have to share a bed Then they wanting to show us our room via a scary old elevator... I chose the stairs that were actually very elegant up to our 4Th floor room...And the rooms are huge I am talking studio apartment as in kitchenette with black and white tile, sitting area overlooking the street huge by NY or Chicago standards. I lived in a studio apartment in Chicago that was smaller than this room. And the per night rate was less than 200.00 per night.
This place packs in the value. You can walk to Tramps - the reason we were in NY to see Willie Nelson in NY... Lots of diners that serve breakfast 24 7 and great take-out Delis all within walking distance...
I refuse to stay anywhere else when I visit NY..
Slice of life.
Like an old Rolling Stones '79 Concert T-shirt you just can't bring yourself to throw out. This place is beyond frayed at the seams, faded and way too tight for my "matured" body.
I know for $195 I could have booked a cleaner, newer and more comfortable room in NYC but then I would have missed the cool poetry scrawled in the drawers of the vintage high-boy. (see pictures) The art work hanging in the un-air conditioned halls and stair well is worth the seven story climb even with the crazy 102 degree summer heat.
The website pictures of the rooms are NOT anywhere close to what you actually get. Everything is tired and worn. Be prepared for a unique experience. The place is a mixed use building. I had a cracked out next door neighbor (long term resident) that left his door open all night. The smell of pee was a bit overwhelming.
Most of the time, only after a life changing concert can one really appreciate that old worn out t-shirt. I'm not sure I was that moved this time.
I stayed here for my well-deserved vacation, and fell so completely and madly in love with this gritty old world famous hotel that I had to write to recommend it. Yes, it's grimy. Yes, the paint is old. Yes, all the artwork is original, and the collection is extensive and diverse. The old Victorian building is exquisite, and the room I stayed in had a huge balcony, a kitchen, and a lot of square footage.
Rent a room, and ask for a balcony over 23rd St. It's more like an apartment than a room, and although expensive, really gives you the feeling that you have your own little apartment in New York while you visit. The history is famous, and check out the winding staircase all the way up to the skylite---really beautiful---the first flight of which is a very worn-down marble staircase making you think "Holy Shit, a lot of people have climbed those stairs!" Walk through the hallways and run your hand along those staircase railings, because you're touching what all those great artists and musicians touched...a pivotal and important landmark, and an amazing piece of history right in the middle of Manhattan. Go!!!
Had to happen. Yelp let me down.
Maybe the reviews I read just painted too rosy of a picture. But I wasn't amazed by the history. A few newspaper clippings behind glass and an excuse to not renovate does not a historic place make.
The wireless didn't go up to our rooms, strike one.
They only had one key, which is inconvenient if you're in a group and you want to split up, strike two.
It wasn't a historic room, it was a decrepit room, strike three. GTFO.
In addition, the concierges, while friendly, were abso-lutely useless. I tried to ask him where a good place to go for a few good beers was, he sends me to this trend expensive restaurant with a selection of 5 beers. Asshat. Next time just say "Sorry man, no idea"
I'll admit, the place had some good points. The room size was HUGE. I felt it was still a bit overpaid for, but hell, it's in a semi-decent area of NYC and fit 4 comfortably, so I'll live.
Having a balcony was great, I got to flash NYC in all my naked glory.
Having a complete kitchen could have been quite useful had I not been with other guys.
Otherwise though, I was very disappointed. The biggest plus this place has is the size of the rooms. Go here if you're in a big group of people. Otherwise, find somewhere else.
Everytime I go to NYC, I stay somewhere different. This time I found Hotel Chelsea. I think I'll just stick to Hotel Chelsea from now onwards.
My buddy and I booked a cheaper room with a shared bathroom. We expected to be given something not too disimilar to closet space. To our complete surprise, the room was huge with a large balcony overlooking 23rd Street, and gorgeous art deco furniture to admire. The hotel is rich with history and art, and some amazing tales of those legends who have resided here. Besides the hiccup of being locked inside our room for half an hour until the maintenance guy rocked up to release us.....I'd say that you grin and bare and enjoy the grittiness of this old majestic gem and try to be amused if your room door jams.
The next time I'm in NYC, I'll absolutely be staying at Hotel Chelsea again.
Unfortunately, I've never been fauxhemian enough to actually stay at the Hotel Chelsea. However, I do go there about once a week for work purposes, and I always seem to lose myself in the history of the place. There's something about all of the wrought iron and the kaleidoscopic way the art and the central staircase come together that makes you wish you were stumbling and spilling highballs with Tennessee Williams. Or something. Whenever I have time, I always make a point to meander through the hallways looking at the art. It's really a great place.
Hey! My first time there I saw Rufus Wainwright sashay through the lobby. And then I walked outside and almost directly into Mario Cantone. Boy looked like he needed some SUNSILK! And then I went to Cafe Grumpy and flirted with this cute guy who ended up being some priest or something. Sometimes my life is like literally totes rando.
Even if you don't see any celebs in the hotel, you'll probably run into an incredibly attractive European tourist or five.
like the song says: THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
same dirt, just gone from on the floor to how staff and old time residents are being treated. same rooms. no central air or heat. BUT also no more deals on rooms for residents or guests. HIGHER PRICES on all rooms wit da NEW MANAGEMENT.
the LONGER STORY:
http://www.huffingtonp...
and MORE RECENTLY:
http://legends.typepad...
best told by Leonard Cohen is the POETIC VERSION, a few lines:
I don't mean to suggest that I loved you the best,
I can't keep track of each fallen robin.
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,
that's all, I don't even think of you that often.
MY STAY
there was under the old management of Stanley Bard who truly radiated his name: He may not have made it a typical 5-star hotel as far as squeaky clean amenities, but he made it feel like home for resident artists and any guest with a poet's heart. You made a reservation and they had different deals for different rooms, especially if you were staying on a weekly or monthly basis. As a guest, you walked in, you got a key, when you left to go out for a bit, you left your key with the front desk till you returned. I always lose keys- so I felt taken care of.
As the linked story above will tell you, the place being "cleaned up" has sheared off some charm, value and affordability along with a thick yet essentially surface layer of dirt and disorder.
I stayed there twice with a good friend while we were at a dance workshop and a dance teacher training. We usually came home late and spent from intense dancing or sometimes literally spent from $hopping that only NY can make you wanna spring for. I was also going through a drawn-out separation from a love that nearly broke me dollars AND sense.
This bittersweet, spiral staircased, impossibly slow-elevatored, Art Deco hotel full of music, art, and to-the-death love hauntings was perfect for housing a couple of crayzee romantics. Our room was huge with two big ol Queen (o course!) beds, walls painted deep crimson and violet with a big window at the back skirted by a big velvet window seat, a window couch really. We read tarot cards there and peeked Hitchcock style at the checkerboard of lifestories in lit squares in our rear window. Right by the front door, we also had a kitchenette where we made tea and heated up leftovers from our Indian food outings around Manhattan.
Yeh, it was a little musty, smelled like an old hotel, sweaty dancewear, the lavender and rose oil we sprinkled on us in the morning and on our pillows at night, a slight dusting of curry and not least, a high thin perfumed note of hope that New York always squeaks out of me.
I wrote this poem one night, perched sleepless on the velvet window seat writing loveletters and then wadding them up like old kleenex:
Chelsea evening
I did not sleep there and it wasn't really a letter it was more of a sigh when I turned in bed and you were not ever anywhere near
that weary breath is crumpled and sails down your street a brave little tumbleweed of wanting
find it stop it read it
now
well, that was the poem and this is the review
Would I go now that the rooms are *clean* and cost up to three times as much?
I think I'll just miss what was and leave the old ghosts in their new palace. They need me. They don't need me. But if you've never stayed at the Chelsea a few ghosts might need you. at least for a night.
*sigh* I'm such a metapwhore.
I lived here for a year in 2001! Right next to the Chelsea Hotel sign. It was one crazy experience. Super haunted. Ethan and Uma lived on my floor.
If the rent was cheaper I'd moved back in a heartbeat!
Miss you Chelsea ` xox
This place was such a fun place to stay at. So my friend and I booked this place without lookin at reviews. So I didnt know what to expect. The whole hotel is ecletic and each floor has different fun art. Our room was real cute everything was a cool green color. The hotel is in a awesome location. I would def come back. Also I found out there is a cool salon on the 3rd floor!
The Chelsea is an old hotel. Famous artists have lived there, and a few have died there. As a piece of architecture, it is "nice".
You will walk by and think, "that is a nice old building, isn't it?" You will think about what it would be like to live there. You may think about names like Bukowski, Zimmerman, Thomas, Spungeon.
You will continue walking to wherever you are going. You will never stay there and you know it . But, even so, you will want the Chelsea to last, because it is old, because it has history, because it reminds you that New York was once a city different from the one you know now.
You will think about this for just a little while, and then...you will forget about it... until the next time you pass by.
Maintain a sense of humor and respect of history if you stay here! It's not about the decor or service. You are in the hallowed halls!
One of the funniest decorating details I ever saw in my life were the curtains in the room: Actual BED SHEETS Stapled to the windowframe!
this one's for you preeti!! because you read my reviews (yay!)
let me try to bring back saturday night... my birthday, we checked in at hotel chelsea, i wasn't too sure about it so i didn't make any reservations... because last year to avoid my crazy 'friend' we moved from the waldorf astoria to... well... less said about "broadway inn" the better!
since then, i follow a clear rule - always always always look at the room BEFORE you reserve anything! (or yelp it d'uh!)
1500hours - it's raining cats n dogs, my birthday is looking blue - so blue
1600 hours - i have a hair appointment - what in gods name do i do with a hair appointment and rain
1700 hours - flirt with hotel chelsea doorman - the world is starting to look a little better, i'm starting to feel a lot better...
1730 hours - check out all the suites, rooms, standards, deluxes, etc and settle for two rooms - both junior suites so that we can all play
my room looks like a rockstar... B's room is even better rock star looking...
1800 hours - rush out to get hair done and look glam like
1900 hours - hate hair hate rain hate birthday
2000 hours - in fabulous fabulous hotel room ... doorman who has worked in the building for donkey years is looking hotter and hotter... he looks drop dead gorgeous when he delivers champagne ... courtesy of B! (yay for fabulouso friends!)
2100 hours wasted on champagne .. and dancing in B's room to techno
2200 stoned
2300 trying to make my way to the park penthouse
2330 fought with friends who decided to live the rock star dream by ingesting too many drugs
2331 wishing my birthday was over
2400 birthday over - phew
slept the night - read morning - most comfortably imagining all the rock star hotness seeping in to me...
the room, well the room was fabulous... i would recommend it hands down! make sure u get pete to show you the room and please pretty please give him a kiss from me! tell him it was the birthday girl who invited him up after midnight but then totally flaked on him !
The only hotel I've ever stayed at where, when I stepped out of my room, the girl in the room opposite was hanging her laundry out to dry in the corridor.
I swear I saw Dee Dee Ramone in the lobby.
Eww gross. This place is always crawling with greasy looking duds outside when i walk by. What is the big flipping deal?
I saw Ethan Hawke walk out of there the other week looking like a damn wreck. Get a job and stop wearing green bandanas on your head you slut.
Human After All w4m - 20s
It was almost perfect. The sun wasn't out, the djs were great, Daft Punk was the dance party of our lives, and then it was just a block from the train to room 121 in the Hotel Chelsea. The headboards were cheap replacements, the walls yellow, and the balcony beckoned. My friends and I sipped our oh so classy Sutter Home white zin and they smoked their colored hipster cigs. That's when you trapsed up from an adjacent room window. And I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel, you were talking so brave and so sweet, giving me head on the unmade bed, while the limousines wait in the street.
We mocked the mediocre folk drawn to the club in the basement, danced to bass traveling up the walls, and then curled up under the covers. We didn't mind that the kitchenette mentioned by the old gent at the front desk was nonexistent. It didn't bother us a bit that there was no fridge. The ceilings were high, the weather was cool, and great characters were wandering around in all sorts of get-up for our entertainment.
It's a shame you never came out on the balcony, missed connection from room 122. It would have made the night complete. JayChan is probably right; without the religious concert experience the $209 might not have been worth it for the three of us sharing the room that night. But it's nice not to sleep in a sterile box anyway.
This place oozes history, at once literary and sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Not as wild as it used to be, perhaps, but still somewhat authentic.
I used to get my hair cut there at the salon on the 2nd or 3rd floor. One time I was there, I was wandering down the hallway, having forgotten where the salon was (because the door looks like that of every other room, pretty much, and I always got the feeling that I was about to burst open the wrong door and interrupt someone shooting up/having sex/playing guitar) and someone asked me if I was there for the photo shoot.
I paused.
Alas, I am an honest girl at heart. And I was late for my haircut. Moments I would like to replay in my life just to see what would happen #279 .....
It's that kind of place.
As an avid fan of old buildings with character, The Hotel Chelsea was one I've been interested in exploring for quite a while. I got a chance to stay there this past week when I had to get to NY last minute for some transitional business crap.
The Hotel Chelsea is famous for attracting artists and musician residents and guests over the years. Sid apparently killed Nancy at the Hotel Chelsea. There is a ton of great eclectic art covering every bit of wall space and the building itself is a unique piece of art. The stairwell particularly fascinated me: I was on the 9th floor so I walked down the 9 flights a few times during my stay. On my way down I noticed that there were actually residents in apartments, that it was not solely a hotel. Some of these people were pretty long in the tooth and it seemed to me that they likely had been living in the hotel for a great number of years. I asked the front desk guy about apartments and he said when people finally move out or die, their rooms become for rent as part of the hotel. I read that 3/5ths of the 54 rooms are residential! On check out day, I sat in the lobby waiting to rendezvous with a friend and I got to listen to some of the resident banter that was intriguing. The neighborhood Chelsea was the old theater district and the building built in 1883 was originally an apartment coop. Upon google searching the Hotel Chelsea it seems there is quite a bit of controversy about the hotel and how it's run and who should or shouldn't be living in it.
According to Wikipedia:
"In 1905, the building was purchased and opened as a hotel. Since 1946, the hotel has been managed by the Bard family, and until recently was run by 72-year-old Stanley Bard who took over as managing director from his father in 1955. On June 18, 2007, the hotel's board of directors ousted Bard as the hotel's manager. Marlene Krauss, a doctor who is the chief executive of KBL Healthcare Ventures, and David Elder, one of the heirs of an original owner who lives in California, replaced Stanley Bard with management company BD Hotels NY, L.L.C., who have since been terminated. Residents are fighting to return the Bards, as managers and majority shareholders, to the Chelsea Hotel and have mounted a campaign of banners, art pranks and other protests toward this end."
There was apparently some major scuffle-age at this past May's art opening in the Hotel Chelsea's ballroom where there was an event celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Hotel Chelsea where the residents staged a series of protest and pranks.
Anyway...my room was spacious and clean and the bed was SUPER comfortable. Maybe too comfortable, I slept like a baby for the most part. Big bathtub, big desk, great chair in front of the window with a city view and reasonably priced for NYC standards. It was fun exploring a new hood, I'm usually in the lower east side and Chelsea and mid town were a nice and welcome change.
I'm sure there are books out there to be bought and read about Hotel Chelsea and I hear there is a great documentary out there now that I'll check into. I'm excited to learn more...
Meanwhile...I recommend you check this one out!
It's a pricey place for what they offer. Rooms are big, but rundown, first room they gave me was horrible, after some complain they gave me another one, which was somewhat better. At above US$200/night you expect way better rooms/bathrooms. The bed though is good, with clean linens. People at the front desk are not very nice either. I moved to another hotel.
It has a lot of history, but it's not keeping up.
Saw Ethan Hawke with his sunken cheekbones and boho goatee hanging out in front of our room, shooting film. I understand his love of the place. It's more of a large guesthouse, with strollers and shopping carts strewn around the upper floors, and occasional snatches of conversation and cooking wafting through the walls. The central winding staircase and the oil paintings that cover every inch of wallspace give it a wonderful haunted feeling. That, and the crabby guys who work behind the desk, make the Chelsea the most character-laden hotel in the City.
As for the nitty gritty: you get a scuffed room, a tiny fridge, and, unlike many other hotels, plenty of space. The bathroom looked new -- so new that it suddenly feels like you've been transported to a Holiday Inn Express. But I loved the old time shuttered windows. The best place is the foyer, where you can sit an old pink stuffed chair, tap into their wireless and watch the interesting denizens of the hotel rise and the guests check in under the oil paintings.
bell hop: "i'll show you to your room"
me (mouthing to bf): "i don't have any small bills for tip"
bf (mouthing to me): "neither do i..."
bell hop: "hmmm i'm not sure where your room is... oh, here we go... i've never seen this room before... hmmm... (pushing open door)..."
me+bf (both mouthing): "never mind about the tip"
in short... our room was icky-dirty, looked nothing like any of the pics... history is cool, but would spring for a sweet next time or not stay here at all.
