The Benjamin

The Benjamin is an excellent hotel with a polite and attentive staff & a great location. You can walk to so many nearby sites. Very comfortable rooms including good beds and linens. It was quiet, which is especially important in NYC, and clean. The National restaurant /​bar inside the hotel was also good and a convenient option. In addition, it wss quite a value as well as there are very good rates available. We booked directly with the hotel’s website. We travel a lot and regularly stay at very nice hotels — the Benjamin is one of those fine hotels which we will definitely stay at again on our next trip to NYC. Highly recommended.

I will never stay anywhere else in NY. The Benjamin is top notch. From the employees to the immaculate room and amenities, to The National restaurant, our every need is catered to. Highly recommend!

My family of five (kids ages 14, 11 and 10) spent Christmas Eve night at this hotel. The staff was excellent! They were very attentive, courteous and friendly. Though check in was at 3pm, they let us into the room around noonish. We had a room with 2 queen size beds and the hotel provided us with a rollaway bed. The location was nice and quiet. We had breakfast at a luncheonette a few doors over which opened at 6am (on Christmas Day), which was great because we’re early birds. The reason I gave it 4 stars was the rug and bathroom. The rug was outdated and a bit stained. The bathroom should’ve had a fan due to 5 people taking showers one right after another.

I recently visited the hotel on business and stayed in one of their smaller rooms (Queen-​sized beds). The room was absolutely perfect, with everything cleaned and refreshed wonderfully on a daily basis. The pillow-​thing is a bit overrated — the front desk failed to mention the options when I checked in but I asked based on having read other reviews. That said, I DID love the ones I selected! I absolutely LOVED the spa-​style bath (see pix). Yes, the mini-​bar is expensive, but a half-​block away is a beverage store where you can buy your own ‘refreshments’ and bring them back to place in the fridge ;) The points at the big brand hotels in the area simply are not worth it because their quality DEFINITELY does not compare to The Benjamin. I stayed at the Doubletree Metro several weeks prior to this trip and it was TERRIBLE. Their staff were great but the condition of the hotel, combined with the daily room cleaning service was meh… Looking forward to my next stay at the Ben!

The pictures on line are deceiving. It’s old. Yucky wallpaper. The carpet has more stains than something from a 1970s basement. The bed is old. Honestly it’s worse than a motel 6. I’d leave tonight if I could. Hate it. Old tub and shower. Carpet is dirty. Just doesn’t seem updated at all. And the ac is loud!!! Ugh. Stay at the W. Same price. Nicer. Much nicer. Old. Yucky. Not impressed. Pictures are inaccurate. Disappointed.

We travel way too much. We are picky to say the least. Our preferred brands are Marriott, Ritz and Four Seasons. So this was a last minute experiment.
The hotel was featured on a news program last Tuesday night I think. They were featured due to the fact that they had a sleep concierge and a pillow menu. We thought this was cool and were going to a show on Saturday night so lets try it. I was actually surprised we could get a room on such short notice being on national TV like that. But we got a really nice room. A suite and by NYC standards I’d say a decent size.
Master BR King very comfy. Full large bath with a lighted mirror my wife loved. Full living room with large sitting are a and a desk to work at. It also had an alcove kitchenette. Large fridge, microwave plates, cups, utensils. The fridge had a mini bar built in. Two large closets. Two flat screen TV’s.
Valet parking was $ 55 per night. Room was just under $ 500. Yes expensive but very very nice. Great service. Ask for ice and it’s at your door in less than 5 minutes. Room service for breakfast in less than 20 minutes.
You have to pay for WI-​FI and its $ 24.95 per day for up to 4 devices!
Great location too! We’ll be back

I came to NY this week for a business trip and stayed at The Benjamin Hotel for the first time. Very nice hotel, very clean, spacious rooms with small kitchen area included. The staff was very nice and helpful. The bell guys are super friendly. Room service was quick. I’ll be back again soon and highly recommend this hotel.

I mean it’s an ok hotel, but it’s not a five star hotel. I’ve stayed at five star hotels before and this one wasn’t even close.
The only thing that I liked were the beds– very comfortable.
+beds
–location (prepare yourself for long periods walks)
–cleanliness (there were lots of black hair on the bathtub and bathroom walls)
–staff
–no free wifi in the rooms
–price (we paid almost 500 cad for 1 night which is ridiculous)

A family member recommended The Benjamin, so we stayed there on our recent trip to NYC. The location is great (right across the street from the Waldorf Astoria and within walking distance of several of the main NYC tourist attractions, plus the subway station and Grand Central are really close). The people on the staff are super friendly and efficient and will definitely go out of their way to be helpful.
We had one of their small rooms. Yes, it was definitely small. But the bed and pillows were really comfortable and we could adjust the thermostat any way we wanted. The closet was just the right size for what we brought and oh, thank goodness, there were plenty of electrical outlets.
The main reasons why I don’t give them five stars: If you want wifi in your room it’s $ 15/​day. If you want free wifi you sit in the lobby. The bathroom light was blindingly bright, which is good if you’re fixing your face but bad news indeed for a 3am bathroom break. The toilet flushes with a noise like it needs to launch water to the moon (yeah, don’t do that on a 3am bathroom break either). And the prices of all the «amenities» in the room (water, fridge, munchies, etc) were outrageous across the board. Fortunately there is a drugstore right around the corner that can supply any «amenities» you might want.
All in all we enjoyed our stay at the Benjamin and we do recommend it for anyone who wants a great location at NOT Waldorf prices.

We recently decided to take a 2 day getaway in the city. After much searching and review reading, we decided to stay at the Benjamin on 50^th and Lexington.
I’ve often found Manhattan hotels to be a bit disappointing. For all the money you need to spend, you often wind up with some combination of; cramped rooms, outdated furnishings, bad beds, poor views, and subpar service. However, our stay at the Benjamin has shown us that you can get all the services and facilities you’d expect to receive at this class of hotel and not have to pay a fortune to get it.
Our 1 bedroom suite was $ 299 and came with a great balcony and view, a small kitchenonette, and separate living room. Bed quality was terrific and the place looked great, really modern and fresh. The service was also consistently solid, be it the valet parking, room service or check in staff. Each employee we had interactions with was delightful to deal with.
While the Benjamin is far form the best hotel I’ve stayed in, its definitely the best NY hotel I’ve stayed in. Five stars from me.

Suffered for four nights in that it was a Priceline Prepaid reservation
This hotel is a horror. Rooms no bigger than a postage stamp; miserable elevator service; huge dog barking all afternoon (room 1608, that the front desk was aware of); a closet (22“x48″) that was a tiny cabinet over the refrigerator that could not accommodate the length of my suit much less coat; filthy dirty carpeting; locked soap and shampoo over four feet above tub. Room service charged over $ 45 for bacon and eggs with coffee for one.
This place is a dump!

Very charming hotel! I thought the service was good and everything else was on par but my strange experience in another hotel made me realize how great the Benjamin actually was. The location is great because it is close to a lot of things but not too noisy or crowded at all. I will be coming back for sure.

Upon arriving to The Benjamin Hotel, I was greeted by Muhammad the lovely concierge. He happily welcomed me back and swiftly took my bags and made sure my car was taken care of. Okay — seriously… I have never and I mean ever experienced such care at a hotel in the USA. I am American and I travel extensively and have had beautiful experiences abroad with hotels, but never here. This was a first for me.
Muhammad, because of you, I will definitely make The Benjamin my choice for my NYC visits.
We did receive a complimentary upgrade to a suite which was glorious. The views spectacular and the little balcony simply made me smile. Room service excellent, though they really need to get a better cappuccino machine, but other than my cappuccino in the morning — no complaints.
Julie

I was unable to get the room I wanted at the four season and needed a large pet friendly suite. The reservations person while letting down softly said I should give The Benjamin a call.
I did, and I could not be happier!!!
It’s not the four seasons and there are small inconsequential things one could whine about, but I will not. I will only rave about the insane one bedroom penthouse suite with private balcony. The complimentary bottle of champagne on ice was just the topping on the cake.
Thank your guy for a wonderful weekend and I promise this is my new New York hotel.
(I recommend room 2601 if possible)

Benjamin has a unique and memorable style. Unlike many popular, upscale, modern hotels, Benjamin has a more contemporary, historic, quaint style in its decors, carpet patterns, lights, and door designs. I enjoyed the different yet comfortable ambiance!
Also, the room was very clean, comfortable, and spacious! I only stayed for a night, and I was very well-​rested. It was conveniently located by a subway station and closely by 5^th avenue (SHOPPING) and Grand Central! It offered a pretty night view of the brightly lit city, but the curtains got stuck the next day when we tried to open the blinds.
By the way, their breakfast ends at 11am and has a transition break to lunch between 11 and 12pm (just an FYI, if you want breakfast here!). We checked out too late and missed their breakfast, so we went out for breakfast instead, which wasn’t bad at all because NYC has so many delicious spots for breakfast and brunch!
Great location, great ambiance, great hotel!

There definitely is some of the old NYC charm when you first walk through the glass doors leading into the main floor desk. The staff is very friendly and answer your questions and help you check-​in/​out smoothly.
But you’re paying for the location and really that’s most of it. Everything from the front lobby, the elevators, the hallways, the room, the bathroom is smaller than what you’re probably used to paying at these prices (unless you’re from NYC, Tokyo, or Seoul) and the amenities are nothing outside the norm.
Assuming you’re coming to NYC (as a visitor) to see the city, and you don’t have a car (or parked it in the lot), and don’t want to commute in, then this location is pretty good. It’s about a 15 min walk to Time Square, a block or two away from the subway, and close to Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, shopping, sites, etc.
If you’re flying in, then this is not close to the airport so expect quite a long ride to get to this location by car if you’re cabbing it.
If you want to save money or want a bigger room and don’t mind exploring a bit of the subway system yet by close enough to see the city, I’d suggest finding a hotel in the Jersey City area (north Jersey) and taking Path into NYC (30 – 40 min ride).

This review is for the staff and their friendly service but I did not stay here and cannot speak for the facilities.
I was walking by and wanted to take a picture next to their sign. The doorman spotted me and handed me an umbrella to go along with my «Benjamin» themed picture and told me to keep it as a souvenir. What a treat!

Stayed in a queen room in mid August.
Check-​in process was smooth, however, the Rooms bathroom is quite small, especially the shower! It’s not tall enough for people above 6 foot!
Other than that… Great stay overall!

Love this hotel! Located in midtown with public transportation all around.
The Benjamin Suite is amazing. I could definitely see myself living here forever (if only ^_​^). The terrace and patios in the room were stunning. The view and height of the city was really captivating. I can stay out there all day. The en-​suite bathroom were spacious and modern. I really like the kitchen (albeit small) — it has all the amenities you need. Downstairs you have famous The National Restaurant by Geoffrey Zakarian. Love the little bites that I had and amazing drinks.
And also the lobby is stunning!

Drawn in by the «pillow menu,» I booked a stay at The Benjamin last month. Given its reputation and price point I was expecting quality, but the overall experience surpassed my high expectations. I have stayed in several high-​quality Midtown hotels, usually comped by the company I work for– but none have been quite this great. From the moment I walked in– the inner door swings open as you approach– I felt welcomed. The desk staff was friendly and helpful, and the room I received– just exceptional.
I had booked a one-​bedroom suite, but given that this is Manhattan I was not expecting it to be very large. Instead, the room was bigger than my aunt’s NYC apartment (see photos!) and even had a little kitchenette with a fridge– I mean an EMPTY one that I could actually put things in (and did). The king-​sized bed was extremely comfortable– especially with those special pillows– and they even think of special details like a comfy afghan, extra outlets in convenient places, and a robe that felt brand-​new. The rooms are modern but «warm» and very new-​looking– and *clean*. (I am really uptight about bathroom and bed cleanliness in hotels and am rarely 100% happy, but in this case I was.) Note: ask for a street view (which is what I got). They told me some of the rooms face an air shaft, and the view is really nice so I was glad I got one that didn’t.
The rest of the hotel has a really nice, non-​corporate, «old New York» luxury feel. I liked that aspect of it MUCH better than any of the cookie-​cutter Marriotts etc. In terms of convenience, the location is excellent– a subway station is within two blocks, and there’s a Duane Reade pharmacy/​convenience store around the corner and lots of great restaurant choices nearby. I walked there from Penn Station.
I will definitely stay there again. It was a fantastic stay. Also, I had thought the one-​bedroom suite was going to be a onetime indulgence, but I am really tempted to go that route next time as well. How many times do you end a trip feeling like you didn’t get to spend enough time in your hotel room?!