Hotel Giraffe

One area of expertise I lack sorely in is hotels in NYC. Any long time resident will have a tough time recommending places to stay that don’t break the bank or are the size of a shoebox. I do know this: I would recommend anyone with a decent budget to give Hotel Giraffe a try. Nestled on a quiet corner of Park Ave near the Flatiron /​Murray Hill, it is an ideal hotel destination without the stuffiness of Midtown East or saturation of tourist central.
My balcony room was surprisingly spacious and comfortable. While I was on a higher floor (and thus, didn’t hear the sirens /​construction noise), I reveled in my cool balcony space and super clean bathroom. These boutique hotel rooms feel pseudo luxurious, complete with quality amenities in and out of the room and even turn down service. The bed was equally fabulous, I had no problems getting a good night’s rest.
The complimentary breakfast in the lobby is on the lighter side, featuring a variety of pastries, cereal, fruits, and cheeses. There is also a happy hour in the same space which includes house wine, champagne, and more cheese. Gym rats will receive passes to any New York Sports Club in Manhattan (though the closest one is on 23^rd & Park:
) and if the weather is good, don’t forget about the rooftop. Nothing is more New York than spending some time admiring our endless skyline.
The real winner is the service. I never had a problem getting what I needed from the front desk and their doormen are a courteous bunch. They’re quick to help with luggage and are superb at hailing a cab for anyone who needs it. If you care about the proximity to awesome businesses and can afford a sub $ 200 a night hotel room, look no further than Hotel Giraffe.

This hotel is great: wonderful service, a good price, clean spacious rooms, a free continental breakfast in the morning, free coffee all day, and free evening wine and cheese. It could use a makeover, because the finishings all feel very 1991. But I’d rather have the place feel slightly out of date and keep the prices low.

:)
Stayed here for one night for an evening of quiet sleep after being verbally accosted by my roommate.
Room was super super quiet for Manhattan and that’s that.
: (
Bar closes too early.

I went here for my friends 25^th birthday drinks with a big group on Wednesday night at 7pm. She had reserved a spot on the rooftop ahead of time since we had a large party.
I would definitely recommend coming here if you are looking for a rooftop spot for a big group. There was enough room for everyone on comfy cushioned furniture with tables to place food or drinks. The rooftop is very cute/​quaint and the wait staff is friendly and attentive.
ROOFTOP OVERVIEW:
–Take the elevator to floor 12, and step out onto a nicely decorated rooftop. It is small — medium size
–Come here with friends (make a reservation before), or even a date for drinks on a nice night
–Greenery to decorate the roof with a huge giraffe sculpture
DRINKS:
–Salerno Sidecar: I’m a whiskey girl, so a whiskey drank is what I got. This was great! They also do not skimp on the alcohol. Not that it tasted like straight alch, but I definitely got a buzz from just 1 drink!
SERVICE:
–Good, attentive, friendly

What a hidden gem on Park Ave! We came here for drinks on the roof for my friend’s birthday on a Weds night. She reserved the space from 7−9pm. Our waitress was so attentive and handled the entire roof so smoothly. Excellent drink menu, too! We didn’t eat any of the small plates but I saw flatbreads and meatballs on the menu — both of which I’m sure are great.
I DRANK…
— Grapefruit Margherita — Looooove grapefruit + tequila, so this is a winning combo for me.
— Wine, wine wine
Atmosphere is amazing on the roof! Excellent views, lots of greenery, and a huge giraffe statue to capture the name of the place.

I worked with Hotel Giraffe over the course of a few months to plan a large booking for my teammates who were visiting. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had to organize a large group stay, but I’ve literally never done it before without finding some sort of mistake on the billing, rooming list, or not hearing back from the contact for weeks. On top of that, we all know what a crazy ripoff Manhattan hotels can be.
Throughout the entire process my contact, Ashley, was amazing — so quick to reply, on top of her shizz, professional, and friendly. And the prices were lower than comparable places. Their free breakfasts and wine hours (actually three hours) allowed me to actually save a ton in feeding these peeps throughout the week. And these are not skimpy complimentary treats: we’re talking full glasses of wine or bubbly with LOTS of refills In fact, I had to ask them to stop refilling at some point because I was worried that I’d be too tipsy before dinner! Has that ever happened to you at a hotel before?
The service was phenomenal at every stop. It’s a classy, luxurious hotel but with the service of a friendly mom and pop B&B. My guests complained about the street noise at night: garbage trucks, construction, etc. But as someone who lives in a busy part of Manhattan I can tell you that it’s pretty much par for the course to have to deal with those jarring noises most nights. I guess Hotel Giraffe could invest in some more sound blocking windows, but other than that there’s only so much they can do about being in the middle of the Flatiron!

Husband and I were invited to an event and this is where they made reservations for us.
Arrived on a Sunday (entrance is on 26^th); we stayed for 3 nights.
Pros:
Very large room; living room with door separating bedroom and bathroom in hallway
Balcony
Many closets (we had 4)
2 thermostats (one in living room & one in bedroom)
Many layered blinds/​curtains to block out light
Free Wi-​Fi
Free Wine & Cheese from 5pm-​8pm every night with piano player
Free Coffee & Pastries in the morning (never tried this)
Free access to New York Sports Club (since they don’t have a gym)
Turndown service w/​chocolates
Umbrella in room (excellent, since it rained every day we were there)
Couple of bottles of water provided free of charge (plus there’s a refrigerator in the room to keep your water cold).
Cons:
Elevators were a bit slow
More children than I expected (had a baby crying next door which you could only hear when standing by door; plus several children at wine & cheese hour)
Free Wine was of lower quality (I didn’t try the cheese)
Overall, good service & great location.

Love this place!
Friendly staff all around. The free coffee bar and wine reception every night are great. Close to everything. Will be back!

Just spent an amazing 6 nights at Hotel Giraffe. Rooms, staff and facilities were all excellent. Wine hour is great idea and Gabriella made sure that our glasses were regularly topped up, plus the selection of cheeses and nibbles kept us going until we headed out for dinner.
We had room 1107 with a balcony overlooking Park Avenue with a view down to Madison Square Park. It was great to be label to pull a chair up to the open balcony and watch the sunset over the building behind MSP, with a cold glass of Prosecco.
The bed was as big as a small European Principality with all the pillows you could ever need. But if you needed more there were extra in the wardrobe.
I will definitely being using Hotel Giraffe again on my next visit and will be recommending it to everyone. Now just to start saving again.

Great location, stellar customer service and completely comfortable rooms make this place a definite yes. We booked online via recommendation from a friend. The hotel is close enough to all the action but far enough a way to get away from all the craziness. Great rooftop patio and bar, free wifi and a great breakfast are all great too. Can’t wait to come back!

Since there’s so much to do in NYC every hotel can claim a good location for something, BUT the Giraffe has great location-​2 blocks to subway on one side, 3 on the other, about 10 minute walk to Union Square, Empire State Building, 15 – 20 minute walk to East Village, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central, etc. All front desk staff and bellmen friendly and helpful with all requests, directions, storing luggage, etc. Cappuccino machine and snacks available at all times in lobby. Similar to the Pearl which seems to generally rate little higher, but much better location. I don’t think you can go wrong here unless you’re one of those folks that for some reason has to be smack dab in the middle of Times Square or overlooking Central Park.

— Awesome location, super close to the subway which makes for easy transportation.
— The staff is incredibly hospitable and welcoming. So necessary in the city.
— Complimentary wine every evening? Yes.
— Cute rooms that actually feel spacious for Manhattan.
— Cool rooftop space and lobby with free wifi, which is awesome for anyone who (like me) works while traveling.

Oh, Hotel Giraffe, you are entirely lovely.
I came down with the flu pretty badly halfway through my stay here. To be honest, though, Hotel Giraffe was a great place to feel unwell in… the beds were extremely comfortable; the long, fluffy, abundant pillows made for exceptional cuddle buddies when my body was aching; the ability to change the shower head to a massaging pulse was fabulous on my lower back; and, having a balcony where I could safely hang out on and get fresh air was an unexpected delight (if I had been feeling better, I probably would have sat out there with a bottle of wine and just hung out listening to the bustling NYC nightlife below — I only wish there was some kind of barrier between my portion of the balcony and the room next door I shared it with; I’m guessing that could make for a weird situation if you didn’t know your neighbors like I knew mine).
At one point I asked the front desk if they had any hot water bottles available. The man behind the counter looked entirely crestfallen when he informed me that they didn’t (I’m positive that the thought of running out and getting one for me flickered across his face for a second… THAT’S how accommodating and personally invested they are in your well-​being while you’re under their roof) have any on the premises.
When I was feeling well, one of the highlights was Wine Time (which I’m not sure it’s even called). From 5 to 8pm every day they serve a white, a red, and prosecco (not sure if they always have the same kinds, but when I was here they were actually serving my FAVORITE prosecco [Lunetta]). And you can drink AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. No, seriously. The lady would fill my flute all the way to the top. When I would have a quarter left, she would rush over and fill it all the way up again. Over and over and over. There’s also some seriously great cheese, cracker, fruit, nut, and olive options. Okay, basically, Wine Time is my perfect dinner and I could have been satisfied just doing this every night and not actually going to a restaurant.
Other great things? The turndown service (I think they knew I wasn’t feeling well, and began leaving me extra water bottles), the location, and the spacious rooms (I did kickboxing one morning, and had ample space to flail these limbs around in).
Like others have mentioned, the sound was a little loud for those of us on the fourth and below floors, but participate in Wine Time hard enough and that won’t matter, I promise!

Here’s how much I love this hotel: the constant tree shredding/​car crushing/​trash collection kept me from sleeping soundly, yet the Giraffe still gets a perfect score.
Again, I slept like shit, and the hotel still wins.
Giraffe thinks of the little things that make an extended stay feel like home, without feeling like an Extended Stay, if y’know what I mean… No? Fine. Turndown service with bedside chocolates, a cable TV that acts like cable at home (On Demand!), a walkable Juliet balcony, complimentary bottled water, and a kinder, gentler one-​ply TP.
Meanwhile, the lobby welcomes your morning grumblings with a free continental pastry and cereal buffet, and pacifies your post-​work prandial pursuits with a wine and cheese hour — again, gratis. The entire staff is impossibly polite, dealing with shattered champagne flutes (not my fault) and spilled coffee (my fault) with a genuine smile, and a demeanor that screamed, «No really, it’s perfectly acceptable.»
There are no gimmicks at Hotel Giraffe — no space age, in room conveniences, nor are there nouveau design elements. On the contrary, the polished efficiency and minimalistic chic stir Mad Men allure, intuiting and delivering what you need rather than devices to distract you from things you’re missing.

Damn, Steph Y hit this one out of the park… This hotel is amazing. The service, the amenities… top notch. Here’s the rundown:
The Good:
* Every employee I spoke to was fantastic. So nice. So helpful. Such a good bunch.
* Wine hour (s). I’ve seen some boutique hotels offer a wine hour from 5−6pm, but this one knocked it out of the park. From 5−8pm every day, you can enjoy wine, cheese, crackers and nuts in the lobby with service right to your seat. You don’t ever get up. Amazing.
* Free passes to NYSC down the street. Seriously, wayyyy better than putting together a shoddy gym in the hotel just to say you have one.
* Free wifi was fast enough to run streaming services on your lappy 5k
* TV’s with a legit cable package
* Turndown service
* Offer everything from a memory foam mattress topper, to ear plugs, to tooth paste…
* Cute room with a nice little balcony
* Free breakfast every morning. Cereal, oatmeal, fruit, baked goods, coffee, tea…
The Bad:
* The blackout curtains leave about an inch of open space that is perfectly aligned with the pillows on your bed. You will wake up every morning with a blade of light in your face.
* The noise. Wow. I know that NYC has a noisy backdrop, but this was a bit much. My room, on the second floor, felt like it was going to be the next dumpster put into a garbage truck. The truck was basically in my room… for hours. Ended up going to the gym at 730am every morning. This never happens.
In the end, I really loved this place… just wish I could sleep more. Hopefully, it’s not always a concert of municipal vehicles. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though bc everything else was on point. I’ve been to way too many overpriced NYC hotels that don’t offer half as much as HG. Hope to stay again soon!

Let’s get this out of the way: I’ve never stayed here. But:
1. I have seen the rooms,* and they are lovely.
2. The staff is fantastic. And when I say staff, I really mean Gabriella. Gabi (we’re friends now) runs the complimentary wine hour in the lobby (at least sometimes), and she clearly understands what hospitality is all about. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so welcome, even at hotels I was actually staying it. I drank prosecco, ate cheese and olives, and we danced, and we cried. And we laughed and had a really really really good time.
Just like Macklemore said we would.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
*I know what you’re thinking, but no woman would ever take me back to their room (except my wife, which is why I had to marry her immediately). I just had to pee, and they don’t have a bathroom in the lobby so my friend let me use hers. I only rummaged through her suitcase a little bit, I swear.

How do you rate a five star hotel that ended up being one of the worst hotels I’ve slept at?
This boutique hotel is wonderful. From the friendly greeters and front desk to the complimentary continental breakfast filled with fresh fruit salad, pastries and hard boiled eggs, the wine & cheese hours (read three hours of free wine, bubbly, cheese and nuts) and the all day snacks of Milano’s and muffins. The room is spacious for NYC standards and quite tastefully decorated and I loved the turn down service. The strong wifi is free throughout the building and there’s HBO! So many wins makes this hotel undoubtedly five stars all around.
So, what’s the problemo, Steph?
My room located at 403 was a sleeping nightmare. The bed wasn’t the most comfy, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that from about 645 – 730 it sounded like I was sleeping in a construction site/​garbage landfill. Trucks honking, moving, lifting, every noise possible to wake you up. It was not fun. On top of that I mean 403 was at the elevator, so while other guests were waiting for their elevator and making small talk, alas, I could hear all of that pretty clearly and loudly through the door. One more complaint to throw on: the shade/​curtain didn’t quite cover the window allowing light to seep through making it a noisy and bright room.
My three nights at Hotel Giraffe ended up making me a very pampered, well fed, but exhausted guest.
I would undoubtedly stay here again if the price is right. Ear plugs. I don’t like sleeping with them, but I’d have to get used to it. The perks and overall feel of the place is too good to give up. That, or request/​upgrade to a higher floor.

I can’t believe I never reviewed this when I first stayed three years ago! Well, Hotel Giraffe is still great as ever. Near perfect location, accommodating staff, comfy rooms with balconies, lovely lobby — what’s not to love? Throw in free breakfast and a complimentary wine and cheese hour (CORRECTION: it’s like 3 hours with all the bubbly my heart desired) and I’m smitten for life. I can’t get over how friendly, helpful and downright wonderful the staff all were (especially Gabi! She took such good care of us!). Overall, it’s a total joy to stay here.

Very nice place an quiet place in the middle of NYC. The service was very attentive, the room was clean, and you get everything you would need to have a comfortable time.
Extra points for the complimentary breakfast and the snacks/​fruits/​coffee that is available ²⁴⁄₇

Das Hotel hat einen gewissen Charme, die Zimmer sind allerdings alles andere als Schallgeschützt, das gilt für den Wasserhahn und die Klospülung vom Nachbarzimmer wie der Straßenlärm, der in NYC einfach 24 Stunden präsent ist, Alarmanlage hier, Tatütata da, Geschrei usw. Wir konnten uns damit arrangieren. Ich würde mir hier einfach wünschen dass bei 350 EUR Tagespreis auch Ruhe mit verkauft wird, einige Schallschutzfenster würden dem Haus gut tun, aber man bekommt Ohrenstöpsel und Schlafmasken an der Rezeption. Ansonsten etwas älteres Haus. Lage ist top zwischen WTC und Central Park da kann man nicht meckern.

This is the fifth time we have stayed at this hotel. It is by far one of my favorite hotels anywhere. The rooms are lovely whether I booked a suite for my family or the balcony when just the two of us. The service is impeccable with everyone on staff consistently friendly and willing to help with pretty much anything! We especially love the wine and cheese with piano in the early evenings — sets the tone for a lovely NYC night. This afternoon sealed my impression of the overall excellence and care of this hotel as my family returned to our room to find a complimentary bottle of wine with a note acknowledging our return and thanking us for choosing the giraffe again. Class act all the way and once again there is no question that this is the hotel we will return to again and again.