The Nolitan

“You Can't Tell a Book by it's Cover”

First of all, you'd be wise to ignore the Hotels.com page for the Nolitan Hotel. Look, they need to do what they need to do, which is to make the property look fabulous, exciting, up to date. To be fair, it is none of those things.However, it is charming, good-enough, with many things to make it a … more

First of all, you'd be wise to ignore the Hotels.com page for the Nolitan Hotel. Look, they need to do what they need to do, which is to make the property look fabulous, exciting, up to date. To be fair, it is none of those things.However, it is charming, good-enough, with many things to make it a good pick. Let's get the "challenges" out of the way for those who want a legit 4+ -star hotel experience so they can keep scrolling. There are no ice machines, no bar or restaurant in the hotel proper. There is a restaurant "(Italian-Japanese fusion ?) but they seem to open and close when they want. We've been here almost a week and have not lucked out yet. The hallways are dark, the rooms are small, no coffee makers or luggage stands in the room, the towels are standard terry cloth, and the lobby has a single pot of coffee beginning at 6 am. It's fair to say that they have made an attempt to make the rooms seem vintage, but with a weird conglomeration of stuff in the rooms. The Hotels.com rating is 3.5 stars. That's fair, but the Nolitan Hotel is more than that when everything about this hotel is taken into consideration, which I'm guessing are the reasons you are looking at this Lower East Side, Nolita area and not Midtown, Tribeca or the Theater District. We were here for a week, over the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are the main three things that recommend this hotel: location, location, location. In many ways, these neighborhoods are the history of New York, and where early immigrants from 1850 settled, with Irish, Germans, Jews, and Italians families. Literally blocks away are Mulberry Street and Little Italy, and the largest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere. From the hotel, stroll down any street and you'll find unique shops, restaurants, and bars. The staff at the hotel are friendly and accommodating. Fresh ice was delivered to our room whenever we asked. I am an admitted history nerd and foody-ish, so we have been happy all week long. We also opted for a very cool option, which is a room with a small, narrow balcony, but fresh air and the hum (sometimes loud) of the city is immediately available. One more plus is the Bowery subway station maybe 300 feet from the hotel, and so Central Park, the Midtown West, and Battery Park are all a loud, sometimes apprehensive ride away. You can't tell a book by it's cover.

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“Just ok.”

It was just ok. Not great. The room is oddly laid out with the toilet farthest it can be to the sink. The room is showing a lot of wear. The room phone was very dirty. The TV was difficult to use… you had to press up on the channel 50+ x to get to a channel that worked & well wouldn’t have known th… more

It was just ok. Not great. The room is oddly laid out with the toilet farthest it can be to the sink. The room is showing a lot of wear. The room phone was very dirty. The TV was difficult to use… you had to press up on the channel 50+ x to get to a channel that worked & well wouldn’t have known this if we didn’t call the front desk. Rooftop was closed. Bed was sunken from wear and the mattress should be replaced. The staff was very good.

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