I chose the Hotel Indigo for a recent stay in NYC because its location is convenient to some events I had to attend. This location, although not in the most attractive neighborhood, is good for those who have some familiarity with and are not intimidated by the streets on NYC. It's close to several subway lines, walkable to the Flatiron district and the Chelsea scene, and very close to Penn Station. The Indigo is a small hotel with a small, cozy lobby. I found the rooms to be excellent, especially for NYC and especially at this price range: comfortable, offering a very complete range of amenitites, and most importantly super clean. I absolutely loved the fact that the rooms have hardwood floors. I loathe carpeting, especially in hotels, and have never seen a hotel room with hardwood floors. Happily, in spite of there being no carpets I wasn't bothered by noise from the person above me walking around.
I gave the Indigo two stars because its downfall is the service. The problem with the service is its inconsistency. The interactions I had with with the front desk, bell staff, and housekeeping ranged from warm and welcoming; to indifferent; to such rude, patronizing behavior that, if I were the General Manager, I would fire my staff for exhibiting. The worst was when I had a problem in my room in the middle of the night and rang the front desk. The person who answered me gave my request a curt "NO". I then asked to speak with the manager and that conversation was even worse. She was incredibly rude, uncaring, and unhelpful. It immediately became obvious to me that not only was she not going to do anything about my problem but could care less about my situation. She even had the audacity to talk back at me and attempted to hang up on me. Who wants to have a confrontation with a horrible front desk manager at 3 AM?The number one thing that a well-trained, accountable hotel staff knows to do is to empathize with guests and never make them feel that any request is outlandish (and mine wasn't). It seems to me this staff could benefit from a great deal more training and supervision than they apparently receive. Granted some individuals were all right here, but the run-ins with the rotten apples in the staff completely ruined the experience.
I am a former hotel professional, having spent 15 years in the industry representing and staying at very well-known and well-run properties. As much as a hotel tries to distinguish itself through amenities, decor, and all that kind of bells and whistles, what really sets a hotel apart and enables it to succeed is its service. It's all about service to the guest and for this reason I could not stay at the Hotel Indigo again. Because when you are away from home, you are relying on the hotel staff to assist you with your needs. And clearly this staff can not be counted on to do that.
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