Freehand New York
4-star hotel · Midtown Manhattan, New York
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in New York are rated 8.4 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 28% of New York hotels
- 68% of guest comments are praise
- 92% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 28% of New York hotels. Compared with 819 hotels in New York. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 68% of guest comments are praise. 490 praise, 234 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 92% of guest photos show no damage. 55 of 60 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- $215 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $132
- 2 min walkto the nearest station
- 298 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- A station within walking distanceA station is 162 m away
- Location185 praise · 1 complain
- Staff139 praise · 22 complain
- Food26 praise · 1 complain
Against
- Room size56 complain · 11 praise
- Quiet at night54 complain · 9 praise
- Room condition37 complain · 7 praise
- Value21 complain · 19 praise
- Heating and air conditioning23 of 298 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
298 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: location (185 guests). Weakest: room size, where 56 of the 67 who mention it complain.
Location1851Strength
The hotel is well located and on one side it has a well-stocked cafe for breakfast and on the other side an Italian restaurant that has a grappa that they prepare themselves, and I suggest trying the raisin one.
Tripadvisor, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Excellent stay a short distance to transportation, restaurants, and coffee shops.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Recently stayed here because I was seeing show(now realizing it was not close by this hotel).
Google, August 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Food261Strength
Nicely decorated, good food options, good staff
Booking network, September 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The property is so beautiful, clean with great food and fun spots.
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
bar calico is nice and smile to go is convenient but food is very blend.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Staff13922Strength
Staff were helpful, location is good.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Very cool hotel with rooftop bar, cafe, restaurant and very kind and helpful staff.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Front desk have zero customer service skills and it stinks of pot.
Tripadvisor, October 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Beds3212Mostly good
The bed was comfy for me but not my husband.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Our room was well equipped, bed was comfortable, air conditioning worked well.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Bed was springy and uncomfortable
Booking network, July 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Cleanliness5622Mostly good
Comfortable and clean rooms.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Location, friendly staff, housekeeping was EXCELLENT, Smile to Go was delicious and staff very kind, front desk was knowledgeable and friendly
Booking network, May 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
The windows were dirty and no fan in the bathroom.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Value1921Split
Pricey for the size of room....bathroom sink was 1/2 sink-hard to work with
Booking network, June 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Expensive for what it was.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
I could accept this if I was in a 3 star hotel paying a different rate but getting charged 450$ is not acceptable when there are this noises and the staff acknowledged it couldn’t go away and that all of the in-facing rooms have the same.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Views68Split
Good option for the price point in NYC but some rooms look into the equivalent of a dark shaft between buildings and that really should be disclosed/priced differently, as it’s not just the bottom tier rooms.
Google, September 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Room had no view, just back of wall and almost no natural light.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Small room, limited natural light, zero view, broken blinds, no coffee maker,
Booking network, May 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Room size1156Weak spot
No tea or coffee facilities in the room (may be a British expectation) - room seemed small for price and only able to access the bed from one side which, was not ideal for my partner and myself.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Rooms are small but that is New York City for you.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
The rooms and bathrooms are tiny, the bed was small for 2.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Room condition737Weak spot
Crazily crooked TV, broken slats in blinds.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Beautifully old, but still clean.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Electric system needs to be upraded/renovated including the elevators.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Quiet at night954Weak spot
Single-paned windows let you hear every beep of a horn, siren, and loud engine at full volume.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
There is constant noise from a generator outside the window that runs 24 hours a day.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 2/10 by this guest
The ac is loud, putting it on fan helped a lot.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: breakfast.
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 2,382 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: heating and air conditioning, in 23 of 298 reviews.
Heating and air conditioning23 of 2981 in 13 reviews
Only complaints are no in-room coffee and the AC took a while to cool down, but that may be due to a dirty filter or something.
Google, May 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Room location was next to some very loud aircons or boilers so it was very noisy which also meant we could not open the windows which made the room too hot during the night.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Something broken in the room23 of 2981 in 13 reviews
The size of the room was small, but was as advertised, however, the lighting in the room itself was far too dim, and some lights did not stay on completely, but instead of flickered which was disorienting.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Some light flickering in the bathroom and not the most sunny hotel, windows were a bit small.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom19 of 2981 in 16 reviews
No water for shower on the 2nd night I stayed (either hot or cold).
Booking network, August 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Washroom was stinky and very small.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 2/10 by this guest
Complaints the hotel left unresolved14 of 2981 in 21 reviews
Staff did not communicate with each other - lost items needed to be mentioned several times to several team members.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
I shared this feedback with the front desk agent and it didn't seem concerning to him, which was a bit of a bummer.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Mould or damp13 of 2981 in 23 reviews
My room had a damp musty smell, like a room that people had smoked in years ago, bed linen felt damp, rooms are hip in a grungy sense, clean but not my type of hotel.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
both were musty smelling.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Not as shown or booked11 of 2981 in 27 reviews
The room is a bit smaller than what it looks in the pictures, but it is cozy.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
We booked through airbnb and the main picture of the pool in the thumbnail does NOT exist.
Google, July 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Serious reports
5 in 298 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
Bed bugs or bites2 of 298 reviews
We discovered bed bugs in our room.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
On my final night, after a long day of business meetings, I found a bug in my bed.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
A physical hazard2 of 298 reviews
The room I was given had black duct tape holding the carpet together, exposed wires thick with dust, no hot water, flickering lights, broken down furniture and the smell of mildew.
Tripadvisor, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Someone fell ill1 of 298 reviews
We barely slept and both got sick the next day from the cold air.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 2/10 by this guest
These are guests' own accounts from their reviews. We have not verified them, and the hotel may dispute them. A report is counted only when the guest says it happened at the hotel and holds the hotel responsible.
Photos, checked
5 of the 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (8%).
Guest photos showing damage or dirt5 of 608%
Of 60 guest photos, 5 show damage or dirt: broken fittings in 2, mould or damp in 1, stains in 1 and peeling paint or cracks in 1, and some photos show more than one. Of the hotel's own 40, 0 do.
What it advertises, against the photos
Guests’ photos confirm: restaurant (1), bar (4).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$215 is a typical night, from 303 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost 8% more than weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Jan 2027, $133Dearest month: Dec 2026, $303
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked, so these sit outside the year-wide figures above and can fall below the typical price.
- Super.com$281
- Vio.com$326
- deals.goseek.com$326
- deals.etrip.net$326
- billabook.com$354
- traveluro.com$367
- trivago.deals$370
- travelup.com$394
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
The nearest station is 162 m away by road, about 2 minutes on foot. There are 10 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest shop: Convenience & Juicebar2 min walk114 m by road
- Nearest main road: 3rd Avenue143 m
- Nearest station2 min walk162 m by road
- The Empire State Building17 min walk1.3 km by road
- Times Square28 min walk2.1 km by road
- Rockefeller Center2.6 km
- The Brooklyn Bridge4.8 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
24 room types, from 11 to 60 m².
- Single Room - Disability Access11 m²Sleeps 1
- Solo Room12 m²Sleeps 11 Twin bed
- Single Room15 m²Sleeps 1
- Cozy Queen17 m²Sleeps 2
- Premium Queen19 m²Sleeps 2
- Private Quad21 m²Sleeps 44 Bunk bed
The other 18 room types
- Deluxe Queen21 m²Sleeps 2
- Studio Queen22 m²Sleeps 2
- Three's Company23 m²Sleeps 31 Bunk bed + 1 Queen bed
- Triple Room - Disability Access23 m²Sleeps 31 Twin bed + 1 Queen bed
- King Room23 m²Sleeps 2
- King Room - Disability Access23 m²Sleeps 2
- Deluxe King Room23 m²Sleeps 2
- Triple Room - Disability Access26 m²Sleeps 33 Twin bed
- Triple Room26 m²Sleeps 33 Twin bed
- Premium Quad27 m²Sleeps 44 Bunk bed
- Quadruple Room - Disability Access27 m²Sleeps 44 Twin bed
- Premium King30 m²Sleeps 2
- Deluxe Corner King34 m²Sleeps 2
- Corner King35 m²Sleeps 2
- Gallery Suite60 m²Sleeps 61 Queen bed + 4 Bunk bed
- Gallery Suite60 m²Sleeps 61 King bed + 2 Bunk bed
- GW Suite60 m²Sleeps 41 super-king bed + 1 super-king bed
- Three CompanyNot statedSleeps 31 Queen Bed + 1 Bunk bed
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 8 out of 10. 28% of the 819 hotels in New York are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.4.
Every review site, out of 100
17 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 54 guests complain about noise.
If quiet at night matters to you
Here, 54 of the 63 guests who mention quiet at night complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in New York
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
298 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 10 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 877 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 298 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 192 older, 77 in other languages and 310 with a score but no words.
- The hotel replied to 89 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 8 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 3 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 100 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 60 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.