I booked a stay at the Hotel Chandler for a 4 night stay to go see "Equus" on Broadway and to have a romantic getaway with my partner, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the accomodations and staff of the Hotel Chandler.
First, all of the glowing comments and reviews of the staff and their attentiveness and willingness to help are deserved. Their genuine desire to help and do anything necessary to make our stay as pleasant as possible was refreshing and wonderful. Just a few examples of the high level customer service they offered are: provided street and subway maps to us upon checking in without us having to ask for them, offered their printer for printing a work document that I needed from my email just by overhearing me talk about it with my partner in the lobby, reserved a cab back to JFK that was there early and waiting for us (the cabbie also was highly knowledgable and able to traverse city streets to avoid the horrible rush hour traffic on the LIE and Belt Pkwy), held our luggage for the entire day after we checked out until we needed to leave in the evening, always brought ice promptly and with a smile whenever we requested it, the complimentary turndown service was such a pleasure to come back to after dinner or from a fun night on the town, the complimentary 24 hour coffee/tea service was a blessing to caffeine addicts such as my partner and I, etc. I could go on and on with all of the little things that are done quickly, efficiently, and all with a smile that made our stay so pleasant.
Another thing that the hotel has going for it is it's convenient central location in the city which allows you to feel relatively close to it all, while feeling secluded while there given that it is located on a side street rather than a major avenue. We did Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and 5th Avenue shopping all in one day and all on foot. The Empire State Building is literally just 3 blocks away! Quick tip, the thai restaurant located directly across the street is quite good and they will deliver to you directly in your room.
The room and amenities were comfortable and nice. The wall-mounted flat screen was a touch of home that we appreciated, as were the Aveda toiletries and the iPod docking station on the alarm clock. The bed was very comfortable and the climate control worked relatively quietly and efficiently. There was plenty of space to store all of our clothes and sundries for our 4 night stay (and trust me, we aren't light travelers in that regard).
There were only a couple of very minor things that kind of irritated us a bit. They almost don't bear mentioning, but I feel like this should be a balanced review. First, there are no ice machines on any floor of the hotel so you always have to call down and ask for a bucket of ice to be sent up. They always do so very promptly and with a smile, but it can make one feel like a bother when it's late at night or if you've had to ask for a couple of them already during the same day due to the previous ones melting. I tipped each time to alleviate my guilt and the porter usually always seemed surprised and grateful. Second, some sites show that the hotel has DVD players available for loan to you in your room and that is not the case now that they offer movies for sale on the in-room TV entertainment system. We just went to one of the multitude of small electronics stores scattered throughout the city and bought a cheap one to use, but it would've been nice to know that they weren't available prior to arriving so we could have brought one from home or made the purchase before getting to the hotel. Really those two very minor issues were the only negatives that I could find during our stay. Obviously the many positives far outweigh either of them.
Overall, I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone planning a visit to New York who desires quality accomodations in a central location operated by truly one of the best staffs I've encountered on my many trips domestically or abroad.