AKA Central Park Extended Stay

AKA Central Park — the A Café
great spot — we had a wonderful leisurely brunch while waiting for weather to clear up before taking a carriage horse ride in Central Park. Very good food, service. Not crowded in the rain. Minimalist décor and cool atmosphere. Will go back when we return to NYC.

Very close to what we were looking for:
— nicely decorated
— all inclusive (breakfast and wifi)
— very well located
We regreted only a noisy environment (street and A/​C)
Staff was extremely kind and helpful and this was also very appreciated.

Solid place, great location, really cool gym.

(This review is for a party I organized in the a. lounge at the AKA Central Park hotel.)
I used the a. lounge at the AKA Central Park hotel for a birthday party reception for my wife. It was a huge success — a great space, wonderful service and a very reasonable price.
Before the event, my wife had played a piano recital nearby (just steps away from Carnegie Hall!), so I was looking for a space in the area that could serve drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres in a good atmosphere for about 30 to 40 people. I called around a few places, got some quotes (some of them outrageous) and eventually chose the AKA Central Park. Apart from the price, I was very impressed with the space and with the can-​do attitude of the lounge’s manager, Marta. I was not disappointed.
I discussed a menu with her, including a welcome cocktail and how the room would be set up. When we arrived, there was a very tasty champagne drink, which included a berry floating on the top. It was excellent. Meanwhile, the barperson was dishing up excellent cocktails, including my wife’s favorite, a brandy sidecar, which was the best we had ever had. They certainly know how to make their drinks here. In addition, the wine served was of very good quality, when they could easily have poured stuff from a jug.
They had set up the room with a roaring fire and candles, so there was a very nice and intimate atmosphere, and had set up some nibbles for guests when they arrived. After that, servers circulated with the hors d’oeuvres we had ordered. Most were very good, some not so, but overall we were very pleased. They certainly didn’t skimp on quantity and the servers were very pleasant and attentive.
Meanwhile, Marta was available to take care of a couple of requests (storing some gifts and setting up a laptop to display some photos) and was always available to make sure things were running smoothly. She also made sure the cake we had ordered to be delivered was accepted efficiently, armed with candles and served to the guests.
In total, it was a great success. We had many compliments from attendees, some of whom said they would be interested in using the space in the future.

Review of a. café (within AKA hotel)
A good coffee in Midtown is an exciting discovery. But a good coffee in Midtown near my dentist is cause for minor celebration. Because after 45 minutes of concentrated abuse at the hands of sharp metal implements, nothing cheers me and my sulky mouth up like a nice cortado, which the good people at a. café are able to provide.
The café belongs to the AKA Hotel, a swish establishment with a penchant for minimalist design. The café looks a bit like a designer space station — all angles, chrome and white light — and has fancy touches like white linen napkins and sugar cubes with little silver tongs that remind you you’re in an upmarket hotel. But nothing drives it home more than the service, of the quality usually reserved for restaurants and places where you’re likely to tip more than a dollar.
One could really get used to this on one’s coffee hunting expeditions.
But to the crux of the matter: the coffee. Although they’ve repackaged it to better suit their futuristic décor, inside the bags you’ll find Counter Culture roasted beans. It’s a darkly roasted blend and they make it strong, but well. Both visits have produced very drinkable cortados that I managed to enjoy despite a partially numb mouth, although the strength is such that I would consider getting a cappuccino next time. But a next time there will definitely be.
— Coffeehunter

It’s rooms are spacious, the service is unobtrusive and seems friendly, and it’s nice to have a coffeemaker. But I’ve stayed here twice now and both times the wifi service here has been bad. It cuts out randomly. Very frustrating. They’re all very nice about it and talk about fixing the problem but no solutions have happened over the month of my two visits.
Use the ethernet cord they provide (which makes me think they know something’s wrong with it and that’s their fix), or resign yourself to intermittent internet.

Last week I nannied for one of the co-​executive producers of Law and Order: SVU. SHE and I are pretty close friends, and her 2-​year-​old son is amazingly adorable. While shooting for the show last week, they stayed at the AKA and I had the luxury of watching the 2-​year-​old while she and her husband schmoozed at some evening gala fundraiser that Mariska Hargitay organized.
Newsflash: Watching a 2-​year-​old in a hotel room in the middle of Manhattan sucks balls. Particularly when the 2-​year-​old has a lot of energy and just wants to either a) play/​throw cars and trains, b) play/​throw his dinner all over the place and c) doesn’t have the self-​control to sit and watch tv/​movie to put him to sleep.
Despite these babysitting brawls, the hotel room or shall I say apartment, was SPECTACULAR. Great view of the city. Comfortable furniture. Chic interior design. Stainless steel appliances, including a dishwasher! Comfortable bed. Free WI-​FI in each individual apartment.
According to mom and dad though, the hotel fails in the service department. No full service bar or restaurant. But you can order using menupages or their menu section on the hotel’s main page. I indulged in some Chinese food. Quick and easy.
If I had the mula to stay in apartment hotels like this… man, that would be the life. One day, Monica, one day.

This hotel is fantastic. I have stayed there on more than ten business trips. This is a small, intimate hotel, which I love!
I love the location — close to 5^th Avenue, Broadway, the F subway — it’s perfect. The hotel rooms are also great. Nicely decorated, excellent bathrooms with tubs that you can soak in! You also get kitchenettes or kitchens. The bedrooms are big enough that you can have a masseur over and set up a table and still have room to move around.
Their business center is awesome. They have iMacs! Do you know how cool that is? Free printing! Free copying! Their business center has saved my butt on a few occasions now. It’s so refreshing to find a hotel that doesn’t nickel and dime you with their business center.
Their gym in the basement is pretty good for a hotel gym, too. Treadmills, stairmaster, decent weights, machines.
And the wireless internet is included with the room price. Again, it’s so refreshing that a hotel doesn’t nickel and dime you on internet access. OK, it’s not the fastest internet access, but it’s fast enough to do your email and surf the internet a bit.
But the best thing about this hotel is the staff at the front desk and the doormen. They are always smiling and happy as I come and go from my hotel room to my business meetings, and they always say hello and ask me how I’m doing. They give me tips and recommendations about restaurants, directions, etc. They create a very nice, warm and happy atmosphere that you will never see at the Sheraton, W, Hilton, Park Lane, Plaza, or the Waldorf. That’s especially what keeps me coming back.
I highly recommend this hotel.

It’s sad that things went downhill after my stay there b/​c I truly did enjoy my time there. Let me explain…
Initially, I reserved my room for 29 nights. They gave me an estimate based on a rate per night. During my last week there, I received an email asking if I was going to be checking out on my final day or if I would like to extend. I decided to extend for one night, and asked if the same nightly rate would apply. (Very Important Part) I was told yes, it would be the same. I agreed. Upon checking out, I found that I was charged for 2 additional nights rather than 1.
When I called to fix this, I was told that when you stay for 30 nights, you are charged for each day that you are there. So by checking in on the 1^st and out on the 31^st I was charged for 31 days, not 30 nights. I argued that this different rate was never explained to me in advance, and if it was I would not have extended b/​c why would someone pay double for one night. They were extremely unhelpful and rude. I was provided incorrect information by the woman who said I would be granted the same rate if I extended for one night and aka never apologized for this. I would strongly recommend not staying here. There are too many other nice hotels in New York where you wouldn’t have to deal with such awful customer service.

This hotel used to be the Wyndham. It has been totally remodeled to be short stay apartments.
So far, this review is just a stub. I have a lot to write. We stayed here for 10 days in August. Great Location. Huge apartment, well furnished. Kind of expensive (10 days just over $ 4500.00) But the apartment easily slept a family of 3. And there was a full kitchen with stainless steel Whirlpool Appliances, A 24 hour free laundry room (only 1 working washer), a small gym, a 24 hour business center — also free in room wi-​fi (when it works)
Ok, there it is, bare bones — I’ll write more later.