Best Western Bowery Hanbee Hotel

Great value with amazing employees.
We have had an excellent stay here and could not be happier with a reasonably priced hotel. They offer an included breakfast which can get pretty chaotic but the quality of food is decent and worth dealing with the chaos. The only complaint I have is the coffee is not good. If they used a higher quality grind it would make all of the difference.
The rooms are comfortable and clean, the bathrooms look to have had a recent update. The location is great, you are close to many good restaurants. I have to warn you that it is difficult to get a taxi down here. We have had to rely on über.

Great stay at the Best Western Bowery Hanbee! We arrived at 10:30am and they had our room all ready for us, which was a huge plus. Most hotels don’t let you do early check-​in but the hotel receptionist was very friendly and let us head on up. The room was big for New York City standards, with nice wood floors and an incredibly comfortable queen sized bed. So comfortable we passed out immediately upon laying on it at night. And the pillows, all down material and so nice!
The bathroom was roomy, shower head was potent and the floor can even be heated. We had a breakfast table and desk, along with a nicely sized flat-​screen TV.
Breakfast was amazing!!! Fully stocked with eggs, ham, toasted egg muffins and croissants, waffle maker, juice, tea and coffee. Seriously the best free continental ever. Really tasty, honest! Great for starting off a day of big apple adventures.
And of course, the location is really ideal. Chinatown and Little Italy are both right there with tons of restaurants, bars and so many subway stations just steps/​blocks away. Going to Central Park is 25 min, Brooklyn 25 min, midtown 15. Really ideal, much better than the crowded hotel area in midtown.
This Best Western is a great little gem — perfect for a stay in the city with comfort, location and great staff. Definitely recommended!

Two of my friends and I stayed here for a 4-​day vacation in NYC last week, and we were very impressed. We picked the hotel for its location (so close to Soho, a trendy district with lovely shops and boutiques and amazing restaurants! One of our favourite brunch spots, Jack’s Wife Freida, was also a short walk which was a major bonus.)
Best Western Hanbee Hotel is immaculately clean and surprisingly spacious, which we were impressed by. The first floor of the building is a sparse lobby, but don’t be fooled — head straight to the elevator. Once you go to the second floor, where the reception and check-​in area are, it’s much more welcoming. We would like to thank Jeffrey Pai for being AMAZING at Front Desk; he was so patient, hospitable, friendly, and understanding of all of our needs while staying there, which gave us a great impression of the hotel right off the bat.
All in all, great hotel with excellent location. Especially for those who have visited NYC before, this hotel is a great place to stay for a taste of ‘local’ NYC life — in the heart of Chinatown, with all the taste and adventure but in such close proximity to all of the main New York attractions. Thanks, Jeff, for making our stay a great one!

DO NOT STAY HERE. This was by far the worst hotel experience I have ever had in 15 years of business ravel. The air conditioning went out in my room in the middle of a sweltering night. First, the night desk employee suggested that I didn’t know how to turn it on. Then after a protracted effort to get a repairman to come by, they concluded that yes — the A/​C had stopped working. No other room available. No fans available. No recommendation of where I could go to buy a fan. Next day couldn’t move me to a room until noon, negatively affecting the business meetings I had traveled to attend. New room faced street, with jack hammering ALL NIGHT LONG. A/​C went out the next day. Again.

Had to book a room in the area somewhat last minute the day I was moving into the city due to some key-​exchange confusion. Was sad to have to pay around $ 300 for a Best Western, but it’s NYC, what do you expect?
Showed up at the hotel at 6am loaded down with suitcases, boxes, and a huge surfboard from CA. They kindly let us keep our big items in their storage closet. We also just made it for the start of their free breakfast. It’s nothing fancy by any means, but it was a welcome sight. Some cereal and OJ later, we went to our room, which was shockingly big. I’m used to closet-​sized NYC hotel rooms but this one had a whole living room area and a nice spacious bathroom.
There was a snafu when I tried to use the elevator later in the day. My key card didn’t work to get me to my room, and the people at the front desk told me it was because my card was demagnetized. Even though it was happening to a bunch of other people at the same time. It took too long for them to realize it was something with the elevator, not every one of our cards. We then had to use the stairs for the rest of the time which was pretty awful for people who were just checking in and had to lug their bags up to their floors.
For the most part, the staff was attentive and friendly, if not completely on their game. But I guess I can’t blame them — If I had the 6am shift on a Sunday I’d be pretty out of it too.

To use the cliché — I wanted to love this place. It had so much going for it — close proximity to the subway, reasonable room rates, free wifi, and great reviews on Trip Advisor and Unilocal.It was also a Best Western and growing up, my family’s budget hotel of choice. Unfortunately, the best I can come up with is «it did the job.»
We spent three nights at the Best Western Bowery Hanbee last month on a visit to New York. The property straddles the Little Italy/​Chinatown border. Location-​wise, it makes getting anywhere pretty easy. The entrance may be a little confusing to the first time visitor, there’s a podium right inside the doorway, as if they once offered valet, but you actually take the elevator to the second floor to enter the lobby.
At first blush, our room (304) was great. Big and clean, it was a handicapped room. My least favorite part about it (initially) was the weird handicapped shower complete with a shower chair. I don’t think I’ve ever asked to change rooms in my adult life, but there’s a first time for everything. The sound proofing in the rooms isn’t the greatest and had we been next door to regular guests, I think we would’ve been fine. Instead, our adjoining room adjoined to what seemed to be the staff locker room. The staff that seemed to shift change around 5AM. The staff that when talking normally in their locker room felt like they were having a party in ours. Considering we were out both nights until 2AM, this wasn’t a welcome wake up call. Couple that with the vendors on the street hawking goods and we were pretty much exhausted every day. When we complained, the very nice gentleman who had helped us throughout most of our trip immediately offered to move us to another room. At first blush, our second room (904), another handicapped room, was great, but it had issue too. It was no longer next to a staff locker room, but was less clean than the first. Again, there was a shower chair in the weird handicapped shower.
Whether or not you’re handicapped, this shower seemed incredibly awkward; extremely narrow, I was always bumping my elbow on the wall, soaking the window sill with water, sticking to the shower curtain, and pouring water all over the bathroom floor. There was this plastic little strip indicating where the shower area ended and the rest of the bathroom began; it seems about 6 – 12 inches too narrow. Moving the shower chair could’ve given me more room, but eek, me thinks not. If you’re a light sensitive sleeper, like my manfriend, you will hate this hotel. There is a frosted window in the shower that has no shade; then there is another frosted window on the bathroom wall into the bedroom, also with no shade. There is a totally separate window in the room, so I’m not sure why they did this, but the result is that you’ll wake by the barely blunted morning light.
If you want a bargain, this is your place. Just make sure you specifically request a non-​handicapped room and bring an eye mask. On the upside, the staff was really nice.

I was worried a little when I booked this hotel. It was near the 2014 San Gennaro festival which was the reason I went to New York in the first place but some old reviews had me paranoid.
What a great place! If you read a review about bugs and this hotel know that they are old and much has changed. The first thing I did was strip down the beds and check. Absolutely clean and free of bedbugs. The hotel is in the Chinatown/​Little Italy area and if you are going to stay there, and you should, stay at this hotel. The people were friendly and helpful, it feels secure and the rooms were very spacious.
I will stay there again.

Huge rooms for the price and they were very clean. Right on the edge of Chinatown, but very convenient for where I needed to be. Windows overlooking a busy street, but it wasn’t noisy. The staff was friendly and allowed us to check into our room early. The room was up to date. Continental breakfast was good. Key card was required to take the elevator higher than the lobby. The gym is on the top floor and looks out over the city!
I would highly recommend this hotel for someone who doesn’t want a pricey room but still wants to stay somewhere nice.

Great hotel. Very accommodating and patient staff. Would love to go back. I can see why this hotel is very popular. Edit: Also wanted to mention this hotel has Bamboo like wooden floors which are easier to clean than carpet. Also the bathrooms have heated floors. This Best Western is almost considered a Best Western Plus but is missing any extra amenities that would accompany it. All tv’s in room I think are 32 inch and not all rooms have a fridge. Coffee is available at all times in the breakfast area. Secure elevator only stops at the second floor and ground floor without a key card. Located in Chinatown but close to all the NYC action.

Kind of unbelievable. Rooms are huge, quiet, clean. Great bathroom. If you like downtown (Chinatown, I do), you’ll love the location. 1 block from the train. Nice reception. The rooms are huge, quiet and clean — did I tell you that already? And CHEAP. I can’t believe I’ve been staying at the frigging Hilton all this time. Could have saved tons of money.

We loved this place!
Took our family of 4 and got a suite there (room 902) because it had a fridge and microwave. LEFTOVERS!!! :)
We read the reviews and asked to not have a floor on the 5^th or 7^th floor (vending machine)
The fact that they had hardwood (laminate) floors made is so nice. I HATE carpet in a hotel. How gross is that? Ew.
The staff was very nice.
We arrived in the hotel around 10:30am and had 2 young children. Check in is not until 3 or 4 (can’t remember). Either way, they got is into out room ASAP!
AMAZING customer service.
Then when it was time to check out (11:30) they held our bags for $ 5 and we arranged to have a minivan take out family (and our 6 pieces of luggage) to LGA.
Van was supposed to pick us up at 5:30, they were ready and waiting outside at 5:10!
This location is right next to the B&F train which is really only good for going to Times Square. LOL
But it’s right in the heart of Chinatown and a short walk to little Italy.
I LOVED this place.
Just being a parent and a germ freak, the floors with no carpet of reason enough to come back.
(Though they take a swiffer behind the couch and behind the night stand. My daughter was covered in dust bunnies)
I called down and asked for additional plastic bags since I had dirty diapers to change.
They brought them right up, along with a HUGE garbage bag. Which came in handy since we had food, water, juice boxes, etc.
If you are a family — get the suite. You will not regret it.

This is a great hotel. Located on the border of SoHo and Chinatown, it’s location is pretty nice. Lots of transportation around, subway, bus, taxi and black car services.
Rooms
Tastefully decorated, large rooms, with seating space and room to watch TV in each room. Not the normal tiny NY hotel room with limited space and a TV to watch that’s an inch away from the bed :)
Breakfast Buffet
Decent continental breakfast with usually two hot options as well (eggs and a meat choice). The breakfast area gets pretty busy though if you come in later in the morning, so go early if possible.
Dinner choices
Unlimited in that area… Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Italian and American. And they have the service
as well… tons of delivery options at the touch of a finger on your phone or laptop :) Very convenient.
Staff
The staff check in and check out were very friendly. The only issue I had was that they seemed to not want to call for a car service or cab for me. Luckily I have an ap called «UBER» that I used for car service across the US when this happens. No big deal but they should come up for some options on this for out of towners like me.
Overall…I would definitely recommend this hotel for guests and will stay here again myself.

We visit NYC frequently, and finding reasonably priced hotels is always a challenge. While this hotel isn’t cheap by any means (impossible to find in Manhattan), it’s at least affordable. We’ve stayed here multiple times. The room is comfortable, and temperature is easy to regulate. The staff is helpful and responsive… our air/​heating unit was making a noise, and they repaired it immediately.
This is a great neighborhood to stay in, too. There’s easy access to a wide variety of good restaurants, and the subway stops aren’t far away.
Make sure to ask for the quiet side of the hotel. There is some road noise, but nothing more than is typical for NYC, and we sleep well here.

This place is one of the BEST in NYC!
First of all, the service is impeccable! Friendliest counter staff around. they even found a couple of wine glasses for us one night after returning with some good Pinot Noir.
The location is so awesome. Perfect for going to SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, East Village, NoLita… all within easy walking distance! It’s a very safe and fun part of town to be. The lobby is on the second floor and there is key access to get higher than that.
The rooms are some of the biggest that we’ve encountered in the city. King sized bed, long distance to the HDTV… and a full sized bathroom that two people can comfortably shower in. Oh, and it’s impeccably clean. Did I mention free Wi-​Fi?
All of this on top of some of the best rates that we could find… and we will make this our go to spot for any future trips. FYI it was 15 min to LGA on the way out (it’s so close to the Williamsburg bridge!)
Kind of hate posting this in hopes that people don’t start swarming this hotel and then rates go up… but hey, gotta be loyal to the awesome Unilocal community.

Great service. Bing Bing at the front desk was definitely on top of things when we checked in. Room was chic modern and incredibly spacious. Had 2 tvs, a dining table, work desk, free wifi, complimentary breakfast, safe, coffee maker, fridge, microwave.
Small lobby but has two computers to print out boarding passes or browse the Internet.
Gym only has three machines: an elliptio, treeadmill, and bike.
Bfast includes bagels, eggs, cereals, waffles, some fruit. Coffee is meh!
Neighborhood is great. Right on the edge of china town and little italy. Lots of great restaurants close by. Little Italy has many with cozy outside seating.
Would definitely come again.

I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel.
In the hustle and bustle of Chinatown it’s hard to imagine a place that could provide some peace and quiet, but the Bowery Hanbee Hotel did just that for me. At the crossroads of Chinatown, Little Italy and SoHo, this hotel provided a great laid back atmosphere and ample opportunity for privacy and relaxation.
The room that I stayed in (1 queen) was very clean and up-​to-​date with really comfy bed linens and a shower that doubled as a sauna. I had a flats screen TV and a smaller wardrobe/​work area. There’s also free wi-​fi which is a major plus.
I’m not sure if this is standard for the rest of the hotel, but my room did not include a fridge so don’t plan on bring any perishables, however. Other than that, I really enjoyed the staff, my room and it’s accessible location, which can be found via a 6, B or D train.

When planning to come to NYC for Memorial Day weekend, I expected all the prices for the hotels to be ridiculously high, but the price range for 2 nights here was perfect.
This was my second time staying here and everything was great! I came a bit early to check-​in hoping that they’d have my room available… they didn’t but they had another room available at that time and asked if I wanted to go ahead and take it. Of course I said yes because I didn’t want to lug around my bag and didn’t want to pay the $ 5 bag holding free.
Room was great! Queen bed was super comfy; no signs of bed bugs. The room was located on the 2^nd floor (same floor as the lobby). Totally fine with me except I could hear everything in the morning during the continental breakfast time. Other than that, I loved my stay.
I’ll definitely come back here. Never had any problems, everyone was very helpful, the location is perfect, and you can’t beat the price. Can’t wait to visit NYC again! :)

I would like to give 1 star for service and 4 stars for the overall stay at the hotel.
First of all, the front desk person, I don’t recall his name, but he was a tall Chinese man in his early 20s, was discourteous and unhelpful. Let’s call him, Tim.
I arrived late at night and tried to check in. We thought we had prepaid on the BW website, but apparently the website was just a reservation «hold» and did not actually charge the CC like
does. This was troubling as the person paying for the hotel was not coming for a few days Tim argued with me and asked me why I didn’t have $ 2500 to drop on the hotel. He said this in a very rude tone and rolled his eyes. It was very dramatic. :) Do I need to explain how this was not acceptable. Whether I had the money wasn’t really the point; I wasn’t going to be the one to pay for it then or ever. Tim made a huge fuss about. We finally agreed that I would pay for a room for the night and talk to the manager the next morning.
The manager fixed everything and it all worked out after a few wrinkles were ironed out. After it was taken care of, I explained what happened and she said she would talk to him and apologized many times.
Okay, that horrible part out of the way, I LOVE this hotel. Forget the breakfast there. Go to Nolita Market two half blocks away and grab a coffee or hot chocolate with a peanut butter cookie or some other sweet treat.
The subways could not be any closer. The B, D line is literally ½ block away. The other lines are a 4 – 8 blocks away, but you’ll go through beautiful parts of NOLITA /​SOHO so it is worth it.
I don’t mind Chinatown smells, crowds, and general uncleanliness so the area directly outside the hotel may not be your thing, but let me tell you, this location and this hotel is not glamorous, but it does what you want from it. You want a safe, central, reasonable priced location in NYC, stay here. I will be back. And I WILL NEVER EVER book a room on the BW website again.

We got this hotel at the last minute for 2011 new year vacation. Compare to the 1^st hotel experience 5 – 6 year ago. It’s a good size room with reasonable price. The location is very convenient with subway in 1 block. It’s a decent place for family vacation. Another plus is that it is right next to China town and little Italy, it’s easy to fill your tummy with good food within budget. Noise is not bad either, unless you got some rowdy neighbors.
Now onto the not-​so-​good stuff. We got 2 calls in the middle of the night as they tried to fix water leak that caused TV problem. I am okay if they called before 11pm. But receiving calls at 2am that just ridiculous. I blame this on the night manager. Waking up people in the middle of night is just stupid business decision, particularly when it is not an urgent issue. This is really the main killer for me. My wife is not happy with them not changing the pillow cover and not fill all the shower supplies.
Overall, the hotel has good hardware (room, location, new) but bad software (bad business decision, and somewhat sloppy restocking) I wanted to give hotel a 3 – 4 star, but I just couldn’t get over the 2 midnight calls.

Very chic rooms, reminds me of Europe. Small but efficient rooms, very clean in hallways, secured, great eating and waiting area in lobby which is on the 2^nd floor.
Location is perfect for Chinatown, Little Italy and Soho. Close to subway, bus. Enjoy fresh produce outside the door, early opening bakery across the street, grocery stores only doors away. Famed Ferrara down the block.
Only wish there was a fan and counter in the bathroom (literally brought in the ironing board). The modern cool sinks are not practical.
Free internet but had problems due to city construction outside.