Freehand New York

Hotels
•
Generator Hostels
8 (3273 reviews)
23 Lexington Avenue , New York , us

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Children allowed
Pets allowed

Facilities

Nightclub
Fitness facilities (surcharge)
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Restaurant
Family rooms
Pets allowed
Lift / Elevator
Luggage storage
Express check-in/check-out
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Beautiful property
Great location
Friendly staff
Cons:
Filthy carpet
Small rooms
High price for quality

Categories

Cleanliness
6.71
Some guests reported filthy carpets and stained sheets.
Service
9.18
Multiple reviews praised the friendly and helpful staff.
Location
9.22
Guests consistently remarked on the excellent location and convenience.
Room Quality
7.17
Several rooms were reported as small or with inadequate lighting.
Amenities
7.7
Some amenities received praise but also complaints about the refrigerator and bathroom size.
Value for Money
7.16
Guests felt it was overpriced for the quality and size of the rooms.
Food and Beverage
8.21
Positive comments about the rooftop bar and in-lobby coffee shop.
Overall Experience
8.68
Guests had a generally positive experience despite some issues.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-09 06:18

Property Description

Historic Charm and Creative Legacy:
Formerly the residence of renowned writers and musicians, the Freehand New York offers a unique blend of history and creativity, evident in its design by Roman and Williams.

Luxurious Amenities:
Indulge in bathrobes, slippers, and premium Argan amenities in every room, along with complimentary water, apples, HD smart TVs, and safes for your convenience and comfort.

Culinary Delights and Rooftop Oasis:
Savor delectable dishes at the restaurant and lobby bar by Happy Cooking Hospitality, grab a bite at The Smile's takeout outpost, and enjoy craft cocktails at the rooftop Broken Shaker by Bar Lab.

Experience the vibrant neighborhood of Flatiron from our prime location on Lexington Avenue. Book now to immerse yourself in the cultural tapestry of Freehand New York.

Important information:

GROUP POLICY: Any reservation of 10 people or more per night will be considered a group with different terms and conditions. Groups reservations can only be made through our reservations team, and Generator reserves the right to cancel it otherwise.
RESORT FEES: - High-speed WiFi - Access to 24hour fitness center which features Peloton bikes - Priority seating, based on availability, to F&B outlets - Access to game room When traveling with pets, please note that an extra charge of 75 USD per stay applies.
PET POLICY: We would welcome a dog on property but only when staying in a private room, and subject to a fee per dog per Stay. Only Dog under 75lbs./ 34kg.
For Advance Purchase rates/Non Refundable rates, we require the payment card used for booking to be presented upon check in.
AGE RESTRICTIONS: Individuals under the age of 18 can only stay at the Hostel when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian in the same room.
The room must be private.
Unaccompanied under 18's are not allowed to stay in shared rooms, unless they are part of a group that has booked out the entire shared room. The group leader must provide the required documentation to Generator. Failure to comply with these policies will result in automatic cancelation of the booking with no refund. Guests violating these rules will not be permitted to check into the HostelGuests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Airport code: JFK

Property Policies

  • Groups

    When booking more than 8 rooms, different policies and additional supplements may apply.

  • Internet

    WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.

  • Parking

    No parking available.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children of any age are allowed.
    You haven't added any cots.
    You haven't added any extra beds.

  • Pets

    Pets are allowed. Charges may be applicable.

Location

Guest Reviews

8
Based on 3273 reviews
Cleanliness: 6.71
Service: 9.18
Location: 9.22
Room Quality: 7.17
Amenities: 7.7
Value for Money: 7.16
Food and Beverage: 8.21
Overall Experience: 8.68
E
emeline • solo_traveller • fr
9
2026-06-20 • via Nuitee
R
Raul • solo_traveller • es
8
Pros:

Nice clean and vintage nyc style

Cons:

My room was noisy

2026-06-20 • via Nuitee
A
Abby • couple • us
7
Wonderful staff, great location, literally zero luxury experience.
Pros:

Location is great. Staff is incredible. Well trained, warm, thoughtful, receptive to every need. Which makes up for the hotel's hostel-style, bare-bones, zero luxury experience. I suppose it's stylish-ish, as far as non-chains go, but it's decently dicey if you look hard. It is clean though and the beds are comfy.

Cons:

It's not free. For the price, it shouldn't feel like a hostel. There should be more in the rooms other than hand soap. My lamp was destroyed and the carpet was super dicey. I wasn't thrilled putting my bare feet on it. But if you ask the desk for things - like shower caps and bandaids - they have them. They just don't provide anything unless you ask. It's your only choice for Gramercy Park right now so they sort of have a monopoly on the area.

2026-06-20 • via Nuitee
A
Amy • couple • us
8
2026-06-20 • via Nuitee
U
Ulrike • solo_traveller • us
8
We come here quite often and Freehand feels a little like our home in the city, relaxed and easy.
Pros:

Convenient location, relaxed rooms and atmosphere, nice room cleaning crew.

2026-06-19 • via Nuitee
J
Jiayi • extended_group • us
3
I would not stay here again
Pros:

The location was great! Nice bar on the second floor.

Cons:

Staff did not communicate with each other - lost items needed to be mentioned several times to several team members.

2026-06-19 • via Nuitee
F
Freud • family_with_children • us
8
2026-06-18 • via Nuitee
G
Gabriela • couple • us
5
2026-06-18 • via Nuitee
M
Mario • solo_traveller • mt
8
Good location. Very good hotel.
Pros:

Central location, value for money. Small but nice and comfortable room.
The hotel also has a small gym and bars/restaurants, which are quite good.

2026-06-17 • via Nuitee
D
Danielle • couple • us
9
2026-06-16 • via Nuitee
R
Richard • couple • gb
7
Great location - bit rough round the edges but generally comfortable. Would stay again.
Pros:

Great location, good vibe in the hotel generally.

Cons:

Rooms are a little tired, our windowsill was very dusty on arrival and we had to request cleaners come and do another pass - which they were happy to, but wasn't a great first impression.

2026-06-15 • via Nuitee
K
Kate • couple • us
8
2026-06-15 • via Nuitee
D
Dhawal • solo_traveller • gb
1
Hygiene failure, sustained intimidation, and twice threatened with removal in middle of the night
Pros:

Location was convenient

Cons:

Edit: Response from hotel is absolute lies. Would highly recommend female guests traveling alone to not book this hotel. Original review below.
Hygiene failure, sustained intimidation, and twice threatened with removal in the middle of the night. A frightening experience for a solo woman traveller.
I paid for four nights. I made a reasonable hygiene request. What I received was dismissal, intimidation, obstruction of due escalation process, and twice being threatened with removal — once at 10pm and once at 3:30am.
On my final night, after a long day of business meetings, I found a bug in my bed. I made one simple request: please change my sheets. A staff member handed me the sheets and asked me to do it myself. When I asked for help, two staff members arrived — and instead of changing the sheets, spent several minutes deflecting with condescending remarks. "This is New York." "I tell my daughter the bug is more scared of you." I am not his daughter. I was a paying guest entitled to a clean room.
He then told me to pack my bags and leave — at 10pm, during FIFA World Cup week, with nowhere to go. He threatened to "get someone to calm me down." As a solo woman traveller, that was frightening - what did that mean? Was he going to get someone to physically force me out, or to intimidate me further or to argue more forcefully?
The sheets were eventually changed. I was given no manager contact, no incident report.
At 3:30am checkout, the same staff member — the most senior person on duty — called me "rude, disrespectful, disingenuous, and a liar", physically came out from behind the desk walking towards me, and demanded I leave the property - he also asked the other person behind the front desk to call someone else to force me out. I was alone, it was dark, and I was deciding whether the street was safer than the lobby.
My cab arrived before it escalated further.

2026-06-14 • via Nuitee
R
Rachel • couple • us
10
Consistently wonderful hotel
Pros:

Staff is wonderful- Bernic made sure that I got great accommodations (needed special support), and everyone is lovely and kind.
Very clean, good comfy beds and great showers. Delicious restaurants in the building and close to all forms of public transportation.
I have stayed here numerous times and this review is based on all stays over several years.

Cons:

Nothing to complain about

2026-06-14 • via Nuitee
J
Joshua • couple • us
6
2026-06-14 • via Nuitee
K
Karien • couple • za
9
2026-06-14 • via Nuitee
J
Jacibe • solo_traveller • co
9
Volveré en otra oportunidad
Pros:

La ubicación

Cons:

Le falta un poco ventilación

2026-06-12 • via Nuitee
I
Inke • couple • de
10
Erste Wahl in NY
Pros:

Very friendly, very clean. Safe, great location, best staff ever.

2026-06-12 • via Nuitee
L
LI SIN JEAN • couple • sg
7
Not super clean and new, a bit expensive but good location and safe environment makes it overall nice place to be in NYC
Pros:

Central location, near public transport, convenience shops, restaurants & laundry nearby. Safe. Friendly front desk.

Cons:

Broken aircon, hotel changed room for us after two days, new room’s aircon was good but toilet flush was weak. Need to flush 3-5 times each time to properly clear. Super thin walls, can hear noise from neighbors and people along corridor loudly. Very very small bathroom. Shower gel ran out but was never replaced.

2026-06-11 • via Nuitee
A
Anne • couple • gb
10
Pros:

Quirky, friendly staff on reception. Our room was well equipped, bed was comfortable, air conditioning worked well. Good shower. Good choice of eating places. Good coffee from coffee shop,

Cons:

Nothing to dislike.

2026-06-11 • via Nuitee