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Last night I stayed at the Refinery Hotel located at the corner of 38th Street and 6th Avenue in New York City to take in the offerings of the establishment.
At check-in I was offered a glass of wine and bottle of water to start off my stay. I told the guy checking me in I might take him up on the offer later and headed up to my room to drop off my bag and wash my face before I sat down for a short talk with the hotel's general manager at Winnie's Jazz Bar, which is attached to the lobby of the hotel.
On my elevator rides up and down from my room I asked my fellow riders if they were enjoying their stay at the Refinery. Everyone was pleased, expressing how warm the staff was, and insisted I had to get up to the roof for a drink before the night was over. Notably, four of the five people I spoke with were repeat visitors, an impressive feat for a boutique hotel that's only been operating for around three years. I asked Eric Foley, the general manager of the Refinery Hotel about how they went about starting and maintaining relationships with their guests. He emphasized the importance of first impressions.
“We are constantly researching our incoming guests. Let’s say we find out someone is coming in to celebrate their birthday. What we’ll do is take that information, find whatever we can on social media, and through that, we are able to really personalize our service."
When the guest Foley and I were discussing arrived in his room, he and his girlfriend were met with custom cupcakes from Magnolia's Bakery and a bottle of wine, wishing him a happy birthday. "They were through the moon," according to Foley.
This is the type of service that takes a lot of work to seem effortless.
With this in mind, I inquired as to how Foley goes about hiring his staff, as few decisions are more important in the industry. "We're looking for someone who can deliver personalized service, who can think on their feet, who really understands the guests and can make the right decisions. We want to deliver professional-grade service, but there always might be something that goes wrong, so how you recover that guest is the most important part.”
After some more talk and a taste of a quality Old Fashioned, Foley wished me well and asked that I enjoyed my stay, specifically emphasizing that I had to check out the rooftop bar before my exit. My adventure continues in pictures below.
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The location
The Refinery Hotel is located just off the corner of 38th and 6th Avenue, giving guests access to the heart of Manhattan, whether they want to travel as tourists and stop by Times Square and Broadway or check out Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. It's also conveniently located for travelers, within easy walking distance of both Penn Station and Grand Central and just blocks from almost any subway you would need to catch.
My room
This was the view that met me when I entered room 1007 — an Atelier Executive suite — at the Refinery, and I was blown away. Granted, this was my second time up to the room (hence, why "Monday Night Raw" was already on the television), but still I was blown away. I have stayed in my fair share of hotel rooms, and it's not often that you need to use the panoramic option on your iPhone camera to capture it all.
The high ceilings and pleasant lighting complimented the industrialized aesthetic that Foley had taken much pride in during our conversation.
The bed and decor
To give a slightly closer look, here is the bed (one of the biggest I have ever seen), full length mirror, and lighting. With two televisions, you could view from the comfort of the bed or the couch, depending on your mood. There was also a spacious and sturdy work desk for my laptop.
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