PUBLIC Hotel

Reviews

• KS

  Kelsey Spencer

  3 days ago
  2.0
  I was in a room on the 16th floor. I was trying to go to sleep around 10pm on a Thursday night when loud music began playing on the floor above. The bass was literally shaking the ceiling and walls of my room and made it impossible to sleep. This continued until at least 2am. When I called the front desk they said there was an event going on and they would ask them to turn down the music, but that didn't happen. My friend on the 15th floor also heard the music all night. I understand a hotel hosting an event like this, but at the expense of at least two floors of guests seems ridiculous. I would not stay here again because of this experience. The hotel itself has a great vibe and the rooms were nice and very clean, though I'm glad I was staying alone because there is very little privacy with the bathroom set up (my bathroom door wouldn't even close all the way).
• DS

  Dan Schmidt

  4 days ago
  2.0
  For the cost? No shot. New York will always bleed you a little, sure—but for this price, you expect at least a bandage and a pat on the back. I’ve stayed in places a few blocks away for a third of the price and walked out feeling like I’d made a smart decision, not like I’d been hustled by a hotel with big dreams and small rooms. To be fair—the staff? Fantastic. Warm, friendly, the kind of people who make you feel like maybe this is the stay that’ll redeem the city. They deserve medals, or at least a hotel that matches their energy. And the rooftop bar? Top-notch views, great vibes… if you ignore the sea of 20-somethings who dance like their joints are on loan and order cocktails like they're reading from a BuzzFeed list titled “Top 10 Drinks Real Adults Allegedly Like.” Still, the drinks were priced surprisingly reasonably for Manhattan, and the bartenders? Absolute pros. Those folks could teach a masterclass on holding a bar together while surrounded by a crowd that thinks “neat” is a personality trait. The room itself—yeah, it was small, but it’s New York. No one comes here expecting a suite unless they’re on a tech bro expense account. What I wasn’t expecting was a shower that turned the bathroom into a kiddie pool every time I stepped in. Add in the nightly ritual of a line of club-kids milling outside, pre-gaming on the hotel steps like they’re waiting for Space Mountain, and suddenly you realize: you’re not staying at a hotel—you’re staying at the backstage entrance to someone else’s night out. If you’re the type who likes a quiet drink after a long day wandering the city, PUBLIC is not your place. These bars are where noise comes to live its best life. And the worst part? There’s nothing close by that offers a calm refuge. No dimly lit dive with a bartender who’s seen too much. No corner spot to sit with a beer and reflect on the chaotic, beautiful fever dream that is New York. So yeah—great staff, killer rooftop, but for the money? I wanted value, not a front-row seat to someone’s TikTok nightlife.
• VM

  Vera Maltseva

  Nov 14, 2025
  3.0
  The pros: Great location, in the heart of Soho and right by a subway station New building/rooms Nice rooftop view Priority line for hotel guests at the restaurant/club The cons: When you pay extra for a “park view,” you actually get a front-row seat to chaos: drunk crowds, honking, yelling, and the nightclub downstairs blasting music straight into the room until 3 AM. Our room was on the 6th floor btw. Calling the soundproofing bad would be generous — it’s practically theoretical. You hear every slammed door and every conversation. Sleep isn’t difficult; it’s impossible. There is no actual bathroom — you walk straight into a sink by the front door, right where you leave soaked coats and dirty shoes and where you’re also supposed to wash your face. There is no closet space. You get a roughly 15-inch-wide cabinet for your belongings. Breakfast downstairs is served in plastic cups and to-go boxes, which feels cheap and completely out of place. I’m not in a Starbucks or an airport terminal. Basic essentials? Don’t count on them. No robe, no slippers, no cotton pads, no cotton swabs - even by request. There isn’t a tea/coffee station in the room either. After a long flight, I asked for a kettle to make tea before bed; after waiting 25 minutes I don’t want it, thank you. This hotel works only if your plan is to stumble in after a nightclub and sleep through anything. If you’re looking for comfort, rest, or anything remotely aligned with the price — look elsewhere.
• JH

  Joey Holman

  Nov 13, 2025
  2.0
  Good for pictures, not for stays. FYI we’re staying in the “loft great view” and, on their website, paid $1,300 + tax each night and now we’re seeing the exact same room for $727 a night on their website. This is incredibly annoying and disappointing. Almost $3K for two nights gets you a pretty view of lower manhattan in a skinny room about 30 ft. wide (about 24 if you don’t include the bathroom) by maybe 10 ft. deep. You check in on an iPad with someone standing over your shoulder telling you what to press. You even ring yourself up. Again, almost $3K for just two nights and you check yourself in… Two towels in the bathroom. An “essentials” room on each floor is just an ice machine with a water spout, no mini bar, no sanitary products by the sink, a broken curtain… and here’s my favorite part… A tinted glass wall looking into the W.C./toilet room so when you go to the bathroom there’s zero privacy (the “wall” to the toilet and shower is a sliding glass door that’s not sealed so any smells or sounds are not contained… in fact there isn’t even a fan in the bathroom…). Overall the aesthetic is like brutalist millennial core with fake plants in the lobby, earthy materials like wood and grey concrete slabs. It seems like they were thorough in the design but didn’t think through the guests’ stay. Juxtapose this with a stay at The Bowery or The Crosby and you’ll find the Public cares more about its image than its customer experience. It’s in a good location and if you’re solo, I’d just stay in one of their tiny rooms at the cheapest rate if you want to stay here. Just be careful with the rates… the fact that we can find the same room for literally half the price is beyond frustrating. I get that rates change, but by half? Give me a break (literally). PS - The breakfast bar… avocado with chili flakes on toast is $16 whereas a chicken sausage patty with egg and cheese on bread is $14. Make it make sense… (nice staff working it though)
• VL

  Vicki Lau

  Oct 28, 2025
  3.0
  I found myself incredibly disappointed by the hotel. There is nothing luxury about this hotel in my opinion. This hotel is only good for those who prioritize staying in a design forward hotel, otherwise almost all other aspects of the hotel are disappointing. 1. Service was not great. Check in is primarily self check in via a kiosk otherwise they have one staff member there to answer questions. I attempted to ask the staff member some questions about my Amex benefits and they were clueless and redirected me to the cafe staff. When I went to the cafe staff to ask my questions, they tried to redirect me to the front desk staff… (so I never got a clear answer). The bartender on the lobby floor was so rude and standoffish, she made it seem like I was bothering her by ordering a drink. Luggage storage is diy via lockers in the lower level, no live person to help you. I just expected that at the price we paid, service would be much better, but so many things were DIY and the times we did interact with staff were a let down. 2. The hotel property is overrun with non guests. The ground floor and lobby are overrun with outside guests working on their computers, there was even a disheveled woman there who looked like she lived in the lobby as we saw her in the lobby late into the night and then the following morning. I did not appreciate how open to the public the hotel was. During the day there is almost no seating available even for the hotel guests. 3. Rooms are barebones and small. The view from our room was fine, but nothing compared to the nyc skyline view we had in our hotel we transferred from that was cheaper. You’re also sleeping on a mattress on the floor pushed into the corner of the room with no nightstands. They also don’t provide you with any body lotion in the room which is disappointing. We found dust and lint next to the corner of the bed and the shower shelf was poorly mounted and about to fall over so our toiletries kept toppling over. The shower walls are also see through so I wouldn’t book this hotel with anybody other than a spouse or partner. I expected way more from a hotel at this price. 4. The location is very good, I liked that it was next to a Whole Foods and a train station. 5. I didn’t like that I could only access the rooftop after 5pm, even as a hotel guest. I would have liked to been able to access the roof during the day even just to get a view of the skyline. 6. The entire hotel is so dark everywhere, the hallways, the lower levels. It’s so hard to see anything. Overall I wouldn’t recommend anybody to stay at this hotel. Yes it’s designed quite nicely but it’s just a social media trap. The quality you’re provided is not even close to what you pay for. We had transferred from a much cheaper hotel earlier in our trip that we enjoyed much more than Public due to receiving better service and having a more comfortable stay at the other hotel.

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