The GEM Hotel Hudson Yards, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

Awesome hotel.
If you like sleeping in a shoe box.
It was a nice shoe box though.
Or nice enough at least.
Its super close to the Javits.
Conveneint if you are attending a conference there.

The room was clean… and tiny bit we had the only outdoor patio in the place. I might have given it 3 stars if the girl at the front desk wasn’t a condescending little bitch to everyone who came in including myself.

The staff was extremely friendly and allowed a late check out. The location made the walk to and from Penn Station tolerable. These were the only gems about this place!
Whoever took the pictures of these rooms deserves a prize in trick photography because the website makes this place look wayyyy better than it actually was. I felt hoodwinked and bamboozled. This is the smallest hotel room that I’ve ever stayed in. Damn, Gina. This was a boutique hotel, for sure. I had to move my suitcase by the doorway to even be able to open it up to get my clothes out of it because there was no room because of the bed/​desk. The wardrobe made us chuckle. There was barely enough room for the bathrobes that they had hanging inside.
I’m so thankful there weren’t any bed bugs. I sure checked after reading all the scary reviews on here. While grateful for the heating vent in the bathroom because the floors were like ice without it. How-​ever, my ankles roasted just standing there brushing my teeth. Any longer and someone might have called the front desk to say that it smelled like someone was bar-​be-​cuing. Lord, Jesus, it’s a fire.
It was a clean place to stay for one night. Thankfully, we were barely in the room because we would have been all up in each other’s bubbles. I would not return.

We loved it! Went here for a 4 day, 3 night stay with my husband and 8 year old son. The room was clean (with some of the posts on here about bed bugs, I checked… and noticed the mattresses were newer and cleaner than any hotel I’d been in for the past 10 years). We were in room 601… next to the elevator. Never heard it! The staff was friendly and made us feel welcome. The housekeeper and I traded notes to each other — she’s a doll. Here’s the thing… we stay in NYC and know that the rooms will be more expensive than anywhere else in the U.S. (under $ 300 is a deal), smaller (it’s NYC and how it is), and you can’t expect all the amenities you might get in the suburbs. However, we like clean and quiet… helpful service… and great location. And the Gem was just that. Hell’s Kitchen was walkable to where we planned to go (Chelsea, The High Line, Intrepid, Rockefeller Plaza, Empire State Building, Flatiron… and to/​from Penn Station to catch Amtrak). This was perfect for our needs. I’d rank it a top 5 place we’ve stayed in NYC (and we’ve stayed at The Intercontinental, The Plaza (!), The Kitano, The Roosevelt, Gild Hotel, Club Quarters, Sheraton and more). We also appreciated FREE wi fi, easy access to shampoo and body wash (attached to the shower), umbrella, 2 free bottles of water. We’ll be back!

Within 30 seconds of walking in the room we were already on our phones looking for another hotel. The room itself is the size of the bed and that’s no exaggeration. There’s no way to walk in the room without touching each other. The back patio was the best feature. You also hear every person in the lobby which is your wake up call late at night or in the morning. We stayed one of three nights and left the next morning as soon as we could. The room rate should be far less that what was paid. All the surrounding name brand hotels were much bigger, nicer, and cheaper.

Great location. No thrills, but our room was clean, beds comfortable, everything worked, maids did a good job.
Restaurants nearby, Javits is walkable, important if you ever tried to hail a cab after a trade show.
Rooms are small, but normal by New York standards.

Friendly/​helpful staff, room clean/​well-​equipped, and location was great! Will definitely come back.

Clean, comfortable, friendly and helpful staff. Our room had a terrace which was a nice surprise. Room is decent sized for NYC and nicely decorated. Within walking distance of the theatre district, restaurant row, Chelsea, easy access to subway. The Highline is very close.
The only thing that would have made it perfect was if there was coffee in the lobby. The nearest Starbucks is a few blocks.
Great Thai café Aura/​Zib Zoob is a block away.
Wifi and satellite TV were spotty, but not a big deal.

The Gem is a very decent place for the price. The rooms are small but clean. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Well, the rooms are small but was ok for the two of us. I felt like it wasn’t close enough to things, kinda on a shady looking side street. Because of that I don’t give a better score. The room seemed clean and the space was use well. Service was fine.

If I could give zero stars, I would.
Don’t get me wrong — the rooms are fine. The service is fine.
Two words ruined my trip: BED BUGS.
I stayed in 901 — DO NOT STAY IN THAT ROOM THERE ARE BUGS.

The Gem gets a solid 3 ½ stars.
Location:
When my girlfriend and I arrived we were famished from the long train ride and extensive schlep of a walk from Penn Station to the Gem hotel. The webpage states its a short walk, but I used my GPS tracker and ⁹⁄₁₀^th of a mile is not short, maybe less than half a mile is short in my opinion, but close is definitely not a whole mile. Location is key because you are close to Hell’s Kitchen, Penn Station, Javitz Center, Lincoln Tunnel, Subway tunnels, and cabs frequent by often.
Cleanliness & Amenities:
When we first entered the room the beds were neatly made, room immaculate, no strange hotel smells, and the desk even came with a lamp, coffee maker, writing pad, and plush, cushy, nice office chair. There was a window that you could actually open and close. Even though the view was of nothing but the inside cluster of the surrounding buildings this window allowed for easy control of room temperature. Big Plus!
Since our room had no fridge or microwave and the hotel had no extra’s to lend the very nice hotel staff allowed us to use their employee lounge fridge and microwave during our stay. I was impressed they offered. Usually you get funny looks and stairs of confusion when you ask for a mini-​fridge and microwave. As if you might want to eat food while you stay at their hotel, the nerve of some people?!
FREE Wi-​Fi, as it should be, second star earned.
Concierge Assistance:
The gem hotel is definitely on key when it comes to personal assistance. I experienced only minor inconveniences during my stay of two nights. The front desk concierge helped us out with some local pizzeria menus and gave us reviews of her own to boot, and even brought the literature up personally to our room. I was again impressed. The pizza on the other hand you’ll have to read my review of Fat Sal’s ().
The next day I inquired about possible spa services and the desk got back to me with a list of local vendors, prices, and services available. I again was surprised with the help. When I needed to print out a flyer for my tickets on Broadway they printed out for free without hesitation. This would not have been possible at the Comfort Inn across the street or the Pennsylvania Hotel which we stayed out previously and do NOT recommend ever to anyone.
Sleep:
Our sleep was important and the only interruption came with a weird knocking sound that came from inside the walls. It happened twice and scared the crapped out of us. Sounded like the hotel has plumbing ventilation problems and the pipes were knocking.
The next morning we realized the water pressure was limp, a four out of ten pressure wise. The hot water did not run out surprisingly.
When looking for a local deli I was again impressed with the care the front desk went through to make sure I knew what and where I was going. Just a heads up sandwiches go for $ 7 bucks and up at deli’s in NYC so just prepare for cost shock if you’re not from NYC. By dinner time when we were getting ready we realized our towels had not been replaced and when we looked for our robes there was only one, even though the reservation was for two people and made over a month in advance (I dock a star each time only one item is left when two people are known to be expected). Having to dry off with wet towels is never fun.
Room Turning Service:
The Gem has a funny way of letting the staff know you want your room turned, you must leave a marked stone or «Gem» outside the door to let the staff know, otherwise like me and many others your left with wet towels and confusion.
Cab Service:
I called the front desk and asked if they could hail a cab and have it ready outside, as printed they would do in their literature of services offered. They would not hail the cab but offered to call a limousine service that I was told was more expensive and would take longer to arrive. I on purpose booked this hotel so that I would not have to wait outside hailing a cab in 20 degree weather when I was paying for somebody else to do it for me. This docks them a star! No Bueno!
So out into the cold we went to Rosa Mexicano, my girls favorite Mexican restaurant, again read my review if you want to know how dinner went.
Upon getting back I informed the desk I would need to leave my luggage past check-​out and come back. Not only were they ok with it, they did it for free and offered to bump our check-​out time up as well for no charge. I give them back half a star for not having to ask or pay fees for remedial things that take no amount of man power to actually do.
Cost:
Keep in mind prices for this place very wildly depending on when, where, and from who you book with. I booked a month in advance for a non-​weekend, non-​holiday, mid-​winter for $ 500 for two nights. Which is normal for those variables.
Overall the stay was very enjoyable and the help was fantastic (minus the not hailing a cab for me when it was 20 degrees out). The Gem gets 3 ½ stars

New York Hotel: Small, No CPU, no food, HOWEVER…
You get the best price hotel that is walking distance and the staff is GREAT (like V.) with help.

We booked this hotel at the last minute. As in, there were three of us on the Megabus on the way down from Boston looking for a cheap room for the night. Hotwire had nothing good to offer, so we ended up on
and eventually found the GEM Hotel. The boyfriend called them to ask about a couple of double beds, and it was by far the cheapest rate in the city for something other than just a hole in the wall. The place was reasonably well recommended by
reviewers, which was good enough for us.
We were checked in promptly when we arrived a little after midnight. The main entrance and lobby were all shiny and new, which makes me think they might have renovated since the other reviews. Our room was tiny but gorgeous, with one double bed pushed up against the a/​c, and the other pushed up against the opposite wall, and just enough room in between for a nightstand. The room also had a desk and armoire (with a couple of bathrobes), but somehow the layout worked, and even with three of us sharing we weren’t intolerably cramped. The bathroom also seemed to be brand spanking new, and was actually more spacious than many other NYC hotel rooms. The beds were very comfortable and I didn’t see or feel a single bedbug.
The location was awesome, walking distance from TImes Square, Macy’s, and all that good stuff, but without the hefty price tag. By comparison, the Comfort Inn across the street was $ 20 more, although that included breakfast.
Given the price, reviewers complaining about the size of the rooms have obviously never visited NYC before, or never had to pay for their own NYC hotel room. If you came to New York just to sit in your hotel room all day then I don’t feel sorry for you. Reviewers complaining about the lack of «facilities» obviously have no idea what a «boutique hotel» is. I, for one, was more than happy to not have to pay for a gym I had no intention of using, or a continental breakfast I had no intention of eating. The one thing we actually needed was WiFi, which GEM provided free of charge to all guests.
The staff weren’t the friendliest but they were professional and courteous, let us check out an hour late without any drama at all, and were happy to store our bags for us until we went back to Philly late that evening. My only complaint is that the heating was off when we arrived and our room was about as cold as outside, but by the time we came back from dinner an hour later it was nice and toasty. For the right price, I would definitely stay here again.

The descriptions in the other reviews are basically spot on, though my room was clean and I experienced no bugs. Smallest hotel room I’ve ever had. Nice bathroom, hit-​or-​miss maid service, out of the way location. But it’s pretty cheap, at least by New York standards.

I WANTED to believe the website. The website makes this place look cool, however upon arrival it was clear and apparent that the website was the devil and the devil is a LIAR.
First of all the room was so small that the chair at the desk was literally up against the foot of the bed, leaving little to no room what so ever for me to USE said desk but since I had work to do I squeezed my belly in and slid into my little work space.
Mean while my co-​worker located no less than 3 bed bugs, the size of small farm animals from his bed.
Needless to say, shortly there after we departed.
Friends don’t let friends stay at the Gem.

Good hotel for price and cleanliness. Not necessarily the best location in town, but if you have a need to be in the Fashion District, this place is perfect as it’s only a couple blocks away. Yes, the rooms are somewhat small – think, slightly larger than a cruise ship cabin. However, it is NYC and they ARE clean. One big perk is the ipod docking stations/​stereos in each room. It was great to be able to pull my ipod out of my luggage and instantly have my own music. Maid service was kind of «sketchy» (one day, she didn’t show up to make the room until 6 pm) and the free wireless internett didn’t work for me. As a whole, however, if you are looking for a quiet, decently-​priced hotel in a not SO crappy location, this one is fine.

Stayed here for 3 nights to attend the NY Times Travel Show.
We just needed a clean, quiet place to stay and the Gem Midtown West seemed to be the right place.
I was a bit surprised by how tiny the king size room was, but this is New York. Although small, the room itself felt clean and the bed was very comfy. The bathroom also looked very new, the water pressure and temperature were great, and plenty of fresh towels too.
The free wifi was a definite bonus, and was pretty fast.
This is a great hotel if you have to go to the Javits Center in the middle of winter and dont want to walk too far in the cold! It’s true, the neighborhood does not cater to the up-​all night crowd, so don’t expect to find anything open past 9pm except the Dunkin Donuts at the gas station a few doors down, but there are a few eateries on 9^th ave that might be worth checking out for brunch /​normal dinner time.
Overall, I give the GEM a solid 4 stars. I just wished the room was a tad bigger. But if you’re just there to sleep, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.

I was only going to be in NYC for the day so I need a place to stay nearby MSG.
I got to the hotel at 2pm and had to wait 45 mins to check in since my room wasn’t ready. So I waited outside for a bit and the hotel needs to get rid of the carpet. It’s dirty and peeling; it was disgusting.
When I finally did check in, imagine my surprise when the room was located in the basement! I was not happy with that but like I said I was only staying for the day. I didn’t interact with that staff that much and the ladies at the front desk was nice.
I wouldn’t stay here again. It’s overpriced and the location was iffy.

I had a mixed experience at this hotel. On the negative side: It’s very expensive by real-​world standards (although not by New York standards). Rooms are extremely small. How small? Well, the desk was at the foot of the bed and I had to maneuver to get into and out of the desk chair, like getting into a small foreign car — not enough room to roll the chair back to comfortably get into it. I mean, come on, I’m a big guy, but not *that big.*
The neighborhood is «transitional.» When I left the hotel in the morning, homeless guys were lined up at a church next door to get breakfast. There’s a reason this neighborhood is called «Hell’s Kitchen.» Of course, it’s been cleaned up a lot since it got that nickname. I guess now you could call it «Heck’s Kitchen.»
No breakfast, no attached restaurant, no room-​service, no in-​room movies, no minibar. And of course no health club.
On the positive side, the rooms were clean and comfortable, the staff was very friendly. And, best of all, the hotel is only a couple of blocks from the Javits Center, where I was attending a conference. Not a lot of hotels to choose from in that neighborhood. That’s why I booked this place, rather than a fancier hotel across town.
However, the worst part of my experience was this: When I got to the hotel at dinnertime, worn out from a day of cross-​country travel, they said they’d overbooked and given away my room. They wanted to put me at a sister hotel in SoHo, which is about a million miles from the Javits. Proximity to the Javits was the ONLY REASON I booked there; if I wanted to be on the other side of town from the Javits, I would have booked a NICER hotel.
So we argued and I yelled and got all dramatic and they finally put me in the Comfort Inn for one night of my two-​night stay, which is about the same as the GEM but across the street. They had me in a smoking room. Feh.
So, even though the place is nice for the price, and comfortable, and the staff is friendly, I’m going to have to recommend against anyone making a reservation to stay here. Because you can’t count on their keeping the reservation.