The high-tech Yotel in New York City is a futuristic style hotel that seamlessly blends technology with swanky atmosphere into the perfect ultra modern and affordable hotel for those looking to stay within walking distance to Times Square in Manhattan.
High-Tech Hotel
Guests arriving before the set check-in time have the option to store their suitcase with the Yobot, a touchscreen operated luggage storage robot that will safely store your suitcases in a locker which you can later access by setting your own access code.
The captivating Yobot was a fun and a secure way for me to store all my valuables.
Checking-in and out of the Yotel was also done by touchscreen by walking up to one of the kiosk screens and typing in your name. The touchscreens are especially wonderful for travelers whose native language is not English, as there are multiple language options, making the check-in process go smoothly as it could be done in the language of your choice.
After check-in, the kiosk will give you up your room key, and later when checking-out you can similarly drop off your key at one of these machines and pay any outstanding balances. The entire process was the fastest check-in I’ve ever had as there was always a free kiosk available.
Along with streamlined technology, the modern furnishings, lounge music, and purple light theme of the hotel combine perfectly to add to to the appeal of this urban hotel.
My Stay
The hotel rooms are designed with an airplane cabin concept to maximize the small space of the rooms, for example, with a touch of a button the couch will transform into a bed.
Deciding to share one cabin with two other friends we opted for the bunk bed room, which offered one large queen size bed along with a single bed directly above which could be accessed by a ladder.
The full-size mirror and one of two locations to store clothing.
While sitting on the bed converted into a couch the room feels like a living room, with a TV directly across in a wall unit that also has a charging station for phones. To keep the small space feeling larger the bathroom has only glass walls, with curtains that can be pulled across for extra privacy. Thus, when the bathroom is not in use and the curtains are open you can see the window from the bedroom.
The bathroom offered more storage space for clothing, and plenty of room to get ready.
The rain shower in the bathroom.
While the curtains do help the room feel larger, they might not provide the desired amount of privacy some might be looking for if sharing the room with their family or friends. After sharing the Yotel, I think the cabin theme rooms would be better suited for travelers staying alone or couples, and would certainly return to try one of their other suites when visiting New York again.
One useful feature of the Yotel that I loved were the vending machines beside the elevators which offered traveling essentials you might have forgotten such as power adapters, earphones or tech charging cables.
On the 4th floor is where the dining options are for the hotel, including the Green Fig, the outdoor bar, and station for breakfast.
Unfortunately while staying at the Yotel the weather was raining but typically in the evenings, you can grab a drink on the huge outdoor patio space that has an amazing view of the city. As well the Yotel offers movies outdoors on the patio space while enjoying a small bottle of champagne and bag of popcorn.
Included with your stay you also have a free breakfast which includes coffee or tea and muffins.
Breakfast options
By focusing on maximizing space, in a prime location the hotel is able to offer affordable prices while not sacrificing luxurious and hip feeling the Yotel offers. The Yotel’s use of technology instead of more traditional hotel staff did work seamlessly, and overall the hotel left me dazzled by the overall hip interior. I’m certainly eager to stay here again and highly recommend this hotel.