The Box House Hotel

Not as convenient as the Henry Norman, but second best!

The hotel is cosy and clean, there is a good hot and cold breakfast selection, a gym and a laundry room which came in very handy. The room, which had a city view, was just right for our needs. The location is perfect, a 12 min walk across the Pulaksi Bridge to Vernon Blvd and Jackson Ave on the 7 train which takes you one stop to Grand Central, then 5th, Times Sq and Hudson Yards. But locally, Greenpoint is also worth exploring for bars, restaurants and shops, we visited many and had a great time. I would definitely stay here again!

It is well decorated with cool funky art and nice large rooms.

The restaurant wasn’t really open. There was bar service and pub food Thursday - Saturday but otherwise it was closed except for breakfast. Some of the loft rooms back to an enclosed corridor so the windows are papered over and staff are in that corridor doing some kind of work at 6am.

Pros: The hotel was very charming, nice, and clean. The staff were always friendly. Great price, especially compared to some of the hotels in Manhattan, but there's always tradeoffs (commute to downtown). The balcony was cute, but we only used it once. Housekeeping was prompt and efficient when we needed it. The beds were good as well - as someone who usually has back and shoulder pain, my pain was not noticable while we stayed here.

Cons: I had an incredibly severe allergic reaction to their bathroom products (hand soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner). Allergies are a new development for me, so I wasn't aware I would react so strongly. After 2-3 days of using their products I began to have a reaction - severely swollen face (my partner didn't recognize me), itchiness all over, and hives across all of my body. I had to go to urgent care twice, due to the continued affects, and I lost a whole vacation day due to being bedridden because of the reaction. I wish the bathroom products listed ingredients, but after digging online I confirmed the ingredients list and cross examined it with my new allergy list, and it has an active ingredient that I'm allergic to, confirming the cause and reaction. Additionally, I'm not a fan of down pillows, and that was all they had in the room. The TV was also inconsistent, some channels were not functioning/had lots of static. The location was mixed for me - fun to be outside of the tourist area, but the stair climb everyday to get the the train was an inconvenience. Overall, I would consider staying here again, but I'd have to bring my own bathroom products, and would need to confirm they don't use similar products for washing the sheets and blankets.