The Dominick

Having experienced three previous stays at The Dominick, I was excited to return for a fourth time for a weekend trip. However, soon after arriving, my excitement dwindled when I was checked into a room on the 19th floor with absolutely no view (looked directly into an office building across the street) and was directly next to the elevators. When booking the room, I specifically requested a room on a higher room with a view. For two nights, I tried to sleep while I heard loud noises and vibrations from the elevator cables. Additionally, the carpets looked old and run down and the decor in the room is quite outdated. Finally, I advise everyone to review their bill carefully! On the final night of my stay, I discovered a $52 minibar charge on my folio, despite never taking one item from the minibar. While the manager removed this charge after calling to complain, I was never given a clear answer as to how the charge got there in the first place. Next time I come to NYC, I can say for certain that I won’t be at The Dominick.

We had a fairly decent stay at The Dominick, though overall a bit lackluster for a 5-star at the price we paid per night. I will say right at the top of this that the staff was fantastic; everyone at the front desk, front door and support staff were lovely. Alex in engineering came to fix our very loud A/C within 30 minutes or so of us mentioning the issue to the front desk, and was incredibly kind and efficient with the repair. Stan at the front door was also super nice and informative about the hotel and nearby spots. Unfortunately that is where the positive ends for the stay, aside from the location and the view, both of which were fantastic. The rooms were a bit below expectation for a 5-star. The bathroom was updated nicely and spacious, but the shower was a bit cramped and the toilet was right next to the shower; the bathroom had no door so lacked a bit of privacy. The A/C in the room was rattling so loudly we had to have the front desk call engineering to fix it, and even then was still quite loud. The bed was oddly too soft, I feel like we usually run into very hard beds; We like a soft bed, but this was a bit excessive. Also, the room darkening shades were not nearly enough so; we were East facing and had a fully bright room by 7AM, which is definitely not ideal for a vacation. There were a few stains on the rug and the room itself wasn't old but not exactly new either. I also read (prior to our trip) that the "value" of the hotel was not great, and I would definitely say I have to agree with that. The food that we had was sub-par, and the restaurants that we did not personally go to had below average reviews. Everything was very expensive for the below average quality, even considering it's a 5-star hotel. The pool was a nice touch, but very small and not deep at all; more of a lounging pool. Also, it was still only late spring and the pool was quite busy and the chairs around it usually full. I can't imagine how busy that would be peak summer. There was also a mandatory Destination Fee per night and valet parking fee (which is fine, but not at that price). Overall I wouldn't say we wouldn't go back, but I would certainly look at other options first.