Is the Bernic Hotel in New York a cutting edge award winning property? Absolutely
not. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve its purpose. Join me on this mini tour, coming up.
If you want a decent amount of space, for a good price near the UN or Grand Central,
the Bernic might be for you. Let’s check where we are.
Located on 47th between 3rd Ave and Lexington Ave, the Bernic is a very easy walk to either
Grand Central Terminal, the UN or a multitude of embassies and missions.
If you need to venture out, it’s well connected via the 4/5/6 on Lexington
with stations on 42nd or 51st. Easy access to the E train will also connect you to JFK quickly.
Whether it’s a cup of coffee or a pharmacy, you don’t need to go more than a block or two.
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. There’s construction directly next door.
Work is only done during the day, when you probably wouldn’t be in the room anyway
and this is simply a fact of life in Manhattan. The hotel doesn’t lose any points for this.
The lobby is very small but this is a no nonsense type of property.
Opened in 2016, the hotel has 96 rooms spread over 22 floors and is part of Hilton’s Tapestry
Collection. These are independent hotels that focus on offering an upscale product at a value.
I reserved a corner balcony room both for the layout and I always enjoy having a bit of
outdoor space. I checked in around five hours early which meant only a room on a low floor
in the back was available. Had I waited a few hours, another more desirable location
would have opened up- but I wasn’t here to watch the streetlife so it was no bother.
By midtown Manhattan standards,
the room was a great size and nicely laid out and truly soundproof.
Courtyard views are kind of nostalgic for me from
my days living in the city- so I really don’t mind them at all.
Inside, the room is setup with efficiency and business in mind.
Plenty of connections throughout. Also note, the free wifi had speeds that exceeded the premium for
pay wifi guaranteed speed, so don’t pay for it if you don’t need it.
One of my two favorite parts of the room was this really long and spacious desk.
After a week of shopping in the city- I do a good job of hiding it in the videos-
this was my last night and all of that extra space was well worth the $30
or so more for this room compared to a standard smaller room. The room also included a Nespresso
machine and decent generic pods. For this price point, this was a nice surprise.
I don’t think anyone is coming to the Bernic for their honeymoon-
so for the average business traveler, there’s plenty of storage throughout.
The shower was surprisingly large and the rest of
the bathroom was nicely equipped and featured premium Beekman products.
My other favorite thing were the heated floors which are super rare but very much appreciated.
Up on the rooftop there is a small lounge area with beautiful views
over to the East River and south to the Chrysler Building.
Back on the ground floor, the restaurant is the low point of the hotel for me.
I kinda felt like I was in a cheap remake of a mafia movie.
Surprisingly, to me at least, the bar was packed at night.
And guess what, that’s it! Now onto the Flip Flop Score. Overall, just about everything was exactly
as expected. If I wanted to stay at the St. Regis, I would have booked it- but I was looking for a
good value near Grand Central and this fit the bill. Only weak spots for me are the common areas
and the restaurant- but to be honest even if the restaurant was nice, it wouldn’t be like me to eat
at a hotel restaurant in New York- so, neither here nor there. Overall, a nice 87/100. I hope
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