The Jane Hotel

The location of the Jane Hotel is great and it's a very reasonably priced hotel for the area. I loved being near the Whitney and the Highline and being in the village. When staying at the Jane Hotel there was construction going on. It didn't really impact the experience overall. We stayed in one of the double rooms with a bunk bed and shared bathroom. As others have said, the bathroom was clean and the rooms were quiet. So it served it's purpose as offering a place to sleep in an amazing neighborhood.

I've been wanting to stay at the Jane for years, but finally ended up doing it during a weekend trip for a friend's birthday. I'd read a review earlier last year about renovations, and their website does have a(n easy to miss) banner at the top saying that it's under construction, but the actual scope of the construction is not described at all. Basically 90% of the interior is gutted, exposed and there is work being done EVERYWHERE. The entrance was extremely hard to find; the actual lobby entrance is under construction and has a sign with an arrow and street number pointing to the right, but the temporary current entrance is in the basement, which is also mostly under renovation. I actually don't know if it's legal to host guests with this level of construction this close places guests are exposed. The elevator wasn't working when I arrived, so I had to carry my bags up many flights of stairs and squeeze by construction workers who were actively working, peeling the wallpaper off walls, working on wiring, and everything in between. During my stay I was actually worried about the amount of plaster and probably asbestos I was inhaling. The elevator didn't work until late that night, so I had to go up and down the stairs while the crews were working a few times. Aside from the construction, the staff was pretty nice and polite, but I didn't really interact with anyone outside of checking in and out. The payment process was a bit strange and a little sketchy, and I was asked to sign a waiver stating that a temporary hold of $50 a day would be put on my card in case of incidentals, and that the hotel is not responsible for the theft or damage of any items not kept in the provided safe. May be a standard thing, but seemed a bit strange to me. I knew the size and quality of the room going in, and that was part of the charm, but the beds were very uncomfortable (you can feel the springs) and the sheets and blanket were very old, and a bit worn and stained. The walls are very thin and my neighbors were loud. Anytime someone was checking in or would stop to talk in the hall it was very loud and, with the construction, taking a nap or relaxing during the day is out of the question. The ballroom, bar, and rooftop are all under construction, so I wasn't able to see anything but my room and the bathroom. The room hallways were dim and dingy, and kind of creepy to be honest, with an old mothball/cigarette kind of smell. It looks like there are some older long-term guests/residents, and many loud young guests, and overall was more of a slightly more private hostel experience. I'm not too upset, because it was so cheap and did the job, but it was a bit creepy, and I'm worried about the possible amount of asbestos I've inhaled. I was worried about my belongings after the waiver and seeing the condition of the place, but thankfully nothing was tampered with and I wasn't charged for any surprise incidentals. I'd love to try again once the construction is done and hopefully edit this review or make a new/better one, but my hopes aren't super high on this one.