The GEM Hotel-SoHo, an Ascend Collection hotel

The "Gem" hotel in Soho is just that. It is convenient to both Manhattan and Brooklyn which makes a huge difference for us. The rooms are small, typical New York hotel size, but the staff is friendly and helpful, and the hotel is a good value. We will be back.

Great location, great staff! We had excellent recommendations for restaurants, activities, subway directions. Close to SoHo, Nolita, East Village, and lower East Side.

I booked this hotel last minute for a work trip. We booked it because of the price, location, and because it seemed pretty decent. Also, the free wi-fi was touted as a benefit all over the website, reservation...etc. Check-in was fine. And the staff was friendly the whole time. But then, like Evan K below, my coworker was given a BASEMENT room that they called "the 1rst floor" even though according to the elevator it was on C level, which was below first floor. Yep, it was in a muggy basement. There was a narrow tiny window next to the ceiling that was jammed full with the AC unit, and no natural light. Not exactly deluxe or boutique at all. We had to relocate her the next night. My room itself was decent- ok size for 1 person and clean (the pictures here on yelp are a little misleading though). It was just that everything in it didn't work. The wi-fi and ethernet didn't work for the whole time I was there. I talked to the front desk and their tech staff several times (as it was a WORK trip, and I needed access). Finally they just admitted that the internet in my room was broken because of "upgrades". The phone's handset didn't work, just the speaker phone, and the alarm clock was set to the wrong time, and would not change. I gave up on the alarm part and tried to play my ipod and that didn't work either. The screen froze on the radio preset, even though no music was playing. Oh and on the last day I tried to use the iron, that didn't work as well. Plugged in, light on, no heat no matter what setting I tried. After talking to the front desk so many times about the wi-fi issue, I gave up on commenting on all the other things that were broken. Not completely miserable if you need a cheap room, but not nice enough for a business trip. I won't go back.

Expected it to be a boutique hotel, which it was in the lobby but not in the rooms. Very small rooms. My husband and I had a hard time navigating around the room. Location was great though, with a subway stop right across the street.

I've stayed at the Gem at least 4 times for business because it's less than ten minutes walk from Broadway. It's convenient, reasonably priced, and has a modestly boutique-like vibe. There are a lot of great restaurant and music clubs very near the hotel. There's a Whole Foods one block away on your way to SoHo-very handy. And you can hop the F-Train Uptown or to Brooklyn at a convenient stop one block away. This is a no-frills hotel with no amenities, no bar and no restaurant. The bedding is very comfortable. Larger than average nice flat screen TVs, but few channels and bad TV reception. This isn't an issue for me as I don't watch the tube much. [...] A similar, slightly nicer option in the area is the Solita SoHo Select Clarion, check it out as well.

I put my Nephew and his girlfriend (24 yrs old) up here for Valentine's Day weekend. The Hotel. used to be a Howard Johnson's and they cleaned it up a bit. The location is great for the young - on the border of East Village and Lower East Side. [...]had great rates that translated into a lower level/basement room. I would have upgraded but they were full for the weekend. Room consisted of a bed with barely enough room to walk around it and a nice size bath - no closet. Friendly staff.

Small hotel, tiny lobby, very friendly staff; room of sufficient size, clean, and `well furnished. Also free internet. Reasonably priced. Excellent choice if you want a lower Manhattan room.

Great staff - very friendly and they knew a lot about the area. The room was small but good with a comfortable bed. Walking distance to Soho shops and restaurants.