Freehand New York
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Photos: Photo: Jim.henderson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Our take
By Matt Spaulding, Founder and writer
Freehand sells you a small room and a lot of building around it. Bar Calico and the Broken Shaker, a rooftop bar on the 18th floor, are a big part of why people book. The hotel has shared rooms as well as private ones, and bunk rooms that groups like. Rooms get called clean and nicely designed. They also get called tiny, with little storage and a cramped, dimly lit bathroom. Guests report no coffee maker in the room and no ice machine. Stays in 2026 keep turning up air conditioning that is loud or doesn't work properly, in rooms that already run hot. Elevator dings and housekeeping noise carry into the rooms, and light sleepers hear them. A facility fee of $35 plus tax a day pays for the wifi and the 24-hour gym, among other things. On the hotel's own booking screen that fee is already inside the rate you're shown, with taxes added on top. Guests still name it as a sore point. For friends splitting a bunk room, or a solo traveler who wants a bar scene and will be out most of the day, it works. Families who need space should book elsewhere. A dog up to 75 pounds can come for $75 plus tax per stay, in private rooms only. If you're driving, the hotel has no valet and no parking of its own, and sends you to public garages on 24th Street and 3rd Avenue that it doesn't price.
Quick facts
- Resort fee
- $35/day per room plus tax facility fee; included in the rate on the hotel's own booking screen
- Parking
- None on site, no valet; public garages nearby on 24th St and 3rd Ave, no price published
- Self-parking
- Not offered
- Oversized vehicles
- Not published by the hotel
- Driving in
- Inside the congestion zone: $9 peak toll with E-ZPass, charged once a day
- Check-in
- 3 pm, minimum age 18; from noon for $75 plus tax
- Check-out
- Noon; until 3 pm for $75 plus tax
- Pets
- One dog per room, 75 lbs or less, $75 plus tax per stay; private rooms only
Where you are
23 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Open in Maps →Freehand is at 23 Lexington Avenue, between 23rd and 24th Streets, in the old George Washington Hotel building. The hotel files itself under the Flatiron District, though the blocks around it are Gramercy, and Baruch College and the School of Visual Arts are its next-door neighbors. Guests consistently call it an easy place to walk from, with subway lines close by. The Broken Shaker, up on the 18th floor, looks out over the Manhattan skyline.
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Does Freehand New York charge a facility fee?
Yes, $35 plus tax per day per room. It covers the wifi and the 24-hour fitness center, among other things. The hotel's own booking screen shows the fee already included in the rate, with taxes added on top, so if you book somewhere else, check whether the price you see includes it.
Is there parking at Freehand New York?
No. The hotel has no valet and no on-site parking, and points you to public garages on 24th Street and 3rd Avenue or street parking where you can find it. It publishes no garage prices. The hotel is also south of 60th Street, so driving in means the congestion toll: $9 at peak with E-ZPass, charged once a day.
Can I check in early or check out late?
Yes, for $75 plus tax each. The hotel's booking screen sells early check-in from noon and late check-out until 3 pm as add-ons. Standard check-in is 3 pm, check-out is noon, and you have to be 18 to check in.
Is Freehand New York dog-friendly?
Yes, for one dog of 75 pounds or less, in a private room. It's a one-time $75 plus tax per stay. No other pets, and no dogs in the shared rooms.
Is Freehand New York a good last-minute pick?
For friends sharing a bunk room or a solo traveler who'll be out most of the day, yes. Light sleepers and anyone who needs space should skip it: guests describe small rooms, air conditioning trouble, and noise from the elevators and housekeeping.