Very central
Having booked several hotels for my dates I eventually whittled my list down to this hotel. It was not a bad decision: I'd booked months ahead so the rate was very reasonable (for NY) and, as it turned out, the hotel was well-placed for everything I wanted to do.
It's an old building 30 seconds from Herald Square (useful for buses and Subway) with, I think, 9 floors. My room was on the 6th floor, at the side, with very little natural light because of the surrounding tall buildings. I understand some rooms have a view of the Empire State Building (rooms on the upper floors at the back).
The room and bathroom were clean and the bed comfortable, although the decor was quite old-fashioned. There was a walk-in closet for clothes (very pleasant), with iron and ironing board, and an in-room safe (very useful). The bathroom had a bath as well as shower.
The air con (most important, as temperatures were over 100 when I visited) was very efficient indeed but also very noisy. As I always use earplugs this didn't bother me, but 'white noise' generated by the fan might trouble some people.
Free wifi is available as well as a lobby computer for guest use (limited to 15 minutes). There's also a free coffee machine in the lobby.
The two lifts are fairly swift but quite small, so getting down to breakfast could take a while. I used the stairs on several occasions rather than wait.
Breakfast, basic but satisfactory, is served in the downstairs restaurant/bar. Cereals, doughnuts (very nice indeed), bread and bagels to toast, preserves, cream cheese and hard-boiled eggs (???). The orange juice and coffee were both good, although I found it a little disconcerting that all the crockery and cutlery were either plastic or paper. Spreading chilled butter with a flimsy plastic knife is not easy and the coffee soon tasted of cardboard if not drunk quickly after pouring.
Staff were efficient and courteous, although not especially friendly. They sorted out my minor plumbing problem (blocked toilet) and replaced a lightbulb within a few hours, with no fuss.
This is a good basic hotel for exploring NY. Not somewhere to spend large amounts of time, but certainly perfectly ok as a place to sleep. I'd stay there again.
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