Great location and price with an authentic NYC vibe
I stayed at the Hotel Metro last weekend, June 17-20,2004. I too was a bit leery reading the reviews on this site, but found the hotel to offer a true "New York experience" that I doubt could be found at most large, popular chains. For the $150/night we paid for the room on hotels.com, we were thoroughly satisfied and would stay there again.
The hotel is a meer 4-5 blocks from Penn Station and Times Square, and less than one block from 5th avenue, on the edge of the Fashion District. The decor is a sophisticated and sexy art deco style, themed around film stars of the 1930's. The waitstaff was prompt and pleasant during all exchanges.
The rooms were well appointed but small. Accomodations were clean and comfortable, and the bathrooms boasted a refreshingly different rose marble decor with a fully enclosed glass shower. There is a rather large refrigerator in the room as well, an expected bonus in a downtown NYC hotel!
Besides an interesting decor in the lobby and rooms, the hotel offered several other interesting areas for gathering and entertainment. There is an attached restaurant/bar next door called the Metro Grill. The atmosphere was pleasant, the barstaff friendly and quite generous :) There is also a rooftop bar, with an extremely upclose view of the uppermost towers of the Empire State building (which is on the next block). To our disappointment, the rooftop bar was not in operation during our entire stay, which was over a weekend. The nights were rather cool however, which may explain why.
The hotel also had a well appointed rooftop gym.
Overall, our stay at the Hotel Metro was excellent and I highly recommend it. However, due to the size of the rooms and overall theme, I do not recommend this as a family hotel. For couples looking for a sophisticated, sexy theme in the heart of Manhattan, it's a sure bet. Also, priced $50-150/night cheaper than many other downtown NYC hotels, it is an excellent bargain.
