on February 24, 2007
Location is very good, right in the middle of Times square with easy access to most tourist locations (on foot or using public transportation). Since it is on Broadway, you are close to all the major theaters and there is even a discount ticket office at the entrance (where you can get tickets for same-day shows at low prices).
The room was large enough and was clean (even though the carpet had a huge stain). The beds were comfortable and there were both large (American-style) and small (European-style) pillows, which was nice.
I was a bit disappointed to not have shower gel (there was only bath soap), but the shampoo and body lotion seemed to be good.
The futuristic elevators were very nice, and even though it could be quite busy, I never had to wait more than 3-4 minutes for a lift to/from the room.
There is a panoramic (and rotating) restaurant at the 48th/49th floor which gives you a nice view of the city.
I paid $259, which was a special conference rate, so it is definitely not cheap, but seems to be just over average price in New York
Some things were quite annoying, though. On the last day, I wanted to show my girlfriend (who had arrived a few days later) the panoramic restaurant. We went up, asked a waiter if it was OK to go for a look and he said it was fine. After a couple of minutes this lady came running after us asking if we had a reservation and when we told her we hadn't we were rudely TOLD (not asked) to leave as people were eating and we were disturbing. All this in a buffet self-service restaurant, where everyone was walking around and we were careful not to walk up to tables where there were people seated.
When I checked out I mentioned this episode to the on-duty manager who apologized, (not very convincingly...) but did not tell us we could go back.
We then left our luggage at the concierge desk to go for a last walk, the person took the bags, stood in front of me and stared. After a moment he asked me "Do you need change sir"... My understanding is that you are supposed to tip if you want to. He did not leave until we gave him a couple of dollars.
After we came back, we went down to the taxi stands and asked for a taxi to the Airport. The person who got our bags obviously wanted a tip and I gave him what I had (a few dollars). He gave me a really dirty look and walked away shaking his head.
Bottom line: You are a good tipper, you get friendly service, if not, you are treated rudely. This is, in my opinion, unacceptable no matter what the "traditions" are.
Unique Qualities: Location, elevators, 24-hour health club.
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