It was the mid-70s. A new hotel opened in New York just across the street from the UN. An eccentric hotel designer said, "This is my chance to decorate with 1000s of mirrors and lots of brass and chrome." Not much has changed much at the Millennium since then.
On a recent business trip, I decided that I would give this hotel a try since it was just a block or two from my office in New York. I thought that this would be a well maintained hotel since it was across from the UN in a not-too-bad neighborhood in Midtown. The minute I walked in the lobby, I knew I had made a mistake. Although the staff was friendly, the lobby was worn-out and dated. It looks like they may have updated the lobby in the mid to late 80s. When I arrived at my room, I thought I had gone back 40 years in time. The fixtures and the furniture did not look like they had been replaced since the hotel opened in the mid-70s. Actually, the fixtures and furnishing may be older than that because it looked like my room was designed and built as a studio apartment. The room was outfitted with a sink, fridge, stove combination common in NY studio apartments. My guess is that this hotel used to be an apartment building that got a facelift on the outside. The carpet in my room was dingy and stained, and it matched the dirty and broken curtains. The linens on the bed were clean. The closet doors were broken and would not slide from side to side. The TV looked new. The windows were so small and dirty that it was hard to see the view that was touted in the hotel brochures. The shower/tub had good water pressure and plenty of hot water, but the floor felt a little slimy. This is one of those hotels where you somehow feel dirtier just walking in the room and you try as hard as you can not to touch too many things. I hope my next trip to NY does not include a stay here.
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