The hotel is very easy to find, on W 44th Street off 7th Avenue. It also has a modern yet unique exterior that adds to its charm. Unfortunately, when you enter the lobby where reception can be found, it was the opposite. It was dark and very cold from the air conditioning (even though it was hot outside, I found myself shivering). When we (my mum, dad, me and my brother) went to check in, we were snapped at by the harrassed-looking man behind the desk to wait in line, even though we were the only guests checking in at the time. When he eventually dained to serve us, he could hardly speak a word of English and wasn't very welcoming at all. He didn't tell us anything about the hotel facilities (there was a swimming pool, gift shop, spa and gym that we never found) and were barked the location of the lifts when we asked where they were.
The lifts were pretty fast, and the rooms were average size for a double room with 2 double beds inside. The TV was a good size with an LCD screen and Time Warner Cable, but the remotes for the TV didn't obviously come with it, so you had an extra sensor under the TV which didn't always work. The traffic noise was constant as well, even though we were on the 24th floor. The bathroom was nice and clean, but the toilet and bath were very low, and the bath very shallow. Also the flushing system of the toilet seemed to last about 10 minutes, so when you wanted to get up in the night, you woke everyone up in your room. I paid $120 a night for the room, and paid £55 for an almost identical room at the Holiday Inn in Leicester.
The cleaning of the rooms started at about 8am, so if you wanted to make sure you weren't disturbed during a lie-in you had to put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Also a few days in a row the maids forgot to replace the coffee/tea cups in our room so we had to drink tea out of glasses! All the staff seemed pleased to help in general (those who spoke good enough English to understand you) but only if they felt like it.
We breakfasted every morning in the Charlotte Lounge, which was pleasant and nicely decorated, but had the same dismal lighting as the lobby. Unfortunately when we had booked the holiday, the hotel did not inform the travel agent that there was a inclusive buffet available, so we had to order and pay for breakfast every day. In our room, the price guide for breakfast says around $40, but actually it came to around $60 (for one cooked breakfast, a plate of toast and 3 bowls of cereal). We also had to wait around 20 to 30 minutes for our meal once we had ordered, I mean how long does it take to put cereal into a bowl? They don't even serve milk at the same time, so you have to wait for that even if you have the cereal! Also, if you want any juice that isn't orange juice, you have to order it with your food and wait the amount of time above! And they still expected a tip. One server however, I must praise. I don't know his name as they didn't wear name badges, but he looked of spanish or mexican decent with spikey black hair. He served on the first morning and was the promptest server we had. We had him a few days later, and he could remember what drinks we wanted so we had them even quicker! A worthy man for a tip if anyone was.
The men outside of the hotel who hailed taxis, cars and limos was also very polite and obliging, so he deserves a mention too. Unfortunately, other staff members who saw fit to mill around the lobby all day (I don't even know what they were employed for) stared at you mercilessly whenever you went in and out of the hotel, as though you were some sort of prisoner on day release, not guests!
I hate to criticise anything about my stay in New York, as I had such an amazing time, but this hotel was supposed to make me feel welcome to a foreign city, but actually made me feel the opposite. Other people may have a great time at the Millennium Broadway, I on the other hand, was unfortunate to have not.
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