I travel alone to New York fairly often and always stay in budget hotels, so I've learned to lower my expectations. There is nowhere else where I would consider $200 a night to be a budget hotel, but in NY it is. Keeping that in mind, the Mayfair was a decent hotel for that price.
The room was small, but bigger than many other NY hotels. The air conditioning worked perfectly - important since it was 90 degrees outside. My room was in the back and considering there is a theater right next door, I heard nothing. Slept like a baby. The bathroom was relatively clean and the water was HOT. The room had a TV and a computer station. I didn't use it, I used the one in the "business center" in the lobby. I'm still waiting to see if I got charged for it.
The room was clean and the linens and towels were spotless, soft and fresh-smelling. That's a big one for me. I can't stand musty or dirty-looking linens and towels. The housekeeper even came in as I was moving in to change one of the pillow shams because it didn't match.
The room decor is getting a little shabby and was downright odd. Everything from the wallpaper to the curtains, the bedspread, the pillow shams and even the lampshades were all covered in the same exact French-style blue and cream print. At first glance, it was hard to see the wall lamps and even find the bed! It was like playing Where's Waldo.
Downsides: the lobby, the hallways and the elevator were filthy and completely worn. This was not a good first impression, although it made the room a pleasant surprise. It would be worth their time and money to fix those areas up.
As others have the said, the location is amazing. 2 blocks from two different subway stops giving you access to most subway lines. One block from Broadway - right in the theater district. Half-a-block from 9th Avenue where all the restaurants are. A billion people on the streets all night long so it's very safe walking.
The best thing in my opinion was the staff. Friendly hotel staff are rare in New York and everyone - day crew, night crew, front desk, or cleaners - were so nice at the Mayfair. It doesn't take much effort to say "hello" or "have a nice time" or make small talk and more hotels should work on this. Shabby facilities are easily forgiven when the staff make you feel welcome. And it rubs off on the guests. People in the lobby were chatting with each other also. Thumbs up to the staff at the Mayfair!
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