My sister & I were very concerned by the terrible comments people posted about the teeny rooms of the Hudson. We booked through Hotwire - only after we paid did we find out where we were staying. Had we seen the reviews first we probably would never have stayed here, which would have been a shame. We stayed in a superior room.
Yes, the room is itty bitty, but there is a small hall closet to hang a few garments & store suitcases & a small cupboard instead of a dresser with drawers; there were 3 hooks in the hall & 2 hooks in the bathroom & a rail under the sink for handtowels. There were shelves above the toilet (keep the toilet lid closed while you're working in that area or face the consequences) & a surface under the vessel sink for toiletries. In short, it's small but cleverly laid out; with a bit of creativity & humor, & by moving slowly and carefully, the room is very workable.
What simply did not work was the poor but stylish lighting. Everything was dim, dull and dark - the bedroom, the bathroom, front lobby, elevators; the hallways were absolutely sepulchral, with dim green lamps above each door - very institutional and spooky. Bring your own flashlight...
Customer service at the front desk was superb - warm, friendly, cheerful, helpful, genuine; seeing as this is such a trendy young person's hotel I was expecting attitude, but Sarah, Clark and Giselle were simply wonderful. The service staff was also great, coming up promptly when asked and opening a sticky window. The cleaning staff do a great job - the room was kept very clean. The bed was too low to the ground for my preference, but otherwise was very comfortable, and the duvet was comfy and cozy. Our room faced over the garden bar rather than the street, but it was pretty quiet anyway.
We found a terrific diner on 57 St by 8th Ave, called the Moonrock - if you get Rosie the service is superb, otherwise can be pretty poor but the food & prices are great. There's also the Flame diner, several other restaurants and bars, & grocery stores (57th and 9th Ave) so eats can be as cheap as you like. We did not even try the Hudson's food or drinks - expensive ($5 for a 1/2 litre bottle of water in our room, v. $2.50 for a gallon bottle of Poland Springs water, $1.50 per bottle of beer at the little grocer around the corner).
The location is by far the best thing about this hotel - 5 minutes to Time Warner shopping, Columbus Circle and Central Park; 20 minutes max to Times Square & the theater district. It is in a more residential area which to me was quieter (in NYC? HAH!) and nicer to stay in.
I can appreciate the stylishness and ambience of the Hudson - it truly is very distinctive and different from any other hotel I've ever stayed in. I would be willing to stay there again, although my sister would not.
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