As a general guide, if you are a family or a couple DO NOT book this hotel-you will be extremely disappointed. If you are a student, backpacker or travelling alone you can put up with it. First of all the downside. The carpets in the public areas are filthy and smelly, and in some areas they have been removed. The lobby smells of tom cat and stale pizza and is small, dark and gloomy. The stairs are in poor repair with banister posts missing. There are no emergency fire instructions in the room and no clear directions in the public areas to fire escapes. My bathroom was tiny, no safety mat in the shower, no plug in the sink. Ceilings in the bedroom & bathroom were stained, as were the carpets, and under the bed had not been vacuumed for some time. The staff just don't care. Here in the UK this would be a homeless or asylum seeker's hostel, if it hadn't already been closed down due to fire regulations.
On the upside, the room was vacuumed and cleaned and I had clean sheets and fresh towels every day. The air conditioning worked fine and there was always hot water. Coming in and out at various times of the day I never saw any evidence of the hooker activity mentioned in other reviews. Breakfast (included in the price!) was served 8-10 daily and consisted of toasted cheese bagels, various muffins, fruit/danish pastries and glazed donuts with tea or coffee. There did not seem to be any restriction on what you could have. Whilst 8th Avenue itself is a little seedy, the location is fantastic. The hotel is only a block from Times Square, in the middle of the theatre district, and 5 minutes walk from both the subway and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. If you're a smoker, of course you cannot smoke anywhere indoors in New York; but my room had no smoke detection.......The Grayline sightseeing tours office is on the next block north, and most of their sightseeing tours start from opposite the hotel. Finally of course, IT'S CHEAP!!! Booking from the UK I paid £71 ($126) per night for the room including breakfast.
It is definately the worst hotel in terms of cleanliness, state of repair and safety I have ever stayed in, just remember you get what you pay for, and I challenge you to get a double room with breakfast for that price anywhere else in New York. And I had a FANTASTIC time!!!
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