We stayed on a very busy week in March, 5 nights, including St. Patrick's Day. 5 of us stayed, 2 in a regular room, and 3 others in a larger suite. The typical US thing of 2 double beds in a twin room meant the room was made smaller than it really was ( in the regular room), the larger room was fine. Having said that, we didn't come to New York to hang out in our rooms, so the only problem was finding somewhere to stow our purchases!
The bathroom was not the most modern, but very clean and adequate, the shower had a very annoying habit of going cold suddenly. The bathroom had no window. The tv was overly complicated to set up, there were also pay-per-view movies etc. Our room had no view to speak of, it would be nice; but again, we didn't come to New York to gaze out our window, so not really important.
The other room was slightly bigger as we mentioned, with a small closet, which would be good for storing suitcases etc. Also the view was better, nothing special, but the fact that buildings weren't in such close proximity meant the room was brighter. Plus the bathroom had a window.
The hotel diner was ok, I had breakfast there one morning. American breakfasts are legendary, and a good reason to spoil yourself, but I would not recommend this diner as a breakfast destination. The food is ok, but a lot of it is only average, and the coffee is weak.
The hotel staff were very nice and friendly, cleanliness was great.
The location is very good, especially for first-time visitors to New York, as it is less than a ten minute walk to Times Square/ Empire State/ Grand Central Station etc.Madison Square Garden is right across the street. Macy's is two minutes down the road. Across the road there is a Starbucks and a McDonalds if you need a fast food fix, but the area around Times Square is teeming with lots of places to eat anyhow. There is a subway close by.
Overall, it is a good place to stay if you want be close to Times Square and branded shopping, however, for boutique/alternative shopping, real coffee , nice parks and great music venues- head to East Village area. Having said that, as a base in New York it's good.
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