I travel to NYC about 1-2 times a year just to hang out and see the sights. I stayed at the Grant Hotel the last week of August 2006 while attending the U.S. Open. I am very accustomed to the budget hotel offerings ($125/night or less) in New York which means that the rooms are going to be on the small side and you will probably be sharing a bathroom. I lucked out and got a room at the Grant for under $80/night so I was a little concerned at what I was in for. I arrived at about 3:00 in the morning because flights were detained for about 5 hours in Atlanta for radar/security reasons. The desk clerk was very helpful and turned out to be one of the nicest hotel clerks I've come across. He assured me that the room was ready, should be to my liking and if not, to let him know. I was a bit confused because I'd never heard anyone say something like that in a budget hotel in New York. I was just hoping for a basic room that was clean with no bugs. Well, I rounded the corner to my room which was on the first floor. The hallway had nice carpeting, wooden mouldings that looked fairly new, and was brightly lit. The room was---the same---with a decent full sized bed, modern furnishings w/ pictures on the wall, a 19" TV mounted from the ceiling, a small closet and another small room that I would have guessed was originally designed to be a private bathroom although not built out as such. This was THE best hotel room I have ever come across in New York City for the price and it seems to have been recently renovated.
The shared bathroom was basic and clean with a small strip of a mirror. It seemed to be cleaned a few times a day but you can't really do much about the slob who won't pick up after himself and who was there 10 minutes before you. I recall there being a sign to call for housekeeping if needed but as a rule I travel with spray disinfectants and shower shoes anyhow.
My biggest complaint was that there was only one terminal for pay internet access so there was frequently a line. They had wi-fi access at the hotel for a price but I didn't bring my notebook computer with me on this trip. The fan on the A/C in my room was a little loud but you could control the fan speed somewhat. My room faced an alley so there wasn't much of a view but my only need for the window was to figure out what the weather was like before venturing outside.
I DID NOT SEE ANY BUGS, OF ANY KIND, WHILE I WAS THERE. I want to be clear about this because I noticed some other recent reviews that made that claim and I don't believe them. Also, the day clerks were helpful and courteous but just not as cheerful as the younger night guy. All of them seemed to be proficient in multiple languages.
The hotel is located on the upper west side which is a pretty safe area with a host of grocery, drug and convenience stores, restaurants, coffee shops and banks within a 2-3 block area. The subway stop for 1 and 3 trains is about two blocks from the hotel.
I'll definitely stay at the Grant Hotel again on my future trips.
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