First time in NYC. This hotel is not upgraded or fancy in anyway and that’s okay. It was built in the 1920’s and it’s a grand old lady. Parking is down the street for $50 a day with no in and our privileges (but you shouldn’t need your car if you walk or take the metro everywhere). Staff was friendly. Rooms look like they would have back when people lived here in the 1920’s. We reserved a standard room but was upgraded to the family suite. It was very nice. The beds were soft and bedding was clean. The bathtub was an old claw foot tub which made it very classic. To go to the elevators you must show your room key to the attendant who is watching the elevators. The first 19 floors are a student hostel which is very cool. It’s a great way for them to attend school and live off campus. This hotel has a 24/7 diner in it called the Tick Tock Cafe. There is one or two other restaurants inside of it but we didn’t go to them. The location is close to Times Square, Madison Square Garden, and the metro. 34th street Macy’s is just down the street. There are tons of shops and restaurants near by. If you are okay with no frills and can appreciate a building for the historic icon it is, I would recommend this hotel.

You are unable to take a shower that may produce any amount of steam. AS IT WILL SET OFF THE FIRE ALARM!!! Yes.. steam well set of the fire alarm. Sadly there is zero amount of exaggeration to my statement.

Two nights in the hotel.. and the fire alarm went off BOTH nights. The first time.. after having just arrived and unpacked with two toddler aged children in tow.. gave us the scare of a lifetime!!! The second time.. we opened the windows as we were instructed by management.. and the fire alarm still went off.

Also.. the phones inside the room do not work. We found this out because when we tried calling the operator/front desk (using the dedicated operator/front desk button) the second time the fire alarm went off.. it would ring to another guest's room. We had to call the 800 number (and explain the entire situation) to see if they could connect us to the front desk.

Everything else pales in comparison.. but the rooms are very small.. very old.. and the bathrooms are very dirty. You can tell that the grout on the bathroom tile used to be white.. where it is now a mixture of blackish/greyish/reddish.

They will not hold your luggage for you if you happen to arrive early.. so the trade off is an extra $50.00 early check in fee.

There is no mistake that the lobby is their pride and joy.

Coming from a near 50 year old person.. this was the absolute worst hotel experience in my life.

This hotel easily deserves a negative rating.

We stayed here for a week in September 2016. A huge hotel, but as guests we were made to feel individually welcomed.
The staff were very friendly and helpful, despite being incredibly busy with lots of extra guests for the 9/11 memorial events.
When we arrived our room was at the rear of the hotel with no view. The next morning at my request they gave us a choice of two new rooms with views of the Hudson and the Empire State Building.
The diner on the ground floor is a great place for breakfast, the pancakes were delicious!
The hotel is ideally placed for exploring with most things within walking distance, The High Line, Times Square , Broadway and Madison Square Gardens is just next door!
I could not fault the cleanliness of all the amenities at the hotel and would ( and have!) thoroughly recommend the hotel to friends.
A wonderful base in New York City!