We stayed at Hayden on a weekend in April 2006 and everything was OK. We paid US$ 189 for a double room with private bath. Even tough the hotel is pretty simple (do not wait luxury or convenience) it worked very well with a reasonable room and good prices for staying at NYC. This is a budget hotel - if this is what you are looking for, go ahead. Otherwise keep away from it.

It's just like staying in a hotel in Paris, France when you don't want to spend more than $150/night and you'd better book it with Hotel or you pay even more money if you book your room directly with them.

The room was very small with the minimum furniture. No frames on the walls, the carpet was thin and very old and the blanket on the bed was paper thin.

But when you're in New York, you are in and out fortunately...because you would go insane in that room!

We stayed at the Hayden Hotel in the beginning of April. As with some other posters, I was a little concerned about the possibility of uninvited quests. We had no problems at all with mice or roaches. Really, we had no problems at all.
The hotel is quite compact from the lobby to the elevator to the rooms, but everything was spotless and tastefully decorated. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We were able to check our bags on our arrival and departure days since we arrived before check-in and wanted to spend some more time in the city after check-out. We actually found street parking the next street over for 2 days, so we were able to bypass the parking fee for half of our stay. There is a garage on 77th and Amsterdam where you can park and the hotel will validate to reduce the rate to $28/day. I get the feeling the normal rate was much higher.
We booked the Standard Room with private bath. The room was clean and attractive. The double bed was comfortable. The room had no air conditioning, but I get the impression that is the norm. It was spring so we just opened the window. The wasn't much street noise. The bathroom was pretty funny. The sink overlapped the toilet, the shower door hit the sink with about 18" of clearance and if the bathroom door was shut, you had about 12" to get in. My husband had to open the bathroom door, get in the shower, then close it. The shower did take a while to heat up, but nothing too ridiculous. One tip for anybody who might wish to apply make-up: the lighting in the bathroom over the room's only mirror was not adequate, so bring a hand mirror to do it by the window or table lamp.
The location was great. 2 blocks from Central Park and a block away from both the A line and the 1 line.
There was a great restaurant on Columbus called Cafe Frida where we had some wonderful interior Mexican food and a fabulous hibiscis margarita. There was a pub on Amsterdam called McAleer's with a really cozy atmosphere, tasty fish and chips and friendly staff.
We would definitely stay there again if we want a budget hotel.

I stayed at The Hayden Hotel in April, 2006. I got a single room w/private bath. The bathroom was literally 3 ft. wide by about 12 ft. long but it was very clean, had new tile and new fixtures, and I was never without hot water. Showerhead was one of those typically weak, watersaver kinds found in most motels.

I had 2 twin beds in my room even though I had requested a double bed but I didn't ask for a change because a twin was fine for me. One of the twin beds was hard as a rock. The other was a little softer but still too firm for my taste. The room was heated by radiator which worked fine and there is a window that opens when you need fresh air. I was on the 7th floor, very far from street noise so I slept well.

The only noise problem I experienced was because the door to my room seemed to be too thin to keep the noise of guests in the halls out. I could hear people talking and walking to their rooms at 1, 2 and 4 in the morning but once they got inside their rooms the noise was gone.

The lighting in my room was OK but the lightbulb in the bathroom was very dim. They did change it for me when I asked.

My room cost $140 a night not including the ridiculous 14.5% city tax. For New York prices at the last minute, this was about the lowest price around. The Hayden is located 1 block from a 24-hour diner, 1 block from a 24-hour Duane Reade drugstore, and 2 blocks from the subway. A very convenient location!

The room was small but clean. Night desk staff was more helpful and brighter than the day desk staff. I peeked into the shared bathrooms and they were very large and also very clean. I would stay there again and recommend this place to friends.