If you like dogs, this is the hotel for you. It's not advertised in bold that it is a pet friendly hotel, but it is. That's all well and good if the hotel were like any other pet friendly hotel and asked its guests to leave a contact phone number or not leave the animals unsupervised in the room. More on this later, but first, for my general review.

I had stayed here during Hurricane Sandy to be close to my office since my house had no power or water. I was desparate for a room so I cannot complain all that much (hence the reason I gave it two stars instead of 1 or 0). The hotel was very crowded and I was lucky to get a room but for $400 I expected a little more. The room was very small. I had reserved a king bed but got a queen instead...not much I can do so I took it without complaining I was grateful to have a warm bed and a hot shower. The bed is really low to the floor and the furniture is very Ikea-esque. It was very European and if that's what they are going for, then fine, they succeeded. The bed was pretty firm, you could feel springs and whatever horsehair was in the mattress. The bathroom was decently sized and appointed. I'll give them that. But the water...it was either like Niagara Falls or not at all. And it took about 10 minutes for the hot water to come up.

Ok so all of that can be overlooked. The thing that got me was management's inept ability to do anything about the pet problem. Most hotels only take in a limited number of pets but during a time of crisis, I suppose there were more animals than usual in this hotel. The people across the hall from me left their dog unsupervised for most of the day and even in the early evening. When I came home from work I wanted to relax in my $400 room but could not because this poor dog was crying that it was left alone in a strange place. You'd think they'd leave the TV on for the poor thing. So I called the desk to see if there was anything they can do. They sent security up and did nothing. Then my wife went down to politely complain and they pretty much brushed her aside. The next morning, the dog was doing the same thing so my wife went and asked for a manager who cared slightly more, not much, but slightly. He admitted that they don't ask for phone numbers of guests which is absolutely absurd if you check-in with a pet. What if there are issues? Everyone I spoke to with pets who stays at hotels said either the hotel has a policy where owners are not to leave their pets unattended in rooms, or they have to leave a phone number in the event of an issue like this. The Alex Hotel does neither. Their response at one point was "well the guest has a right to go out to dinner." But I also have a right to a quiet room.

I'll never stay here again nor can I give anyone else a recommendation to stay here. Go somewhere else. It will likely be cheaper, cleaner and have better staff with brains.

This was a great hotel, we had lovely spacious rooms with very comfortable beds which were very relaxing and gave us a great sleep which is what we needed after the busy days that were spent sightseeing. The staff were very attentive and looked after us from the minute we arrived. They had arranged the pickup which was excellent too. The breakfast was included in our package but there was a limited choice in the inclusive breakfast so we ended up eating more than we would have chosen which wasn't ideal but it kept us full! 10-15 min walk to Time Square which was convenient for us. We definitely recommend The Alex.

Great location quite near to Grand Central, Times Sq etc.
Very clean Suite with plenty of fresh towels and bed linen and large enough rooms for 2 adults and 2 children not to get on each other's nerves whilst sheltering from the hurricane / storm Sandy.
Two good sized bathrooms.
Staff were friendly and helpful, especially the maintenance man whom we thought we may need with the way the News channels were portraying Sandy.
We didn't realise check-in wasn't untill 4pm and that was delayed a little but staff made up for that with free 24 hour wi-fi.
Good service in the hotel restaurant although prices are a little expensive but that, I believe, is pretty normal in NY. There are plenty of cheeper food options around.
We were on a corner on the 14th floor overlooking 3rd Avenue / 45th Street and the traffic did get a tad noisy with honking horns but again I believe that it normal and our sleep didn't suffer.

I read the reviews and was skeptical about Alex Hotel but I was coming to NYC for an interview and had no choice where to stay. This is the first time that I've stayed in a hotel in NYC since I usually stay with my friends or at my own apartment when I lived here, so I was curious to see how small / bad it was.

I can't speak for the bill since it was taken care of by the company but it was nearly $400 a night. I was on the 26th floor and was very pleased and surprised by how spacious it was. I even had a view of the Hudson River and NJ. There was enough room for a couch and a queen sized bed, as well as a full kitcheonette and fridge. There wasn't a desk but instead a small nook where I could charge my phone. The flat surfaces were sort of a shabby chic wood that was questionably function.

The bath products were Philosophy, which is my favorite! Big ups for that. Bathroom was lovely, spacious and clean. Lots of towels, a TV in the bathroom as well as extra lighting around the mirror. My experience here far exceeded my expectations as I imagined a view of a wall and no space to move around. I lucked out because I was on a corporate account so if you're on your own, keep this in mind!