This is the second time we have stayed at this hotel, The first was in June 2008 and was a good experience. This stay was exceptional. We were upgraded to a room on one of the upper floors as Platinum card members at check-in. We had requested an early check-in and the room was ready. When we entered the room it was delightful. The room was good size for New York City. It was immaculate, fresh smelling and as it was a cold February, warm! The heat was perfect during our three night stay.

The continental breakfast was abundant and good each morning. The staff from the front desk to housekeeping and the breakfast room were all kind, helpful and very good at their jobs. This was in contrast with the other people we met outside the hotel , such as several bus drivers, who were brisk and rude. It was always a pleasure to return to hotel and a warm 'hello'.

The location is fantastic. It is close to the corner of 45 and Fifth avenue. It is a few blocks walk to St. Patrick's, the theatre district, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, MOMA and many great restaurants.

We will definitely stay here again on our next trip to New York City.

Friendly and accommodating front desk staff. We arrived early in NYC and were allowed to check in our bags before the official check in time. Small, clean and cosy room. It is worth the money as this hotel room has services like free wifi and television. Deal includes breakfast. It is also an easy walking distance to 5th Avenue, Times Square, subway options and nearby food shops. It is a convenient place to stay for the night time if you are mostly out and about in the city and just need a place to sleep.

The three most important things for us in a hotel room are cool, dark and quiet. This Holiday Inn Express on 45th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue provide all three. The in room air conditioning and heating units worked nicely, and we were able to cool things down at night for sleeping and warm things up for during the day. This is not always possible, even at many luxury hotels. The hotel had good light blocking curtains, and a clever plastic "spoiler" to keep the HVAC unit from blowing the curtains about and letting light in. Our room was nice and quiet, facing an air shaft.

The hotel itself is small, with five rooms on each of its 20+ floors, and the lobby and breakfast area are basic, but adequate. As with many hotels in NYC, the rooms are small, but we booked a suite, so we had a comfortable sleeping area and a separate living room with a mini-refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave oven. The Holiday Inn Express chain offers suites at sane prices. The bed, described as king, was wide, but no longer than an ordinary full size bed, so tall people beware.

The staff was friendly and competent. The place was clean and kept in good shape. Equipment was in working order in our room, the lobby and the business center where we printed our boarding passes. Given the tight quarters, our temptation is to say that everything was ship shape.

The location, in midtown, was extremely convenient, so it was a short walk to our Broadway play and an even shorter walk to Rockefeller Center. Subway stops were only a few blocks away. We are big urban walkers, so we like to stay in midtown so we can explore the upper and lower east side, or Central Park, or walk over to the Hudson River or down to the Battery. Despite being in the center of things, the area got pretty quiet at night, but never completely deserted. We've stayed nearby at the St. Regis and at Essex House which cost a lot more and offer more spacious rooms, but we found our suite at the Holiday Inn Express to be just what we wanted, and a good value too.

Our guaranteed reservation was dishonored. No apology, no regrets, no suggestion the problem was due to unforeseen circumstances; yes, we were expected to honor our side of the guaranteed reservation, yes we were given a “walking letter” and directions to go “down the street.” Down the street we found the satisfactory CassaNY Hotel and Residences. The helpful CassaNY staff explained we owed them no payment as CassaNY and Holiday Inn would settle charges between themselves. How much would we pay that night if we booked direct with CassaNY? $100 less than Holiday Inn was billing us. Did Holiday Inn volunteer to provide us with a $100 credit? No. Now, I’m not a financier, but isn’t this what they call “arbitrage?” “taking advantage of a price difference... the profit being the difference between the market prices.” (Wikipedia). If Holiday Inn can make $100 without providing a hotel room, wouldn’t it want to overbook as much as possible? Perhaps our case was an isolated incident. I would be interested in comments from others. P.S., CassaNY rooms are very small but quite stylish.