I arrived at the Hilton Manhattan East just before the 'Frankenstorm' and had a wonderful stay. I didn't know the area that well, but the hotel had been recommended to me as it was good value and quite small, for Manhattan, with a local feel to it.
The location is on 42nd Street, between 2nd Avenue and the United Nations Building. It is in walking distance of Grand Central Station and therefore Macy's and even Times Square and it is easy to negotiate the area and the sights.
What is so wonderful about the Hilton is that after a day of sightseeing and shopping in all the famous areas you come back to a home from home, with staff that recognise you and wonderful 2nd Avenue is right on your doorstep with lots of eateries and shops. There is such an variety of restaurants nearby you are spoilt for choice and all the shops are 'real' (as in not touristy and a rip off).
The hotel itself has two towers, I stayed in the North tower and had a beautiful corner room with two windows. Being New York the room didn't have a view as all the buildings are so densely built, but there was plenty of light and the room itself was perfect. I had a huge king sized bed with plenty of pillows and a bolster. The duvet was like being at home and I slept wonderfully. The bathroom even had a window...a rarity in many hotels, not just New York! I think the rooms had been renovated recently as they were so clean and modern. Wi-Fi was speedy, but the hotel should look at making it free of charge as so many other hotels are doing nowadays...not just free in the public areas...it's difficult to do conference calls sitting in a busy lobby.
The gym is excellent and open all the time (I was up at 4am due to jet lag).
The people on Front of house were knowledgeable and very friendly, nothing was too much for them. I would recommend this hotel to both the business community and sightseers (as long as they were quiet).
I will definitely come again.

Rooms were a nice size, especially for NY. Beds were extremely comfortable. Staff went over and beyond the call of duty to make our stay pleasant. A couple of things needed repair and cleaning in the room and the Houskeeping Manager, Maria Vega, was on it immediately! She not only got things fixed and cleaned right away, she sent up 4 waters for us. I would definitely stay at this hotel again and recommend it highly. Coffee maker and coffee in the room were delicious too.

This Hotel I stay was nice and the Staff very friendly. The Room are a bit small but this Hotel still have same room as a smoking one and this is quite unique especially on the State. Also the room has a cafe machine with lavazza. Just stay one night, for business and I can't add more.

The boyfriend and I have a nice little trip planned to NYC next week and so it made perfect sense for us to book a room at the Hilton Manhattan East considering that he is a BLACKSTONE employee. Since it will be his birthday I decided to call the hotel ahead of time to arrange for some surprise ammenities in our room prior to arrival. Great idea, right? Wrong. Long story short: if you would like to speak to someone incredibly rude who doesn't want to listen to a word you say and then transfers you to the wrong department multiple times without so much as letting you finish your sentence, I would recommend you call Mercedes at the Hilton Manhattan East. Don't even get me started on what happened when I called back the third time to speak to a manager.

I can only imagine what service would look like onsite, and considering that there are a million other hotels to choose from (we chose this based on location and because of the Blackstone relationship) I will not deal with this unacceptable customer service. If you are clearly above taking my money then I am happy to take it elsewhere. Thank you, Mercedes.