I have been staying at this Crowne Plaza for almost 10 years now because a major client of mine is located across the street, so it is very convenient for me. Staff service is consistently good, and the lobby bar remodel is a welcome one. Even though I'm a priority club member and have been staying there so consistently, I always get very small rooms that look out onto a brick wall or, in one case, a big air duct. That is pretty depressing. During this latest stay in Feb 2007, my room was looking pretty tired -- carpet was starting to fade, walls and doors were nicked, even the cleanliness was a bit wanting. When I checked into my room, my sink did not drain. An engineer came up immediately and was very nice about checking it but couldn't do anything about it so late at night. The next day another engineer took a look at it and it was a bit improved, but it was still very sluggish and when I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I had to deal with a full sink, an off-putting experience. Most of the rooms I've stayed in here do not have desks, so it is difficult to work. Even though this has been a pretty convenient place to stay over the years because of its proximity to my client, I may look for another hotel next time around. The staff do try, hard but the property is showing its lack of upkeep.

Having stayed all over New York in previous years, I decided to try a different hotel, mainly for price reasons as I booked late to see some family. I booked this direct through intercontinental website as they appeared to be cheapest. I got a good rate of approx £100 a night including tax's for a double room.

I read various reviews on trip adviser and got a bit put off by some but I thought I’d take a gamble.
In short, I will summarise.

Some people complained about the location, its 5-minute walk from grand central station, and 15 minutes from Times Square. I hung out all over NYC so location wasn’t too much of an issue but the 15 minute walk back from times square at 2am in -10c weather was annoying so I took taxis for like $4.

Prices in the hotel for food and drink were on a par with the city but hey, your in New York, who would want to stay in the hotel and eat/drink, there are bars surrounding the hotel.

My room was clean, bed was comfy, bathroom was swish (marble and granite) but I didn’t spend too much time in the room, it was a place to shower and sleep. Granted it’s not of the same quality as a UK crowne plaza but it’s a cross between a Travelodge and a cosy English Inn.

The TV had some cable channels, picture quality wasn’t great but it does the job. Like all hotels the pay per view movies were new but expensive but I didn’t watch any.

The telephone in the room was expensive; I even had to pay $2 every time I used my calling card via toll free number.

I didn’t go for the breakfast option, as it looked expensive so I can’t comment on that but I like going to local cafes to get the NYC atmosphere.

I probably wouldn’t stay here again because I like to try different places and personally I’d like to be closer to Times Square for all the action but I certainly can have no complaints.

Yes, it used to be called the hotel Tudor and there are still bits in the room with Tudor hotel written on it buy who cares!

If I was on business and had planned to be in the hotel a lot more then maybe I’d go for a better quality hotel but for a 4-night stay I just wanted a bed and shower, which were more than adequate!

Nice touches were the doormen and canopy outside which give the impression it’s a quality hotel!

Well, the good news was that I got this hotel through priceline, cheaply, on the day of the stay. It's an old building (actually a registered landmark in NY), but what that means for the hotel guest, unless you're an architecture buff, is small rooms and just a general "old" feel.

The room was rather small and worn looking...I was staying alone with one bag, and felt cramped. Like many older buildings in NYC, there seemed to be problems with water temp. and pressure (I woke up at 4AM one morning to get a hot shower). Also, there are no minibars in rooms (despite the literature in your room telling you to get a minibar key from the front desk) and little good light.

Restaurant was overpriced (even for a hotel in NYC) and, although many travel websites tell you this hotel is near Grand Central Station and its subway station, you can't make that walk in the winter without freezing.

On a good note, the staff, and particulary the doormen, were very helpful.

I was NOT impressed with this hotel. The location was wonderful however the hotel and staff could use some work. We arrived before and were allowed to check in early however the staff was quite cold. The room was small, but we expected that. The furnishings were ok but showing some wear and the walls look like they needed some paint. The bathroom was ok if you didn't look under the counter.. It was a little grimey under there! I didn't get the heebie-jeebies like I do in nasty hotels. Now on to the wonderfully rude and unhelpful staff. After a night of sneezing, we realized the pillows were down. I asked the front desk if they had any kind of alternative to these. The clerk was not even sure that the pillows were even down. She implied we were making it up. When I explained that they felt like down and caused an allergice reaction like down, she stated that maybe they were a mix. But they did not have any other pillows for guests. The staff was mostly cold the entire stay. The only nice people were the doormen, the maintenance man and the maid. They were fantastic!