i booked a room on hotels.com for the marriott east. it was 4 of us total. marriott said that a room with two beds was not available (even though we had reserved them online)--they said the "reservation was not a guarantee!!" (then what is it then?)

we called hotels.com, and had to wait about 25 minutes on hold. they eventually did find us a room at the Doubletree, luckily it was two blocks away--and cost $40 less per night, about $240 total.

i must say we were impressed by doubletree. great staff, great location, decent rooms. the lobby was neat and modern, not pretentious like the marriott (they think they're the trump or something). the doubletree staff were friendly and helpful. (the marriott staff by contrast looked like saying hello required a tip.)

our room was decent and clean. the bathroom was modern, even though there were some waterspots on the ceiling (I never understood why NY hotel bathrooms always look so bad). it looked clean at least. good soap/shampoo. the housekeeping staff were also very nice. the beds were fine. clean sheets. small flat screen tv with wireless internet keyboard (didn't use). window opens (yay), modern blinds. not much of a view (office building accross street) but who cares.

the best thing about the hotel is it's location. there are nice restaurants all around (especially 3rd ave). go down to Azure for breakfast--great food cheap prices at this deli. (come out of the front of the hotel, make a right on 50th and walk down 2 blocks).

$20 for an omlette if you want room service...pershaw!.

it's about a $10 cab ride to chinatown (with traffic).

The hotel bar was pretty trendy. drink prices were average, $5 for a beer to $12 for a chocolate martini. the wait staff there were also nice. lots of people hanging out (saturday night) so great for meeting people.

like most of manhattan, parking prices suck. at least the lot is right around the corner on 50th so you don't have to valet/tip. $45 a night and make sure you get the car out exactly before the 24/hr day ends, or else you pay a huge fee.

The rooms at the Doubletree Metro are very petite in size. The decor of the room was plain and simple, lacking charisma. The lobby was also small and many left guests where left standing where chairs were lacking. The bar right next to the lobby, does provide additional seating and has good aesthetics.

The hotel was able to accommodate an early check-in around noon; however, don't expect it, as it is rare. The staff members of the Doubletee Metropolitan were friendly and knowledgeable.

The room was suitable for two adults. It would be a little cramped if you planned on bringing a third guest or a child along. The storage space was minimal, and only four hangers are provided for your convenience.

If you plan on spending most of your time outside of the hotel seeing the city, then you'll be fine. However, I think the hotel is a little on the pricey side for what you pay.

There are plenty of late-night snacking and dining options around the hotel, as well as a subway stop is less than 20 feet away from the entrance.

Upon departure a staff member booked a car service for me to the airport. It was $55 to JFK ($35 for La Guardia) at a special hotel rate. It's much easier to do this than to take the SuperShuttle from the airport (HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED).

Enjoy New York!

I stayed 5 nights at the Doubletree last month and was very, very pleased. As I searched the web for Manhattan hotels I was hoping to find something cheaper than the $185/night I paid for the Doubletree, but lots of negative reviews on TripAdvisor for cheaper properties scared me away.

The Doubletree was comparable to their best properties elsewhere, with a room that's definitely large by NYC standards. Very clean, very comfortable, and a helpful staff. If you can manage the price and want a mid-town location, I'd say you can't go wrong here.

Location is excellent - subway stop at the corner, and a different subway line just one block up Lex. Short walk to MoMA, 9 short blocks to Grand Central Station. (I took shuttle bus from the airport to GC and just walked to the hotel from there.)

Finally: A couple of tips for good cheap breakfasts in the neighborhood (I splurged on dinners): The Oxford Cafe at Lex & 52nd, and Ess-a-Bagel on 3rd Ave between 50th & 51st. Enjoy!

The hotel is pretty basic however our room was spacious for the centre of NY. The hotel itself was okay and the staff were very helpful particularly the concierge. The standard of decor within the room, however, was pretty poor ie there was a chunk missing from the door in the top right hand corner! After having read other reviews re safety (only after having booked it!), we kept the chain on and a chair up against the door but never had any problems. The bathroom is very small but the shower was great, powerful which is what we like. The bed was comfortable and there wasn't a great deal of noise.....outside our window. The noise from other guests was a different matter however, very noisy! On the whole, not bad. Would use it again on the basis that I wasn't looking for luxury, by no means, but location was great, very convenient and for the price, can't complain.