Having read some of the over-rated reviewer's comments I can only imagine they've stayed in dumps or chain hotels. For NY this is definitely good value, and the location is great for upper west side off Broadway (walking distance to Zabar's, Starbucks, great hotels on Amsterdam Ave. etc) good access to subway (straight shot downtown on the 1) and cross-town bus. BUT, as far as staying in a room with charm or any level of luxe whatsoever, this is not the place. Yes the staff are pleasant and helpful, but I felt the interior rooms were small, drab, somber and dreary. I had to request a mini-fridge to be brought up since there was none. I saw a corner room which let in lots of light so was bright and cheery, much larger than the regular interior queen rooms. If it were anywhere else than NYC this would classify as chain hotel standards, nothing to rave about.

We've stayed in many hotels in New York, but this is by far the best!

Our room was a standard queen room at the normal rate and despite what was claimed by another reviewer are a great size. With table and chairs, big bed, tv cabinet with drawers and closet for clothes. The bathrooms are clean and a good size. My parents room was even bigger, as it was on the end of the hotel. Compared to other hotels such as the Empire (which had rooms with a bed and nothing else) there is no way this rooms can be classed as small!

But what made the stay the best is the staff. Gunther the concierge got in touch with us before our stay by email and made every effort to make this stay one of a lifetime. My parents came with us and my mum and I are disabled, and the staff did everything they could to help. Gunther even got a bottle of wine specially from California from the Winery itself - it wasn't available in the shops!

The room service was great! The portions for us Englanders was amazing and we ended up sharing a meal between us!

We will definitely be staying there again. Excellent!

To get straight to the point it was the smallest room I have ever seen, let alone pay for! My boyfriend and I didn't even have any floor space to place our overnight bag. DEFINITELY NOT WORTH THE PRICE!

The reviews and ratings of this hotel seem a little over the top based on my stay there recently. The location is of course very good, but my "suite" was very bare, small, with quite basic furnishings and a view of the windows and walls of the rooms 6 feet across the alley. No mini bar but they do have 24 hr room service, which was ok food. If you expect a reasonably good room in a great location for your money, you will be happy.