This is a decent and comfortable hotel in a good location for Times Square, for all the fans of neon out there. Personally I find Times Square to be the least lovely part of an amazing city, worth visiting once at night rather than making it the basis of a visit, but clearly I'm in the minority on this one.
This is a hotel which has had a design makeover, rather than a place which was conceived as a design hotel. It is stylish enough, and almost certainly more elegant than many other dull hotels in this part of the city. Compared to the true design hotels scattered across Manhattan, this falls slightly short. The lobby area - dominated by red furniture - is initially impressive, but sit in the bar beside it for a few minutes and you'll realise that something subtle is missing. It is a combination of the slightly misplaced cheesy music, a slight coldness to the furniture, an annoying beeping door somewhere which interrupts your drinks, and maybe just a few missing cushions or objects to really finish the area off in style.
It is the same deal with the bedroom. The bed is comfortable, with excellent linen, the walls are stylishly decorated and it all feels very modern. But sit there for a minute and you'll see the missed details. My room had a deep closet with no light in it, so when you unpack you will hang your clothes up (and try to retrieve them in the morning) in complete darkness. The bathroom is stylish, but the two shower taps are on chrome plates which are not fixed to the wall so they were both lopsided. It had no impact on being able to use the rainforest shower, but it was just a sign that the final few percent of attention that would make this a 'five circle' rating had been missed.
In the truly stylish hotels, you could cut them through and they would bleed interior designers and stylists. In this place, if you cut it through you would find a marketing person and a harried project manager with a clipboard, ticking things off without quite getting it.
Very good overall, and a noble leap forward from something plastic and soulless, particularly in this bustling, touristy and restless part of town. But if you want a true design experience, head to somewhere like the excellent Mondrian Soho or the Soho Grand.