The Times Square Edition

Stayed here couple of nights before continuing our trip to Europe. The facade of the hotel is kind of blended with the other buildings next to it, it doesn’t really pop up. A modern foyer will lead you to the elevators which will bring you to the lobby area. Friendly check in staff. Our room has a partly view of the roof of other building and partly time square. Although it is up high, the hustle bustle sounds from time square is still quite audible. Room is tidy and clean. Modern bathroom. Housekeeper that cleaned up our room was very friendly too. Most place of interests are within walking distance. We definitely had pleasant stay here, but will considerate to stay in quieter area next time around.

The first thing I will mention is that the hotel is 5 star and is expectedly, very expensive, being in the heart of Times Square. I took this into account when writing my review. If I am paying that much, my expectations would be higher than normal. I stayed for 12 nights over the Christmas and NY period so I obtained a very comprehensive view of the hotel and everything about it. Overall it was a very comfortable stay and the staff were always there to attend to any requests and issues. The moment I got out of my transfer car, there was a lovely young gentleman waiting to get all my bags and transport me upstairs to the reception. The check-in was reasonably flawless but there was a bit of confusion around the payment because of resort fees the hotel charges daily. I prepaid my booking and there was confusion over whether it included or excluded the resort fee. The reception area is immaculately presented and the bar and restaurant are both located here. I intended to use the gym during my stay, but didn't have time to even take a peek. Nor did I visit the bar or restaurant. There's way too many options outside to do that. The very polite and courteous young gentleman then took me up to my room. He showed me everything and away he went. I got a bit of a room upgrade which I highly appreciated and had a beautiful view of Times Square. I was on the 2nd highest floor, floor 39. The room is not big. It was adequate for one person but nothing more. I don't think I would be able to stay here if I was with another person. It would be too uncomfortable and I had to find space for my 2 suitcases and carry-on. The bathroom is open plan, with a door for the shower and toilet. A big problem I had in my room was that if it was windy you will hear a loud whistle coming through the bottom of the front door. It really annoyed me. I had to take the cover off the bed and make a snake shape to block the gap underneath the door to stop the noise. Even a bath towel didn't work. They need to fix this. The hotel is very new and the rooms are very beautifully equipped, presented and maintained. I was pleased to see that most of the things I requested before I arrived (some extra bath mats, bath towels, hand towels, face towels, mini fridge, bathroom scale) were mostly there upon arrival. I quantified the number of towels I needed as I was not getting any housekeeping during my 12 night stay but I did not get the quantity requested. I expected a bit more attention to detail for a 5 star hotel. Before I arrived I was asked if I was celebrating a special occasion and Guest Services pushed up my expectations as I was celebrating a special occassion and they said something nice, I assume maybe a cake or some alcohol would be waiting for me in the room. When I arrived there was nothing. And there was never going to be anything throughout my stay. I didn't mind and only remembered towards the end of the stay. When I enquired via email I was met with silence. They addressed the rest of my email but didn't want to address that. Cheeky. And not really 5 star behaviour. The bed was lovely and I had a great night's sleep every night. Very comfortable and quiet room. I enjoyed coming back to my room every night after a very cold day and opening my curtains to see the world go by downstairs. Before I arrived I asked if it was OK to get some parcels sent to the hotel. I wasn't told about fees or anything or the sort and was invited to send them to the hotel. When I arrived they asked security to bring the parcels up to my room. They did that swiftly and politely and all security staff are helpful and friendly . The issue here was that I was being told I would be charged a $10 fee per parcel and was confronted with a few sheets of paper asking me to sign the charge. I was pressured to sign the papers and off they went. I was very concerned as I had quite a number of parcels which would have amounted to over a $100 charge. I abruptly called the Guest Services line and spoke to a very nice lady by the name of Nephi. She was brilliant throughout my stay. She helped clarify that there would be a cost going forward from 2023 but they would waive the charge for me. This was not a good experience but Nephi made sure she sorted it out for me and I wasn't charged. In the lead up to New Year's Eve, I had a party in Times Square and I was well aware that anyone staying in the vicinity of Times Square would require security passes of some sort to get through the police barricades. There was no letter or information right up to the night before NYE despite me asking several times via the Guest Services Line, reception and various people around the hotel. The night before when I called the Guest Services line, I was told that they had just despatched all the letters to the room but I didn't get one and they missed me. They then swiftly organised to get both the letter and pass sent to me my room. Again not a good experience. Most guests who stay at the hotel on the 31st December are likely going to go somewhere and need to be able to get into and out of the hotel. You need to let people know about this several days beforehand so people know what is going on, rather than have to circle around helplessly to find the information. This was not a good experience. Bear in mind it is incredibly busy over the holiday season so getting into and out of the hotel is not easy for those that don't like excessive crowds. I stayed here because I have never stayed in the middle of Times Square and I needed to be next to my NYE party venue so I could return to the hotel easily. Would I stay again? For NYE yes but otherwise I would prefer a quieter location with a larger room for normal trips, and yes it cost me a fortune to stay here so would prefer something more modestly priced for a long stay. Perhaps if there weren't so many glitches I would stay here again. So the one star taken off was for the glitches mentioned above. Otherwise it is a very nice hotel.

Ashley (room service) made our day! She has a vibrant and positive attitude that made us feel so warm and welcome--like we're at home. The rest of the staff has been nice and accommodating but she went above and beyond. Recommend the corner suite with balcony and oversized soaker tub.