Hotel Doubletree by Hilton di New York

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

This was my first stay at the Royalton. It is conveniently right down the street from our NYC office and my new ”go-to” hotel when I'm in town. The hotel is clean, has a great vibe, and I absolutely loved the room! Bed was comfortable and the bathroom had a large sink and a SOAKER TUB!! The rooftop bar has a great vibe and good food. The service at the rooftop was a little slow, but it was VERY BUSY! We felt the love and enjoyed it very much.

Blink and you'll miss it, but the Jazz Columbus Circle is right there near 56th and 8th, between the LenWich and Wendy's. There's no branding or signage on the door or even the front desk but, trust me, it's there and you're at the right place. Pack a towel. New health measures mean they don't provide those anymore. They make coffee in the mornings, but the equipment isn't maintained well, and there's always a supply of bagels, but there's no way to know how long those have been there. If you bring home a doggy bag from your dinner out, you can store it in the communal fridge but there's no way to heat your leftovers back up as the microwave is out of order. Need a glass of water in the middle of the night? The fridge dispenses filtered water. You'll just be waiting a while, though, as it dispenses it at an extremely slow trickle. An extremely slow trickle was also how the sink worked in my dorm's bathroom. More water leaked onto the floor than flowed into the sink for the simple task of washing my hands. At least there were no issues with the shower. As for the toilet, the handle was loose and needed to be pulled carefully and securely each time. In the bedroom, you're provided a place for your head, a couple hooks for your things and a small locker. Bring a lock, unless you didn't pack any valuables and believe wholeheartedly in the honor system. It's winter and the AC is still in the window, but the draft won't affect you as the heat works exceptionally well. What doesn't work well is the hostel's WiFi. The city's is faster and easier to connect to. At the end of the day, it's an inexpensive stay at a youth hostel a couple blocks from Columbus Circle proper. You get what you pay for.