Next to Times Square and Everything Else
Written: Apr 11 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, close proximity to Times Square, conference rooms, room size.
Cons: Check-in, housekeeping, food, lack of coffeemaker.
The Bottom Line: Though not as comfortable as other Times Square hotels, this is relatively family friendly, roomy by NYC standard, and close to everything.
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| benchpress's Full Review: Millennium Broadway Hotel |
I recently stayed at the Millennium Broadway for four days to participate yet another conference event organized by my company. It was my first stay at Millennium Broadway but my second with the Millennium chain. My previous encounter with a Millennium facility was in Boulder, Colorado. I stayed at the Millennium Harvest House as a last ditch alternative a few years ago because I was not able to get a decent room in Broomfield due to a number of large conventions taking place in and around the area.
The Boulder location was tired and run-down, the food was horrible, and the service nonexistent. I had a room near the back of the hotel and it smelled like a stale burrito all the time though the room was nowhere near the kitchen. I checked out of there as soon as a room was available at the Omni and I vowed to never return to that location again.
Needless to say, when our event staff informed me of their hotel selection in NYC, I was more than a little apprehensive.
Location
The hotel is on West 44th Street, just half a block away from Broadway/7th Ave/Times Square. It straddles the block with an entrance each to 45th and 44th Streets, and it nestles right behind the large Toys ‘r Us Times Square store.
In terms of location, it is without a doubt right in the middle of everything: theatres, shopping, tourist attractions, etc. In addition to the Toys ‘r Us store, one could find an abundance of shopping venues including the HMV mega store, and more.
The main lobby of the hotel is a little on the dark and severe side with lots of dark marble tiles, columns and flooring. Though it lacks atmosphere, the lobby is functional, spacious and relatively quiet.
Upon arrival, I was confronted by a large airline flight crew waiting to sort out their reservation. This would quickly become a familiar scene in the days to come during my stay as the lobby seemed to be occupied in some capacity by crews of various airlines at least a few times a day.
The said crew took up so much time at the registration desk, and the fact that the desk was staffed by two employees only (and only one of them actively engaged in customer-facing activities), I waited close to 15 minutes before getting a chance to register. The receptionist was not friendly and he definitely failed to make me or any guests at registration feel welcome.
Unfriendly as the registration process might be, it was completed smoothly and I was fortunate to have a corner room on a high floor. Some of my cohorts were not so lucky. Some were assigned rooms in the executive tower side of the hotel and their registration experience was so unbelievably frustrating that many were offered access to the concierge lounge as peace-offering.
Rooms
The room was relatively large by New York standard. It was able to hold a King bed, a small TV credenza/work desk, a pair of night tables, and a very small sitting area - barely. The furnishing was modern and functional. The bathroom was bright, clean and not too small.
The first night there I was informed by the staff that ConEd was scheduled to cut off electricity to parts of the city block for maintenance and the hotel would be without heat and hot water between 10pm and 5am just for one night as a result. It was early April so the temperature was bearable even without heat in the evening.
While there was a mini bar in the room, it lacked a coffeemaker and the accompanying paraphernalia to make tea coffee.
Service
With the exception of the reception staff, the rest of the hotel staff members were polite and sufficiently friendly. However, the housekeeping staff seemed a little slapdash, judging by the cleanliness of the room.
The conference facility, which occupied the lower floors of the hotel, was well staffed and reasonably well managed. We hosted a three-day event with the hotel providing breakfast, lunch, snacks and afternoon reception/open bar services to the attendees. Though the food was adequate and decent, the hotel practically served us the same menu three days in a row, and Halloween-sized candy bars were passed off as afternoon snacks instead of freshly baked cookies.
Amenities for Business Travelers
The in-room “high speed” Internet service was priced at $10.95/24 hours but it was SLOW and finicky. I clocked it at 240kb/s on the average, with a peak at 320kb/s. WiFi was available in the conference area but it was even worse then the in-room connectivity.
Given the size of the room, the work desk/TV credenza was small as expected. However, it was well equipped so that one did not have to crawl on all four to find electrical sockets or internet jack. Local and toll-free calls from the room were free.
Food
The food was unremarkable but the portions were reasonable. The room service was prompt but slightly overpriced for the quality. The hotel was literally surrounded by restaurants offering fares of every imaginable variety, it was not hard to find decent food at all. There was a clean and well-run deli across the street and it was well stocked with water, juices, beers, and other essential items.
Fitness
There is a fitness room on the 16th floor, and it was open 24 hours a day. I found a handful of treadmills, one Precor elliptical machine, one stair machine and one other elliptical trainer. In the other half of the fitness room one could find machines for chest press, shoulder press, lat pull-down, bicep curls, tricep extension, and more. It was a small room but good for a quick workout.
There was a New York Fitness Club down the street from the hotel, within the same block. Finding a place to work out was definitely not an issue.
Summary
At 350 plus taxes in early April, it was a reasonable place to stay. In all fairness, it changed my perception of Millennium Hotels for the better, and I have no problem staying there again if necessary though I would prefer Sheraton or the Marriott down the street.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
benchpress
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Location: Toronto, Canada
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 2 members
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