Comfort Inn Convention Center
Written: May 26 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: convenient midtown location, possibly lowest price for a Manhattan hotel with private bathrooms
Cons: small, dated, no frills hotel on an unattractive block
The Bottom Line: For Manhattan this is about as cheap as it gets unless you are willing to compromise on quality and/or share bathrooms or sleep in a dorm.
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| gw0143's Full Review: Comfort Inn New York |
Location
The Comfort Inn Convention Center, as this hotel is apparently officially called, is on West 36th St in Manhattan, between 9th and 10th Ave. The location is very convenient for many midtown attractions - within a 5-10 minute walk are Penn Station, the Empire State Building and many shops along 5th, 6th and 7th Ave and in Herald Square (Macy's). Times Square and its theatres are about a 15-minute walk away. The Jarvis Convention Center is about two avenue blocks away to the west, and the Hudson River is on the other side of that - I could see a bit of the river from my room.
In spite of being close to so many busy midtown places, the hotel itself is on an almost deserted looking block, right next to the Lincoln Tunnel exit. While I was concerned about noise from the tunnel exit, it really wasn't bad at all - it actually seemed quieter than the average Manhattan block - no horns, no car alarms, no police sirens. It probably helped that my room was on a high floor and I was staying on a weekend. There was only ever a trickle of cars coming out of the tunnel and no trucks (I think they have to take a different route).
Building
The building is very narrow and almost feels squished between its neighbors. It has 15 floors, but fewer than 60 rooms - I think there are only four rooms on each floor. Even though the 15 floors were only served by a single elevator, I mostly had non-stop rides. (Just hope the elevator doesn't go out of service...)
The first floor, which was a few steps below street level (odd...), had a small reception area and a breakfast area in the back.
Room
I had a room with a king-sized bed. The room was small, but not tiny - a decent size for New York City. You could actually walk comfortably on all three open sides of the bed. The bedding was a little weird - just a sheet and a comforter (no duvet or blanket), but it actually worked ok. Small pillows (not king-sized), but at least different ones to choose from. The air conditioner was on when I came into the room, even though it was just barely over 70 degrees outside. The air conditioner was quite loud and would certainly drown out any noise from the outside, if one left it on (I turned it off).
The bathroom was a decent size, too. It looked like it could use a remodeling some time soon, although it was still acceptable. Everything was clean.
Food and service
Breakfast was included in the room price, which was nice and convenient. It was nothing special, but I have seen much worse. Good orange juice (i.e. real orange juice as opposed to orange-flavored water...). The breakfast area could have been a little larger, but it wasn't too crowded. There is no restaurant inside the hotel.
Check-in and check-out were efficient. The charge, including all taxes, at check-out was as reserved on the Choicehotels web site (Internet User Rate), except for an additional $2 "safe charge" - annoying. (There was a safe in the room, but I didn't use it.)
Price
I visited New York on what seemed like a very busy weekend for hotels. I had reserved the room about two months in advance, and at that time, this hotel was pretty much the cheapest available in Manhattan that offered private bathrooms. I checked again closer to my travel date, and most Manhattan hotels were completely sold out! Some hotels with shared bathrooms were now charging more than I was paying at the Comfort Inn. Given all that, the roughly $250 (including taxes) that I paid seemed like a good deal, although elsewhere you might get a resort hotel for that price, and that's certainly not what this Comfort Inn is.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gw0143
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Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 1 member
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