I feel like this hotel gets a bad rap. I find myself staying here a lot after comparing to other nearby Marriott properties (and I have stayed in just about all).
Pros:
Gym is fantastic (compared to most NYC hotel gyms that are an afterthought crammed into a corner)
Restaurant is pretty good (albeit typically Manhattan-overpriced)
Lounge is always well stocked, even when crowded
Rates tend to be a lot more reasonable than other full service Marriott properties in midtown
Decent sized rooms for NY
They are very good with early checkin - I typically arrive at 9am and they can almost always get me a room right away
Location is good - convenient to subways and far enough off Times Square that it is not total madness outside
I've never had any service issues
Cons:
Property is dated and needs a facelift & room refurb
Lobby can turn in to a zoo at times when tour buses are dropping off or picking up
I guess the destination fee, but everyone in NY has that these days. Restaurant credit is daily (not 1x per stay)
I've stayed here over a dozen times as Titanium and never gotten a suite upgrade (they almost always honor high floor though)
Food in lounge is not very good
Would be nice if they upgraded to smart/Netflix Tvs like most properties have