Just completed a one night, pandemic-era stay here after Tropical Storm Isaiah knocked out our power. (This was my first Marriott property since March! Ironically, the day after checking out Bonvoy sent me a "We Miss You" email.)

There were no suites available for booking. It could be that they're occupied by long term occupants, or maybe they're just closed off due to low occupancy. Amongst other service changes, housekeeping will only come if specifically requested, and the gym did not appear to be open (though I can't confirm that). The roof deck is open on weekends with limited capacity, so reservations are recommended. Staffing is minimal.

There is no food service at all, so there were a bunch of extra points awarded at check in (breakfast guarantee, welcome gift). The hotel is officially charging a $25 "destination fee", but they waived it (not sure if they're waiving it for everyone or just elites). My rate was an exceptionally low $104 before the fee, so I wasn't going to lose too much sleep over it, but there are several other Marriott hotels in the area that are not imposing a junk fee, if that's important to you.

This hotel is built in the same "tall, slender" tower as other hotels in the area. There are typically 11 rooms per floor, 01 - 07 face north (views of the Hudson Yards and the ESB), 08 - 11 face south. Most rooms above ~10F should have a view of some sort. There are four elevators. I imagine at peak times with high occupancy their capacity will be insufficient, as is typical in other properties of this design.

The design of the rooms is generally pretty good. They are about 50% larger than the Moxy two blocks north, and have a narrow but usable desk (unlike the Moxy, which has a folding chair and a pull down table). Storage is sufficient for a couple of nights. My room had an iron in the closet next to the shelving. The walk in shower had both a hand held shower head and a rain shower. Water pressure was excellent. Wifi speeds: 40 Mbps down, 40 Mbps up. Each room has a random selection of about a half dozen used books, presumably purchased in bulk from some place like the Strand. A nice touch, though I imagine few people will read them. The walls are a little on the thin side... I was able to hear a neighbor who was talking unusually loudly, though once they stopped I didn't hear anything else.

On an amusing note, the "Maximum Rate" on the card in the door to the room is $10,000.

Re the homeless shelter, I didn't even know it was there. If that's the sort of thing that bothers you, perhaps it might be better to stay in the suburbs.

All things considered, the stay was fine. If/when things come back to normal, I'd probably try it again as a "full service" alternative to the other hotels in the immediate vicinity.