I really don't want to give this hotel a bad review because the front desk staff were so nice and did their best, given the circumstances. But I have added it to the long list of hotels in New York City that I will never return to. The property is simply cramped and horrible with no public spaces and no character whatsoever and rooms are correspondingly boxy. Added to that is the fact that the beds are far too short, a bit like the 180cm bed length you sometimes get in Europe (in Spain, for example). There was barely enough space in the room for a gerbil to turn around with a swish of its tail and, of course, storage space was nonexistent. The air was stuffy because the aircon didn't work properly, one light did not work which made the room very gloomy and the coffee machine did not work. And don't get me started on the mess with the elevators. Most of the time I just used the stairs because walking up to the 6th floor is not an issue for me. I think that all mid level hotels in New York City are similar but if this was in Europe, I would describe this hotel as a very bad Holiday Inn Express.

What about the good points? As always in Holiday Inn properties, the breakfast is not included (which I prefer, because you get less people milling about and the quality of guests is usually better). However, I did receive a comped breakfast for the first morning, which was a nice gesture, but it definitely was not worth the stated price of USD20. Free coffee and water was provided all day long in the tiny lobby, along with a printer for business purposes (or printing airline boarding passes). With hotels in a city like New York City location is everything and, for me, the W 26th St address between 6th and 7th Avenue was excellent. I managed to walk up to the Lyric Theater on W 43rd St and Times Square in no time at all, although perhaps my range of walking is a lot bigger than most people's. There were lots of places to eat at all price ranges in the neighbourhood, along with some interesting looking bars with tempting Happy Hour offers. Subway stations are nearby, along with major bus routes.

Room 607
2 nights
IHG Rewards redemption
39,000 points
63,000 points



Main entrance to the Holiday Inn on West 26th Street


My room in the Holiday Inn on West 26th Street was ok, but it was really tight for space in there


View of the same bedroom taken from the window


Bathroom facilities were ok, nothing special, but at least there was a true bathtub in there


Main entrance at night of the Holiday Inn W 26th Street


The streets of New York near the hotel