Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
The main DT thread is here, and I have some photos from 2023. From the floor plans, and the photos, I wouldn't say the rooms are small by NYC standards, but clearly they are by the standards of somewhere out in the Prairies.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New York City - Chelsea {US-NY}
The hotel interior is reasonably clean and modern, but the immediate area close to the hotel is a residential street that has seen better days. But it is around the corner from Madison Square Gardens and Penn Station, with the resultant relatively fast access to JFK. There are several other Hilton branded hotels within a block which won't win prizes for luxurious accommodation but which are professionally run in line with the brand standards.
Hah, funny to look at that thread – if you look at the first page, I forgot that I posted a bunch of pictures from when I stayed there in 2009 when the hotel was brand new. It looks like from your photos (plus what the hotel has posted) that the rooms have undergone a fairly substantial renovation, but maybe not so much the bathrooms. I also agree that the mid-block placement of the hotel is a bit awkward. After staying at so many of the McSams, I think the Hyatt Place might be my favorite – it's the newest, it's closer to the corner, and it's at least a little closer to being able to claim it's actually in Chelsea.
I think I'm leaning toward giving the Hilton NY Fashion District another go. Even though I know it's a little long in the tooth, I think my parents probably might feel the most comfortable there. The bigger rooms and more predictable atmosphere are probably good for them. I think if it were just me, I'd want to try the Motto.
Originally Posted by
The_Diamond_Z
ChatGPT for anyone else curious:
When people reference
“McSams” in the context of NYC hotels, they’re referring to:
- McSam Hotel Group, the entity led by Sam Chang.
- A major developer and owner of midscale, branded, select-service hotels in NYC.
- A company with a track record of new builds, strategic brand partnerships (especially with Marriott), and active asset management across the city.
Yes, they're all pretty well-identified in New York as from the same developer and the same general layout. The hallmarks of them:
- Mostly clustered around Chelsea/Penn Station MSG area
- They exploit some kind of industrial zoning loophole, so they're all mid-block and set back 30 feet from the sidewalk, meaning the whole building is super skinny with ~8 rooms per floor
- Weird breakfast room/restaurant that's styled like it's a greenhouse
- Four elevator shafts, but inevitably, 1-2 are always broken at any given time, so there's a 10 minute wait to get to the lobby during the morning
- A small-ish front desk that's usually slammed with how many guests it's trying to accommodate, plus any bags being held before/after check in or check out
- Because of the narrow floorplate, the door slamming of other rooms and elevator activity is pretty audible
But all things considered, they are a decent value if all you need is a clean, well-located room in Manhattan. It's shocking how similar they all are across all the different hotel chains.