KENNECTED

No pool, but decent gym. There are other upscale gyms in nearby Hell's kitchen, columbus Circle and Rock Center.

travellingcari

I've been a member of the gym for about two years as a local. BArebones for a full gym but pretty good for a hotel gym. About 40 cardio machines including an overflow room. Main one has windows and faces street (albeit on sub basement level), overflow is a smaller offshoot. Large weight room with typical circuit, free weights, stretching area and former studios. Towel service and water/snacks for purchase. Regular locker room but only two showers so best off using your room. Every chain is in immediate area but not sure which has a pool. Maybe Equinox at Columbus Circle (8 blocks north)

Melodsal

Thanks for the feedback! If the gym is decent I'll probably just work out here- the best gym is the nearest gym

travellingcari

It's definitely more than adequate for a short stay. For longer/definite pool need there's a NYSC that has a pool at the Crowne Plaza Times Square (5 blocks south). A friend thinks there's non hotel guest guest access but wasn't positive

Joe758

Currently have a 5 night stay booked with points 12K x 4. I asked and they are offering a rate of 1500 points a night more for a Superior room and 2500 for a club level room. I am a SPG gold but not expecting any type of improved room over what was booked. Does either of these seem to be a good value?

Antonio8069

IME club access is readily granted while upgrades are few & far between. I suggest you contact them directly to confirm the upgrade & only use the points if necessary. PM on its way...........

Out of my Element

We've been offered Club access for $50/night our last couple of stays. If that is a better deal for you than 2500 points you can probably take that option

ckendall

Just had a one night stay and got the 500sf suite using an SNA. The room was a little odd but quite a bit of space. Reception was great and fast and the lounge was fine. No water in the room but plenty for the taking in the lounge. Wifi (up to 3 devices) was fairly speedy.

InHouseCounsel

Have stayed here many times over the past few years, and always thought it was ok if the price were right otherwise no particular reason to stay there. The gym is indeed better than many hotel gyms. The lounge is often very crowded, and, like many SPG lounges, only cold options other than oatmeal. Never had an upgrade to a suite in all my stays here.

My biggest gripe has been the usual long wait to check in or otherwise talk to the front desk. Two weeks ago they hit a new low- I stood in the Plat checkin line for over 20 minutes. When I finally got to the front, at 10 PM on a weeknight, I was told there were no clean rooms available. They only offer was a $100 credit to pay for dinner in their restaurant while I waited for a room. They also handed out bottled of water to people in line. I pushed back and said I did not want dinner, I just wanted to sleep, and the could walk me to a hotel that had rooms. They refused, the clerk disappeared and came back with a key telling me she "took someone else's room" for me. I got a room but it too arguing and a 45 minute wait 10 PM at night.

My second gripe is that hotel billing problems take time to resolve- when you call to talk to someone, you only get voicemail and are directed to a website to file a request. Most recently, their system mistakenly billed me for a stay that is not until the end of January and it not a prepaid rate. I finally got my money back, but only after a call to SPG got someone there to call me.

The people there seem to be nice and trying hard, but it all seems like a management mess.

pewpew

Do the suites to which they upgrade plats have 2 beds (or a king + sofa bed)? I'm staying here with a friend next week, and as much as I like him, I'd rather not sleep in the same bed as him

Otherwise I might just go with the Westin Grand Central, which is roughly the same price, and pick breakfast as my amenity, since the main draw of this place is that a) it's in a good location (it's my friend's first time in NYC), b) the breakfast/hors d'oeuvres in the club, and c) they upgrade plats to suites

gooselee

I got UG'd to a suite there once and it had a King Bed + Sofabed. No idea what level of suite it was. I've also stayed in non-suite rooms there that had a sofabed, IIRC.

Why not just book a room with two doubles? If you get the UG, you can inquire at check-in what the room setup is. If you don't then you still have two beds.

gregv

Decent rate for Easter weekend showing on spg.com.
March 25 - 28 Traditional room for $144/night on 3 night stay.

abk

Just spent a long weekend here with the family and to my surprise everyone loved it. Rooms where two doubles and were nice but we were not upgraded which did not bother me as they let us check in early. The lounge had great Starbucks coffee and lattes which everyone enjoyed and the continental breakfast was fine. Add that to the waters and sodas and I think it was worth about $40 a day. Internet was great as were the beds. If you want a little bit more for breakfast I suggest walking two blocks to the "Pick a bagel" and getting a toasted bagel with the low fat lox cream cheese. Had it three mornings in a row.

justforfun

Similar rate for this weekend. Thinking of doing a staycation.

travellingcari

I frequently use this hotel's gym as I joined it on a Groupon. A few times over the last few months I've used it for a stay. This review is based on a one night stay this weekend as night out of my apartment with a guest in town.

SPG Gold.

ROOM:
Arrived early as we had plans Friday evening and was offered an upgrade but told the choice was upgrade or room now. As we didn't plan to do much but sleep/change, turned down the upgrade so we could drop off our stuff. We ended up in xx36, a north-facing room. Two double beds and basic Sheraton amenities. Minor gripe, no water in room and when I asked about it, they said it was because I took the points (I did). Nonsense but not deal breaker as there is a Duane Reade a block away an the lobby cafe (bar at night) sold water at $2/bottle.

MISC:
Didn't really use any of the other facilities beyond the above-mentioned lobby bar/cafe which I found well priced for a hotel facility. I'm also way too accustomed to NYC pricing though so I admit that bias there. I've reviewed the gym elsewhere in this thread and it remains in good repair.If you're here for more than a few nights it's worth the stay rate and if you're here multiple times, look t the groupon as it's often cheaper.

SERVICE:
GOld checkin was good, late checkout automatically granted and given amenity choice. Only surprising thing was that there was a $4/bag check fee when we needed to leave our bags after checkout. Not a problem as it was a better deal than zipping back to my apartment and a true convenience fee, but haven't run across it too often at other properties. May be a factor of not needing to leave my bag in urban locations though.

As a local, I wouldn't stay here often but good for a points stay for a treat/night out of apartment.