citizenM New York Times Square — Hotel in New York

My Frustrating Stay at CitizenM Times Square: A Warning for Busy Travelers I usually don’t write hotel reviews, but my recent experience at CitizenM Times Square was frustrating enough that I felt the need to share. If you’re a busy professional like me, where every minute counts, this review is especially for you. While the hotel had its good points, a lot of small issues added up to a less-than-pleasant stay. There’s something off about this hotel—maybe it’s the multiple requests for my credit card or the difficulty in reaching customer service. Here’s what happened: Booking Issues: A Real Hassle Booking my stay through the CitizenM website was a nightmare. The system crashed several times, and after finally getting a confirmation email, I wanted to double-check everything was fine. But there’s no direct phone number for the hotel. Instead, you have to call a general customer service line that handles all CitizenM hotels worldwide. The hold times were ridiculous, and it took me three weeks of trying before I finally got through to someone—just a week before my stay. When I finally reached them, I found out I’d been booked twice but only charged once. Fixing this was a hassle, and I had to call my bank to ensure there were no extra charges. Wasting time like this is a big deal for me, and it didn’t start my stay off on the right foot. Trying to get help through their Instagram account didn’t work either, as it’s run by someone who clearly isn’t trained in customer service. Misleading Marketing: Don’t Believe Everything You Read The hotel’s website claims they offer 24/7 food service, but that’s not true. I had a colleague fly in from London, and we decided to meet at the hotel for a late-night snack. When she went to order food, she was told the kitchen was closed. After walking 20 minutes to my hotel, she ended up with just a bag of popcorn and some chips—not exactly what we had in mind. Breakfast wasn’t included in the room rate, which wasn’t clear from the website either. And the “world’s fluffiest pillows”? They were just okay, and I didn’t sleep well at all. Hotel Staff: Friendly But Unprofessional The staff were nice enough, but they didn’t have the professional vibe you’d expect from a hotel. Everyone was dressed casually, like they were hanging out at a mall instead of working at a hotel. If you’re looking for traditional hotel service, you won’t find it here. No Room Service: Plan Ahead There’s no room service at this hotel, so if you need anything, you’ll have to plan ahead. I was stuck in back-to-back Zoom meetings and desperately needed coffee, but there was no way to get any delivered to my room. The room phone didn’t work, and there wasn’t even a coffee maker in the room. If you stay here, stock up on snacks and drinks in advance. The iPad that controls the room is cool, but it had glitches too. The TV channels didn’t always work, and I had to keep turning the TV off and on to fix it. Hotel Room Cleanliness: I'll keep this short and sweet. Eh. Could've been better. Check-Out: More Frustrations The website gives the impression that check-out is at 2 PM, but it’s actually at 11 AM unless you pay extra. I tried to check out through the app, but it asked for my credit card again, even though I had already prepaid. After the double-booking issue, I wasn’t keen on giving my card again. Luckily, I managed to get through to customer service on my way to the airport, but they never sent the confirmation email they promised. Final Thoughts: Not Worth the Trouble To Save a Few Bucks CitizenM Times Square has potential, but it’s let down by too many issues. The lobby is trendy, and the tech is cool, but the frustrating booking process, misleading marketing, and lack of room service make it a poor choice for busy travelers. I won’t be staying here again, and I’d advise you to think twice...

This hotel is a cool concept. It is very clean. The staff is very friendly and will provide you with recommendations for restaurants around the area. They will also get you anything you need, like more towels and toilet paper. The hotel is in a prime location. Things to do are steps away. The size is small, but it was not an issue.

Unfortunately, I did not like how the bathroom is set up, and the placement of the bed is terrible. The toilet and shower is separated by a pane of glass that only shields the toilet from getting wet. However, the entire bathroom is flooded with water. The bathroom is perpetually wet for the entirety of our stay. The entire bathroom does not have opaque walls, it is all frosted glass, which is necessary since the shower has no doors. All the lights are controlled via an iPad, and the lights are dimmable. So, it isn't as easy as flipping a light switch when you want to go to the bathroom. You have to click a few buttons to do it. Kind of inconvenient if you are waking up in the middle of the night and have to fumble around. Since the walls are frosted glass, you will wake everyone up with the bathroom light. The toilet flushes super loud. The sink is outside the bathroom. So everyone hears everything. The walls of the hotel are thin. You can hear every noise from within the hotel (doors opening/closing, elevator dings, housekeeping vacuuming, etc.). The placement of the bed is so odd. The king sized bed is flush against the wall, and you can only get in and out of bed on one side. So if someone has to get up for any reason, and they are by the wall, the other person has to get up or scrunch their legs up so that they can get out. The hotel should have gotten a queen bed and left room to place the bed between the walls. There isn't enough room for a king sized bed. The pillows are all firm and not plush at all. The hotels that we have stayed at in the past have always had options. There are 4 pillows on the bed and normally 2 are soft and plush, while the other 2 are firm. All 4 pillows on our bed were firm and hard. It made it difficult to sleep because our head were pushed into odd angles. Also, one night during our stay, the room did not have hot water. We tried to call the reception area using our cell phone, but the number on Google is the main number for customer service for all the locations. They told us that we had to use the room phone. The phone in our room did not work. There was an error message. Eventually, everything was fine, but that was a minor inconvenience. I would not choose to stay here again unless I was by myself.

UPDATE: I appreciate the response from management. We did think about sleeping with our heads by the window and scooching down the bed to get out, but since I am the one that has to get out of bed multiple times to go to the bathroom, and my boyfriend never does, that it would be more convenient for me to sleep on the edge by the night table with the iPad easily accessible to me. We figured out how to make the room...

check in: super simple and the front desk agent was very helpful and showed me the options that had the best view.

the lobby is beautiful and I loved looking at all the art and the furniture. the whole hotel had a lot of attention to detail that I really appreciated. also, the AC in the lobby was always bumpin which was the best feeling after walking around the city in the heat. i would say the most well air-conditioned building i went into in the 4 days i was in nyc. there were multiple lounge areas in the lobby area that we used for breakfast or just relaxing but would be great to read, do work, have your coffee etc.

room: we expected it to be small and it was, so if you understand what you booked you won’t be shocked. it was SO clean and smelled it too. the shower and toilet are in one contained little cubicle type area, with the two only separated by a curtain- so if you plan on staying with someone you don’t feel comfortable being next to while going #2 while they shower, maybe not for you? the whole bathroom was clean and the towels were soft but not too soft where they weren’t absorbent. I would not recommend trying to have a romantic shower with your 2nd guest because the shower is best fit for 1 and can get a little slippery. the bed linens were that classic fluffy hotel feel which was nice, but I found the mattress to be too firm. I feel like all they need is a topper or something for some more comfort.

the rooftop bar was nice and relaxing. although it wasn’t open for service, it was open to relax or BYOB which we still enjoyed.the view was good.

what stood out the most to me during our stay was the staff. they were extremely helpful and kind and never made me feel like I was inconveniencing them.

pros: -located on the same block/within a 1-2 block radius as multiple MTA stops. (used apple maps transit and it was pretty easy to navigate) it is essentially in the heart of times square so this could also be a con depending on what you’re looking for. -forgot a mask in my room (you need them for the mta) but the front desk gave us some when we asked. same happened with an umbrella ($20 refundable deposit if you return it or $20 to buy) -AC in rooms worked well -color changing lights -great staff -close to everything, including a rite aid -outlets right next to bed -didn’t hear anyone in nearby rooms or even in the hallway for that matter -quick elevators -lobby bar -luggage check/storage after checking out!!!!! -offers breakfast although we did not try it

cons: -even as fairly tech savvy young-ish people, the airplay for the TV was hard to navigate or maybe just wasn’t working? not sure -firm beds -rooftop bar closed a bit early the nights we were there (9:30)

overall the pros obviously outweigh the cons. I used to work in a hotel (a 5-star hotel in a major city) so I am pretty critical of hotels, but it was a great experience and value for the money. skip the stuffy, dated, and strangely scented hotels and airbnbs in manhattan and head to...