Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan/Times Square — Hotel in New York

I have stayed in multiple Marriott properties over the last 10+ years, some no longer there, but this was the first stay at the Courtyard at Times Square on 40th street, and I have to report for location, service, comfort and most important management…their GM is Megan Wright, this Marriott branded property (actually managed by Aimbridge) is a “Jewel” among not just the Marriott portfolio but any of the other chains in the area.

My gratitude for GM Megan both reaching back to us and keeping in constant touch, although she oversees several other properties nearby. Especially on this very busy “sold-out, memorial weekend. Our stay was brief as we awaited an addition to the family and she was so courteous and kind in ensuring we were updated on check-in, where to park, our room, our special welcome and even granted a late-check out (which we didn’t use so hopefully other guests could check-in). All the staff, from the front desk, bellmen (Jason thanks again) where you can leave your luggage, housekeeping, security, operators…were so friendly and knowledgeable to not just us but all the guests we could see checking in or asking questions. A complement to GM Megan as the example she sets clearly shows in the staff.

So a little about the property. Centrally located to Bryant Park with all of the small boutiques set up from morning to evening, of course a few blocks away from Times Square, 5th Ave shopping even down to Macy’s . If you are driving, the Property does offer valet. For the small SUV it is $85.00 per 24 hours. The garage we are affiliated with also offers a discounted rate for self-parking at $60.00 per 24 hours. If you choose that option, their address is 150 W 38th street, located 2 blocks over from the hotel and before departure, validate your parking ticket with a sticker from the front desk. Its an easy walk to and from the garage and if you ask, they will park your car at the rear of 2 cars, so you can keep your keys and have access with your shopping to drop off to your vehicle. I didn’t know but one of the attendants saw me at the hotel and the parking lot and said we cold have called over to have them drop off the car. Easy access to the tarin station and coach terminal. An easy drive to 495 and the Lincoln Tunnel.

Taxis and Ubers are easily available and we never had to wait more than 3-4 minutes for either.

The hotel itself is spacious, check-in is quick, get some waters, elevators are quick to come and go, rooms are spacious for a NYC hotel, housekeeping great an there is a lobby café/bar that you can get drinks etc. TV is awesome with access to streaming service. Wi-fi worked always, mini-fridge and coffee make a plus.

While there isn’t breakfast, ask the front desk for places to go..from vey cheap pick-up to the Red Flame on 44th street just a few blocks away which serves a great breakfast and is reasonable and quick. Tons of lunch and dinner places to go either nearby or as you explore the city. Ask again.

Check-out was a breeze and the front desk was so nice to give us a couple of waters for the drive back. Jason the bellman came up to pick all our bags and waited patiently while I went to brig my car over…and loaded the car.

A note to my fellow guests. These employees work hard and please remember to show your appreciation with gratuities. To housekeeping (our room wasn’t scheduled but was cleaned so I called Housekeeping received a name and left a tip with a name in an envelope with the front desk), bell services …a great way to let them know you appreciate their services.

A great stay at a great property. You rock GM...

For context: I've stayed in a lot of Manhattan hotels; I know you have to shift your expectations here. The rooms are smaller. You'll wait forever for the elevator. It will be loud outside and there will be a pile of garbage in front of the lobby and construction next door and the hotel can't fix any of these things even if they wanted to. ||Even given that, this was a particularly uncomfortable, unpleasant stay and I will never stay at this property again. When I checked in, they didn't have the king bed room I booked, so they put me in a two queen. Didn't tell me at the desk; I had to go up to my room and then come back down and ask about it. It was also the dirtiest hotel room I have stayed in in recent memory. Upon walking to my room, I could quickly see visible bits of trash/dirt on the floor, hair from at least five different individuals (!) scattered on the floor, in the bathtub, on the sink, on the sheets, and on the furniture. Weird oily stains on the furniture and a large, obvious coffee stain on the dust ruffle of the bed. Stains on the walls and headboard. Bathroom door cracked and splintering. Nearly every piece of furniture and trim was also visibly beat up. The bathtub and sink had permanent stains and marks. The mirrors in both the bathroom and bedroom had something splattered on them that hadn't been wiped off. Fraying carpet with a grimy texture from lack of cleaning. One of the dresser drawers didn't close fully and just hung open an inch ajar. Most mysterious of all, the prior guest or housekeeping chose to unplug and defrost the mini-fridge and so it just had an ice cube tray full of water sitting it in?||I asked to be moved but I was told they were full and this was the only room available (fine, it happens). Thought it might get better after housekeeping came on the second day, but in fact that just resulted in more other people's hair tracked into the room, and somehow fewer coffee pods and cups than I started with, including a coffee cup with visible dirt in it despite it being in one of those plastic sanitary liners. ||I would still give this stay two stars and not one — there were some things that were ok or nice. On the plus side, the front desk staff were sympathetic, polite, and very pleasant to work with. However, they seemed to be limited in what they could do to address my issues. (They forward them to the manager who can issue some Marriott points, which they did.). This property is also in a very convenient location, very close to many major subway stops, Bryant Park, many restaurants, and a Whole Foods. And the rooms are larger than average for Manhattan, and I would probably describe them as nicely designed if they didn't look so obviously worn down. ||If you are management from this hotel or from Marriott and want my photos of the condition of this room, please feel free to reach out. Room 402, stayed...

Overall: An adequate (but not exceptional) Courtyard in Manhattan with a location that's hard to beat. The service from staff (particularly Rosalio and Giselle) in light of some of the issues that came up was very good.

Pros: I always request extra towels on my Marriott reservations by checking the relevant box, and hotels almost never honor that request, resulting in me needing to request extra towels after I arrive. When I arrived in my room for this stay, there were clearly extra towels, a very pleasant surprise. They prepared lovely gift bags for elite members (Platinum and up) at check-in over the holidays, which was a very nice and unexpected special touch. Rosalio (on night shift) and Giselle were both extremely helpful in dealing with some issues that came up with the room/building (more on that in "cons" below). The Platinum+ welcome gift option ($10 Food/Drink credit for member+1) was actually enough to get breakfast. At many Courtyards, the $10 is insufficient for 1/$20 insufficient for 2 people. Great view of Empire State Building from the room (Executive 2 Double Room).

Cons: The shower/tub combo is very weird. There's no door, and the glass only blocks half of the tub, making it very easy and unavoidable for some water to get out while it's running. I'm not sure why it's designed this way. Likely an unfortunate case of form over function. I'm not sure if this is the structure in all room types or just the one I was in. One of the elevators made a VERY loud repeating thudding sound on a few trips down, which I reported to the front desk (however, Giselle was very proactive about taking care of this and getting the necessary info/video from me after I reported it) No AC in the winter (only heat), which makes sense given the winter climate in NYC, but when you're on an upper floor, heat rises, and the room temp won't go below the 70s. If you prefer a cool room when sleeping (not in the 70s), opt to put in a preference for a lower floor in your reservation [lesson learned for next time, as I had requested a higher floor this time hoping for a great view, which I did get]. The Food/Drink credit from my Platinum Elite welcome gift that I chose at check-in was not automatically applied. I had to escalate this twice (the night before checkout when the folio was auto sent) as well as at checkout (the morning's spend was not taken off after mobile check out). It was somewhat frustrating that I had to repeatedly escalate, but thankfully when I did they were very quick to fix it. If you opt for this welcome gift, carefully check your folio at the end...