DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square South — Hotel in New York

We stayed in a King Empire State room for a fortnight, partly because it was meant to be relatively spacious (195 sq ft/18 sq m). It seemed like rather a small 18 square metres to us. We just about squeezed a fortnight's worth of luggage into the wardrobe and available drawers, but it was a struggle, and the only place for our suitcases was the top of the wardrobe. There was only one chair. The only other place to sit was the bed. The bathroom was OK (if rather tired and dated.) On the plus side, the bed was comfortable, the opaque blind kept the room properly dark overnight, and, despite being close to the lift, there was very little noise. And the view of the Empire State Building was genuinely impressive, perhaps aided by us being on the 27th floor (out of 29) and at the southern end of the building.

Service from reception and in the lobby was generally friendly and efficient but I'm afraid this was not the case in the room. It was (usually) cleaned daily but, in the blinding sunshine we were lucky enough to experience for most of our trip, it was clear that some surfaces like the desk top were regularly missed. Then, towards the end of our visit, we were left a card, inviting us to tip a named member of the cleaning team via a QR code. Despite the comparatively low standard, we fully intended to do this at the end of our stay. But we didn't do it immediately. The next day, the room wasn't cleaned. I called reception twice, in the afternoon and then early evening to request it, but to no avail. The third time I called, later in the evening, I had given up on the cleaning, but I had to insist they replaced our used glasses, which did then happen. We had assumed, after my very obvious displeasure during the third call the previous evening, that the management would ensure the room was serviced the next day. We arrived back mid -afternoon to find it hadn't been done. I called reception. The call was diverted to housekeeping. The woman I spoke to seemed to think that the onus should have been on us to arrange for the room to be serviced (which I had to point out hadn't been necessary for most of our stay and isn't normally the case for a four-star hotel.) In the end she arranged to send someone. We then felt, when they knocked on the door, that we needed to go out straight away to let them clean, in case this was our one and only opportunity that day to get the service we'd paid for. Needless to say, we didn't tip the cleaner, which, ironically, is something we almost always do, even if the standard isn't great.

Outside the room, our experience was also mixed: the lobby gives a disappointing first impression for a four-star hotel. It was generally crowded and cramped, and reception was so full of parcels it looked like a post room. The lifts were often a bit slow to arrive, apparently lacking the capacity to meet the normal level of demand seamlessly.

The rooftop bar and terrace offered great views of Midtown, including the Empire State Building, and Hudson Yards, and they mixed a delicious Old Fashioned. On the downside, on weekdays at least, the opening hours when we were there were pretty limited: 3-9pm. The gym was tiny but fine, unless another guest got there first and hogged the one weight bench.

The location of the hotel is unexciting (for Midtown) but practical, with very good subway and train connections (including to JFK) via Penn Station a few minutes' walk to the south. Some top attractions are also short walk away (the Empire State, Times Square, Edge and the High Line) and there are some good restaurants nearby, mainly on side streets or 9th Avenue.

Overall, despite the issues we had, we thought it wasn't a bad choice for the price in this...

Just got back from a family trip to NY. We stayed 5 nights. The hotel is in a prime location. Very walkable to a lot of things and super close to subway stops when traveling to further attractions. Overall we felt safe (2 adult women, 2 children) walking around the hotel, even at night. Never had any issues. The room was small, which I'm told is the norm for NY, but manageable for the 4 of us. The AC seemed to have some issues initially. Couldn't get it below 68 degrees and it would get soooo humid in the room, randomly, and especially after showers due to how small the space was. I'm told they sent an "engineer" to the room to check things out and from that day forward the AC was able to go down past 68 and the room stayed nice and cool. The hallways are small, including the hallway on the main floor where the elevators are. There are 3 elevators - they came pretty quickly but the space was cramped. There's a bellhop, Muhammed(?), who is FANTASTIC! He took pics of our group (inside and outside) and was always ready to help with any needs. He was great! There are 2 restaurants - one for breakfast (not included with your stay unless you add for a separate fee at booking) and a rooftop bar/restaurant (21+ only). We had vouchers for breakfast and it was okay, same things every day, but decent. One day we were (mistakenly) given a bill and the total was $106! (for 2 adults, 2 kids) There was a mini fridge in the room but no microwave. There's a cafe right by the hotel and several eating spots around the hotel to include: McDonalds, a diner, pizza places, food stands, chinese food, etc.

All in all - I would stay again.

The biggest issue we faced with this hotel was with the housekeeping. Upon check in it was never expressed that the hotel policy is for "light housekeeping" (changing out towels/washcloths, emptying trash) daily and "full housekeeping" every 3rd day, unless otherwise requested. It was also not explained that housekeeping could run as late as 8pm (which is a little crazy, there are larger hotels in Orlando who always have the rooms cleaned by 12pm so I don't get this, but it is what it is). I would've been okay with all of that - however, like I said, it was never expressed. So Day 1 of our stay I called regarding housekeeping as it was after 5p and nothing (not even the light stuff) was done. The lady I spoke with was apologetic and stated she'd send someone right up (still no mention of the housekeeping policy). Day 2 comes and again it's after 4/5pm and nothing has been done - this time I go down to the front desk to speak with someone and gain a better understanding of the housekeeping expectations. The lady at the desk, Violet (who was nice), incorrectly explained the policy noting they don't provide housekeeping unless you ask for it. So she stated she noted the account so we should get it every day moving forward and would send someone up there ASAP. Fast forward through a lot, I did end up speaking with a manager, Marlon(?), about the situation as it was such an inconvenience both days. After a lot of back and forth - they did offer some recompense for the inconvenience. I did encourage him to educate his staff on the housekeeping policy as well so it can be explained at...

Preface: Times Square NYC is Times Square NYC.... It's crowded, it's messy and it's noisy, especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. That being said....

The DoubleTree by Hilton Times Square South is a good hotel if you're looking for a safe, affordable place to stay where the rooms are clean, modern, comfortable, and reasonably sized (for NYC) and within reasonable walking distance to Times Square.

If you're looking for luxury and extra amenities, like room service or valet parking, this hotel isn't for you. If you don't want to be confronted with street vendors, garbage, or street people, this hotel is not for you.

During our visit, we felt safe (2 ladies, even after dark) and enjoyed ourselves because we made sure to secure our belongings on our persons and stayed aware of our surroundings. Nothing really surprised us.

I booked our room through Expedia, which got us one of the best deals in the area. It is efficiently laid out and furnished like any other DoubleTree room, but with less space. It's cozy, but comfortable, especially if you're just planning on sleeping here. The bed is neither hard nor soft. All of the usual furniture is scaled down to not overwhelm the smaller space. There is: a coffee maker with everything need to make a hot tea or coffee to go; a small cube refrigerator (no freezer); a standard safe; small desk with dimmable LED lamp, two 3-prong electrical outlets, two USB-A charging ports and a small chair; small closet cabinet with a couple hangers; 2 little drawers; an iron and a small tabletop ironing board; bedside lamps, each with two 3-prong electrical outlets and at least one USB-A charging port; one folding luggage rack; a small upholstered bench; a huge wall-mounted flat screen TV (no connecting to your personal devices); and a full-length mirror in the entryway. The bathroom and it's fixtures are reasonably sized, with towels for two people and a basic hair dryer. Shower stall with sliding glass doors (no tub). Not much space for toiletries, so bring something that hangs to hold most of it. I love that there is a switch dedicated to the bathroom vent fan so I could leave it on to dry out the bathroom without keeping the lights on. The huge bedroom window can open for ventilation, has a sheer curtain and a heavy black out roller shade (with side and bottom rails!) that blocks out about 90% of daylight. The soundproofing was enough to block everything but sirens and horns.

This hotel's lobby is small, so it gets crowded at check out. There is a decent sized courtyard in front of the entrance with lots of benches and tables to linger on. Street people seem to hang out in front of the hotel often. Security seems to move those in the courtyard on, but they can't do much about the people on the sidewalk or street.

There is no parking at this hotel. There is no area to stop to unload a vehicle on 8th Ave.

Overall, a good choice for our needs...