Royalton New York

Nice people at desk (although my single request -- a list of nearby hotels -- was unfulfilled as they could not get the printer to work. And did not take the initiative to bother printing it for me when they got the printer working. Kind of surprised that they did not have a list (and maybe a map) already printed and available for guests. Our second room facing 44th Street made it obligatory to wears ear plugs. The hall carpet and elevators are dingy. The couch sort of fell apart every time you sat down on it. The desk was wobbly and nearly tipped whenever you tried to use it. Lobby is huge with lots of old furniture but badly lit and empty. NY was experiencing a heat wave and the room A/C was more than adequate. The one highlight was the bathroom -- nicely done. The other Royalton property (with a nice facade that is used in their ads) -- also in Manhattan -- is MUCH nicer and cleaner

I've stayed there since 2003, at least twice a year and latterly for weeks at a time. You won't find more genuine, friendly and helpful staff, be it the bellmen, at front desk, housekeeping, the cleaners, maintenance, management, right throughout the hotel. The rooms are very comfortable, and they make an effort to see that I get the ones I particularly like. It's in an ideal location for theatre, shopping and cafes and although central isn't in too noisy a street. I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

The price is reasonable and the location is nice. Very near to times square. The staff are very accommodating to guests.

Worst Mattress Ever. Had to request a comforter to put under the mattress pad and still had to sleep on top of a pillow. The mattress actually “crunched” when you turned. Just awful. That said, the room is large and the bathroom is designed well allowing for plenty of room for two. We enjoyed the rooftop bar and pool.

DISGUSTING DISGUSTING DISGUSTING!!! DO NOT STAY HERE IF YOU WANT A NICE EXPERIENCE! DISGUST - 'a feeling of revulsion or strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant or offensive'.... And that is what I experienced. This hotel is a disgrace! The staff are a disgrace! It was a truly unpleasant and offensive experience. Rude disrespectful staff who are obviously not required to wear uniform or behave in a professional manner it seems. Cannot be bothered to even look at you while dealing with you in a rude, disrespectful and unprofessional way. This hotel used to be a nice place when I visited 6 years ago. It had a busy Bar and restaurant that was full all day and all night with a nice mix of business men and women and tourist. with a busy upbeat atmosphere. Today is another story.... Do not be fooled by the marketing and photos that are clearly from 6 or more years ago. The hotel is no longer the same! It is like they are purposely trying to kill the hotel off. Now there is no bar and no restaurant. Nowhere to get food or a drink. In fact when you arrive it feels like you are walking into a derelict hotel from the Walking Dead Series. not a soul around. No one! (and this is a big hotel) Upon arrival I was rudely approached by a security guard who put his hand in my face as if to order me to stop! he then demanded "What are you doing here".... Well I am here to check in was my was my reply. he just grunted at me as if he couldn't be bothered with me and sloped off to slump into a nearby chair. As if dealing with me was beyond his capacity for his job. Other than him, no there was no one. Which is super strange in a hotel of this size. I found my way to reception (Which unlike other hotels is in the middle of a very long lobby) where there was one person sitting on their phone and not in uniform but casual clothes. Like they had kidnapped the receptionist and taken their place. After they had rudely dealt with me like they could not be bothered and that it was a hinderance that I had booked to stay in the hotel I made my way to the elevator. I did not see another person. I arrived at my room that was in bad repair with a slight odour that was reminiscent of an old peoples home and a very noisy Air con that sounded that it wasn't long for this world. But was hanging in there as it didn't wouldn't turn off. This I dealt with all night because my call to the reception regarding it was of no use. The room was also in need of a good clean and items needing repairing like a rail behind the bend that was hanging down and touching the head board of the bed. Then on to the bed... I stay in a lot of hotels. When I say a lot... I mean a LOT! (I travel twice a week on business to put it in perspective). I have never experienced bed linen like this... It was so old and been washed so many times it was now dirty yellow grey, pealing and bobbly all over. Which is quit some going when you talk about cotton poplin as it doesn't really bobble. You really have to hammer it. To paint you a picture if you took it to a charity shop they would turn it away and tell you they would not accept it and it should be binned. But here I am after spending $500 dollars a night having to sleep under it. On top of this there was the door to the room that would not shut properly to the point I had to put a chair in front of the door to feel safe. If I am honest it is the first time I have ever felt unsafe in a hotel. This may have been because of the environment or the fact that it felt like the hotel had been taken hostage and potentially the receptionist was not the receptionist after all and all of the other guest could have been offed and hidden away somewhere. A hotel is meant to be a refuge and should not make you feel like you are in imminent danger. The next morning I made my way to the abandoned lobby to inform the reception of the issues with the room and the bed sheets. I was forced to deal with what can only be described as a disgrace. Again not in uniform and no idea about customer service. She approached me like she'd rather fight me than talk to me. An attitude problem the size of the hotel and a chip on her shoulder to match. She approached me like she was sizing me up for a fight or she just lost one and was planning to take it out on me. You've heard the saying the customer is always right... well not for this person she seemed angry that there were even customers. Tutting and giving attitude from the get go. When I told her about the state of the room and the sheets she called me a liar... I was so shocked I couldn't do anything but laugh... It was so extreme I must be being filmed I thought... maybe being Punk'd. It was like the animals had taken over the Zoo. It reminded me of a film I watched once called New Jack City where Gansters take over hotels and apartment blocks and turned them into Drug Factories and I'd walked in on it. Like the hotel was a front and they don't care about it or the guests. I know people say being in New York is like being on a Film set, and it is, but this was taking it too far. For me that was enough. I went upstairs and collected the bed sheets and returned to the lobby with them where I placed them on the reception desk for Gangster No.1 to see. The fact that she could now see that I wasn't lying did not make her happy one bit. She proceeded to flip out giving me a mouthful of attitude before storming off on me. Her Colleague found this fairly amusing and interjected by saying she's a real piece of work right. You should report her... To who I thought. there was no one to report her to and my request to speak to the manager fell on deaf ears. They also charged me £280 late check out fee following my checkout because I was dealing with their Pantomime. This fee they charged twice and I am still waiting for the refund. All in all the weirdest hotel experience I have ever had. To be clear this is the first review I have ever made on anything, hotel, product, anything. The reason I wrote it is because I was compelled to do so. I have had bad hotel experiences before but this was extreme. Not just because it cost $500 dollars a night to be treated like sh!t but the customer service was so beyond terrible I almost could not believe it was happening or was real.