I lived in NYC for 12 years, and come back regularly for work, and I was shocked by the state of this hotel. The lobby is lovely but that's where it ends.
My room felt dirty, the carpet and the peeling linoleum bathroom felt gross. The AC is a window unit with unmarked knobs that was so ancient, it was hard to understand how to even use it - you had to reach inside the unit and fiddle with it, with no temp control. The lamp shade was stained and yellowed. The old school TV apparently only works if you press 3 or 4 first? The wifi was outrageously slow and was unusable the whole time I was there. You have to go downstairs to ask for bottles of water - free Poland Spring is the ONLY "amenity". The wallpaper was peeling everywhere, paint chipping, flooring stained. The walls of the elevator were wedged with wooden lifts to hold them up. The bar/lounge in the lobby was closed for my entire stay. Also important lesson - I found out the bar/rooftop that the hotel is famous for is no longer affiliated with the hotel in any way - that explains a lot. Needless to say, there's no room service...I was hoping for a soda or juice and the front desk suggested I walk to Target 3 blocks away. There isn't even an ice machine. I have stayed at roadside motels that were in far better condition - it doesn't seem like the hotel has been cleaned or updated in 20 years - still in disbelief at how rundown this hotel was. I knew this hotel a long time ago, but it's gross now. Never ever again.