OverviewLocated about a 2-minute walk from Central Park and the 5th Ave./59th St. Subway entrance, the AKA Central Park is suitable for business or vacation travellers who require short- or long-term accommodations with extended kitchen amenities, free Wi-Fi and easy access to public transit.
Each of this hotel's non-smoking units comes equipped with air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a kitchenette, a DVD/CD player, a stereo, a desk and a hair dryer. Weekly housekeeping is included. Units with a separate bedroom, a full kitchen, a seating area, a balcony and a dining area are also available and the hotel is wheelchair accessible.
Hotel amenities include a fitness centre, massage service, a meeting/conference room, a business centre, free guest laundry, a coffee bar and a lounge. Parking is an additional $50 per day and pets are not permitted.
Rockefeller Center is about a 12-minute walk from the hotel, while Times Square can be found 8 minutes away via public transit. Manhattan Mall is roughly a 7-minute drive away and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is 18 minutes away by car. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, parking $50/day, no pets, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: January 7, 2014)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, rooms and staff.
The hotel's location was praised by numerous guests, who found it close to Central Park, Fifth Avenue, Times Square, shopping, restaurants, public transit, galleries and the theatre district. One patron noted, "The location is perfect. Central Park is a short walk away as respite from the concrete jungle, and we walked to the Lincoln Centre and to Times Square and the Theatre District. The subway is a short walk away on 57th street".
Many lodgers were impressed with their accommodations at the hotel. They described their rooms as clean, quiet, spacious, well equipped, modern and tastefully furnished, with reliable Wi-Fi and comfortable beds. A few guests had complaints about their lodgings, however (see below).
The hotel's staff were the source of several compliments by reviewers, who characterized them as friendly and helpful with reservations and directions. One traveller remarked, "We were incredibly surprised by the full-on full-service hotel AKA turned out to be. Every need, desire, and question was beautifully addressed and handled. The staff went above-and-beyond in every way".
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the rooms.
Although the majority of reviewers enjoyed their spacious and well-equipped rooms, a few lodgers had complaints about their accommodations. They reported noisy air conditioning and street noise, as well as small-sized rooms, a lack of hot water at times and difficulties with temperature control.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.4 out of 10 from 333 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #12 of 165 specialty lodging in New York City with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 164 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.9 out of 5 with an 84% recommendation rate from 32 reviews.
The author called the hotel on January 7, 2014 to verify some information.
