OverviewLocated about a 10-minute walk from Times Square and a 4-minute walk from the 42nd St. Port Authority Bus Terminal and subway entrance, the Holiday Inn Express New York City Times Square is popular with pedestrian travellers who require a hotel with a free breakfast and easy access to public transit and attractions.
This hotel has 210 air-conditioned guest rooms, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a desk, a stereo, a hair dryer and an iron and ironing board. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request.
Hotel amenities include a business centre, laundry facilities, vending machines, concierge service and a free breakfast buffet. Parking is an additional $55 per day and pets are not permitted.
Madison Square Garden is a 10-minute walk from the hotel, while the Empire State Building is roughly a 15-minute trip via public transit. Manhattan Mall can be found about a 15-minute drive away and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is approximately a 20-minute drive away. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, parking $55/night, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: August 31, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, staff, breakfast and rooms.
Many guests praised the hotel's location, finding it close to Times Square, restaurants, Hell's Kitchen, public transit, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Rockefeller Center and the Flatiron Building.
The hotel's staff were the source of numerous compliments by reviewers, who characterized them as friendly, efficient, professional and helpful with directions and suggestions. One guest remarked, "The concierge was always willing to help and share what we needed to know to get around the city".
Several patrons enjoyed the hotel's free breakfast. They described it as hearty, wonderful, filling, plentiful and excellent, with several hot and cold items. It was mentioned by a few reviewers that the breakfast area itself was small, however.
The hotel's accommodations were also enjoyed by several lodgers, who described them as clean, quiet, well maintained and functional, with comfortable beds. A few guests did have complaints about their rooms, however (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the rooms and elevators.
Although several guests were pleased with their clean and quiet rooms, a few reviewers had complaints about their lodgings. They reported small-sized rooms, as well as worn furniture and carpets.
A few patrons complained about the hotel's elevators. They described long waits, and felt only two elevators for the entire hotel were not enough.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #149 of 433 New York City hotels with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 951 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.1 out of 5 with a 91% recommendation rate from 681 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8 out of 10 from 130 reviews.
The author called the hotel on August 31, 2013 to verify some information.
