OverviewLocated about a 3-minute walk from Times Square and a 2-minute walk from the nearest subway entrance (on 49th Street), the Best Western PLUS President Hotel at Times Square is popular with pedestrian travellers who require a well-priced and centrally located hotel with easy access to public transit.
This non-smoking hotel has 334 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, an iPod dock, a laptop safe, a desk, a hair dryer and an iron and ironing board. Standard rooms offer one double bed, while additional amenities such as a mini-bar, a mini-fridge, a jetted tub, a separate bedroom and a seating area with a sofabed are available in some rooms. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request.
Hotel amenities include fitness facilities, meeting/conference space, a business centre, a beauty salon, laundry facilities and vending machines. There is also a concierge service. Aoki, Saigon 48 and Primary Lounge are the hotel's on-site restaurants, and each serve lunch and dinner daily. Parking is an additional $31 per day and pets are not allowed.Radio City Music Hall is an 8-minute walk from the hotel, while Central Park is about a 10 minute trip via public transit. The Empire State Building can be found roughly 20 minutes away on foot, and LaGuardia International Airport (LGA) is an 18-minute drive eastward. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, parking $31/day, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: May 31, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's location, staff and value.
Many guests praised the hotel's location, and found it to be close to restaurants, shopping, the Theatre District, Times Square, the subway, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and grocery stores.
The hotel's staff were complimented by numerous reviewers, who characterized them as friendly, accommodating and helpful. One guest stated, "The front desk was courteous and the concierge helped us secure theatre tickets on our arrival night".
Several lodgers were pleased with the hotel's value. They described the rates as reasonable, affordable and economical, especially for the area. The free Wi-Fi was also mentioned several times as adding to the hotel's value.
The hotel's accommodations were also praised by several guests, who described their rooms as clean, well appointed and nicely decorated, with modern fixtures and comfortable beds. It should be mentioned, however, that some guests had complaints about their rooms (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about noise transfer and the rooms.
Some reviewers complained about hearing street noise in lower-level rooms, as well as noisy in-room air-conditioning units, and noise in rooms located close to the elevator.
While the majority of guests were pleased with their clean and well appointed rooms, some lodgers had complaints about their accommodations. They reported small rooms and bathrooms, no hot water for showers and some cleaning issues.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 6.8 out of 10 from 1700 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #333 out of 433 New York City hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 1,225 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.3 out of 5 with a 71% recommendation rate from 734 reviews.
The author called the hotel on May 31, 2013 to verify some information.
