The one thing about Los Angeles hotel rooms is that there's more room as in actual space to move about and store your belongings.

In New York however, that's not always a possibility. The City Club falls victim to this. Our initial room was spacious enough for two people but reeked of smoke, despite being a non-smoking room. The front desk was extremely apologetic telling us that an elderly woman visiting from Greece had stayed there and did not speak English, therefore did not know about the No Smoking policy.

Our second room was brighter and warmer (in a decor sense) but very small. Your room will also probably face the back of another building--not quite the NYC skyline view.

Note to travelers: If you plan on staying in New York for more than three days, City Club might not be your best choice. The hotel has no armoire or wardrobe. The closet that they have also doubles as a mini-bar (with tasty treats from Dean & DeLuca) and could possibly be no wider than 20 inches.

The TV (a clunky old black Zenith set) sits on a shelving unit built into the wall. Below are several more shelves where books are placed but we used them instead to stow our underwear, sneakers and jeans.

Now for the good news, free wireless! Guests must obtain the passcode from the front desk which is good for your entire stay. There's also a nifty iPod stereo on each nightable.

Despite the small bedroom the baths are quite a nice size complete with Hermes amenities. For women and maybe some very vain men, seeing the chromed "regular-sized" hairdryer from Conair in the bathroom was like a godsend. Really, no one should have to make do with the attached to the wall hairdryer that takes 45 minutes to actually blowdry your hair.

The bathroom also nudges up against that voyeuristic bath trend that everyone's been talking about. Yes, you can close the door but your shower curtain is clear and see-through and when you look out you see your own reflection in the mirror that occupies the opposite wall. Which leads us to the other good thing. The mirrors and lighting in both the bathroom and the room are flattering and appealing.

Additionally, sleeping here is actually very peaceful. The feather bed is so comfortable, there is no noise to deal with (if you are facing away from the street) and good shades keep out the light. Plus over the bed in each room is a framed old record with never-heard-before artists. In fact the entire hotel's interior design was done by Jeffrey Bilhuber Interiors and features original artwork throughout.

Along with the cramped but comfy lodgings, the hotel has no real nightlife. Downstairs the lobby is practically nonexistent with the front desk tucked away in a little corner. But the restaurant next door helmed by famed chef Daniel Boulud is amazing. Expensive, but amazing. And his offerings are available on the hotel's limited room service menu. If you just want good-old fashioned room service fare, you can order from the 24-hour menu.

The hotel also places copies of the NY Post outside your door instead of USA Today or the Wall Street Journal.Since we were practically raised on that trashy tabloid, we gave the hotel huge bonus points for that.

So if you have to be in Midtown and can't handle the usual chain hotels or Night Hotel, City Club could work out for you. And with "petite" rooms starting at $285 you won't break the bank.

Related Stories:
· City Club reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Rub a Dub Dub, Hotels Get into Tubs [HotelChatter]