HotelChatter

Room Reaction
Heading up to the room solo—our friends finally returned and did have their luggage brought up without a problem—we were happy to find room 446 tucked into a corner, affording us a little bit more space than other rooms of the same category on the floor. Sure, the view from the windows were of office workers at their desks in the buildings across the street, but that's New York for you.

When you enter The Roosevelt, you've got to remember that this place has been open since 1924, and closets and bathroom fixtures aren't exactly the latest in hotel design. At least they've upgraded the room TVs to flatscreen though, and the beds are quite fluffy with large, upperclass-style pillows and crisp sheets. We would have liked a minibar for storing items like leftovers, but after some MacGyver fun with the ice bucket, we made it work.

Internet Connect
It's available alright, but the daily charge of $9.95 (for WiFi or ethernet cord) and old reports of it being down every so often turned us off of it. We didn't even attempt to use it, instead heading out for the nearest Starbucks instead where we know how fast the net is and we can get a coffee with it.

Public Spaces
The apparent center—the beating heart—of the hotel is the main lobby, just steps up from the entrance on East 45th Street and Madison Avenue. During the day, almost every cushion of every sofa is taken by the butts of tourists either waiting to check out or in, or just resting from a long day of shopping. Oftentimes they have luggage scattered about them, and thus it's a pretty cluttered, bustling scene. At night however, there is more of the grand lobby feel, as the transients have cleared and the focus is the lobby bar. We happened to be here during some important baseball games and thus didn't get into the bar because it was constantly packed with the sports bar-type crowd.

What We Liked
In a hotel as busy as this, we liked having a low-floor room (we were on the 4th) for being first off the elevator and for the stairs option. Also, the beds were surprisingly comfortable and the rooms shockingly quiet for all the traffic both on the street and with guests in the halls. And hello—the low price!

What We Didn't Like
Aside from the lightbulb being burnt out in the hallway-like closet, we weren't feeling the hotel's location. Although it is located in Midtown, it's not an area of the city where we we'd want to stay. There's not much there of interest, aside from businesses and Grand Central Station, and walking to shopping on Fifth Ave or to museums is about the same distance as the walk from other properties, but on far busier sidewalks.

Bottom Line
The Roosevelt is a consummate tourist hotel. Even their "do not disturb" signs say something like "climbing the Empire State Building stairs wore me out." Regardless, it's ideally situated for those in town to do Midtown business with a modest lodging budget. The lobby just wouldn't feel right it if wasn't bustling, and the place lends itself easily to conferences. So long as you can handle crowds just about everywhere that's not your room, and don't care much where your hotel is located so long as you can walk around Midtown, you'll be at home at The Roosevelt.