Doubletree Suites in Times Square?

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Hiya,

I know a few of you have stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square before. I would love to hear what you thought about it and I have a few questions.

1. Did it only have a mini bar fridge in there or was there a small fridge you could use to store things in?

2. What was the sofa bed like, was it comfortable and do you think it would be comfortable enough for 1 adult to sleep on?

3. Was there any noise issues due to the location?

4. How far away from there is the nearest subway stop?

5. Are there any cheap delis nearby for quick breakfasts, snacks?

6. Are there restaurants or bars in the complex?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[battymum]

We stayed in October -

1: There was a small fridge to store things - just beware the "kitchen" has nothing besides the fridge and small sink - I would describe it as a "wet bar". If you need cutlery, plates etc you need to provide them - I think there may have been a couple of glasses. The cupboards you see in pictures dont even open, maybe there is a HWS or something in there.
There was a coffee maker and some paper cups provided, as well as the usual coffee,sugar and UHT milk.
We went to Walgreens and bought cereal and milk and disposable bowls and spoons.

2: My DD16 slept on the sofa - no complaints. She actually liked having her own space, her own tv with all her gadgets plugged in and her bag exploded all over the floor and the rest of us confined to the one room.
Sorry I didnt even test the bed. The beds in the other room are doubles not queens but are perfectly comfortable.

3: Definitely no noise. It was possible to open the windows if you want that NYC feel. (Probably not in Dec)

4: Subway right next door - cant remember which line. Its also not far from 42nd street, which is a major hub.

5: Busy Busy recommends Evergreen Cafe in 47th street - we went for dinner and it closed at 7:00pm. But apparently breakfast was great.
I wish we had planned our meals better in NYC -if you wait until you are tired and hungry it is too late - McDonalds is next door, which is too tempting for teenagers. We were also coming off the back of free dining and a cruise, so the thought of actually paying $150+ for a meal deterred us.

6: There is a restaurant on site - not sure if it is licenced. In my opinion, there were no windows or anything, why would you be in the middle of NYC and eat somewhere where you couldnt soak up that NYC atmosphere.

We only ate there for breakfast. (nice fresh OJ) We had booked a breakfast package through expedia, so breakfast was included - if you book this make sure to confirm on check-in and get it in writing - we had big fight with restaurant staff as they claimed it wasnt included.


But certainly you wont go wrong here - I would definitely stay here again.

 

[aussietravellers]

Hiya,

I know a few of you have stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square before. I would love to hear what you thought about it and I have a few questions.

1. Did it only have a mini bar fridge in there or was there a small fridge you could use to store things in?

Yes, a small fridge. We went to the Wholefoods at Columbus Circle and had grocery delivery to the hotel so kept things in the fridge.

2. What was the sofa bed like, was it comfortable and do you think it would be comfortable enough for 1 adult to sleep on?
Only sat on it. We had a twin room, so didn't need it. The couch was comfy though.

3. Was there any noise issues due to the location? We didn't have any noise issues at all. We were in the very last room at the end of the hall so no noise at all.

4. How far away from there is the nearest subway stop?

5. Are there any cheap delis nearby for quick breakfasts, snacks?
I can't remember any off hand, but there are so many places to eat in the area, I'm sure you will find lots of places. We just ate at the hotel, Ellens, A deli on our walk to the bus on 5th Ave.

6. Are there restaurants or bars in the complex?
There is a bar in the lobby and then the main restaurant. We only had breakfast there, no other meals. We liked the breakfast at the hotel, they make omelettes, pancakes and waffles to order, we ate there most mornings. We did have room service dinner one night too and it was good, quick and they were great with my annoying allergy.


Thanks for any help you can provide.

I booked through Expedia. I was looking at prices for months on Expedia and also through the hotel direct. The prices were always exactly the same (except with Expedia you had to pay on the spot, direct you didn't). Then one day, Expedia had a 24 or 48 hour sale, with a discount on some US hotels and the Doubletree was one of them. So I booked on the spot and saved hundreds of $'s

There are photos in my TR of the twin bed room and the restaurant.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hiya,

I know a few of you have stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square before. I would love to hear what you thought about it and I have a few questions.

1. Did it only have a mini bar fridge in there or was there a small fridge you could use to store things in?

Yes and Yes. It was great to come back to cool water. It's not a kitchen; but we could boil water. I'm sure we stored a NY sized large pizza box in there too. Just.


2. What was the sofa bed like, was it comfortable and do you think it would be comfortable enough for 1 adult to sleep on?

My mother slept on the sofa bed. She was very comfortable on it.

3. Was there any noise issues due to the location?

Our room was very quiet. We were located on level 16?? The higher floors are more expensive and the floor we were on was one floor below the cut-off for the extra $.

4. How far away from there is the nearest subway stop?

You're pretty much right on top of the subway stop. From memory, you come out the door and it's about 1 block away.

5. Are there any cheap delis nearby for quick breakfasts, snacks?

We were walking to 9th Avenue; which is two blocks away. It really is the edge of Hell's Kitchen area, which has a lot of good restaurants. The locals were eating and shopping on 9th Avenue. There was also a decent laundromat there. So, we would go set up the laundry, pick a restaurant across the street, eat....check the laundry....eat some more....and by the time we finished dessert and paid, the laundry would be nearly done.

The local deli's on 47th or 49th? Street (towards 5th Avenue) was really, really cheap. I'm talking about 3 adults and 1 child, all having a cooked breakfast or pancakes or french toast for breakfast, with coffee for about $25; including tips. I think my mum and DH decided on the porridge one morning and me with a cooked breakfast and DS with the french toast, plus coffee....I'm sure the bill came to $17. You have to move away from Times Square to find the cheaper deli's. I tended to follow the Suits.
We went to two different deli's on 47th Street; breakfast only.

We had lunch in Chinatown for one of the days, soup noodles. A bowl of noodles was around $4. Including tips, for 4; bill came to $20. Not something we did every day because we were doing lots of other things.

We also ate at some of the street vendors for lunch. Google it and see which ones are considered the best now.

There was also a pizza place near where Bubba Gumps is. It cost $26 for a LARGE pizza. Fed 3 adults, 1 child with pieces to spare.

6. Are there restaurants or bars in the complex?

There was a restaurant on site. Not sure about bar. If you wanted to, you'd find a bottle shop and buy grog back to your room. But as the others have said...it's pretty hermetically sealed in there. I would head towards 9th Avenue. One of the restaurants...heck both of the restaurants we ate at...(but one in particular) had a decent bar up the front. The one in particular that I'm thinking about had really good italian meals in the restaurant.



Thanks for any help you can provide.

I booked direct with the hotel; with access to the corporate rate as part of DH's company. I paid $300 for the room per night.

I also have pictures on my 2007 retrospective TR...somewhere. Particularly of the sitting room, with the sofa bed.


Enjoy! It's a great location and I thought it was pretty quiet for where it was.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

We stayed in October -

1: There was a small fridge to store things - just beware the "kitchen" has nothing besides the fridge and small sink - I would describe it as a "wet bar". If you need cutlery, plates etc you need to provide them - I think there may have been a couple of glasses. The cupboards you see in pictures dont even open, maybe there is a HWS or something in there.
There was a coffee maker and some paper cups provided, as well as the usual coffee,sugar and UHT milk.
We went to Walgreens and bought cereal and milk and disposable bowls and spoons.

2: My DD16 slept on the sofa - no complaints. She actually liked having her own space, her own tv with all her gadgets plugged in and her bag exploded all over the floor and the rest of us confined to the one room.
Sorry I didnt even test the bed. The beds in the other room are doubles not queens but are perfectly comfortable.

3: Definitely no noise. It was possible to open the windows if you want that NYC feel. (Probably not in Dec)

4: Subway right next door - cant remember which line. Its also not far from 42nd street, which is a major hub.

5: Busy Busy recommends Evergreen Cafe in 47th street - we went for dinner and it closed at 7:00pm. But apparently breakfast was great.
I wish we had planned our meals better in NYC -if you wait until you are tired and hungry it is too late - McDonalds is next door, which is too tempting for teenagers. We were also coming off the back of free dining and a cruise, so the thought of actually paying $150+ for a meal deterred us.

6: There is a restaurant on site - not sure if it is licenced. In my opinion, there were no windows or anything, why would you be in the middle of NYC and eat somewhere where you couldnt soak up that NYC atmosphere.

We only ate there for breakfast. (nice fresh OJ) We had booked a breakfast package through expedia, so breakfast was included - if you book this make sure to confirm on check-in and get it in writing - we had big fight with restaurant staff as they claimed it wasnt included.


But certainly you wont go wrong here - I would definitely stay here again.

Was there a microwave as well? It mentions a microwave on their website.

Thanks for the heads up re the plates, etc. Who would have thought they wouldn't provide that

Sounds like the sofa bed would be fine for my relatively small MIL.

Breakfast sounds nice, thanks for the heads up.

I booked through Expedia. I was looking at prices for months on Expedia and also through the hotel direct. The prices were always exactly the same (except with Expedia you had to pay on the spot, direct you didn't). Then one day, Expedia had a 24 or 48 hour sale, with a discount on some US hotels and the Doubletree was one of them. So I booked on the spot and saved hundreds of $'s

There are photos in my TR of the twin bed room and the restaurant.

The Hilton who owns the Doubletree and they have a special offer on at the moment 20-30% off until end of January. No changing the booking though so I'm trying to firm up dates and will then book at the cheaper rate. I think that would make sense to get that discount.

I like the idea of the bar in the lobby because my family go to bed around 4 hours before me every night , so it appeals to me to have somewhere to go with a book or a laptop and spend an hour or two.

Did you have a microwave?

So did you have Wholefoods delivery back to your hotel room? That is a wonderful idea. I didn't realise delivery was an option.

I booked direct with the hotel; with access to the corporate rate as part of DH's company. I paid $300 for the room per night.

I also have pictures on my 2007 retrospective TR...somewhere. Particularly of the sitting room, with the sofa bed.


Enjoy! It's a great location and I thought it was pretty quiet for where it was.

You know we have never headed in the direction of 9th, we always spent our time between Times Square and 5th Ave. My DH is excited to explore the other direction on your recommendation. Thanks for the heads up.

Sounds like you found some nice cheap places to eat. We found some great places closer to our hotel last time which was a few blocks the other direction, Hilton New York. We got full cooked breakfasts for $3.25-$4.25 which I thought was amazing.

 

[admel00]

Not too sure if it's too far away for your liking Miss Shuttergirl, but a friend at work stayed at Best Western Hospitality house and raves about the space and the complimentary brekky each morning. I think it's a few blocks over from Times Square though.

 

[battymum]

Oh yes, sorry there was a microwave.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Thanks Battymum

 

[queenie82]

I wouldn't recommend Hospitality House...

 

[battymum]

Shuttergirl

I asked DD about the sofa bed today - she said it was fine, but not great, OK for a couple of nights - but she reminded me that we did have a problem with not enough blankets provided for it -
I am sure it is only a matter of asking for more. (which we didnt ) - just check before bedtime

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Hey Battymum, thanks for the update. It would be awful not to have enough blankets, especially in December, brrrrr. I was thinking that we could take it in turns as to who gets the sofa bed but since I am a night owl, I think I might put my hand up for it and let MIL sleep with DD