The Empire Hotel

Alexandra Schick

The staff were friendly and welcoming, and the lobby is beautiful. However, the hotel is showing its age and the guest floors could use some updating. My room had peeling wallpaper, visible wear, and some stains. The shower also did not work properly—the rainfall shower would only function at the same time as the handheld shower. There is no phone in the room, so if you only have mobile data and need assistance, you'll need to go down to the front desk. The elevators also seemed quite dated, made some concerning noises, and further highlighted the hotel's age. That said, for the price I paid, I felt it was good value overall. I had a nice view, and the location is excellent—it's very easy to walk to many attractions. The pool was quite small and crowded with families when I visited, and the operating hours were very limited.

George Shepherd

My girlfriend and I had a wonderful stay for five days. The room was clean and everything worked. The daily cleaning of the room was perfect. The location is great, next to Lincoln Center and Central Park. We also enjoyed several evenings enjoying the rooftop bar, with great views. The staff were always friendly and professional. It was a great stay, and we look forward to returning.

Ra Christoff

I loved it. It’s iconically NYC hotel, even in the rooms you know you’re in NYC and nowhere else. I haven’t been back to NYC in a long time since growing up on the East Coast and I feel like a lot of the complaints are from Bob and Sue Midwest who expect a hotel smack in the middle of 400 year old city with one of the largest densest populations in the world to be as spacious, new, bland and sanitized as their local Days Inn. The interior and walls are full of pattern and personality which was refreshing. Yes the room and bathroom is “small” characteristic of NYC but not unmanageable. You’re able to walk around freely and roll your carryon without touching furniture even open up your suitcase flat without trouble so I don’t get what else is needed. I didn’t hangout after hours or check out any of the other amenities but the pool is just a strip, just long enough to glide from one end to the other, and maybe 4 feet deep which is nice but they do oversell it. They even have pounding dance music like it’s Vegas and sun tanning chairs over twice the width of the pool but with a completely opaque roof cover, so I didn’t really get it. It would be nice if they make the cap more transparent, add more windows, ventilate it more and get rid of the dance music; just sell it for what it is a refreshing relaxing wading pool to take a dip in before 7. The rest rooftop was amazing too, pre 7 it was just a great place to meet with friends and plan your night out. The location is unbeatable especially if you’re going to see a show at the Met. I even got to meet the composers from the show who was also staying there!

Child Of God

This place is a dump! And if anyone tells you different they are lying. Those Google videos they have online are clearly taken in select stage rooms. That is not what you will receive!! The rooms are dilapidated and unclean. The last time I stayed in a hotel of this quality, I was on mission trip in Haiti. 1. Broken iron 2. No ironing board (the ironing board supplied was a piece of painted wood scrap where even the paint was peeling) 3. Broken bathroom cabinets 4. Broken and filthy curtains 5. Wallpaper peeling off the walls 6. Old damaged and stained room furniture 7. Filthy windows, obscuring the view 8. They hold your bags in this dark dreary room that looks like it has rats, while you wait until the 3-4pm check-in. 9. The rooms have no phones. 10. The AC unit is EXTREMELY loud, and appears to be rigged with a thermostat gauge hanging outside the unit with wires. 11. Rusty exposed pipes in the bathroom. Even the hotel guest bathrooms are disgusting (odor, cleanliness, outdated). They won't check you in until 3-4pm. No phones in the room. Loud AC unit. Over priced. I believe they keep with the dark decor in an attempt to hide the MANY imperfections.

Tiffany

I had a very good stay at this hotel and I would especially like to highlight the exceptional kindness of the staff, who were always lovely and very welcoming. As a Gossip Girl fan, I also really enjoyed the atmosphere. The location is very convenient, with Central Park close by, making it easy to get around on foot. Overall, I was very happy with my stay. The bed was very comfortable and I generally slept well. However, there are a few points that could be improved, especially for a 4-star hotel. For example, it is a shame that there is no breakfast offered at all. The management of check-in and check-out, as well as luggage handling, could be smoother. Having to go to the reception to pick up bottled water, along with the housekeeping, felt a bit basic. I also experienced some minor issues with a noisy air conditioning system and a shower that was sometimes difficult to adjust for hot water. That said, I keep a very good memory of my stay thanks to the staff, the comfort of the bed, and the location. With a few improvements, the hotel could truly match its 4-star standard.