(Note: This hotel is sometimes called the New York City Hilton. It should not be confused with the New York Hilton Midtown/Hilton New York, which is located on 6th Avenue between West 53rd and 54th Streets, where we stayed in April 2018; see our separate review.)
The main entrance to the Hilton Times Square is located on West 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues; however, a quieter less-used entrance exists on West 41st Street. The closest tourist attractions include Times Square, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, and a large complex of retail, dining, and entertainment (including a 25-screen AMC movie theater, an Applebee’s restaurant, and some souvenir shops). For transportation, the Port Authority Bus Terminal (with many subway lines inside) is nearby, and you can hail taxis and hire Ubers at the 41st Street entrance. (We had trouble hailing taxis in this busy location [they were all full/hired], but we were more successful with using Uber.)
The Hilton Times Square was built in 2000, although it was most recently renovated in 2013. The hotel has a modern facade containing geometric shapes in primary colors and a permanently lit grand marquee. The hotel lobby is located on the 21st floor, with guest rooms on floors 23 to 44. A small information desk/valet/luggage storage is located on the street level, from which elevators whisk guests up to the lobby floor. The two lobby elevators worked slowly; however, the bank of six elevators leading from the lobby to the guest rooms were some of the quickest we can remember. Hotel amenities include the Pinnacle Bar and adjacent Restaurant Above (both of which are a part of the busy lobby), a business center (in a conference room located off the restaurant), a fitness center (but no pool), meeting and event space, and a pantry where you can purchase forgotten items and snacks and drinks. Note that at the time of our stay in March 2018, this property did NOT charge an Urban Destination fee, but that may have changed.
The hotel offers 460 rooms and suites spread across 22 floors. Guest rooms range from 330 to 360 square feet, which is large for Midtown Manhattan rooms, where the average size is about 200 square feet. Room categories include standard king or two queens, deluxe king or two queens, corner king or two doubles, allergy pure, handicap-accessible, and two one-bedroom suites (room size 625+ square feet). South-facing rooms overlook 41st Street toward the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, and the Freedom Tower; our corner room 3702 enjoyed such a view; however, in retrospect, we might have preferred a room number ending in 01 that overlooked bustling 42nd Street instead. Keep in mind that the higher your room, the less you can see of the street scene. Room decor includes an industrial theme including carpeting with a city design including streets and buildings, an interesting stretched canvas with memorable moments from the past 100 years, and a sculpture of cog wheels from a printing press. Rooms have desks and rolling chairs, flat-screen TVs, mini-refrigerators, and clocks. Peter Thomas Roth toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, soap) are provided. Our room was huge and spacious despite its king-size bed with a nightstand on each side and a lounge chair/ottoman and side table. We also had a large closet and a nice-size bathroom with combination bathtub/shower and a rolling door.
As Diamond members, we received not only points, but also vouchers for the complimentary buffet breakfast. Breakfast included the usual array of cold and hot items, including pastries, breads, and bagels, fruit, yogurt, hard-cooked eggs, scrambled eggs, frittata, sausage, bacon, potatoes, and blueberry blintzes. Juice, coffee, and water are served by wait staff.
We enjoyed our stay at the Hilton Times Square. Although Midtown is not usually our neighborhood of choice, it was fun to stay amidst the touristy attractions and hordes of people in a large, attractive guestroom.
August 2019:
