Hilton New York Times Square Review: A Sky-High Escape From The Chaos Below

New York City has many luxury hotels packed full of personality and distinguished despite a rich stock of competition. Hilton New York Times Square falls into neither of those categories and yet one of NYC’s most accessible tourist-friendly hotels has more than a few things going for it, as it thrives in the heart of the city’s most noted tourist trap.

I recently stayed at Hilton New York Times Square for the purpose of this review and while I didn’t have any expectations subverted, the business-leaning hotel offers more than enough to justify its place as one of New York’s most popular properties.

What it lacks in personality, this particular Hilton makes up for with massive living spaces and height. That is, the hotel uses its height to offer a genuine sense of escape from the oft-unbearable hustle of Times Square. For tourists who are set on staying in the heart of this garish landmark, the mix of convenience and privacy is invaluable.

Hilton New York Times Square Review

Location

Hilton hotels are generally more popular amongst business travellers and families. The brand has been around for so long that you can almost guarantee there’ll be a Hilton close by almost anywhere you are in the world.

Obviously, this one is anchored in Times Square, but it’s still a comfortable distance from the main part of the tourist drag. The entrance is on W 42nd Street, sandwiched between Madame Tussauds and an AMC cinema. That should tell you all you need to know about what to expect as soon as you walk outside and fix your eyes upon the glowing lights of New York’s most divisive tourist spot.

However, there’s also a much quieter entrance on W 41nd Street and it’s this one most hotel guests will end up using. You can head out here and easily hail a cab or catch an Uber away from the crowds of grifters and first-timers.

Between the two entrances is a long thoroughfare that a lot of tourists seem to stumble into. In the middle, you’ve got the elevators that zip on up to the 21st-floor sky lobby. Many of these Times Square hotels would have sky lobbies, considering how frenzied the streets are. However, I’ve been told that this is the highest, which means more privacy and better views.

In terms of convenience, you’ve got the 42nd Street-Times Square within walking distance. Anyone who knows New York’s transit system would know that you can’t ask for a more well-connected terminal outside of Grand Central and Penn Station.

During my stay, I was zipping around Manhattan and Brooklyn frequently so my few nights spent at Hilton Times Square made things much more manageable. That being said, it’s generally not hard to get around New York City but first-timers will see the utility in such a central location.

Design & Features

Hilton’s corporate influence is undeniable, which means Hilton Times Square doesn’t have much character to speak of. However, the hotel gets by with its stock of fewer, larger rooms. Plus. compared with some of the brand’s other Manhattan hotels, this particular Hilton could almost be considered boutique, which helps it move away from that overstuffed, mass-produced feeling you’d get with larger business-oriented hotels.

Patterned carpets and neutral palettes give the hotel a generic look but Hilton Times Square still manages a reasonable amount of style, credited primarily to the views. The sky lobby is framed by clear glass windows to pull Midtown Manhattan into the scene. Yet if it wasn’t for that, the lobby would look much like a mid-tier airport lounge: comfortable but mostly just functional.

I could have sat for hours at the bar just admiring the surrounding skyscrapers, although the view is much better if you’ve got a room facing the Empire State Building.

Rooms

My King Corner Room is a pleasant surprise. At around 33 square metres, it’s much bigger and more comfortable than I expected from a hotel that a) isn’t an iconic Grand Dame and b) is located in Times Square.

With 478 guest rooms, the Hilton Times Square is on the smaller side of the brand. To compare, New York Hilton Midtown has just under 2,000 rooms. The relatively small capacity means designers have been much more generous with space. You can even consider these guest rooms oversized, although I would have much preferred them to chop off a bit of living space and make the bathroom bigger.

The bathroom feels cramped and nothing more than merely functional. I’ve stayed at roadside motels with bigger bathrooms. Here you’ve got the dreaded tub-shower-curtain combo that cheaper American hotels love. It’s fine, of course.

You’re not going to want to spend much time here, which means you aren’t indulging in long hot showers or having a time-sinking soak. And I guess by that token, the bathroom’s lack of appeal has at least some utility: it forces you to get out of your room quicker and make the most of your time in New York City.

Food & Drink

Pinnacle Bar & Lounge and Restaurant Above both make the 21st-floor sky lobby feel overstuffed but they fit seamlessly with the long, narrow space that extends from the reception desks. Needless to say, you shouldn’t go here expecting much but the prices are very reasonable compared to what you’ll find elsewhere around Times Square.

That makes Pinnacle Bar & Lounge a nice little hack for anyone staying in New York City and looking to save a bit of cash. The touristy bars you’ll find nearby are all vastly overpriced, so I’d say it’s best to have some tipples here before heading out.

Other than that, you’ve got an Applebee’s downstairs. The entrance is in the building but it would of course not be considered part of Hilton Times Square.

The sky lobby also has a quick grab-and-go convenience store that looks to be well-stocked. It’s not something I had to use during my stay, but I’d imagine it comes in handy for conference attendees who don’t have time to leave the hotel.

Service

You’d want to be a member of Hilton Honours before checking in, of course. The overarching Hilton group is known for having one of the more valuable hotel membership programs in the game. Having digital check-in and a digital key is handy for hurried guests. And in New York, every guest is a hurried guest.

I’ve always found service at Hilton hotels to be impressively personable considering just how outrageously busy everything is. There’s no exception here.

However, it is slightly annoying when you have a tonne of people checking in or out because the area around reception is on the smaller side. Queues of people don’t really have anywhere to go so the space can feel overstuffed.

Having fewer rooms also means better, more attentive service from the cleaners. Turn-down service is on par with some of the higher-end hotels I’ve stayed at in New York. And it’s always going to be nice coming back to a room that has been thoughtfully refreshed as opposed to just lightly cleaned by overworked staff.

One thing I didn’t like about the service was the security at the aforementioned street-level thoroughfare. Every time I returned to the hotel I’d have to show my room key to the same security guard just to prove I was a guest of the hotel. I understand the hypervigilance since many tourists also walk through this hallway. However, having to validate myself with the same security guard several times was annoying.

Verdict & Value

The average rate for a lead-in room is around US$599 (AU$939). I’d hope for a better exchange rate before I consider Hilton Times Square, as just under $1,000 a night is a lot for this hotel.

That being said, the living space in each room, great service and convenient location do plenty to build value. But perhaps the biggest reason to choose Hilton Times Square is privacy. Your room is an oasis in the midst of all the chaos and it’s actually quite impressive knowing you’re in the thick of Times Square and not hearing a peep from the streets below. The height certainly helps.

There’s also the question of whether or not you want to pay a premium for staying in Times Square. If you’ve got a bunch of Broadway shows lined up, that’s obviously going to factor into the value given you’re a stone’s throw from all the major theatres. Yet, aside from that only NYC first-timers would get excited over such a location.

Hilton Times Square – Details

Address: 234 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
Contact: +1 212-913-9488

Rates at Hilton Times Square start from around AU$939 per night.

The author, Chris Singh, stayed as a guest at Hilton Times Square.

Enjoyed our review of Hilton Times Square? Check out our other New York content below:

• The Plaza, New York Review
• The Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad Review
• The Peninsula New York Review
• The Langham New York Review
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• Atomix Restaurant Review

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