Algonquin Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Midtown West, Manhattan, New York City

Elegantly furnished lobby

Located on the same block as the Harvard and Yale clubs, the 174-room Algonquin plays up its established literary pedigree. This is the home of the infamous Round Table, where The New Yorker was created, and where virtually every major writer of the last century, from William Faulkner to Maya Angelou, has bunkered down. You can sit where great 1920s wit Dorothy Parker once traded repartee with her Vanity Fair colleagues. The lit-loving hotel manager used to ply her with free popovers and celery sticks -- but today you'll more likely be plunking down $22 for the Dorothy Parker sliders and $18 for the Hemingway martini.

That said, it's hard not to find the Algonquin's idiosyncrasies and old-world style endearing -- from the hotel cat, Matilda (who also happens to have her own email address, matildaalgonquincat@algonquinhotel.com) to the hallways wallpapered with New Yorker cartoons, to the old brass mail chutes still used today. The handsome oak-paneled Edwardian lobby is akin to a billionaire's private library -- and after the hotel's $4.5 million renovation in 2008, it even boasts free Wi-Fi.

Most guests fall into the category of middle-aged businessmen or couples over 50 touring the city. The latter park it on the lobby couch with big shopping bags before heading back out to a Broadway show; the former settle for expensing some early-bird cocktails (tuxedoed waiters start serving martinis at the Hemingway-proper hour of noon.). After work, the Blue Bar's navy-blue banquettes fill up, and both locals and guests treat themselves to cocktails under framed Al Hirschfeld caricatures. Those who can afford it squeeze into the pricy adjoining Oak Room Supper Club, where Harry Connick got his start and the dying art of cabaret still thrives.

Room service

Formally attired doormen greet guests at the entrance, you're never lingering long in the lobby before a tuxedo-clad waiter approaches, and the concierge can assist with anything from Western Union to nearby Broadway theater bookings.

During the day, housekeeping is prompt and accommodating -- providing extra towels, bottled water, or, like at the Affinia hotels, free toiletries like shaving cream, toothpaste, and razors. They'll even furnish your room with a humidifier upon request.

But room service stops at 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 p.m. on weekends, and even housekeeping seems to shut down around then -- when I requested some extra bottled water at around 11 p.m., the front desk informed me that housekeeping was closed for the evening and I would have to come down to the bar and buy a bottle. (Although when I spoke to management later they said that even 2 a.m. requests would be honored.)

Also, there are only two elevators: one for guests and another for guests and employees -- so expect to stop on every floor while housekeeping make their rounds. Booking a lower-floor room deprives you of a view, but it means you can skip the elevator for a walk down the charming, antique marble staircase, which still has the original ironwork banister from 1902.

View on a Larger Map

Compared to the crowded sidewalks, neon lights, and commercial storefronts Midtown West is known for, the hotel's block is relatively calm. The Algonquin is situated on the end of a stretch of West 44th Street known as Club Row because of its grouping of posh university clubs for Ivy League alumni. There's the Harvard Club, the Yale Club, the Penn Club, and the New York Yacht Club. The street also boasts newer luxury hotels, like the Sofitel, and a French-American restaurant from one of New York's most acclaimed chefs, Daniel Boulud. Between all the hotels and fancy clubs, there seem to be more flags flying on this block than at the United Nations.

With subway stations at Grand Central, Bryant Park, and Times Square all within walking distance, the hotel is ideally situated near every major train line -- it's just about the most connected location anywhere in the city.

Nearby are the Museum of Modern Art, the famous 5th Avenue shopping district, and Bryant Park, which in the winter months is home to the city's only free ice-skating rink. Other attractions within short walking distance include Radio City Music Hall, site of the famed Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes (as well as numerous popular concerts throughout the year); Rockefeller Center, which houses NBC Studios and the Top of the Rock observation deck; and the Chrysler Building, one of the city's most beautiful skyscrapers.

Top-shelf liquor in The Premier Suite

The Algonquin's rooms were renovated in 2008, meaning that every room now comes with a 32-inch LG flat-screen TV (offering upwards of 300 stations, including HBO), a DVD player, free Wi-Fi, a comfortable, pillow-top Simmons bed with supposedly 350-thread-count sheets and feather pillows (though mine were poly/cotton blend sheets and 250-count pillowcases), terry robes, electronic safes, a well-stocked minibar, and oversize bath towels. But unlike the still-stately rooms at the Franklin hotel, the Algonquin's room designers seemed to be striving for a more streamlined, mod style to rival the rooms at younger-leaning, trendier-looking hotels like the W Times Square. They seem a bit out of place in this legendary, over-a-century-old building.

Guest rooms run an average of 250 square feet -- but this is an average, meaning the King might run bigger but the Classic smaller (another employee told me the rooms start at 150 square feet). But they are no question a touch larger and more comfortable than at other old New York hotels, like the Mansfield. The main difference between the guest rooms is the type of bed: The Classic comes with a single full-size bed, the Superior Twin with two twin beds, and the King and Queen with a single king- or queen-sized mattress. Because the hotel was overbooked, I was upgraded to one of their 450-square-foot Premier Suites, which comes with extra living room space and an additional 42-inch plasma TV.

Many guests complain about the older narrow bathrooms, some of which come with the original bathtub -- ideal for luxurious bubble baths if you're 3 feet tall. It's cute, but it's half the length of a regular tub. And the shower pressure in mine was pretty weak. There are other, newer, renovated bathrooms with full-size tubs, and some bathrooms have only showers, but because of the number of scattered renovations that the hotel has undergone through the years, there's no rhyme or reason to which type of bathroom or tub a guest will receive. Guests just have to hope for one with the cool old Al Hirschfeld-print shower curtain, which the hotel has stopped ordering.

Unlike the old-world, apothecary-style C.O. Bigelow shampoos offered at the Bowery hotel, the Algonquin's bath products are standard-issue Bath & Body Works -- although the coconut-verbena-lime scent was pleasantly non-cloying. The only major issue with the bathrooms, however, is that you can't crack open the bathroom window for ventilation. After a single shower, the entire room fogs up and can feel pretty muggy.

24-hour Fitness Center

You're likely to have free run of the free 24-hour fitness center and its new LifeFitness treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes, as well as four Cybex weight-training machines. The hotel also provides a basket of free apples, a full watercooler, and three cable TVs on the wall.

In keeping with the hotel's literary emphasis, the Algonquin, according to its website, now provides guests with a Kindle electronic book upon request. But the front desk only has two Kindles on hand, and they are to be shared among all guests of the 174 rooms. Also, the laptops for complimentary use are a thing of the past -- the receptionist pointed me in the direction of the single computer and printer on the second floor ($.49 a minute, $.50 a page to print). At least there's free Wi-Fi (for those with their own laptops) throughout the hotel.

Since owner Frank Case first adopted a stray cat as the Algonquin's house pet back in the 1930s, the hotel has always kept a cat, naming it Hamlet if a boy, Matilda if a girl. The current resident, probably Matilda XXXVI, stays at the hotel for free -- and so may your pet. But you'll have to sign a waiver to pay for any damage incurred. When I inquired about weight limit, management said they judged it on "an individual basis" -- but have welcomed everything from Irish setters to Snowball the Backstreet Boys-dancing cockatoo.

Pet owners who do participate in Algonquin's pet program receive a welcome kit with a list of services in the area, and their room will be stocked ahead of time with food and water bowls, a floor mat, a litter box, and gloves and waste bags.

Other than a few chips on the dresser, my room was perfectly clean -- vacuumed rug, no mildew in the shower. The restaurants and common areas are immaculate, and I saw no dirty dishes anywhere.

Pull-out sleeper sofa

The safe, quiet location is great for families, but they'll have to do some pushing past one another in the sometimes narrow bathrooms. There are no rollaways available, just a crib -- which, granted, does come free of charge.

The best best for families who decide to book here would be the 450-square-foot Premier Suite, which comes with a king bed and a pull-out sleeper sofa, plus two separate flat-screen TVs -- one in the bedroom and another in the living room. Also, the hotel offers Superior Twin rooms, which come with two twin beds.

Room service features specific children's selections like a kid-sized burger and a grilled cheese sandwich with French fries.

Breakfast at Round Table Room

The menu served at all the Algonquin's establishments, from the Round Table to the Oak Room, is more or less the same (give or take an abbreviated version at the Blue Bar). The creative American cuisine isn't bad, but a basic shrimp cocktail or a chicken quesadilla for $20 isn't exactly a steal. Dinner entrees at the Round Table run $35-$40, and for that price, you're much better off at D.B. Bistro Moderne next door, which is run by award-winning French chef Daniel Boulud.

The Round Table serves breakfast as well, with menu items like the fresh corned-beef hash topped with poached eggs for $24. Though the presentation was elegant, the corned beef was greasy and a bit on the bland side. Most guests prefer a simple $10 breakfast at the diner next door, Red Flame.