Pros

  • Located a short walk from Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
  • Rooms feature flat-screen TVs and beds with memory-foam mattresses
  • Free daily breakfast includes eggs, sausage, waffles, and yogurt
  • Free, reliable Wi-Fi
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Cons

  • No fitness center or restaurant (though free breakfast is served daily)
  • No minibars or room service
  • One elevator
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Bottom Line

Magnuson Convention Center Hotel offers an excellent value for those in town for trade shows at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, as well as tourists who don't mind the 10- to 15-minute walk to trains. Rooms are beyond basic, but tidy, and have beds with memory-foam mattresses, flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and armoires with safes, irons, and ironing boards. There is a reasonably impressive free breakfast that includes scrambled eggs, Jimmy Dean sausage, yogurt, juice, and two do-it-yourself waffle machines. All in all, this is a solid pick for conventioneers, though they should compare Magnuson's rates with the ones at GEM Hotel Midtown West.

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Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Internet

Oyster Hotel Review

Midtown Convention Center Hotel

Scene

Semi-stylish common areas in an otherwise no-frills hotel, conveniently located near the city's busiest convention facility

To be clear, this is an exceedingly basic hotel with zero scene to speak of. With that said, the new owners (the space was formerly a Best Western) have squeezed a tiny bit of flair into the lobby and cafeteria -- they could've gotten away with considerably fewer design touches, considering the hotel's primary function as a conventioneer crash pad. The lobby, which is nine steps below street level, features purplish-gray wallpaper with faux gold-leaf, a dark gray velvet couch with accompanying coffee table and four faux-leather ottomans, and a flat-screen TV. The two-room breakfast area has a six-seat high-top bar, oxblood banquette, red speckled pendant lights, and eye-catching black-and-white flooring. These decor decisions are where the hotel's style begin and end. But for the business and leisure travelers who prize the hotel's far Midtown West location, the limited style is no deal-breaker.

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Location

In a patently unhappening part Midtown West, but within walking distance of Hell's Kitchen hot spots, Times Square, and the Javits Convention Center

Between 10th and 11th Avenue on 38th Street, Magnuson Convention Center Hotel is located on a far-from-picturesque block that's home to a 24-hour taxi repair center, the facility where Central Park horses are washed, and the block-wide, Big Bird-yellow Gotham Mini Storage. It's a no-man's-land, for sure, but the area is slowly getting more amenities, like eating options, delis, and drugstores. The main reason to stay here is for proximity to Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, a seven-minute walk away. Plus, the hotel is just a short walk to the restaurants and bars of Hell's Kitchen (along 9th Avenue), and about a 20-minute walk to Times Square. The 8th Avenue A/C/E/ subway trains (at Penn Station 34th St.) are about a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Some travelers will appreciate Magnuson's proximity to Hudson River attractions, such as the Intrepid Museum, The BEAST Speedboat Ride, and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.

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Rooms

All of the standard necessities expected of a hotel in this tier, and nothing else

Rooms are plain, but provide the necessary comforts: three-drawer dressers, full-length mirrors, closet cabinets with a safe and ironing equipment, alarm clocks, phones, ice buckets, desks, tablet-arm chairs, and personal temperature controls. Behind the beds (which have memory-foam mattresses) are dark green-blue accent walls.

Bathrooms that are past their prime come with shower/tub combos with grab bars, wall-mounted travel hairdryers, and lots of towels. Two mini Vaseline body lotions, Aromae Botanicals bars of soap, and makeup-removing wipes are replenished daily. Reports of faulty plumbing are not uncommon.

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Features

Free Wi-Fi, free breakfast, and a lone computer/printer

The Magnuson Convention Center Hotel scores low on the feature-o-meter, but nearly all of its guests are impressed with the reliability of its building-wide Wi-Fi and solid breakfast offerings. The dining room has a flat-screen TV, ice dispenser, ATM, and vending machines, and the lobby has a computer and printer station for guest use. Pets are not allowed. 

See More Features

Things You Should Know About Midtown Convention Center Hotel

Also Known As

  • Best Western Convention Center
  • New York City Best Western
  • Best Western New York City
  • Best Western Hotel
  • Best Western Convention Center Hotel

Room Types

  • King Room
  • One Queen Bed Room
  • Two Double Beds Handicapped Room
  • Two Double Beds Room

Address

522 W 38th St, New York City, New York 10018-1104, United States

Phone

(212) 405-1700

Website

Oyster Hotel Review

Midtown Convention Center Hotel

Scene

Semi-stylish common areas in an otherwise no-frills hotel, conveniently located near the city's busiest convention facility

To be clear, this is an exceedingly basic hotel with zero scene to speak of. With that said, the new owners (the space was formerly a Best Western) have squeezed a tiny bit of flair into the lobby and cafeteria -- they could've gotten away with considerably fewer design touches, considering the hotel's primary function as a conventioneer crash pad. The lobby, which is nine steps below street level, features purplish-gray wallpaper with faux gold-leaf, a dark gray velvet couch with accompanying coffee table and four faux-leather ottomans, and a flat-screen TV. The two-room breakfast area has a six-seat high-top bar, oxblood banquette, red speckled pendant lights, and eye-catching black-and-white flooring. These decor decisions are where the hotel's style begin and end. But for the business and leisure travelers who prize the hotel's far Midtown West location, the limited style is no deal-breaker.

See More Scene

Location

In a patently unhappening part Midtown West, but within walking distance of Hell's Kitchen hot spots, Times Square, and the Javits Convention Center

Between 10th and 11th Avenue on 38th Street, Magnuson Convention Center Hotel is located on a far-from-picturesque block that's home to a 24-hour taxi repair center, the facility where Central Park horses are washed, and the block-wide, Big Bird-yellow Gotham Mini Storage. It's a no-man's-land, for sure, but the area is slowly getting more amenities, like eating options, delis, and drugstores. The main reason to stay here is for proximity to Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, a seven-minute walk away. Plus, the hotel is just a short walk to the restaurants and bars of Hell's Kitchen (along 9th Avenue), and about a 20-minute walk to Times Square. The 8th Avenue A/C/E/ subway trains (at Penn Station 34th St.) are about a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Some travelers will appreciate Magnuson's proximity to Hudson River attractions, such as the Intrepid Museum, The BEAST Speedboat Ride, and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.

See More Location

Rooms

All of the standard necessities expected of a hotel in this tier, and nothing else

Rooms are plain, but provide the necessary comforts: three-drawer dressers, full-length mirrors, closet cabinets with a safe and ironing equipment, alarm clocks, phones, ice buckets, desks, tablet-arm chairs, and personal temperature controls. Behind the beds (which have memory-foam mattresses) are dark green-blue accent walls.

Bathrooms that are past their prime come with shower/tub combos with grab bars, wall-mounted travel hairdryers, and lots of towels. Two mini Vaseline body lotions, Aromae Botanicals bars of soap, and makeup-removing wipes are replenished daily. Reports of faulty plumbing are not uncommon.

See More Rooms

Features

Free Wi-Fi, free breakfast, and a lone computer/printer

The Magnuson Convention Center Hotel scores low on the feature-o-meter, but nearly all of its guests are impressed with the reliability of its building-wide Wi-Fi and solid breakfast offerings. The dining room has a flat-screen TV, ice dispenser, ATM, and vending machines, and the lobby has a computer and printer station for guest use. Pets are not allowed. 

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Airport Transportation

  • Basic Television

  • Cable

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Free Breakfast

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.