Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel New York City Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Midtown East, Manhattan, New York City

Book now by phone with Hotels.com – Call 1-800-246-8357

The hotel staffs both doormen and porters, but there aren't enough of them on hand to help everyone when the crowds come to check-in (as I experienced). Still, check-in was fast, and I received the standard Doubletree welcome -- a chocolate chip-walnut cookie.

My midnight request for toothpaste was answered in less than five minutes, as was my request for towels in the morning. Room service, available from 7 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 10 p.m., arrived in 25 minutes, and someone even followed up with a phone call 45 minutes later to make sure the food was up to par. An hour after that someone from housekeeping knocked on my door to come remove my tray.

Concierge service is outsourced to Continental Guest Services, the same company that provides concierge service to the Grand Hyatt, Doubletree Times Square, Holiday Inn, and a number of other hotels in the city. Usually this means that responses are canned and uninspired, which proved to be the case here. When I asked for a good place for a sandwich she recommended Pax and Metro (the latter of which is located next door to the hotel), both of which are terrible, unoriginal chains that most locals knowingly avoid.

View on a Larger Map

Located in Midtown East, the Doubletree sits in a cluster of big, mostly old (and typically more expensive) hotels. The Benjamin is on the same block, and the InterContinental, Marriott New York East Side, W New York, and Waldorf Astoria, are all within just a few blocks. The hotel's entrance is right on Lexington Avenue, a street busy with cars (the better to get a taxi), but relatively little foot traffic.

Surrounded by many of Manhattan's corporate skyscrapers, the area around the hotel is busy during the day as office workers arrive via subway or train at Grand Central. After work, some of these folks stick around for a quick drink at a hotel bar (though not the Doubletree's bar), but the area quickly empties out in the evenings and is relatively quiet. It's extremely safe, but not very exciting. Some dive bars along Second Avenue can be a bit lively if the right game is on, but this is in no way an area known for its nightlife. However, the hotel is within just a few blocks of some of New York's highest-end shopping on Fifth and Madison avenues, and the Museum of Modern Art (the MoMA) is only a 10-minute walk.

In terms of transportation, the 6 train is just outside the hotel, and the E and V lines are two blocks away, but more useful is Grand Central Station, eight blocks away (about 10 minutes walking). Visitors can grab the shuttle train there and be at Times Square in less than five minutes, or pretty much anywhere else in Manhattan in less than 45 minutes.

A Standard room

On average, standard rooms are roughly 250 sq. ft. -- fairly spacious by New York dimensions -- and come with a king, queen or two doubles, and a cramped, bare-bones bathroom.

While the size of the room may be generous, the beds are basic. Sheets are clean, but borderline scratchy, and come with down pillows, though several of mine were lumpy. Unlike most midrange hotels anywhere these days, in lieu of a soft, fluffy duvet, Doubletree Metropolitan's beds come with a thin, wimpy duvet and an old coverlet.

The outdated decor extends throughout the room except for the massive 41-inch LG flat-screen TV, which comes with 42 cable channels, including nine in HD (most of the major networks) and movies on-demand. The alarm clock is generic, but does come with a jack to connect an iPod.

The mini-bar charges you automatically when items are removed, though based on the layer of dust on the drinks and snack items displayed in a box on the desk, I'm guessing not many people invest in a $10 can of smoked almonds. Not to mention the drinks in the fridge weren't cold.

Bathrooms are basic. Other than a vanity with a small, stainless steel sink, there's an old bathtub with a once-white enamel finish that's turned a light shade of gray. Bathroom products are Neutrogena, including travel sizes of face wash and moisturizer, but there's no magnifying mirror, little space to move, just a box of Kleenex, two drinking glasses, and a hair dryer. And like the bathtub, the 85/15 cotton-poly blend towels have turned a pale shade of gray. All this, and the wallpaper peeling away in my room, make it clear that these bathrooms are in need of a renovation.

The only rooms with views are on the 18th floor. I was on the 7th floor and looked straight into someone else's office, or maybe bedroom, through dirty windows. The upshot is that I didn't hear any street noise -- but then again I did hear virtually every noise in the hallway. I could hear the automatic key card unlock when my neighbor entered her room across the hall, and the whoosh of the toilet flushing upstairs.

In-room Wi-Fi is a steep $15 per day, but free in the lobby. A free copy of USA Today is left outside every room's door in the morning.

The gym

The Doubletree's second floor fitness center is well-equipped, but poorly lit, which doesn't seem to deter anyone because it's popular at all hours. You can access the gym from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. using your room key card, but between 10 p.m. and midnight, and 4 to 6 a.m. you'll need to ask security to let you inside (it's closed between midnight and 4 a.m.). All cardio equipment is Precor, and includes four treadmills, three ellipticals, two reclining bikes, and one upright bike, all with personal TV monitors. In addition, there's a full set each of dumbbells and bars, three weight machines, and a few yoga mats.

Wi-Fi is free in the lobby, or $15 per day for in-room access. The computer- and Blackberry-less can use the 24-hour business center located in the back of the hotel near the Met Grill where there are four PCs and a printer, which you can pay for using a credit card or by shoving dollar bills into a machine ($3 minimum for Internet use).

There's a gift shop located near the business center filled with basic sundries and overpriced snacks.

Standard rooms are a fairly spacious 250 sq. ft., but the bathrooms are on the small side if you need to help more than one kid brush their teeth at once. Rollaway beds cost $50 per night, and only fit into rooms with one bed. Cribs are free.

Adjoining rooms are available by request, and connect two kings, or a queen and two doubles, but aren't guaranteed. There aren't any multi-room suites, just a few junior suites with a king bed, some of which have pullout couches. There are some kid-friendly options on the room service menu, but they're expensive -- $21 for mac and cheese, $19 for a cheese pizza, and $16 for a burger.

Location-wise, the hotel is well-situated among tons of must-hits for kids. It's a 15-minute walk (or five-minute cab) to the bright lights, theaters, and entertainment of Times Square, as well as Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and Toys "R" Us, though the crowds can be overwhelming. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MoMA) is a 10-minute walk, and FAO Schwarz -- and all of its giant teddy bears -- is 15 minutes away.

In my room, the sheets were clean, as was the furniture, but the enamel on the bottom of the tub had turned gray from use, the windows were filthy, and there was a thin layer of dust coating all of the items in the minibar.