Flatotel Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Midtown West, Manhattan, New York City

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The Flatotel is located in corporate midtown

The first thing that should be said about the Flatotel is that it is appropriately, if oddly, named. The rooms here used to be condo apartments or, as they're known in Britain, "flats." Its former life as a condominium seems to have restricted the hotel's creativity with respect to its use of space or amenities. The lobby is spacious, with high ceilings, warm lighting, and plenty of comfortable chairs -- a fine place to rest if the rest of your crew gets held up in the elevators (which can be slow). There is a bar off the lobby, but it's not really a happening hangout -- it just serves a handful of the hotel's business travelers.

Rising almost 50 stories above 52nd Street in the heart of Midtown West, the Flatotel has 288 rooms (211 standard rooms and 77 suites of various sizes, some with kitchens), making it a small to midsize hotel by New York standards. Yet its impersonal service, high-rise structure, and businesslike atmosphere make it feel larger than it actually is.

The Flatotel offers the basics -- an efficient check-in and checkout -- but there are no doormen to hold the door open or call a cab, and there were no bellmen available to take my bags to my room. Likewise, service at the bar was minimal: When I sat down to grab a drink at 10 p.m. on a Thursday, the bartender was nowhere to be found. I waited 10 minutes before giving up and heading back upstairs to my room.

• Room service from the restaurant, Moda, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

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Surrounded by high-rise office buildings, the Flatotel sits just 10 short blocks from one of the most tourist-packed intersections in the world, 42nd Street and Broadway, the heart of Times Square. Though it's technically within the theater district, there is a decidedly corporate feel to the area. The extra-wide sidewalks on 52nd Street are tiled rather than paved, and the neighboring buildings feature open-air loggias conducive to smoking breaks and al fresco lunches. A large parking structure is directly across the street.

Not surprisingly, the neighborhood gets darker and quieter at night than the touristy area just five minutes to the west. Still, safety shouldn't be much of an issue. The street is well lit, and plenty of corporate grinders catch cabs outside well into the night.

If you're visiting New York for fun, the Flatotel is centrally located -- five to 10 minutes in any direction from midtown's most popular sites. Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and most Broadway theaters are within five to 10 blocks. Central Park, seven short blocks north, is equally accessible.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 plus tolls and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

The spacious Deluxe Room

"We pride ourselves in the generous size of our rooms," the hotel writes on its room key card, and with good reason. Starting at 265 to 325 square feet for a standard, queen-bed room (called "deluxe rooms") and 350 to 400 square feet for a standard king, the rooms are considerably larger than the majority of midrange New York hotel rooms, which are generally about 200 square feet for a standard room.

Aside from their impressive size, the rooms are pleasant if unexciting. If they were to have a prevailing theme, it would be minimalism. The carpets are a dull bluish-gray, the furniture is similarly monochromatic, and there is no art on the walls.

Room amenities include an ergonomic desk chair, a mini-fridge (but no minibar), a microwave, and a coffeemaker with complimentary Folgers coffee. The hotel went retro with its Sony products: The TV screen was neither wide nor flat, and the alarm-clock radio plays CDs, for all you out there who still pack those. Although as of 2011, the Flatotel dipped its toes in the digital future. Guests can request an iPod dock, DVD player...and VCR. Free Internet is available in all rooms, though only some rooms feature Wi-Fi.

The beds were custom designed for the Flatotel, and the small paintings encased in the wooden headboards are a classy touch; the "ledges" built onto the side are less charming, good mostly for smashing one's shin late at night. (I left with a purple bruise the size of a quarter under my left knee.) The mattress, on the firm side, features 300-thread-count, 100 percent Egyptian cotton linens.

No doubt the strangest design touch was the full-length mirror sitting on the floor in my room, leaning against the wall. It looked as if the interior decorators found out it was too heavy to hang on the wall after making the purchase. (I'd brush this off as a one-room anomaly, except that other guests have noted the same phenomenon in their rooms.)

My room wasn't terribly well lit, but the large windows that spanned two walls more than made up for it during the daytime, and the lamps built into either side of the headboard served as adequate reading lights. The views from most of the Flatotel's rooms are of the other 50- to 60-story high-rises nearby; from my 20th-floor room, I could actually see through the tinted windows into the offices of pinstriped men and women slaving away at all hours.

The bathroom, with its soothing beige tones and small-tile highlights, was spotless and bright. And the bathtub, which was big enough for a bath (if you use the space wisely), even included whirlpool jets, though they didn't work in my tub. For showers, the water pressure was Niagara-like. Rooms come with an array of Gilchrist & Soames brand bath products. But take note, ladies who like to blow-dry their hair or men who use electric razors: For some reason, there are no outlets near the sink.

The view from the highest gym in the city

The gym, on the 46th and 47th floors, is supposedly the highest in the city. The equipment, however, looks like it dates from the first Bush administration, so if you're looking for a world-class workout, you might have to settle for world-class views instead. (During my workout, whenever I gazed out the window, at a view that extended all the way to the Hudson River, I couldn't help but think the space would be better off -- not to mention more profitable -- as a high-end lounge.) Besides the dated weight machines, there are two treadmills, one bike, and a small set of free weights. There was a water jug but no water in it the day I worked out (I filled my cup from the bathroom's tap), and I wasn't able to change the channel on the TV in the cardio room.

The corporate atmosphere at the Flatotel prevents it from being particularly child-friendly, though most families can fit comfortably in a standard room -- a fairly rare thing for a New York hotel.

• Cribs are free, and fit in all rooms.
• Rollaways cost $35 a night + tax), but they cannot fit in basic Deluxe Rooms.
• The restaurant, Moda, does not have a kids' menu.

My room was spotless, as were the hallways, elevators, lobby, and restaurant. Much of the hotel's technology is out of date -- the TV, alarm-clock radio, and gym equipment date from the '90s or earlier -- but at least everything works.

To nitpick, the carpet bordering the heating/A.C. unit was a bit ratty, and the protective rubber strip on the hinged shower door was loose. But I can't say that either of these things affected my impression of the place.

The hotel's restaurant, Moda

The hotel's restaurant, Moda, describes itself as a "chic Italian eatery featuring Mediterranean-inspired cuisine," but it's a pretty standard take on midrange midtown Italian food.

• Most entrees range from $20-30
• Al fresco dining in warm weather