Hilton Manhattan East Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Midtown East, Manhattan, New York City

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The lobby lounge

It might have opened in 1931 as the Tudor hotel (the Hilton took over in 2010), but the renovations in 2009 erased most of the property's historic appeal -- despite being a member of Historic Hotels of America, its look is more modern and generic. Its modest entrance sits behind a bus stop and the heavy traffic of Midtown East. Past the revolving glass door, a long hallway (not a doorman) directs guests toward the front desk, where there's rarely a porter to help with bags. Its 300 guest rooms are split between two towers. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and a standard size for New York's midrange hotels, but features are skimpy, electronics are slightly dated, and Wi-Fi and cell phone reception signals are faulty throughout the old buildings.

A clean room is pretty much all you get at this hotel. Guests seem to use the hotel as a crash pad between days spent in business meetings or exploring the surroundings; the hotel's own features are scant and unexciting. The so-so business center and drab gym are empty most of the time. At the Tudor Bar & Grill, the on-site restaurant, you might spot a few business travelers quietly tucking away their unnotable continental breakfasts or sipping a glass of wine with colleagues in the evening, but it's not the kind of restaurant a local would ever bother going to.

For a place near the United Nations Headquarters, it works. And though it lacks the pool and tennis courts of the U.N. Plaza Hotel, the Tudor's rooms are at least in better condition. But if the U.N. is not your key point of interest, it's worth comparing its rates to a number of other notable business hotels in the area, such as the New York Helmsley, the Kimberly Hotel, and the Benjamin.

The front desk

All the traditional signs of great hotel service exist here, at least technically: doormen who double as bell staff, a separate concierge, front desk staff, and housekeeping. But no one's going out of their way to help you, despite their job post. Front desk staff efficiently collects payment and send guests on their way, without much more than a point in the direction of the elevator. More often than not, guests carry their own luggage and open their own doors. If you want something, ask for it, but otherwise you're on your own.

• Room service available from 7 to 10:30 a.m. and 5 to 10:30 p.m.
• No evening turndown service
• Concierge services; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

View on a Larger Map

Located in Midtown East, home to New York's famous skyscrapers and a high share of its cubicles, the Hilton Manhattan East attracts mostly business travelers. The direct surroundings are far from thrilling -- a vast selection of dry cleaners, nail salons, drugstores, and delis on street level, and office buildings towering above -- but its generally quiet, safe, and an easy neighborhood to get around.

• One block from the United Nations Headquarters
• Grand Central Station, a train and subway station that's so famous it's a landmark in and of itself, is a 10-minute walk.
• Empire State Building is about a 15-minute walk.

A standard room

The 300 guest rooms at the Hilton have bland decor: muted colors, generic furniture, and cookie-cutter bathrooms that are no more exciting than the bathrooms in any other mid-price hotel chain. But, as a consequence of the building's old age, there's poor cell phone reception and unreliable Wi-Fi connection in most of the guest rooms.

• Queen guest rooms -- the most popular and numerous option in the hotel -- range from 270 to 300 square feet, which is slightly above-average for a New York hotel in this price range.
• For each room upgrade, you get a little more space: King (king-size bed); Two Double Beds (two double-size beds); Junior Suite (single room with a king-size bed); One-Bedroom Suite (separate bedroom and living area)
• Poor cell phone reception in most rooms
• Desks in every room
• Unreliable Wi-Fi and hard-wired Internet (both $14.95 per day); Ethernet cords provided
• No minibars or fridges -- just an ice bucket and glasses
• Large, 42-inch flat-screen TV with basic cable, plus HBO, but no pay-per-view movies or DVD players
• Very quiet, thanks to well-insulated double-paned windows
• Beds are comfortable, but not especially luxurious -- the mattresses and sheets aren't up to the standard of the Marriott's consistently plush "Revive Beds" or the Westin's "Heavenly Beds"
• Clean, functional bathrooms with good shower pressure; small set of Bath & Body Works toiletries. Suites' bathtubs have a set of jets.

The sauna

The Tudor covers the basics a business traveler might need: a gym, business center, and five meeting rooms. But none of the features were updated during the 2009 renovation, so the equipment in the gym and business center are both looking a bit out of date, and the meeting rooms lack projectors or multimedia equipment. For the price, the Marriott New York East Side offers a similarly business-like atmosphere, but with further amenities and features for kids.

• 24-hour fitness center: just a few outdated, worn treadmills, plus a shower and sauna in the men's and women's bathroom
• Small, windowless business center, accessible 24 hours, with a few desktop computers: Use of the computers costs 35 cents per minute (minimum $5); printing costs 50 cents per page; faxing costs $1 per page for the U.S and Canada.
• Meeting rooms range from executive boardrooms that seat about 12 people at an oval table to a 1,500-square-foot event space.

A Deluxe 2 Double Bed guest room

Quiet, clean rooms would be good for families, but the cheapest room options aren't really configured for families, and most rooms can't fit a rollaway bed ($25 per night). For a more suitable family choice close by, the Omni Berkshire Place is similarly priced, and still caters to business travelers, but offers far better amenities and features for kids like kids' menus and games for kids.

• Most rooms aren't configured to accommodate rollaway beds ($25 per night), so families will have to upgrade to a Two Double Bed guest room
• No special features for kids

The carpets, wallpaper, and furniture in all rooms -- all replaced in April 2009 -- are still in great condition. Towels and sheets are pristine, and the entire hotel is nonsmoking. Housekeeping actively cleans the entire hotel, including the lobby lounge and restaurant.

The hotel's continental breakfast

The hotel's restaurant is a good fail-safe for anyone too tired or busy to leave the hotel for food. The dishes aren't exciting, but the quality is good and prices are typical for a New York hotel restaurant. But with so many options surrounding the hotel (including budget options and noteworthy restaurants), the Tudor's restaurant doesn't stand out.

• Tudor Neighborhood Bar & Grill serves breakfast (7 to 10:30 a.m.) and dinner (5 to 10:30 p.m.)
• Room service available for breakfast and dinner
• Breakfast is a la carte, or there's a reasonable spread of cereals, bagels, fruit, and hot breakfast items for its continental breakfast ($20, after tax and service charges)
• Dinner consists of meat, fish, and pasta (entrees $20 to $30)