Jolly Hotel Madison Towers Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Gramercy and Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York City

Whaler Bar

On its website, the Jolly Madison bills itself as a "charming Italian Boutique Hotel located in the heart of Manhattan on Madison Avenue at 38th Street." That's not quite accurate.

First off, its entrance is on 38th Street, not Madison Avenue. And, more importantly, it's as much of a boutique hotel as the Marriott, though with a European bent. The hotel is part of the Jolly Chain of Italian hotels that's akin to Marriotts in the U.S. In 2007, Jolly was taken over by a larger Spanish hotel group, NH Hotels. These business dealings don't have a direct effect on the average hotel guest, but they can be felt. Staying there, it's hard to get a handle on just what the hotel (and presumably its changing management) is trying to be and do. Rooms are clean enough but not sparkling, and décor in the standard rooms is dated, not boutique cute. The hotel's restaurant, Cinque Terre, closed in the summer of 2007, and the space remains empty and unused with sad signs still hanging on the windows alerting patrons to the closure. Amenities are lacking: no gym, no business center, no concierge. But then, there are odd, nice touches here and there: Italian candies on the nightstand, the USA Today by the door in the morning, a cool bar.

Still, for the hotel's price, it's clean and comfortable enough. Not surprisingly, it mostly attracts a European crowd -- young Italians and Spaniards looking for a cheapish place to stay, who've stayed in NH or Jolly hotels before. The overall vibe of the hotel is extremely relaxed. Children play on banisters in the lobby. Bellhops sport long hair or facial scruff. The adjoining bar boasts a two-for-one "Jolly Hour." Just note that due to the long, narrow lobby, the hotel doesn't have a grand entrance or inspire a communal feeling.

The front desk

Check-in at the Madison Towers was quick and easy; I was even offered a free upgrade (and they didn't even know I was reviewing the hotel). A porter eagerly offered to help me with my bags. However, once I was in my room, it was a different story.

First off, it's not readily apparent how to call the front desk from the guest-rooms. Phones supposedly have a pre-programmed "front desk" button, but it's not programmed. So I tried pressing zero, but no luck. Finally, in reading one of the hotel pamphlets on the desk, I found the 4-digit code needed to reach the front desk. I called down for help with my Internet connection, and after putting me on hold for a few minutes they told me I'd need to use a special adaptor to help with the weak signal. "Just come on down to the front desk, and we'll give you one," the voice on the other line said (they didn't offer to bring the cord to me). Likewise, when I called for extra towels in the morning, it took nearly an hour and two calls to get them.

Still, everyone does their best to be accommodating. When the adaptor failed to help me get a strong enough Wi-Fi signal in my room, the front desk clerk was kind enough to switch me to another room. They even sent up a porter with a new key to help me with my luggage.

Room service is fairly prompt. I ordered breakfast and it arrived in 22 minutes.

The hotel has no concierge, but the front desk is there to help (if it's not too busy). When I asked for dinner recommendations, the guy behind the front desk had only vague recommendations. In the absence of a concierge, I'd at least expect a nice printout with a list of restaurants in the area.

View on a Larger Map

Though "Madison" is in its name, the Jolly Hotel Madison Towers entrance is actually on East 38th Street, not Madison Avenue. Madison Avenue is just around the corner, though it's not the famed fancy stretch of the avenue. That's another 20 blocks or so north.

While there's a Staples across the street, the hotel is mostly surrounded by pretty, upscale residential buildings in Murray Hill. The hotel's immediate surroundings are relatively quaint for the area: There's an old, pretty church just around the block, as well as that New York rarity: trees. Two nicer, more expensive hotels, the Kitano and 70 Park Avenue, are also just around the corner.

A variety of public transportation options are nearby, but all require at least a four-block walk. Grand Central Station is four and a half blocks away, with connections to the 4, 5, 6, and 7 subway lines, as well as a shuttle train to Times Square. More subway lines, and the huge, historic Macy's department store are a little more than a half-mile away at Herald Square. Beautiful Bryant Park is also in walking distance, just four blocks away.

The area surrounding the hotel is safe, but extremely quiet at night. There aren't many bars or restaurants open for dinner in the immediately surrounding area. It's a destination for worker bees during the day, not for party animals during the night.

The Superior King Room

The hotel's Web site highlights the updated "deluxe" rooms on floors 14 through 17, but the standard "superior" rooms below are quite different. They're pretty worn and dated. Both of the superior rooms I saw feature satin brocade bedspreads and old green carpet. Averaging 214 square feet, superior rooms are big enough to accommodate a king or queen-size bed, two nightstands with bedside lamps made from Venetian glass, a solid-wood desk and work chair, and a cabinet topped with a television. One superior room I saw had a small, 24-inch tube TV, while the other had a small flat-screen -- it's just luck of the draw. The only other piece of electronics is a Sony AM/FM alarm clock radio.

Deluxe rooms run about $75 more per night than superior rooms. Updated in 2008, they're much more modern. All have flat-screen televisions, and beds are dressed with fluffy white duvets. They are also larger, averaging 250 sq. ft. They're great for guests who score a free upgrade, but those paying the premium might also consider just staying at another hotel for that price, like the nearby Kitano, which has far more amenities, even bigger rooms, and phenomenal service. Junior suites are also available, but like the superior rooms, they haven't been recently renovated and aren't nearly as nice as the deluxe rooms. They cost approximately the same as deluxe rooms and have more space (another 30 square feet) and a sofa, sometimes one that pulls out to become a bed.

Wi-Fi is available in the rooms for $9.97 per day, but it's not perfect. I couldn't get a strong enough signal in my first room. The front desk lent me an adaptor to boost the signal, but that didn't work. They were kind enough to switch me to another room that got a better Wi-Fi signal. I was able to connect in our second room, but the connection rate still was pretty slow (below 500 kbps for uploading and downloading).

Bathrooms are a little more modern. Done in beige stone, they feel clean and comfortable, though they're not winning any awards for spectacular design. Showerheads can be detached and hand-held, as is typical in Europe. Some superior rooms have standalone showers with curtains, while others have shower/tub combos with a fixed piece of glass spanning half the length of the tub. Agua de la Tierra toiletries, NH Hotel's own brand, are generously supplied and nicely arranged in a little tin. They don't feel especially luxurious, but their citrus scents and bright colors are nice.

Temperature control in the rooms isn't great. Heating and air-conditioning is provided via combo window units with rudimentary dial controls. I turned on the AC on a chilly early-April night, but the room was still warm. During the summer months, I imagine it'd be uncomfortably hot for American guests used to heavily air-conditioned spaces.

Meeting room

The hotel has no gym or real business center. The Web site touts a "business center" with a copy machine and computer printing, but that's not the case. What it does have is a single computer by the front desk where guests can check their email and surf the web for free. The front desk also says they will print or fax for guests.

Unlike the business center, the Asian spa on the second floor actually exists, but it only offers limited services. For $80, guests can get a 1-hour shiatsu massage and use the sauna and steam shower. No other services are offered.

The lobby

I saw a number of young Italian families during my stay at the Madison Towers. European tots freely climbed banisters in the lobby without getting reprimanded by any of the staff members.

The hotel offers free cribs, and standard rooms are able to accommodate them. However, no adjoining rooms or roll-aways are available. Some standard and deluxe rooms have two double beds but most have a single king bed. Guests wanting rooms with two double beds should make that request when reserving, as the hotel only has a limited number. Room rates are based on single or double occupancy. The hotel charges an extra $80 per night for a third person, but children 12 and under are free. Families with older children, however, should take note. Junior suites, some with pull-out sofa beds, are available at about the same cost as the deluxe rooms. However, like the standard superior rooms, they're dated and in need of renovation.

For guests needing a babysitter, the front desk provides the number for The Babysitter's Guild, a childcare agency that specializes in caring for children in from out of town.

Guests can bring their purse-size pets at no extra cost. They must sign a waiver saying they'll take responsibility for any damage caused by their pets.

The Superior Queen Room

Sure, guest-rooms on the lower floors need some renovations and fresh décor, but they're just dated, not dirty. This is thanks, in large part, to the cleanliness of the bathrooms. Showers and tubs are almost completely mildew-free. I had to search to find the tiniest bit of gunk in a little bathroom crevice, and it was miniscule. Carpet is old but freshly vacuumed. In the bathrooms, maids fold the top tissue in the box into a little blossom, and there's a feeling that the place is cleaned with care. Rooms smell reassuringly of cleaning products. Hallway carpets have lines from recent vacuuming. Sure, wallpaper is threatening to peel on some walls, but the hotel still feels clean, if not cleaner, than most old hotels in this price range. Guests shouldn't expect everything to be sparkly and new. They can expect well-cleaned but well-worn rooms.

Continental breakfast

Caffe Buongiorno is the breakfast room. The hotel's website describes it as a "quintessential Italian breakfast room, where your morning cappuccino becomes an 'experience.'" It looks more like a conference room with a sign that says "Caffe" in front of it. The breakfast buffet goes from 7-10:30 a.m. A continental buffet is $22, while an American buffet with eggs and bacon is $32. I ordered smoked salmon and poached eggs on an English muffin from room service. It came covered in a hollandaise-like sauce the color of baby vomit. That was $15 wasted. I turned to my room service cappuccino for consolation, expecting delicious Italian espresso. Instead, it tasted more like instant coffee -- an insult to fine Italian roasts around the world.

Still, there's a diner just around the corner called Moonstruck that's open late and popular with hotel guests. One block away is Butterfield 8, a trendy restaurant and lounge. Asia de Cuba, an expensive Asian-fusion restaurant and bar, is also just a block away in the Morgans hotel.

The Whaler Bar has good lighting, a nice atmosphere, and even live jazz some nights. Even better, it has a true New York hotel rarity: a happy hour with half-price drinks from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Drinks on offer are pretty basic (no specialty cocktails) and beers on tap are pretty standard, but $5 for two Stella Artois drafts is a great deal. The bar serves no food, save for a healthy bowl of snack mix.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Flying into JFK or LaGuardia is typically easiest and the least time-consuming. From JFK, it's a (one-hour) $45 flat-rate taxi ride to anywhere in Manhattan. From LaGuardia, it's about a (30-minute) $40 metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls), and can take more than 90 minutes. Don't forget to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

To save some cash, try the group shuttles 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. You can also take public transit from any of the airports 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 stairs. For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.