Salisbury Hotel Rating: 2.5 Pearls

Midtown West, Manhattan, New York City

Small lounge area in the lobby

The Salisbury Hotel looks like it has seen better days. The hotel was originally built in the 1930s, but the lobby looks like it was modern circa 1980 (worn floral carpet and faded velvet cushions). To its credit, the lobby is constantly bustling. The hotel is especially popular among school groups and families, due to its proximity to Central Park, Carnegie Hall, and the Broadway Theater District. Unlike most Times Square hotels, the Sailsbury is about 10 blocks north of the action, in an area that actually gets quiet at night.

It's a good value, but the better option is four doors down. The Buckingham Hotel has modern amenities including a fitness center and a lounge with free Wi-Fi. The rooms are similarly large at both hotels because they were formerly apartments. Between the two of them, the Buckingham is a better deal.

The Salisbury is owned by the Calvary Baptist Church next door. The manager mentioned that getting renovations approved by the church board is a long and tedious process, hence the hotel's outdated look.

Service is fast, friendly, and efficient. The porters are quick to help every guest with their bags, and there’s an on-site concierge that can recommend restaurants in the area. But take note that he leaves at 7 p.m. For after-hours recommendations, the front desk can help, but when I asked for a restaurant recommendation, they just checked the concierge's cheat sheet and couldn’t provide any helpful insight. They ended up sending me to a restaurant that had been closed for a few months.

View on a Larger Map

The hotel is on 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. It's a busy area in Midtown Manhattan with corporate offices, Fifth Avenue shopping, and Central Park. There's constant traffic during the day, but at night the it gets quiet.

Carnegie Hall is at the corner of Seventh Avenue, about a two-minute walk from the Salisbury. Beside the hotel is Stacks rare coin shop, which also buys and sells gold. The historic Steinway Hall is an amazing piano store and museum, which definitely deserves a visit.

There's a Starbucks across from the hotel, and a deli called Green Cafe two doors down. A 24-hour Duane Reed pharmacy is on the corner of Sixth Avenue. Two other hotels are on the same block: the Buckingham Hotel (similar price, better features) and the upscale Le Parker Meridien Hotel.

There is no parking available at the premises, but QuikPark at 235 W. 56th St. offers a discounted rate of $28 for 24 hours. Hotel guests must validate their parking ticket at the front desk. For other parking options, check out Best Parking.

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 15-25 percent.

To save some cash, try the group shuttles that are available at all three airports for about $14/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.

Living room at The One-Bedroom Suite

Rooms are large because they used to be apartments. Standard rooms start at 280 square feet, which is about 50 percent bigger than at most N.Y.C. hotels. Standard rooms come with either a king-size bed or two double beds, unlike most standard rooms in N.Y.C. Most rooms come with a pantry that has a microwave, refrigerator, and coffeemaker. There's also space for a work desk and a lounge chair. One-bedroom suites and two-bedroom suites are also available, and both come with king-size beds in the bedrooms and a sofa-bed in the living room.

While the rooms are clean and tidy, they clearly haven't been renovated in decades -- this is evident from several worn-out power outlets that don't work and the old air-conditioning units. However, the hotel is in a slow refurbishing process and the essentials have been updated. All the beds were replaced in late 2008, and they come with a pillow-top mattress. They're firm and comfortable. There's a flat-screen TV that gets good reception and has cable. The bathrooms have spiffy new tiles and the tub is spotless.

Wi-Fi is available in the room, but there's a $9.95 charge for 24 hours. In my room, the connection was strong enough to stream videos.

Noise is not a problem. Traffic on 57th Street dies down after 8 p.m., unlike around Times Square.

My only problem with the room was the strangely narrow bathtub and the heavy shower curtain. There appears to be an design problem: The curtains absorb the shower spray and start billowing toward the bather, who is trapped between the wet canvas and cold wall tiles. It’s pretty uncomfortable.

For its size, price (average $270 for a standard room) and location, this is a good deal in New York City, but there are better options in the neighborhood. The thing to keep in mind is that the Salisbury is an old hotel. If you don't need any frills with your stay, this isn't a bad option. For a similar price, there's the Shoreham, a modern boutique hotel that features a massage chair in Superior Plus rooms, plus its location on 55th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues is a bit more central.

Two PCs in the lobby

This is a hotel for travelers who don't need any frills, just the occasional chance to check their e-mail. And it's a better idea to walk 10 minutes to the cool, 24-hour Apple store on 58th Street and Sixth Avenue than to pay the $5 fee for 30 minutes of Internet on the two PCs located in the hotel lobby. Wi-Fi is available in the rooms for $9.95 for 24 hours.

The hotel does not have an on-site fitness center, meeting rooms, restaurant, or bar. The Vanguard Room on the third floor, which has a nice view of 57th Street, serves a continental breakfast buffet every morning, but it's closed for the rest of the day.

The Gravity Fitness Center, located across the street at Le Parker Meridien Hotel, offers special rates for Salisbury guests who want to use the gym ($25) and pool ($75). This fancy gym has fitness classes, racquetball and basketball courts, free weights, and modern machines.

Standard double rooms (with two double beds) are large by New York standards (280 square-feet), and most rooms have a refrigerator and microwave. For some extra breathing room, pay a little extra (between $50-$100) for a one- or two-bedroom suite. In the 500 square-foot one-bedroom suite, there’s a private bedroom plus a living room with a pull-out sofa. There's also space for a rollaway bed, available at $30 plus tax. Cribs are complimentary.

Families I spoke to chose this hotel because it's close to Central Park and the famous toy store, FAO Schwartz. Most of the kid-friendly museums (the Museum of Natural History, Hayden Planetarium, the Children's Museum of Manhattan) are in the west side of Central Park, all of which are easy to get to from the Salisbury by subway.

Rooms are clean and tidy, but they are in various states of refurbishing. All the mattresses were replaced in late 2008, and the bathrooms look new, but room fixtures such as power outlets and air-conditioners look worn. The carpet, however, is vacuumed thoroughly. I should know -- I kept checking my feet for dirt after walking around the room barefoot.

While there's nothing noticeably dirty about the hallways, the carpets have suffered a lot of wear -- there’s a faded red fruit pattern and yellowing white paint.

Breakfast at the Vanguard Room

There is no hotel restaurant or bar. The only food for sale in the building is from four vending machines on the third floor, and I'd be hard-pressed to call a Snickers bar dinner.

Breakfast is available at the Vanguard Room on the third floor from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Every morning, a voucher is slipped under the room door for the $4 continental breakfast (without a voucher, it costs $7.50). Offerings include croissants, bagels, muffins, doughnuts, hard-boiled eggs, cereal, fruit salad, coffee, juices, and milk. It's all standard fare, though it's a lot of choices for four bucks.

Food delivery is available from a number of neighborhood restaurants. This short list includes Angelo's Pizza, Goodburger, and Moon Rock Diner. The better option is to head out to one of the many notable restaurants in the area, which don't deliver. This is an upscale neighborhood, so a good, sit-down meal will cost you. Of note are business-lunch venue Aquavit (pricey Swedish fare), trendy hotspot Nobu 57 (expensive fusion Japanese), and Italian favorite Trattoria dell'Arte (on the pricey side, but great for groups).

For meals that won't break the bank, there are small cafes like Green Cafe two doors down from the hotel, where you can get a slice of pizza or a turkey sandwich for less than $6. Check out more dining options in the Midtown West area at Urban Spoon.

I highly recommend Danku on 57th Street between Sixth and Fifth Avenues (a two-minute walk). This Dutch fast-food eatery has wonderful krokets (balls of fried stuff, also known as "croquettes") that come in flavors like chicken curry, and macaroni and cheese. They also serve paninis, salads, and organic cream root beer. If the colorful, geometric wallpaper won't draw you in, their emphasis on natural, organic food will.

And if guests are really in a bind, they can cook dinner in the microwave that comes with every room. The nearest store is Duane Reed, a pharmacy/convenience store across the street.