St. Giles New York - The Tuscany Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Gramercy and Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York City

Front desk

In April 2010, the London-based St. Giles hotel group took over two Starwood-managed W-brand hotels, the Tuscany and the The Court (located around the corner). The hotel was renovated again since the buyout in 2012, which gave the hotel a modern look, but still somewhat muted since its W days.

The entrance most resembles the hotel's Tuscan-inspired tone, with stone tile walls of traditional Italianate design. The lobby and the rest of the hotel have a more modern feel with their Italian fixtures, but fit well with the classic elegance.

View on a Larger Map

The Tuscany is on a quiet one-way street -- and right next to The Court, which sits on the only slightly busier corner of 39th Street and Lexington Avenue. Lexington Avenue has some shops and places to eat, while 39th Street is basically just residential. The advantage: a quieter night's sleep.

Primarily residential, the neighborhoods of Gramercy and Murray Hill don't have the tourist crowds of Times Square or Midtown East (just a few blocks north). Bryant Park and the Morgan Library Museum are both within walking distance, as are many shops and restaurants of every ethnicity, not to mention a plethora of sports bars on Third Avenue. But for most visitors, the main draw is that it's a quiet, convenient place to stay, just outside the theaters, funky shops, and restaurants of the East Village (to the south) and the business-focused hub and high-end Fifth Avenue shopping of Midtown East (to the north).

• Three blocks from the 4, 5, 6, 7, and S subway lines at Grand Central Station
• 10-minute subway ride to Central Park
• 10-minute subway ride to Times Square
• 10-minute walk to the Empire State Building
• 25-minute subway ride to the ferry terminal to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• 15-minute walk or bus ride to Rockefeller Center
• 30-minute subway ride to the American Museum of Natural History
• 30-minute subway ride to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the "Met") and 10-minute ride to the Museum of Modern Art (the "MoMA")

The rooms are big ansd spphisticated, with dark brown headboards and furniture, modern technologies, and dark red and blue accents (the hotel's signature colors). Rooms are classic and modern at the same time, with swanky fixtures that don't hit you over the head with their design.

• The hotel's smallest "Studio" standard room, at 325 square feet, is nearly twice the size of a typical hotel room in New York City. Deluxe rooms are even larger: 435 to 450 square feet.
• One-bedroom suites range from 675 to 700 square feet, and also include a Bose/Bang&Olufsen Surround Sound System and impressive views.
• Large, dark wood desk
• 46-inch LG flat-screen; DVDs available to borrow for free
• Stocked minibar
• Tivoli Audio clock radio, though no iPod dock
• Molton Brown bath products
• Excellent beds, left over from when the St. Giles was a W-brand hotel: pillow-top mattress; down pillows; down comforter and duvet
• Free Wi-Fi
• Bathrooms are vintage tile with rainfall showerheads.

The Fitness Center

• 24-hour fitness center
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
• Meeting and event space is available, including a 17th floor observation deck with 360 degree views

• Icon is the hotel's restaurant; open for breakfast only
• Court Bar serves cocktails and small bites.
• 24-hour room service

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. 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.