The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Midtown West, Manhattan, New York City

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The sun deck

Guests don't pick the Manhattan at Times Square Hotel for its bland and outdated decor. Likewise, there's not much of a draw to Russo's Sports Bar, which doubles as a breakfast spot. But the 665-room hotel's decent-sized pool, good fitness center, and outdoor sundeck clearly distinguish it from a great many Manhattan hotels, making it a popular pick among families. Just don't expect luxury -- the hotel's hallways and rooms have worn and stained carpet.

The front desk

For service, the hotel keeps up with the major, mid-range chain-hotel standards -- express checkout, safe deposit boxes, luggage storage, wake-up calls, and 24-hour concierge services. Dry-cleaning and laundry services, as well as contracted babysitting services, are also available.

Like many hotels near the theater district in Midtown West or in Times Square, the Manhattan at Times Square Hotel also operates a ticket desk for guests looking to see a Broadway show. Depending on the show, broker fees at the ticket desk can run between $45 and $100.

The on-site health club, which operates the pool and the fitness center, also employs a staff that provides massage treatments, including in-room service. Both are available for additional charges.

As for specific requests, room service arrives promptly and if you're in need of a toothbrush, you can request a toiletry kit from the front desk.

View on a Larger Map

The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel is located smack in the middle of the Midtown West action, which is noisy and congested more often than not, but is about a 10-minute walk from the considerably more crowded and noisy center of Times Square.

The hotel's block, on 7th Avenue at West 51st Street, consists mainly of office buildings, a McDonald's, a Starbucks, and a number of less-than-notable diners and bars. For great shopping and high-end dining, guests should check out Columbus Circle, a 10- to 15-minute walk north of the hotel.

Also within walking distance, there are several points of interest. Rockefeller Center, for shopping, ice-skating, and dining, is just five blocks away. Radio City Music Hall is only three blocks away. The MoMA and all its modern-art glory is an easy four-block walk. The theater district and all its Broadway shows are also just a short walk away. Central Park is also about a 15-minute walk north.

Getting anywhere else in the city isn't a problem. Doormen are on hand to help flag down taxis, and the hotel is close to the majority of the city's subway lines at the Times Square 42nd Street station (a 10-minute walk). Lines covering the east side of Manhattan run through Grand Central Terminal, a 25-minute walk from the hotel. That station is also accessible via the shuttle subway train from Times Square.

Safety shouldn't be a huge concern, since the person who coined the phrase "the city that never sleeps" was delighting in the activity of Midtown. Even late at night, it's difficult to be alone on the streets of this neighborhood.

The Standard Room

The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel's rooms fail to impress -- but they have all the important basics. The carpet has stains and shows its age. The drapes, while cleaner, still look old, and the furnishings don't do much to add to the ambiance. A large Philips flat-screen TV is the only obviously contemporary object in the room. But the Sealy Posturepedic plush-top beds do not disappoint.

Fairly standard in-room amenities include an iron and ironing board, a coffeemaker, a clock radio, and an electronic safe.

Faring better than the bedroom area, the bathroom falls squarely in the middle of the road. It offers gray countertops, well-maintained fixtures, and a level of cleanliness that surpasses that of the rest of the room -- no smudges, stains, or other notable signs of wear. The high-end Bliss bath products -- also offered at the hotel's expensive Starwood sisters at the W hotel chain -- are a step up from the generic-brand soaps of most mid-range properties.

As for other options, the Deluxe rooms, like the standard rooms, are 253 square feet, but sit on higher floors and feature iPod docks and bathrobes. Guests can also book a 570-square-foot suite with a wet bar, a dining-room table that seats six, and views of Broadway and 52nd Street.

The pool

If there's any area in which the hotel makes up for lackluster decor and uninspiring rooms, it's in its on-site amenities.

The fitness center, operated by Atlantis Sports Clubs and Spas, is free for guests to access and it sits at the end of a fifth-floor hallway. A set of free weights and a bench, a small area for sit-ups, a pair of pulldown machines, three ellipticals, a recumbent bike, and several treadmills (with individual TV monitors) fit snuggly into the narrow workout area. A watercooler and a set of towels round out the amenities. There's also a window through which runners can take in a view of the building across the street.

Adjacent to the gym, guests will find the heated indoor pool, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. At 50 feet long, it's shorter than regulation high-school or college pools, but still sufficient for swimming short laps. The powerful chlorine smell and high heat mean it's not a great place to hang out and relax, but it's fine for exercise or a quick splash with the kids. A pool attendant provides towels and checks in guests.

Atlantis also operates a spa on the lower level of the hotel. For $10 a day or $20 for the trip, guests get access to steam rooms and a sauna. They can also schedule massages at the spa at $110 for a Swedish massage and $120 for deep tissue. Atlantis also makes this lower-level facility available to full-time members who are not hotel guests.

In-room Internet costs $15 a day, but many guests take advantage of the business center in the lobby, which provides free Internet-connected computer kiosks, as well as free printing and free copies of USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Often, higher-priced hotels nickel-and-dime guests for these features.

There's a parking garage on the ground floor, operated by Icon Parking systems. Rates tend to run about $40 a day. Check Icon's rate calculator for more details.

Families constitute the majority of guests at the Manhattan at Times Square -- in large part due to the indoor pool on the fifth floor. There's a pool attendant there, but no lifeguard, and signs urge parents not to leave their children unattended in the area. The pool ranges from 3 to 5 feet deep.

At 253 square feet, the rooms have space for rollaway beds, which the hotel provides. Cribs are available on request at no extra charge.

A 10-minute walk to either Times Square to the south or Central Park to the north, the hotel is also just two blocks from Radio City Music Hall, so there are plenty of family-friendly activities nearby.

As for food, Russo's offers simple fare that kids might enjoy, but overall it's not a worthwhile dining spot for anyone, young or old.

There are no fees for bringing pets to the hotel. The hotel only requests that animals be kept in carriers if left unattended while housekeeping is making rounds. Free dog beds are available on request.

Russo Steak and Pasta Restaurant

Russo's, the on-site Italian restaurant and bar, is a fairly run-of-the-mill sports bar, but not a popular spot among locals. It's open for breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. to midnight (it's closed at lunch). In general, the food is subpar and overpriced -- a breakfast of Yoplait yogurt, a coffee, and an orange juice, for example, costs $17.

Nearby food offerings mainly consist of low-priced delis and diners and kid-friendly but pricy tourist spots like Ellen's Stardust Diner (dancing 1950s-style waitstaff) and Mars 2112 (dancing Martians). But for a more popular, high-end dining experience, try Insieme at the Michelangelo hotel, across the street from the hotel.

New York has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting to town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than getting there 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.