Pros

  • Squeaky clean, high-design rooms are well insulated from street noise
  • Spacious lobby doubles as a hip, date-ready cocktail lounge in the evening
  • Stylish, large bathrooms with slate walls and candles
  • Fitness center open 24 hours a day
See More Pros

Cons

  • Fee for Wi-Fi
  • No-frills business center
  • No spa on-site (but in-room treatments available)
See More Cons

Bottom Line

A Times Square-area luxury boutique with stunning rooms and lobby/lounge, the Royalton is arguably worth the price for its contemporary, high-concept design alone. Service is very solid, but the 24-hour gym and business center are merely serviceable.

See More Bottom Line

Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Pets Allowed

Oyster Hotel Review

Royalton New York Hotel

Scene

This hotel is a real looker. Guests, predominantly 30-something professionals, sip specialty cocktails in the spacious, moody, cosmopolitan lobby lounge.

Designed by powerhouse decorating duo Stephen Alesch and Robin Stadnefer of Roman and Williams, the Royalton achieves the kind of sultry mystique that so many boutique hotels aspire to but don't quite achieve. The expansive, mood-lit lobby, doubles in the evenings as a cocktail lounge for 30-something professionals. The paneled or carved walls and abacus-like metal screen at Fourty Four create a sultry and sophisticated atmosphere complemented by music selections that range from cool jazz in the daytime to The Smiths and Radiohead at night.

The sizable rooms, similarly sleek and atmospheric, feature recessed, wood-framed beds, futuristic bathrooms, and up-to-date electronics.

The Royalton is run by Morgans Hotel group. Cofounded by Studio 54 creator Ian Schrager -- who has since left -- the chain is still known for high-end, design-driven hotels with solid service, and the Royalton fits that reputation precisely.

See More Scene

Service

Diligent doormen and lightning-fast service earn the Royalton high marks.

Fast, professional, slightly formal service is the rule. Several doormen are posted at the doorway, dashing out to grab a guests' bags and ever-ready to run through the rain to flag a taxi. Check-in was virtually instantaneous. Room service was extraordinarily fast -- 16 minutes for my yogurt parfait. And housekeeping met a request for extra towels in three minutes (and dashed away so quickly I almost didn't have time to extend a tip).

One minor complaint: while a handful of New York hotels, including the W Union Square and the Four Seasons, offer round-the-clock concierge service, here it's limited to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

See More Service

Location

A relatively calm block in otherwise busy Midtown West, the Royalton sits near the Times Square theater district and Bryant Park. Nightlife in the area isn't great, but there are plenty of eateries nearby.

Although the neon-lit, 24-hour pedestrian madness of Times Square is just five minutes on foot from the Royalton, the street scene outside the entrance is relatively calm. The block is home to the Harvard, Yale, Penn, and New York Yacht clubs, plus several other luxury hotels, including the Algonquin, Sofitel, City Club, and Iroquois.

With subway stations at Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, and Times Square all within walking distance, the hotel is an easy walk to virtually every major subway line.

Nearby are the Museum of Modern Art, the famous Fifth Avenue luxury shopping corridor, and Bryant Park, which in the winter months is home to the city's only free ice-skating rink. Other popular attractions within easy walking distance include Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, and the Chrysler Building.

See More Location

Rooms

High design and great lighting coupled with futuristic bathrooms make the rooms feel very cool.

  • Trendy, spacious, and beautifully appointed, the rooms make a dramatic design statement with recessed beds, teardrop lamps, and a Jetsons-style bathroom.
  • Starting at 250 square feet, the Royalton's rooms are a decent size and are efficiently laid out. The entryway features a space away from the beds for a window-side work desk and a closet. The closet holds a safe, minibar, iron and ironing board, and umbrellas, which guests can borrow for free or purchase.
  • The beds are outfitted with custom mattresses built exclusively for the hotel, Egyptian cotton linens, and down comforters and pillows.
  • The light-blue walls are a smart compromise between beige traditionalism and the forbidding darkness of many modern-design boutique rooms. The heads of the beds lay in alcoves, beside which a metal mesh cubby hole houses a clock, a phone, and the TV remote.
  • The wall-mounted flat-screen HD TV carries such premium channels as HBO, as well as pay-per-view movies. It also swivels to face the beds. Rooms come with Bose iPod docking stations and a Morgans Hotel Group soundtrack CD featuring cool indie-rock performers like Andrew Bird and Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.
  • The bathroom, outfitted with dark gray tile and a steel, conical sink, looks like something out of the recent Star Trek prequel. Bath products from Malin + Goetz and a rainfall showerhead in a wand-shaped, high-power handheld fixture further contribute to the moody, futuristic vibe.
See More Rooms

Features

The gym has nice equipment but is small. The unimpressive business center charges for Internet.

The fitness center on the fourth floor has well-maintained equipment, but the small space has just one window and it faces a cinderblock wall. The six cardio machines -- two ellipticals, a recumbent bike, and three treadmills -- each has a personal flat-screen TV. A set of free weights, a pulldown machine, water, and apples round out the offerings.

Similarly, the business center next door is functional but uninspiring: one computer, a photocopier-fax machine, and an easy chair sit next to a glass table with six chairs. 

No spa on the property, but the concierge can arrange in-room treatments.

See More Features

All-Inclusive / Food

A decent daily dinner deal at high-end American Forty Four, and solid and speedy room service.

  • Room service, available from 7 a.m. to midnight, also comes from the Forty Four kitchen
  • The hotel's bar, Forty Four, has a menu designed by a group of all-star bartenders known as "The Cocktail Collective." In addition to inventive cocktails (such as the Stone Place, with aged Jamaican rum, fresh lemon and orange juice, and house-made grenadine), the bar also serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare (such as flatbreads, soft tacos, and sliders).
  • The area has scores of other options, but it's worth noting that celebrity chef Daniel Boulud's D.B. Bistro Moderne is just down the block.
See More All-Inclusive / Food

Things You Should Know About Royalton New York Hotel

Also Known As

  • Royalton Hotel
  • Royalton Hotel New York City
  • New York City Royalton
  • Royalton Hotel New York
  • Royalton New York City
  • Royalton

Room Types

  • Alcove Suite
  • Deluxe King Room
  • Deluxe Queen Room w/Fireplace
  • Deluxe Queen Room w/soaking tub
  • Deluxe Queen Room w/Soaking Tub and Fireplace
  • Loft
  • Penthouse A
  • Penthouse B
  • Penthouse C
  • Standard Room
  • Superior Room

Address

44 West 44th Street, New York City, New York 10036-6604, United States

Phone

(212) 869-4400

Website

Oyster Hotel Review

Royalton New York Hotel

Scene

This hotel is a real looker. Guests, predominantly 30-something professionals, sip specialty cocktails in the spacious, moody, cosmopolitan lobby lounge.

Designed by powerhouse decorating duo Stephen Alesch and Robin Stadnefer of Roman and Williams, the Royalton achieves the kind of sultry mystique that so many boutique hotels aspire to but don't quite achieve. The expansive, mood-lit lobby, doubles in the evenings as a cocktail lounge for 30-something professionals. The paneled or carved walls and abacus-like metal screen at Fourty Four create a sultry and sophisticated atmosphere complemented by music selections that range from cool jazz in the daytime to The Smiths and Radiohead at night.

The sizable rooms, similarly sleek and atmospheric, feature recessed, wood-framed beds, futuristic bathrooms, and up-to-date electronics.

The Royalton is run by Morgans Hotel group. Cofounded by Studio 54 creator Ian Schrager -- who has since left -- the chain is still known for high-end, design-driven hotels with solid service, and the Royalton fits that reputation precisely.

See More Scene

Service

Diligent doormen and lightning-fast service earn the Royalton high marks.

Fast, professional, slightly formal service is the rule. Several doormen are posted at the doorway, dashing out to grab a guests' bags and ever-ready to run through the rain to flag a taxi. Check-in was virtually instantaneous. Room service was extraordinarily fast -- 16 minutes for my yogurt parfait. And housekeeping met a request for extra towels in three minutes (and dashed away so quickly I almost didn't have time to extend a tip).

One minor complaint: while a handful of New York hotels, including the W Union Square and the Four Seasons, offer round-the-clock concierge service, here it's limited to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

See More Service

Location

A relatively calm block in otherwise busy Midtown West, the Royalton sits near the Times Square theater district and Bryant Park. Nightlife in the area isn't great, but there are plenty of eateries nearby.

Although the neon-lit, 24-hour pedestrian madness of Times Square is just five minutes on foot from the Royalton, the street scene outside the entrance is relatively calm. The block is home to the Harvard, Yale, Penn, and New York Yacht clubs, plus several other luxury hotels, including the Algonquin, Sofitel, City Club, and Iroquois.

With subway stations at Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, and Times Square all within walking distance, the hotel is an easy walk to virtually every major subway line.

Nearby are the Museum of Modern Art, the famous Fifth Avenue luxury shopping corridor, and Bryant Park, which in the winter months is home to the city's only free ice-skating rink. Other popular attractions within easy walking distance include Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, and the Chrysler Building.

See More Location

Rooms

High design and great lighting coupled with futuristic bathrooms make the rooms feel very cool.

  • Trendy, spacious, and beautifully appointed, the rooms make a dramatic design statement with recessed beds, teardrop lamps, and a Jetsons-style bathroom.
  • Starting at 250 square feet, the Royalton's rooms are a decent size and are efficiently laid out. The entryway features a space away from the beds for a window-side work desk and a closet. The closet holds a safe, minibar, iron and ironing board, and umbrellas, which guests can borrow for free or purchase.
  • The beds are outfitted with custom mattresses built exclusively for the hotel, Egyptian cotton linens, and down comforters and pillows.
  • The light-blue walls are a smart compromise between beige traditionalism and the forbidding darkness of many modern-design boutique rooms. The heads of the beds lay in alcoves, beside which a metal mesh cubby hole houses a clock, a phone, and the TV remote.
  • The wall-mounted flat-screen HD TV carries such premium channels as HBO, as well as pay-per-view movies. It also swivels to face the beds. Rooms come with Bose iPod docking stations and a Morgans Hotel Group soundtrack CD featuring cool indie-rock performers like Andrew Bird and Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.
  • The bathroom, outfitted with dark gray tile and a steel, conical sink, looks like something out of the recent Star Trek prequel. Bath products from Malin + Goetz and a rainfall showerhead in a wand-shaped, high-power handheld fixture further contribute to the moody, futuristic vibe.
See More Rooms

Features

The gym has nice equipment but is small. The unimpressive business center charges for Internet.

The fitness center on the fourth floor has well-maintained equipment, but the small space has just one window and it faces a cinderblock wall. The six cardio machines -- two ellipticals, a recumbent bike, and three treadmills -- each has a personal flat-screen TV. A set of free weights, a pulldown machine, water, and apples round out the offerings.

Similarly, the business center next door is functional but uninspiring: one computer, a photocopier-fax machine, and an easy chair sit next to a glass table with six chairs. 

No spa on the property, but the concierge can arrange in-room treatments.

See More Features

All-Inclusive / Food

A decent daily dinner deal at high-end American Forty Four, and solid and speedy room service.

  • Room service, available from 7 a.m. to midnight, also comes from the Forty Four kitchen
  • The hotel's bar, Forty Four, has a menu designed by a group of all-star bartenders known as "The Cocktail Collective." In addition to inventive cocktails (such as the Stone Place, with aged Jamaican rum, fresh lemon and orange juice, and house-made grenadine), the bar also serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare (such as flatbreads, soft tacos, and sliders).
  • The area has scores of other options, but it's worth noting that celebrity chef Daniel Boulud's D.B. Bistro Moderne is just down the block.
See More All-Inclusive / Food

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Airport Transportation

  • Babysitting Services

  • Balcony / Terrace / Patio

  • Basic Television

  • Business Center

  • Cable

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Full Kitchen

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Mini Bar (with liquor)

  • Pets Allowed

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Room Service

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Smoking Rooms Available

  • Swim-Up Bar

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.