Lodging Review: Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square South
The Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square South was my home for a week. I choose this hotel because it was within a 10 minute walk to ICFF at the Javits Center. This turned out to be a big benefit, since I didn't have to fight traffic to get to the exhibition hall on time. I also found by accident one morning, that the Javits shuttle stops right outside of the hotel, and it's the last stop on the loop before getting to Javits (meaning it's also the last stop if you're going back to the hotel).
I asked for a city view room, but the hotel was fully booked. I did get a bottle of water and package of cookies for being HHonors Gold, even though I also got 250 bonus points (it's technically one or the other at Hampton Inn, with no mention of upgrades). This was a nice touch.
The room itself was decently sized, although a bit dim, especially since I was facing another hotel building. The interesting thing about my hotel is that it's one of a "3-pack," that is, it's in the same building as a Holiday Inn Express and Candlewood Suites, with each brand maintaining a separate entrance and a nominally differentiated facade. The building I faced was a "4-pack," with a Four Points Sheraton, a Fairfield Inn, Staybridge Suites, and a boutique Distrikt hotel. On my side at least, most of the staff wore Hampton uniforms, but some check-in staff, maintenance, and bellboys wore "TRIO" badges probably referring to the three hotels part of the same building.
What I liked about this hotel was the brand standards, like the Wi-Fi and wired internet which were both pretty fast, comfy bed, always available coffee, and breakfast. I also found the staff to be friendly, and the room was amazingly quiet. I couldn't hear plumbing noise or noise from my neighbors. The bathroom is a lot smaller than normal Hampton Inns, with the loss of vanity space the main detractor. But I just set up the ironing board across the way to put my toiletries on. The desk space was also a bit cramped.
Here is the breakfast room. I could always find a table, even during busy times. What did annoy me was the long wait times for the elevator. Only two elevators serving 32 floors (with 6 rooms on each floor) meant long wait times especially in the afternoon when a lot of people are checking in).
Overall, I would stay here again for its good location (also close to the subway stations around Times Square, Port Authority, and Penn Station), and functional amenities.
