When I now think of the Paramount Hotel, the words stimulating, pretentious, over-the-top, space ship and nostalgia come to mind. Finding this hotel is like finding an Italian restaurant in a Neapolitan alley. Any business that doesn’t want you to find it easily, comes across as a bit pretentious to me. I don’t know why they wouldn’t want to be proud of such a beautiful façade. I say, put a sign up! Maybe an old theater-style marquee.

When and if you find the door of entry, there is always a handsome and friendly face to greet you. Music blaring and lighting subdued, there was a barrage of mismatched chairs from cozy slipcovered couches to tree stumps made into uncomfortable chairs in the lobby. The mezzanine bar is beautiful, with candle-lit tables, comfy couches, and hassocks strewn about. The eclectic room keys and the door lock are really difficult and my suspicion is is that everyone gets the same, "old fashioned" key. The room was small but the all white theme helped make it look livable for two days. It appeared that when this hotel was re-decorated, the old connecting doors, walls and ceilings, windows, radiators, and bathrooms were just painted over, slightly altered or covered. The window air conditioner wasn’t working on this 98-degree day. The engineer came to fix it about 3 hours later. The beds were boxsprings and mattresses on the floor, comfortable in a futon kind of way. The down pillows were great. There were no noises from surrounding rooms. The room amenities included a bar of soap and one small bottle of shampoo. The mini bar was overstocked and overpriced. The health club was a workout room with some modern equipment on the mezzanine floor with a business center open 24 hours next door. The mezzanine bar was gorgeous, and also served a very high-priced breakfast. However, the blaring new wave music made the bar a less pleasant place to dine and relax. There was a Dean and DeLuca coffee shop next to the lobby that was a much better choice for continental breakfast. Staff were all pleasant and accommodating, but seemed to lack professional management.

All in all, I left with a sense of imbalance. The 4 star rating did not fit the lack of attention to details in the rooms. The four stars belong to the lobby only. I think that if it were rated 3 stars, it would make a better impression and get more positive comments, simply because the guests would not expect so much and would be pleasantly surprised by the lobby. I would stay here again only if it were priced under $139.00 and if I wanted to have a romantic weekend with the candlelit bar in mind.

If you are driving in, it might be worth your while to look around for parking; the average price in the area is $35.00 and up for a day.

When you arrive in the hotel, you are greeted by a smashing array of light and color that follows a unique design concept of mismatched chairs and couches. These provide a great way to mingle with other people, whether they are staying at the hotel or just coming by to look at the novel lobby.

The rooms are a bit on the small side (but hopefully you did not come to Manhattan to stay in your room!), although the stark white-on-white decor and the functional furniture (dressers and bathroom vanity) work wonders with the small space. If you want any additional bath amenities (soap and shampoo are complimentary), bring them yourself. This room was fine for my husband and me, but I would worry about this being a wise choice for a family because of the small space of the room and the sophisticated nature of the hotel.

The check-in and check-out procedures were discreet and speedy. Be sure to check out The Whiskey Bar, The Library Bar, the lighted elevators, and the model-wannabe doormen.

Any person can stay in a room that is large and comfortable with no unique attributes, but it is nice to broaden your horizons a bit and open your mind to something a little different.

Before we lost all of our sanity, we arrived to the hotel. The Paramount Hotel is very centrally located, has a beautiful décor (deco-style) and comfortable rooms. We were surprised by the speediness and perfection of the concierge. He knew his job to the very last detail. He made us reservations for dinner on a busy Friday night in the theatre district, showed us a map with the approximate walking time, and pointed us in the right direction.

Our room was all white but very cozy. The only problem was we woke up at 6 am due to the clear curtains which let the light into the room. Nevertheless, it worked out to our advantage. Having lost some colleagues on 9/11, we wanted to visit the memorial at the World Trade Center site and then had to be at the airport by 10 AM. We took a cab to the site, where at the memorial site we saw something that made a lot of sense, why is it called "ground zero"?.......it should be called "ground of heroes". We agreed wholeheartedly. It was unbelievable, the size of the empty space left by the towers, the tributes to those lost, everything. Three years ago we had our picture taken from the top of one of the towers overlooking the river and the green domes behind the WTC. It’s hard to believe that everything is gone together with so many lives.

Back to the hotel we packed our bags prepared for an uncomfortable "shuttle" ride to the airport. After waiting 30 minutes with our shuttle bus noticeably absent, we took a cab. Although we packed smartly, we still had two carry-ons and one big piece of luggage. Surprisingly, nobody in the hotel (doorman, or otherwise) came to help us with our bags, get a cab, or open the doors (two sets of heavy glass doors without automatic mechanism). We were amazed. For some reason I thought that they knew we had paid 10% of the full price..

The rooms were simple and designed in a trendy and modern way. The rooms looked like the could use some paint and the bathroom had old fixtures. Overall the hotel could use some improvements in housekeeping in the rooms and in the general areas (lobby, bar, and health club where glasses and dirty dishes were everywhere).

There were some cool designs in the lobby and a lighted board on each floor by the elevators that told you the weather for the day.

The front desk staff was helpful. The bellman out front helped us get a cab in the pouring rain.

Overall nice experience if you want to stay in the Times Square area but the hotel rooms and housekeeping could use some improvements.

The Paramount is a member of the Ian Schrager family of hotels (see the Ian Schrager Hotels web site for more info). Having stayed at Schrager's Hudson Hotel and visited the Paramount's Whiskey Bar, I had a good idea of what to expect. Still, when I arrived Saturday afternoon, exhausted from a very late night out Friday, the experience was jarring.

The Paramount is part hotel, part nightclub and part living art exhibit. The doorman was young, friendly and gorgeous, definitely hoping to be discovered and not for his taxi hailing skills. Once inside, I found stylishly mismatched modern furniture, flattering dim lighting and more attractive staff members, all wrapped up in an ambient house beat. Post check-in, I passed the unusual nouveau newsstand, I hopped into the glowing elevator. This one was lit all in red, but during my stay, I also rode in the green and yellow elevators.

My room... I expected tiny, the Paramount being a chic New York City boutique hotel, and that's just what I got. Decorated primarily in white, the room's splashes of color came from navy and cream blocked carpeting and a huge oil canvas behind the bed. The queen size bed was low to the ground, covered with at least six pillows and, I later learned, comfortable. At the end of the bed was a desk - also white, a beautiful sculptural white chair and white chest containing the television, VCR (huge video library available - $8.50 per rental) and mini bar.

Like a lot of NYC hotel rooms, this one featured no view to speak of (unless you like parking lots), but I expected that. An in-window a/c unit somewhat obscured the view of the lot. Ancient paint on the only openable window pane made me think of a East Village dumpy apartment instead of my glamorous hotel so I pulled the blinds closed and didn't peek out again.

The greatest disappointment? The bathroom. Although the conical stainless steel sink was awesome, the shower was inexcusable. So tiny that while showering, the shabby rag of a shower curtain was touching me at all times. The tile was just short of decrepit; old and grimy with a large lump on one side. The Paramound skimps on toiletries, providing just soap and one tiny bottle of an all-in-one shampoo/conditioner.

Bottom line, would I stay here again? Yes, but only with a discount and only if I would receive a guarantee about a larger, more updated bathroom. Otherwise, you can find me at the much more plush Millenium UN Plaza or crashing on a friend's couch.