New York City is generally not viewed as having a shortage of hotel rooms. It is though, a city where one has a wide range of accommodations styles and prices categories. When making this decision, the traveler usually takes location into consideration, although that is not necessarily an overriding factor, with the NYC’s vast subway system and taxi plethora. But on this particular visit to New York City, I wanted to try something new and place myself in the mid-town, east side area. A smart traveler will consult the dependable travel sites on the web to gather data and feedback from others that have stayed in the locations under consideration and their advice is extremely valuable in creating an itinerary. My favorite site happens to be tripadvisor.com. After viewing the suggested hotel options, I settled on The Fitzpatrick Manhattan. It is owned by The Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, which began as a small family-run business in Ireland. The company now maintains properties in North America and Ireland.

I settled on The Fitzpatrick Manhattan because it was centrally located on the east side (56th and Lexington) and offered affordable rates. Naturally, New York City is not an inexpensive city but The Fitzpatrick falls into a category that provides the traveler with clean and comfortable accommodations without draining you dry. The added bonus (which you don’t confirm until your arrive) is the service level. And, let’s face it, service isn’t what it used to be. Well, this is the refreshing part! The Fitzpatrick offers a level of service that is missing in many American-run establishments. The more personal service and time afforded the arriving guest is just right and greatly appreciated.

We arrived in the late afternoon and were checked in by a friendly and efficient front desk agent. The Fitzpatrick does not utilize a huge arrival counter, but instead seats you at a more intimate desk area. We were graciously checked in and given our rooms keys. The agent also asked if she could assist with dinner reservations. She was efficient and successful in obtaining a reservations at the restaurant of our choice (BLT Steak).

Upon arriving at our room, we discovered a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and heard a television from inside. We called the manager downstairs and he promptly sent up a bellboy to investigate. The bellboy confirmed the situation and ordered a new room. This was when I was immediately impressed with the hotel…the manager assigned us to a suite, without hesitation. He apologized and upgraded us to compensate for the minor inconvenience. This was a pleasant surprise and both my husband and I appreciated the level of professionalism.

The suite, though not particularly large, was quite comfortable, clean and attractive.

The hotel offers a very nice sports bar on the ground floor adjacent to their lobby. The hotel is situated midpoint between two subway stations – Lexington & 53rd or Lexington & 59th. The city is large and exciting so get out there and enjoy it!