Description: Three years ago Himself and Yours Truly traveled to the Big Apple to attend an international wrestling meet at the New York Athletic Club. Our youngest nephew was a competitor, and we wanted to join other far-flung family members to cheer him on. We stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania because our nephew’s athletic club had arranged for a group discount and had extended the option of a special rate to the athletes’ family members.

The 22-story Hotel Pennsylvania should have been a great place to stay. It has a perfect location on 7th Avenue at 33rd, across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. Macy’s flagship store is just a stone’s throw away, and most of the attractions of Midtown are within easy walking distance. For those who prefer not to walk, connections to public transportation are close and plentiful. The hotel’s façade and lobby speak of luxury from another era—Ionic columns at the entrance; marble and mirrors in the lobby, overshadowed by an oversized crystal chandelier; and a history that includes performances by a legion of famous names from the Big Band era. Now the Pennsylvania’s elegance is overshadowed by its shabbiness, and renovation is badly needed.

Our room was large enough, but there is no way around it—it was dirty. The carpets were worn and soiled, with a disagreeable buildup around the edges. Grout around the bathroom tiles was black with age and lack of vigorous cleaning, and nowhere did the floor stand up to close inspection. I usually love to kick off my shoes and go barefoot when I'm indoors. Not here! The shoes stayed on until I crawled into bed. I even wore sandals in the shower. The bathroom furnishings were chipped and some surfaces were moldy. The bedroom furniture was cheap and scarred. The room apparently had once been two smaller rooms, or possibly a suite. It had two doors off the hotel corridor, one of which could not be opened. The disabled door had an enclosed entry hall. The placement of the windows (which badly needed cleaning) also suggested that there had once been a wall separating two smaller spaces. The room included two double beds separated by a bed-side table, a small desk, a folding suitcase rack, TV and cabinet, and a very small fridge (much smaller than the mini fridges often found in hotels).

Pets are accepted at the hotel (I don't want to think about what that meant for the overall cleanliness of the place), and management is not too fussy about keeping several young people from piling in for more than the designated number of guests per room. (We were aware, for example, that as many as eight young people in our nephew’s athletic circle shared a room intended for four. They simply put down inflatable mattresses on available floor space.) This laxness gave the place a bit of a hostel atmosphere.

Not surprisingly, service was poor. Housekeeping was obviously inadequate. Check-in and check-out were characterized by long, slow-moving lines. Desk attendants were not rude, but confusion was evident--particularly over our rate. To be fair, it all got sorted out in the end, but the process was exasperating. Breakfast service was not included in our rate.

Onsite facilities at the Hotel Pennsylvania include a fitness center, business center, concierge service, coffee shop, newsstand, and Lindy’s Restaurant off the main lobby. We used only the coffee shop, preferring to go elsewhere for meals.

Our special rate for this not-so-special accommodation was $119 per night. In New York, that’s cheap--dirt cheap. However, given the condition of the rooms and the public areas, it’s difficult to justify more. Our special rate hardly entitled us to the hotel’s best rooms, and it’s entirely possible that some were nicer and enjoyed better housekeeping. All we can speak to are the two rooms we actually saw—both of where were sadly in need of a good cleaning and a makeover.

Would we stay here again? Not willingly. Still, for those in need of an inexpensive place to stay in what is one of the world’s most expensive cities, it’s better than sleeping on the streets. It's difficult to find anything that would justify the hotel's 3-star rating. A single star would seem more appropriate.

- BawBaw/DAnnec/LovesTravelClose