Tried & Tested

Hotel check: Hotel 41 at Times Square

1 Nov 2005 by business traveller

What's it like? Opened in July 2002, this is a modern hotel in a wonderfully central location. Arriving shortly after midnight after a flight from London, reception was understandably quiet, but the welcome was warm from both the receptionist and doorman. Within minutes I was on the way to my room with a complimentary bottle of water (all guests are given one on arrival).

Where is it? In Midtown on 41st Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues and very close to Times Square and the Theatre district. 

How many rooms? 47, including one penthouse suite and three junior suites.

Room Facilities I was staying in the penthouse suite, which was spacious with a large bed, coffee table, desk and sofa – all in creams and beige. The bathroom was large with a spa bath, separate shower and two sinks. Most rooms have smaller bathrooms with one sink and combined shower and bath. My room also had a large verandah with seating. As there is a fridge and plenty of glasses it would be a great place for a drinks party in the summer.

Normal guestrooms are smaller with little circulation space. There is only room to work by sitting on the bed in some rooms. Rooms are functional rather than lavish. All rooms have bathrobes, Aveda bath products, iron/ironing board, a laptop-sized safe, hairdryer, TV with DVD/CD player and free high-speed internet connection. CDs and DVDs can be borrowed from the front desk. 

Restaurants and Bars Bar 41, located on the ground floor near reception, is a mix of black and brown colours from the granite bar top to the wooden walls and tables. The bar is open for lunch and dinner with a happy hour between 4pm and 7pm. It serves an interesting array of cocktails, and food options are varied but generally simple or of fast food type including satay, burgers, wings, salads, nachos, burgers, sandwiches, steak and fries.

Lunch is served 11am-4pm and dinner 4pm-10pm and the bar is open until 11pm. Room service is available 4pm-10pm. The Bar area is open each day 7am-11am serving continental breakfast. This consists of coffee, tea, orange juice with a selection of pastries and bagels. Complimentary coffee and tea is available from 7am-4pm each day.

Business and Meeting Facilities Complimentary internet access is available in all guestrooms. The hotel promotes the free service but there were no instructions or obvious connections in the room. However, it is simple enough; you just plug your cable into a socket in the wall and open your browser.

The hotel has one private room off the bar that is suitable for small functions of up to 12 people. As there are no windows you would not want to be in there all day for a meeting.  As an alternative you can hire the penthouse and convert it to a meeting room for the day.  It is large enough for a good-sized meeting table with plenty of circulation space, large windows and, if the weather is good, the verandah for breaks. There is no business centre but the reception was willing to handle any needs.

Leisure facilities The hotel does not have a gym but a one-day pass to the New York Sports Club is available for $10. 

Price Rates vary depending on the time of year but start from $209 (£117) for a standard room to $380 (£213) for the penthouse. The internet rate for a midweek stay in November was $342 (£192) for a standard room.

Verdict A conveniently located hotel with well priced, if small, rooms.  If you don't need all the facilities of a large hotel but want a good price then this is worth a look. Standard rooms are small so make sure you book something bigger if you are planning to spend lots of time working in your room.

Contact Hotel 41 at Times Square, 206 West 41st Street, tel +1 212 703 8600; hotel41.com.

Julian Gregory

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