Jolly Madison Towers Hotel

Stayed in September 2002 and found the room small but adequate. I would agree with other reviewers though: - the air conditioning was antiquated and noisy. - the bar was either empty or closed most of the time. - the staff could have been more welcoming. However, I booked with Expedia and got a relatively good price. The hotel is also well located for a first visit to New York in that it is only 5-10 minutes walk of Times Square, the Empire State Building etc. I'm not convinced the current upgrade will turn this into a great hotel.

I booked four nights in early Oct 2004 based on the good reviews here. I used to live in New York, so I was prepared for possible staff rudeness and small rooms...but this is billed as a four-star hotel, so I had high expectations. I was disappointed! The staff at the front desk is cooperative but cold. I got a room on the ninth floor I think. When you opened the door, the bed was RIGHT THERE by the door. In other words - you can literally touch the face of the person in bed if you stand in the doorway. The room was so small, and the furniture was just crammed into the small space. Being a petite woman, I couldn't lift my (not huge) suitcase high enough to get it past the space between the foot of the bed and the desk - which was the only way I could get it INTO the room. There wasn't enough space for me to wheel it between them. I promptly called the front desk, and the person who answered first said she couldn't move me, then when I insisted on talking to someone else, she put me on hold so long, I hung up and went downstairs - suitcase in tow - to deal with the problem. I requested a room on the same floor that I saw a maid cleaning out (she said it was vacant), but they said that it was "reserved" for someone else. Then the manager gave me a room on the sixth floor. I went up - the floor plan was slightly different, but it was a dungeon - small and dark, even in broad daylight. In my opinion, I actually ended up in a worse situation! I gave up. I stayed one night, and gladly paid the extra to get a room at the Helmsley Park Lane for the rest of my stay. Only thing I appreciated about the room was the bathroom, which was nice and modern. The rest of it...not worth the money. My room was so dark, I had no idea what time it was at any point during the day. This is NOT a four-star hotel, people!

As part of what appears to be an Italian hotel chain reception staff at this hotel win top marks for that very Latin of attitudes - indifference. Room was small (as are most in NY), bed make-up strange - sheet/blanket/another sheet/bedspread? and extremely small, uncomfortable pillows. After a long hard day pounding the streets and in need of rejuvenation found mini-bar fridge did not work & no kettle provided, nor was the hotel cafe open (appears to only function as a breakfast room), so retreated to the bathroom in anticipation of a long hot soak, only to find plug refused to retain the luke warm water supplied! Other issues included a wash basin with disgustingly dirty overflow and rim, grey/yellow net curtains resplendent with cigarette burns in a no-smoke room, antiquated air con which belted out hot but no cold, so had to resort to leaving windows open & suffer street noise, distorted sound system on TV, bedside phone not working, residents bar which stays shut most of the time and when it is open closes prompt 11.30p.m. - just as you are returning from that trip to the theatre expecting a couple of nightcaps to round off the evening. Finally when rang the front desk at 9a.m. on the last day (having performed a vault of Olympic standards over the other bed and its occupant to reach a phone on the dressing table) to try and request a late check-out (we had tried pre-booking but were told we had to wait until the day of departure) NO ONE WOULD ANSWER, so had to pull on clothes and traipse down to reception only to be sneered at with a"no madam - we are full" response. Obviously we're not the only ones to be conned into paying 4* prices for what can only be described as 2* accommodation and services (or lack of them). By the way the cafe over the road (Moonstruck) is open 6a.m. through 1a.m. with an excellent menu and reasonable prices - perhaps they should consider expanding their business to include a few beds and make a killing!

Stayed here for a few days in october 04... The staff were extremely unfriendly, the hotel was shabby and the room was tiny with two single beds and worse than anything else was the fact that there was nothing to protect you from falling out of the window..we were on the 10th floor! Extremely dangerous. This is supposed to be a 4* but it's more like a 2*. Would never stay there again.

When I arrived with my 9 yr old boy , I was annoyed to find that the only room they had for us, had only 1 bed in, never the less, I wasn't prepared to fight as we had just gotten off a 10 hour flight from London so we made the most of it. We couldn't unpack as they were moving us into a twin room the next day. The staff were very nice about the whole situation tho'. THe room we got the next day was titchy!!!! I know NY rooms are small but I had to stack the suitcases over by the window and climb over the beds to get around the room!!! Everything was spotlessly clean and the breakfasts were huge!! Great hotel, just a shame the rooms were so small!!!

I loved this hotel. I went last winter to see the tree and shop. It was in walking distance to everything. The rooms where very clean.

i have to recommend this hotel. we have just spent 2 weeks at the jolly madison, everyone is so nice and the staff go out of there way to make you fell welcome. great location , very central, will go back.

Great staff in every area!! Front desk is super, The Bellmen are wonderful! Victor, the maitred' is also super accomodating with the exceptional food in the restaurant. The place is super clean and even the bartender is smiling and fun to everyone. I travel and this place is a real gem. What until you hear the piano player!! Better than home away from home!! Even mass is nearby!!

Nice hotel, good location. Rooms small but new and clean. Davide

The cleanliness of the hotel was good, there's no complaints there but our room was very small. We took our 1 year old daughter with us so once the cot was in it was even smaller. A huge disappointment was there was no kettle!!! We were relying on one to warm our baby's milk and food plus it would of been nice not to have to go out everytime we wanted a drink. This is the first Hotel we have stopped in that hadn't one. Had we of been told that the hotel was not really suitable for children we would of certainly found a more suitable one. We paid alot of money and feel we got little/no value for money....