Pennsylvania Hotel

I stayed in the Hotel Pennsylvania in March this year and am disappointed in the other bad reviews on here. On arrival we were immediately booked in and upgraded free of charge to superior rooms. My room had a HUGE queen-size bed and a perect view of the Empire State Building. The bed was so comfortable I almost didn't want to get out of it to go sightseeing. The room was large and airy and the bathroom very clean. All staff we met were more than friendly and helpful. You must visit the Dresden Gift Shop in the lobby and chat with the proprietor Mihaela - such a lovely and welcoming woman!
This hotel is so central (right opposiute Penn Station and Madison Square Garden) and ten mins walk from Times Square.
I would definitely stay at this hotel when I return to New York!

I usually don't book 4 or 5 star hotels as your hotel room is just a base for sightseeing in places like NY and I don't care if the place is dated or minimal in its facilities BUT I don't think it is unreasonable for a hotel in the heart of New York of all places to be CLEAN. This place once you got out of the lifts was filthy, carpets were thread bare; electric sockets hung off the wall; paint was flaking off the walls and ceiling; furniture had been vandalised - it wasn't basic but actually unhygienic to the extent that I didn't actually sit on the bed never mind lie on or in it!
The manageress was entirely unhelpful and in fact was downright rude. She was entirely unfazed by the criticism of the cleanliness in her hotel and after seeing 2 rooms and told that there were no other rooms available AND that a Penn 5000 upgrade at an extra $100 a night wouldn't actually be any better I was speechless!
Do not fall for the hype on their website and I can assure you that my review is not an exageration (I wish it were). The 2nd room (allegedly the better room offered to us!) was so full of dust we couldn't stay one night as my husband has asthma triggered by dust mites so (given that we'd paid via a travel operator who was unavailable when we needed urgent help and assistance and therefore had no available budget to find another hotel) we ended up back at JFK within 2 hours of leaving the airport and getting on the next available flight back to the UK.
Distressing doesn't even begin to describe this experience after 15 months of saving and planning. This entirely tainted my previous experience of NY and I won't be in a hurry to go back.
Nor will I book another holiday through Gold Medal - the dispute is still ongoing and their Customer Services staff can't even draft a letter without typos and grammatical errors.
3 months on and I'm still gutted!!

1 reader found this review helpful

Before you book into this hotel you have to ask yourself this. If you like luxury, great service and a clean floor than this is not the place for you!
If like us you wanted a bed for the night and somewhere to store all the tat you end up buying then take at look at this hotel.
Yeah its not the most modern, its not that clean but come on when you visit New York you don’t spend all your time in the hotel!
The location of this hotel cant be beat for the price you pay. Everything is close, the Empire state is 5 mins, Times Square 5mins, Central Park is 20-30 walk but that’s just because there is so much to see on the way up there.
New York on a budget? Then book in here

We stayed at this hotel for five nights in November 2007. It was very disappointing, having awaited our holiday for eight months to travel to the States and see New York.
On arriving at the hotel, we were impressed by the grandeur of the lobby and the general atmosphere. However, this was soon to change.
The first room we were booked into was basically a dive. There was no light in the main part of the room, mould was growing on one of the ceiling tiles, and the room was generally filthy.
We were shown two other rooms of the same standard, which failed to meet our approval.
Finally, the fourth room we were shown was of a decent standard, but was still not brilliant.
This, however, was after we had paid an upgrade fee of £200. The bathroom has been recently renovated, and so was of a good standard. However, the room was still poorly maintained, outdated, and the bed was not big enough for two people.
This hotel was recommended to us by our travel agent, and he told us that it had been recently refurbished throughout the upper levels. After staying at the hotel, we strongly disagree with this statement, and would not recommend it as a place to stay.

My boyfriend and I booked five nights at the above hotel, and were expecting a decent level of accommodation. However, the room we checked in to was absolutely filthy and had mould on one of the ceiling tiles. We requested another room, which was slightly better, but still dark, small and tired.
After this room did not meet our expectations, we asked to speak to the hotel manager to express our disappointment. The manager offered us what she described as a superior room, which we then looked at. However, this was still not up to standard and we again expressed our dissatisfaction.
It was at this point that we were offered a newly refurbished room, but we would have to pay an additional $50 per night for it. This was by far the best room we had seen, and we reluctantly paid the extra money for it as the location of the hotel was so good, however we really did not want to continue our stay there.
I would not recommend that anyone stays at this hotel as the staff are rude, impolite and have little time for their customers. Even by booking a superior room, you are not guaranteed decent accommodation, and it is for this reason it is not advisable to stay there.

Was busy all the time, as New York is meant to be! Hotel was basic and fine and was in the heart of Manhattan.
Penn Station only 5 mins away to see the rest of New York.
Great hotel if you are only going to sleep in it and sight see. Definitely a budget hotel and is good value.
Food is easy to find and is on every corner. Worth a visit if your planning to be sightseeing.

I have given this hotel 3 out of ten. It is situated in a fantastic location and is very cheap, however the standards inside reflect this.
On arrival the computer systems had gone down so we had to queue for 2 hours in reception before being able to check in.
They did provide water for us, although this didn’t seem much compensation for delaying our visit as we were only there for 3 days.
The room was very basic and didn’t even have a ceiling light, just a lamp which didn’t look very safe at all.
The bathroom wasn’t very clean and was very dated. I wouldn’t even dare use the bath it was that stained. The shower over the bath is fixed also and is very low down.
Although I could fit under it just, my husband stood no chance.
There are a couple of restaurants off from the main foyer however these are highly priced and I would recommend visiting the Irish bar across the way, they offer fantastic portions at low prices.
One thing I would say to watch out for is that dogs are allowed in this hotel, as we realised when we left our room on the second morning to find dog foul outside.
The key to the room also stopped working every now and again so we had to keep calling reception to get someone to let us in.
Overall if you are only using this place as somewhere to sleep at a low price then is ideal, however if you are wanting luxury and comfort and good service then stay away!!

We booked this hotel as we wanted a reasonably priced decent hotel in New York. We booked it through Expedia and managed to get some decent room rates.
Upon arrival at the hotel we walked into a bustling lobby, was my typical idea of a New York Hotel-was greeted by a friendly lady on reception and gave us our keys.
The room itself wasn’t anything special, it was clean however was a very well worn room in need of modernisation, however was fine for the base we needed.
There was a very good sightseeing and tours desk in reception and the staff were very pleasant and helpful in assisting with any advice needed. Hotel also has a good bar/restaurant and the prices were as expected.
The hotel is very central and only a 10 minute walk from the hustle and bustle of Times Square. Bus stops are situated outside and taxis are always passing the hotel and these were fairly easy to hail.
Overall I would stay the hotel is an ideal base for a New York stay, I’d rate it just above average, bit disappointed with the actual rooms as they are desperately in need of updating but didn’t really have the right to complain when the rates we paid were so good.

Arrived very tired after delayed flight and was given 14th floor room. Room was tiny, filthy and smelled strongly of damp with paper peeling from walls.
Reception explained that was the general standard but when I complained further I was given a room on the 6th floor which was larger, cleaner and did not smell. It was basic but acceptable. I was told this room would cost me more money but I did not ever contemplate paying anymore and did not! Restaurants Joe O's and Lindy's were very good and the hotel is ideally situated.
However, when guide books say the hotel is fine it proves what an excellent idea this website is. I wish I had known about it before I booked.

The hotel Pennsylvania although very basic & not many rooms with decent views.
The location of the hotel is magnificent opposite Madison Square Gardens and the Empire State Building directly behind, Times Square a five minute walk away.
If you have never been to New York Before it is an ideal base for finding your way around the city & the hotel can arrange excursions. New York is a truly amazing city for the sights and Shopping well worth a visit.