Anyone ever stay @ Novotel on 52nd?

Just wondering. This is where I'll be staying next weekend and I've never even heard of this hotel. If anyone has stayed there before, please, let me know what it's like. According to a few sites, it's rather nice. And it should be for $300 a night! :)

Do NOT stay there for $300 a night. I stayed there last April for $159/night and even for THAT I felt ripped off. Sure, the view was great if you get a Times Square view, but the rooms are no better than a Holiday Inn. And the front desk service is miserable.

But if it's already booked, well...umm...It is a good location, very close to the Gershwin. Security at the bottom, at the elevators. The lobby is pretty plain but good view of Times Square. Quiet, clean. Just don't expect luxury. It's a 3-star hotel at best.

ETA: Not to freak you out. I still don't think it's worth $300, but it's an acceptable hotel. I shouldn't say that I felt "ripped off" for $159 because it's New York and I'm glad to even have a private bathroom in Times Square for under $200. But if you want value for your money, there are other franchises such as Comfort Inn and Times Square with an equally good location (I'd say even better) for <$150 including breakfast.

---

Updated On: 3/1/05 at 10:12 PM

For that price you could stay at the sister hotel the Sofitel much, much nicer!

---

Never stayed there but used to live near it.

Have you checked out the Marriott Courtyard?
It's not far from Times Square and is quite reasonable.
Check out their website.

---

You could definitely do better, especially with a $300 budget. But if you want to save money and get more for your buck, there are some smaller hotels worth while.

For <$300 you can stay at the Doubletree. Not luxurious, but spacious rooms, much better than the Novotel, with a better location.

---

Well you see the thing is, not only is the room already booked, but we booked wayyy too late to have any choice of where to stay. It's for next weekend, and we could get a room anywhere for Friday night, but for some reason there wasn't a room available anywhere Saturday night. Except of course at the Novotel. The pictures seem nice.

I'm not expecting luxury. This is just where we kind of got put since we waited until yesterday to book the train & room for next weekend. Oh well.