Fitzpatrick Grand Central

This property is part of the small Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, a family-run Irish boutique hotel brand with a total of three properties (two in New York City and one in Dublin). The brand focuses on providing warm Irish hospitality and personalized boutique service.Decor is understated and elegant throughout the hotel, which was completely renovated in 2012. The lobby’s lounge area has a charming fireplace and dark wooden bookshelves. Books can also be found stacked neatly in each floor’s hallway and in the rooms themselves -- a nod to the Irish tradition of storytelling. Guests are encouraged to borrow them at their leisure.The hotel’s pub, The Wheeltapper, is a highlight. The cozy space features two bars and a fireplace, and is popular with locals for after-work drinks. The Patio, an outdoor space which remains open year-round (an extendable roof and heat lamps make the area quite warm even in the winter), offers more seating. The traditional pub fare served is delicious.The hotel’s other features are few; there is no business center, but there is an impressive boardroom for business meetings. Guests are provided with free passes to a nearby New York Sports Club as there is no on-site fitness center.Spacious rooms rely on simple but classic furnishings. They have flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and coffeemakers, as well as big marble bathrooms; some, including the decadent Liam Neeson Penthouse Suite and the Garden Rooms, have outdoor terraces.

The Fitzpatrick Grand Central is located in Midtown East on the busy intersection of Lexington Avenue and East 44th Street, a neighborhood dominated by corporate offices and retail stores. This skyscraper-filled neighborhood is where many New Yorkers come to work and its population booms from about 40,000 at night to 200,000 during the day. The nightlife is not the best here, but the area is never desolate.There are plenty of delis and cafes around here, and the shopping district on Fifth Avenue is about an eight-minute walk to the west. Popular tourist attractions such as Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, the Museum of Modern Art, and the New York Public Library are all are within walking distance.Grand Central Terminal has multiple subway lines, so the rest of Manhattan is easily accessible.

The rooms have classic, understated style. In the standard Deluxe Rooms, beds look modern, with red bed runners and padded red headboards, but details such as gilded mirrors and crown molding add old-world charm. Guests will find all of the amenities expected from an upscale hotel: flat-screen TVs, iPod docks, free Wi-Fi, and coffeemakers. Garden Rooms feature terraces and decor extras such as bed drapery and chandeliers. The Liam Neeson Penthouse Suite has a particularly impressive outdoor area, as well as a sumptuous sitting room complete with fire place and crystal chandelier.Bathrooms are spacious, with luxe toiletries by Damana and, in the Deluxe Rooms, an abundance of rich marble. Some rooms have separate showers and deep soaking tubs, but most have shower/tub combos.

The hotel has few on-site features: There is no fitness center or formal business center on the premises. An impressive boardroom makes for an excellent meeting space, and the hotel will provide free passes to a nearby New York Sports Club (located three blocks away) to compensate for the lack of a gym.The hotel’s restaurant, The Wheeltapper, provides a cozy atmosphere for a meal or after-work drink. Serving traditional pub fare in a setting dominated by Irish railroad memorabilia, The Wheeltapper is charming in its authenticity. Adjacent to The Wheeltapper is the Patio, a heated outdoor space that remains open year-round and is routinely filled with Midtown East’s suit-and-tie set during the week.