Westgate New York Grand Central

It might have opened in 1931 as the Tudor hotel (the Hilton took over in 2010), but the renovations that same year erased most of the property's historic appeal -- despite being a member of Historic Hotels of America, its look is more modern and generic. Its modest entrance sits behind a bus stop and the heavy traffic of Midtown East. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and a standard size for New York's midrange hotels, but features are skimpy.A clean room is pretty much all you get at this hotel. Guests seem to use the hotel as a crash pad between days spent in business meetings or exploring the surroundings; the hotel's own features are scant and unexciting. The so-so business center and drab gym are empty most of the time. At the Tudor Bar & Grill, the on-site restaurant, you might spot a few business travelers quietly tucking away their unnotable continental breakfasts or sipping a glass of wine with colleagues in the evening, but it's not the kind of restaurant a local would ever bother going to.For a place near the United Nations Headquarters, it works. And though it lacks the pool and tennis courts of the U.N. Plaza Hotel, the Tudor's rooms are at least in better condition. But if the U.N. is not your key point of interest, it's worth comparing its rates to a number of other notable business hotels in the area, such as the New York Helmsley, the Kimberly Hotel, and the Benjamin.

Standard services and amenities, with no frills- Room service available daily, but for breakfast and dinner only

• No evening turndown service
• Concierge desk, but not 24 hours
• Business center with printing, faxing, secretarial services, and computers available.
• Laundry service
• Valet parking only, for a fee
• Free Wi-Fi is available in public areas, but there is a daily fee for guestroom access

Located in Midtown East, home to New York's famous skyscrapers and a high share of its cubicles, the Hilton Manhattan East attracts mostly business travelers. The direct surroundings are far from thrilling -- a vast selection of dry cleaners, nail salons, drugstores, and delis on street level, and office buildings towering above -- but its generally quiet, safe, and an easy neighborhood to get around.- One block from the United Nations Headquarters

• Grand Central Station, a train and subway station that's so famous it's a landmark in and of itself, is less than a 10-minute walk. There are 7 subway lines that run through Grand Central.
• Empire State Building is about a 15-minute walk.

The 300 guest rooms at the Hilton have bland decor: muted colors, generic furniture, and cookie-cutter bathrooms that are no more exciting than the bathrooms in any other mid-price hotel chain.- Queen guest rooms range from 270 to 300 square feet, which is slightly above-average for a New York hotel in this price range.

• For each room upgrade, you get a little more space: King (king-size bed); Two Double Beds (two double-size beds); Junior Suite (single room with a king-size bed); One-Bedroom Suite (separate bedroom and living area)
• Desks in every room
• Wi-Fi and hard-wired Internet for a daily fee
• No minibars or fridges -- just an ice bucket and glasses
• Clock radio with iPod connection
• 32-inch flat-screen TV with basic cable, plus HBO. Pay-per-view movies and game counsels are also available.
• In-room safes, large enough for a laptop
• Coffeemakers with Lavazza Italian coffee
• Very quiet, thanks to well-insulated double-paned windows
• Clean, functional bathrooms with good shower pressure; small set of Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Bath toiletries. Suites' bathtubs have a set of jets.

The Tudor covers the basics a business traveler might need: a gym, business center, and five meeting rooms. For the price, the Marriott New York East Side offers a similarly business-like atmosphere, but with further amenities and features for kids.- 24-hour fitness center

• Small business center, accessible 24 hours, with a few desktop computers: printing, faxing, and mailing services are also available for additional charges.
• Meeting rooms range from executive boardrooms that seat about 12 people at an oval table to a 1,500-square-foot event space.

Quiet, clean rooms would be good for families, but the cheapest room options aren't really configured for families, and most rooms can't fit a rollaway bed. For a more suitable family choice close by, the Omni Berkshire Place is similarly priced, and still caters to business travelers, but offers far better amenities and features for kids like kids' menus and games for kids.- Most rooms aren't configured to accommodate rollaway beds (which come at a nightly fee), so families will have to upgrade to a Two Double Bed guest room

• Cribs, high chairs, and babysitting services are available for additonal fees.

The hotel's restaurant is a good fail-safe for anyone too tired or busy to leave the hotel for food. The dishes aren't exciting, but the quality is good and prices are typical for a New York hotel restaurant. But with so many options surrounding the hotel (including budget options and noteworthy restaurants), the Tudor's restaurant doesn't stand out.- Tudor Neighborhood Bar & Grill serves dinner only

• Room service available for breakfast and dinner
• Breakfast is a la carte, or there's a reasonable spread of cereals, bagels, fruit, and hot breakfast items for its continental breakfast. Continental breakfast can be included in nightly rate, or can be charged for an additional fee.