New York Hilton Midtown

With close to 2,000 rooms, this Hilton is the largest hotel in New York City (just edging out the Marriott Marquis). What that means, as you can probably imagine, is a basketful of double-edged swords: impersonal but efficient service; quiet rooms on high floors, serviced by slow elevators; and a bustling lobby and buzzing bar scene. In many ways, the Hilton is a microcosm of the city itself: vertical, crowded, diverse, and cash-driven.
As the host of hundreds of conferences and conventions every year, the Hilton heavily relies on -- and caters to -- business travelers. A quarter of its guests are corporate groups; individual business travelers also represent a healthy proportion of the remaining 75 percent. Suits and pantsuits abound in the lobby and its bar, from early in the morning till late at night. All told, it's not the homiest atmosphere for a tourist.
Finally, a fun movie tidbit: On the second floor, outside the convention hall ballrooms, is the spot where George Clooney memorably confronted Tilda Swinton (who won the Oscar for her role) in the climactic scene of Michael Clayton. Also of note, the hotel has hosted every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy and Donald Trump delivered his 2016 victory speech here.

Surrounded by high-rise office buildings, the Hilton Midtown sits just a dozen short blocks from one of the most tourist-packed intersections in the world: 42nd Street and Broadway, the heart of Times Square. Though it's technically within the Theater District, there is a corporate feel to the area. The extra-wide sidewalks in the area are tiled rather than paved, and the neighboring buildings feature open-air loggias conducive to smoking breaks and al fresco lunches. Street-food stands dot the sidewalks.
Not surprisingly, the neighborhood gets quieter at night than the touristy area just five minutes to the west. Still, safety shouldn't be much of an issue. The street is well-lit, and plenty of corporate grinders catch cabs outside well into the night. There are a plethora of restaurants near the hotel, within easy walking distance.
If you're visiting New York for fun, the Hilton is centrally located -- within 10 minutes of Midtown's most popular sites. The MOMA is right down the street and so is the Ed Sullivan Theater. Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, and most Broadway theaters are within five to 10 blocks. Central Park, five short blocks north, is equally accessible.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Airport (in New Jersey). Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.
Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7.75 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.
Ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft operate in New York City, but the cost is comparable to taxi cabs.

The hotel renovated its rooms between 2010 and 2016. Standard guest rooms are comparable in size to what you'd find at a NYC Marriott or Radisson. Room decor varies between categories, with City and Skyline Rooms having more attractive, contemporary decor, and Urban Rooms appearing more traditional. In the former, expect blue-gray walls, tweed-like headboards, blue velvet armchairs and ottomans, and modern wood furniture. Urban Rooms, meanwhile, have honey-tone wood furniture, tan bedskirts, swirl-patterned carpeting, faux-leather headboards, and beige walls.
All rooms have comfortable bedding, work desks, sitting areas, and flat-screen TVs. Rooms either have shower/tub combos or walk-in glass showers. Other amenities include Peter Thomas Roth toiletries, electronic safes, alarm clock radio with MP3 capability, hairdryers, and irons. There are no coffeemakers or minibars, and only the City Rooms have empty mini-fridges.
Upgrading to an Executive Room or a Suite will get you into the Executive Lounge, which provides free breakfast, coffee, and appetizers during the day, as well as additional features like robes and bottled water. Suites also have a spacious living area with oversized furniture.
The New York Hilton Midtown also offers stellar views of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Guests can book rooms with partial or full-on views of the parade. The Ultimate Corner View Room has the best vistas and is the priciest option.

The Hilton means business. As the host of hundreds of conferences and conventions a year, the hotel knows who butters its bread and has acted accordingly -- it boasts over 150,000 square feet of meeting space on the property. There's also a business center, but printing incurs a fee.
The highlight for non-business travelers (and let's face it, for many business travelers, too) is a 8,000-square-foot fitness center. It contains dozens of Precor machines of all kinds, plus several sets of free weights, personal trainers (available at additional cost), and personal TV screens for the cardio machines. Classes such as Zumba, Pilates, and yoga are offered.
While there’s no full spa here, guests can book spa treatments in their room. The menu includes services such as massage, haircuts and stylings, make-up application, and manicures.
Wi-Fi is fast and reliable throughout the property, but it’s only free for Hilton Honors members -- this is a free program to join.

Hilton's restaurant, Herb n' Kitchen, is open every day from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. It serves a breakfast buffet in the mornings, coffee throughout the day, and food like flatbread, paninis, and salad. It has grab-and-go items, and room service is available from morning until late.