Night Hotel Times Square

An unremarkable exterior with minimal signage gives way to an eye-catching lobby that does everything it can to stand out. An enormous tropical fish tank, octopus-inspired chandeliers, works of modern art, and a spray of pink, blue, and orange lighting scream "We're unique!" The adjacent Maple restaurant, bar, and lounge, which looks like an interplanetary ski lodge, does little to dampen the effect. Guests sit in space-age white chairs, conversing or working on laptops, and Maple caters to a decent-size crowd of young professionals who work in the area. The flashy technicolor fits with the vision of Vikram Chatwal, the hotshot hotelier behind other out-there New York properties. But here the clientele isn't outlandish: National and international couples on sightseeing missions make up the bulk of the guests, but small family units and the occasional business travelers find their way here, too. Compared to the common areas, guest rooms are somewhat characterless, and guests occasionally complain about noise or elevator congestion.

Situated less than a half block from Times Square, the Night Hotel Times Square occupies the tourist's dream location. The hotel is surrounded by eateries, souvenir shops, flagship stores, and theaters hosting Broadway shows. The TKTS discount ticket booth is practically across the street, a one-minute walk. Sweetening the deal, Broadway's closed to traffic between 42nd and 47th Streets, making the streets near Night some of the most pedestrian-friendly in the city. And if the neon marquees and seemingly endless stream of people get to be too much, the less-touristy Hell's Kitchen neighborhood is just two blocks west. Central Park, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), shopping on Fifth Avenue, Radio City Music Hall, and Rockefeller center are all a 15-minute walk or less from the hotel.For sights farther out, 12 subway lines (virtually every major subway line in the city) are less than a five-minute walk from the hotel. LaGuardia Airport and JFK International Airport are about an hour away via public transit. Discounted parking is available at a nearby garage, but -- this is New York -- it's still pricey.

Following the dazzling lobby, rooms can be a bit of a letdown. While they're clean with modern amenities, the decor lacks personality or even color, and entry-level rooms are downright tiny, even for a Manhattan hotel. Rooms feature brown gridded wall-to-wall carpeting, beige walls, and dark wood furniture. Pillow-top beds have Egyptian cotton sheets. Bathrooms have white subway tiling and walk-in showers.All rooms have flat-screen HDTVs, cordless phones with bluetooth and Skype capability, in-room safes, and Bose Wave Radios with iPod docks. Bathrooms are stocked with hair-dryers, terrycloth bathrobes, and high-end C.O. Bigelow individual toiletries. There is no in-room coffee/tea service and minibars don't come standard (though room service is available). Noise is sometimes an issue from either inside or outside the building. (During our mid-2016 stay, nearby construction was a real nuisance.) Standard Rooms start at 170 square feet -- the layout is just enough room for a full-size bed, a cramped bathroom, and a closet. Larger rooms feature Twin, Two Full, Queen, or King beds, though the bigger beds take up most of the extra space.

Like most central Manhattan hotels, this hotel's extra property features are limited. The coolest among them is Maple, formerly called the Aspen Social Club, which is popular among hotel guests and locals alike. The restaurant, bar, and lounge offers post-modern ski-lodge decor, contemporary takes on Western cuisine, and cocktails named after movies and book, like the Fleurs du Mal, the Blood and Sand, and The Big Sleep. Dinner entrees range from burgers to tacos to pad thai. The Saturday and Sunday brunch menu is well-liked, but the daily continental breakfast, which costs an extra fee, is a bit of a letdown. Room service is available during limited hours.While there's no on-site fitness facilities, guests get free access to a full gym (Equinox Rockefeller Plaza) about a 10-minute walk from the hotel. A small business room features a desk, computer, and printer for guest use, and Wi-Fi throughout is free. The front desk is open 24-hours and the hotel offers a dedicated concierge who guests find extremely helpful. The hotel can provide same-day laundry, dry cleaning service, tour and ticket assistance, childcare, valet parking, recommendations, and more. Discounted parking is available nearby, but it's still pricey.