Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square

This 30-floor, 357-room hotel, located (despite its name) several blocks southeast of Times Square proper, draws in budget-minded business travelers and families. Families in particular seem to use it as an inexpensive, convenient home base for exploring New York's popular tourist attractions.

The lobby is small and functional, with its highlight being a snack stand. Guests hustle through here on their way in or out to sightsee or attend business meetings. When visitors do hang out on-site, it’s typically at the spacious, inviting Bryant Park Lounge on the third floor. A kind of multi-use common area with high ceilings, lots of open floor space, comfortable seating, and plenty of natural light coming in through the large windows, it's a great place to read or converse at all times of day. Many guests congregate in the lounge for the complimentary hot breakfast buffet, which is available every day of the week.

As is typical for the Residence Inn brand, the decor here is largely generic albeit contemporary, mostly done in subdued neutral tones and minimal artwork. There are three other Residence Inn properties in Manhattan, with varying locations to match traveler’s interests: Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park, the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Midtown East, and Residence Inn New York Downtown Manhattan/World Trade Center Area.

The hotel's name is more than a little deceiving: The Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square is not actually in Times Square but rather a short walk south and east, at Sixth Avenue and 39th Street.

That's an advantage if you don't mind a buffer between you and the inundation of pedestrians and sundry craziness that's endemic to Times Square itself. Instead of all the tourists and bright lights, the hotel counts gorgeous, civilized Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, both a block away, among its nearest landmarks. It's a 10-minute walk north to the Theater District and Rockefeller Center, and the same distance in the opposite direction to Macy's or the Empire State Building. The southern end of Central Park is a bit more of a hoof, 20 minutes on foot or a 10-minute cab ride.

Three blocks from the Bryant Park subway station and about the same distance from the Times Square transit hub, the hotel offers ready access to subways that head all over the city.

Despite the distance from Times Square, the building gets more than a fair share of daytime foot traffic. At night, though, the scene quiets down substantially, and there aren't a great deal of restaurants or bars in the vicinity.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK International Airport, La Guardia 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 of $52 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 plus tolls and 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 about $14 per person. 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, and they generally costa the same as a taxi.

The Residence Inn's rooms are utilitarian, plain and simple. They’re furnished with basic wood furniture, blue-and-brown striped carpeting, dated burnt orange curtains, and some pleasant New York artwork. Amenities are the key draw here, as all studios and suites are equipped with kitchenettes, pullout couches, and plenty of space. Dining tables doubling as desks also come standard.

As the hotel's name suggests, the property is intended, and outfitted, to accommodate extended stays. So, the rooms all have a kitchenette equipped with a broad assortment of utensils and appliances, including a coffeemaker, dishwasher, microwave, silverware, measuring spoons, bottle openers, a slow cooker, and much more. However, there's no stove or oven, severely limiting what you can do in the kitchen.

Beds are comfy, and flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi are provided. Straightforward bathrooms have shower/tub combos, hairdryers, and full range of toiletries.

The modest fitness center is on the lower level, equipped with modern cardio machines such as treadmills and recumbent bikes, free weights, and yoga mats. In the basement, guest-only, coin-operated laundry facilities are available.

Computers are available to guests in the third-floor lounge, but the free wireless (which was fast and easy to set up) in the rooms and public spaces is probably more useful to most business travelers. The front desk offers copy and fax service.

It's also worth noting that this Residence Inn is pet-friendly, though it requires that pet owners front a $100 deposit against potential mishaps.

Valet parking is available for a hefty daily fee.

One of the biggest hotel perks here is the free daily breakfast buffet. The substantial spread offers sausage, eggs, biscuits, waffles and pancakes, bagels, bread, pastries, fruit, and yogurt. Breakfast is served in the Bryant Park Lounge on-site, which is also open for dinner. The menu includes typical American fare such as burgers and flatbreads. In the lobby, there’s also a market selling snacks and alcoholic beverages.