The Empire Hotel

Mariel Gomez

Location is great. The lobby and the rooftop look amazing. I stayed at the Empire for 3 nights. The room was super clean and had a nice view. The air conditioning is old , but it worked well. As many people say, furniture is quite old, there was also an ink stain on one of the covers. I didn’t mind since I had booked the room at a lower price ( there was an offer). I wouldn’t pay more than 200 dollars a night for a room, though. That’s a fair price for what is offered. I wanted to add an extra night to my stay but it was extremely expensive so I decided not to. In my experience, staff was great . I loved everyone at the rooftop especially. I tried the Gossip girl drink and it was fantastic! I would definitely stay here again if , as I said, price was fair.

John DeSerio

Hard to beat location. Great front desk staff/ security staff and cleaning staff, but was not accommodating since we were given the smallest room in the hotel (#339) and only one bed. This was even after sharing that this was a special 10 year birthday trip for my son and requesting two beds for the five days we were there. We travelled from California and made reservations two weeks in advance so it wasn’t like it was last notice. I did get a free tooth brush because I forgot mine. We checked in early and stored our bags (free and helpful service) but still had a room that had a view of the garbage shaft and the wall. Again we had a five day reservation and this didn’t make us feel cared for. When I asked to change to a room with two beds upon check in, I was told to check back the next day because of availability. Staff never followed up with me and I wasn’t paying bargain prices. Nice pool area but small (6 ft by 20 ft). Closet door had a broken hinge, fridge had huge amount of ice, and large scratches were all over the room and shower. Hot water ran out one of the nights (got a $20 credit). I only realized we had such a tiny room when upon checking out I saw our next door neighbors queen room and it was HUGE! I will not be going back.

George Shepherd

My girlfriend and I had a wonderful stay for five days. The room was clean and everything worked. The daily cleaning of the room was perfect. The location is great, next to Lincoln Center and Central Park. We also enjoyed several evenings enjoying the rooftop bar, with great views. The staff were always friendly and professional. It was a great stay, and we look forward to returning.

Kerri Crowley

We recently stayed at The Empire Hotel while our daughter attended the School of American Ballet. The location and proximity to SAB and Central Park were perfect! The staff at the Empire were warm, welcoming, and attentive. The lobby was comfortable and beautifully decorated. Getting water bottles at check in and check out was really appreciated during the sweltering weather. The in-house restaurant, Rosa Mexicano, provided a delicious meal that we enjoyed together as well. The reason I am leaving a 4 star review is that the room was definitely in need of updating. Peeling paint, old surfaces that were damaged, and a thermostat that did not work well were issues. The drawers in our nightstand were open when we entered the room because they did not stay closed, even with items inside them. I banged my leg on them in the middle of the night. We also expected a hotel with this price point to have ice machines available on each floor. This is not the case, which would have been helpful to know at check in. We needed ice and were almost late to our daughter's class due to the time needed for housekeeping to bring it to us. We would stay here again, but due to those limitations, we gave 4 stars.

Amy Rodriguez

I really wanted to be excited about this hotel but my husband and I were beyond disappointed. For an hotel located right next to Central Park I would expect more. Upon checking in I had to use the restroom that was located on the second floor. It was dirty, moldy and just out right smelled. I told myself okay maybe it just hasn’t been cleaned yet. Well the experience did not improve at all. Once we checked in and got to our room. It was hotter in the room than it was outside. The room smelled moldy and musty. The carpet was disgusting and dirty. The bedding smelled musty and not laundered. The bathroom was moldy and the paint was peeling throughout and so small the door could barely open. The furniture was dated and worn. It was sticky and the shades were filthy. The phone to call the front desk didn’t work. It was just very dark and just overall depressing. After going down to the front desk and initially asking about the AC we were told someone would be up in a few minutes. 30 minutes later and still sweating to death we just did not get a good vibe at all. We had reservations for dinner and could not get ready! Unfortunately we had to cancel them. Nobody ever came up! Went back to the front desk and got a full refund! We ended up staying at the Concorde in midtown which was amazing. It was like a different world at the same price! The location was great. When we were picked up from Empire by a driver we were told this was his second couple that he picked up from there that were completely dissatisfied. Unless they do a full renovation I would NEVER recommend staying there.