Saturday 15 October 2011
The Millennium Broadway Hotel, West 44th Street, New York
Housed in a skyscraper a stone's throw from Times Square, the Millennium Broadway is a mid-market hotel on an industrial scale. It has 625 rooms across scores of floors, reachable via swift lifts from the plush marble lobby. For such a central location in such a crowded city, the standard rooms are surprisingly spacious and well-equipped with a large desk, comfortable bed and armchair. They also have ironing boards, irons, safes and WiFi (costing about $13 a day). The predominantly brown decor is contemporary and in good condition, but a little dull. Still, there are big windows with dizzying views of the neighbouring skyscrapers. The en-suite bathrooms are also modern and well-maintained, but the dappled tiled floor and fussy marble sink tops won't be to everyone's tastes. The standard rooms can be booked at pretty keen rates and, if you want to keep the cost of extras down, there are plenty of nearby cafes and coffee shops serving breakfast and offering free WiFi. A good base from which to see Manhattan. 7/10