Review: Residence Inn New York Manhattan Times Square

Residence Inn New York Manhattan – Location and Booking

Last November, I finally checked off a bucket list: attending the New York Thanksgiving Parade. What made it even sweeter was that I could experience it by redeeming points for my visit to NYC. Upon reviewing several options in Manhattan, I decide upon the Residence Inn New York Manhattan in Times Square.

Note: Midtown has multiple Residence Inn hotels within close (NYC-close) proximity, in addition to two more in downtown Financial district;

• Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square (one I stayed at)
• Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park
• Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Midtown East

Directly on the parade route, near Bryant Park, the Residence Inn New York Manhattan Times Square offers extended-stay apartment-style suites with full kitchens, a dining area, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel blocks out rooms for Thanksgiving weekend as it has a special promotion: rooms with a parade view have to be booked directly with its sales department and can cost up to $2,200/night.

Residence Inn New York Manhattan

Booking a room for less than three nights from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving gave me an error message saying no rooms were available on the Bonvoy app. I had to request a minimum 3-night stay to see room availability. For 66,000 points a night, I got a Studio Queen room with a Sofa bed (320 sq ft). I used a free night award (for 85K) and used that toward this stay, so it only cost me 66,000 (x2) + my Free night award.

The cash rate for my three-night stay was $2,463. These were not the premium rooms the hotel blocks off for $2,200 a night. So, the redemption rate of the points was 1.24 USD cents per point, which wasn’t a bad use of Bonvoy points.

Residence Inn New York Manhattan – Getting there and Check-in

I flew from Toronto (YYZ) to Laguardia Airport (LGA), and the subway was the most cost-effective way to get to the hotel. $35 gets you an unlimited 7-day pass on the New York Transit (MTA pass). You can also use your contactless credit card to pay for tour trips. As per the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA):

To pay your fare at subway turnstiles, AutoGates, and onboard buses (including Select Bus Service buses), simply tap your own contactless credit or debit card, smart device, or One Metro New York (OMNY) card on the OMNY reader. Use the same card or device for both legs of your trip to get a free transfer.

 OMNY caps your weekly fares at $34 when you tap the same card or device for every ride. This gives OMNY customers the benefits of a 7-Day Unlimited MetroCard without paying in advance.

 Your first tap starts a new seven-day cap. If you spend $34 within seven days, you ride free for the rest of the cap period. If you spend less, you only pay for the rides you take.

I took the bus to the subway (there are quite a few from LGA you can take depending on when you arrive) and then got off at Times Square / 42nd St station on the N line. It was a 5-10 minute walk to the hotel.

Photo Credit: Residence Inn New York Manhattan

A week before check-in, I got a Suite night upgrade confirmation to a King Suite, about 500 sq ft, facing the NYC landmark, The Empire State Building. Once at the hotel, check-in was a breeze. The staff gave me all the necessary information for my stay, especially about the amenities and perks during the parade weekend. I was told there was a special “parade viewing” breakfast (Ballroom Brunch on Bryant Park) from 8 am to 12 pm, priced at $499 for adults and $399 for kids. And the windows, I was told, have a perfect view of the floats as they pass by and could be booked with a room as a package deal. Seeking value, I decided to stick with the standard breakfast for all hotel guests.

Residence Inn New York Manhattan – King Suite

Thanks to my successful Suite Night Award (SNA) request, I walked into a King Suite with a small kitchenette, a full fridge, microwave, dishwasher, and sink ( no stove). However, you can request a Hot Plate, and there are pots, pans and other cookware to prepare your meals in the cupboards, along with cutlery.

King Suite – Entrance and Kitchenette

A small living room with a couch doubled as a sofa bed. The king bedroom had an ensuite bathroom with a shower. The view from the bed with the upgrade was the Empire State Building, which I must say was pretty cool to look at while I dozed off. There was also an ironing board and iron in the room.

King Suite – Living Room

King Suite – Bedroom

View from the room

My only complaint would be the closet space to hang my clothes, but there was ample dresser space to put away my clothes. So, for how many square feet the room came with, I could not complain as these rooms went for over $1,000 a night for Thanksgiving weekend.

Residence Inn New York Manhattan – Food and Beverage

Bryant Park Lounge, located on the 3rd floor of the hotel, is the primary location for the F&B option onsite. Breakfast hours were from 6:30 am to 9:30 am on weekdays and 7 am -10 am on weekends on the 3rd floor, though to accommodate the parade goers, breakfast started at 6 am on Thanksgiving Day. The hot breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, pork sausage patties, grits, warm tortillas and pancakes.

Breakfast Area

Fresh fruit ( bananas, apples, pineapple, and cantaloupe), bagels, and bread with butter, cream cheese, and PBJ were also included. The pancake toppings included whipped cream, maple syrup, chocolate sauce, and chocolate chips. Hot oatmeal, cold yogurts, juices, coffee, and tea were also available.

Breakfast – Residence Inn New York Manhattan

Bryant Park Lounge – Breakfast Seating

Bryant Park Lounge was open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 pm to 10 pm and hosted a Happy Hour from 5 pm to 7 pm with $10 house wine and $7 draft beer. During my visit, Friday Nights were Karaoke nights, and a few kids under 10 brought down the house with their singing.

Lounge – 3rd Floor

Bryant Park Lounge

Residence Inn New York Manhattan – Other Hotel Amenities

The hotel also hosts a fitness center in the Lower Lobby with treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and free weights.

Fitness Center

There was also a Laundry room next door, and it was coin-operated.

Laundry Room

Takeaway

While the Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn may be the “lower end” of the Marriott Property group (this Residence Inn was deemed a 3-star hotel), they are still my go-to hotels on vacations for their value. The complimentary hot breakfast for all guests, regardless of status, is so worth it!!

Title Image Credit: Marriott