I had the rare experience of staying at a hotel in my own home town...first off, these guys wrote the book on boutique hotels. Even as a native New Yorker, upon walking through the double wooden doors at the entrance, I felt that I'd truly, 'arrived.' The location seems to strike the perfect balance between the somewhat frenetic energy of Times Square and relative poshness of Fifth Avenue.

I thought it would be interesting to hear from the concierge folks as to what they thought was the best of New York. What started as conversation, turned into an education on what's great about this town. The chap Clay each turned me on to great spots to dine, dance and relax -- many places that I had either never heard of or was too hesitant to try on my own accord. My weekend of getting away turned out to be a discover of many undisclosed New York City gems.

Clearly the concierge desk made a great impression, but I do not want to slight any other aspects of the hotel. The room, albeit small, was impecabbly ornate. The absence of a view was more than compensated by the amenities and the great service. Overall, every element of the experience was well executed and exceeded expectations -- from arrival to departure.

I hope I can find another excuse to stay there again soon.

I recently stayed at the Royalton on a business trip and really appreciated several aspects of my visit. The staff was great: friendly and very helpful on the few requests that I had for information about and services at the hotel. They went the extra mile to be responsive and take care of me. My room was well nicely designed, well appointed, comfortable, clean and overall felt special compared to other business hotels I've experienced (especially thanks to the huge round soaking tub). The lobby bar is a destination in itself. Will stay again for sure.

My stay didn't start as well as I hoped when I arrived after a very long flight, only to find no doorman and I had to lug my large bags up the stairs, heave the huge door open, and then head inside. Throughtout my stay, the doorman was a bit of a ghost, sometimes there and sometimes not. Interestingly, all the other nearby hotels always seems to have a least one person on the door at all times.
The lobby is super cool and seems to be a very happening place in the evenings (the bar is obviously very popular). The location is very good - close to shopping on 5th Avenue and also close to Times Square and the Theater areas. There is a metro only a short walk away on 42nd Street.
Checkin was friendly and efficient and I was given a room on a high floor which was great as there was a lot of light....kind of necessary when the room's colour scheme is dark gray.
The size of the room was fine (typical of NY standards) and while from a glance, seems very stylish, on closer inspection is getting a little worn. The bed I think was only a double which was fine for me, but could have been a bit "cosy" if my partner had been with me. The pillows are plentiful and excellent. The bathroom is really dark but modern and the bath products are excellent. The rain shower is awesome.
There is an ipad 1 in every room which is great, but this device also serves as the "information booklet" of the hotel....only it doesn't have half the information that most booklets in hotels have. There is no mention of how to make a phone call to either reception or an outside line, no mention of how to connect to the wireless network for your own computer, and when I wanted to go to the business center to print my boarding pass, I had to go down to reception to ask where the business center was! I am all for paperless, but if you are going to provide everyone with an ipad as your information source, at least have all the information that hotel guests need!
I did use the concierge service through the ipad for a dinner reservation and that was quick and efficient and they made a recommendation for several restaurants in the area, emailed me the links, and then made the reservation for me.
One slightly annoying aspect was that there was no coffee or tea making facilities (I didn't realise this when booking). I have stayed at other NY hotels where there is free coffee and tea in the lobby in the mornings. There is however a great little coffee place (Gregory's Coffee) 2 doors down towards 6th Ave.
One safety concern - I did happen to take the stairwell up 2 flights after getting out at the wrong floor and was disappointed to see boxes, vacuum cleaners etc being stored in the stairwell and in places, taking up at least half the width - surely this has got to be in breach of fire safety regulations??
All in all, I did have a nice stay - the location is great, the staff were friendly and I do prefer the smaller boutique hotels. Would I stay here again? Probably not - I think there is better for money elsewhere.

LOve this small hotel on West 44th right off of Broadway. So discreet you might miss the entrance. But come inside and find yourself in the swankiest looking Lobby ever. Low sofas and chairs around beautiful tables for your cocktail and viewing pleasures. The fashion trade makes this Lobby Bar their go-to place. The Restaurant '44' is just a menu to be savored....Every meal is a delight!

But if you decide to spend the evening, take those RayBans off because the hallway to the most sexiest of rooms is pitch dark! I love it....adds to the mystery and seduction. The rooms have king size beds, fireplaces, honor bar, walk in tiled shower...and lux sheets to towels. The design is spot on!

Make your next evening in NYC a royal event....at The Royalton