Stay Report: Le Méridien New York, Fifth Avenue (New York City - October 2024)

    Stay Report: Le Meridien New York, Fifth Avenue
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We were traveling to New York and generally when in the city we stay at the Innside by Melia (review here) due to its central location and walking distance to transportation, restaurants, and other attractions.  The plan was to stay at that hotel again but the rates were very high so we decided to look at other hotels within the area and that is when we found the Le Meridien New York, Fifth Avenue.  We booked the room through the Marriott website, as they were having a deal/promotion, and the hotel was one of the few that provided two double beds and advertised that it could fit up to 4 people.

The hotel is located on Fifth Avenue between 30th and 31st street in KoreaTown.  The hotel is about a 15-20 minute walk from Herald Square, and closer there is a WholeFoods two blocks away and a Dunkin Donuts and CVS literally down the block; all to say there is a lot to do and the hotel is centrally located.  The hotel itself does not look like much from the outside and does not really look like a hotel; the lobby also does not really look like a lobby and is very narrow.  As you enter the door, you are facing the check-in desk, and its a tiny desk.  Next to the check-in desks are the elevators and on the other side is the small seating area, the 'business center' which is a computer and printer, and the entrance to the restaurant.  The square footage of the lobby, especially the check-in area was very tiny and if there was a group checking in it made access to the hotel and lobby somewhat tricky.  We checked in, received our room key and proceeded to the room.  The elevators did come generally quickly and they were average size elevators; other hotels in New York have the tiny elevators in which barely 1-2 people can fit and they are slow.  Even though the website advertised that the room can 'accommodate up to 4 people' and offered pictures of a spacious room, the narrow size of the lobby continued to the room.  

The room had all the basic amenities but was in a narrow space with little extra room and was not spacious at all.  As you entered, there was a small hallway which led into the room.  In the hallway, on the left were coat hooks which was nice since there was limited closet and storage space.  On the right side was the open bathroom in which the sink and tiny shower, with a clear door, was open to the room and hallway while the toilet was behind a sliding door; there was really no privacy and no space in the bathroom (there were tiny shelves up on the wall that barely had enough space for a toiletry bag).  

As you entered into the room, along the left side of the wall was a wooden shelf which was your storage/desk space and also contained the coffee maker.  The shelf was long but was a bit narrow so difficult to add multiple items.  Above the shelf was the TV and between the shelf and the window was the narrow closet which had a place to hang items on one side and pull out shelves on the other.  There was not a lot of space in the room so when you pulled out the shelves in the closet you basically hit the bed.  The beds were along the other side of the wall and they were full/double size beds and provided a decent nights sleep.  There was one desk in between the two beds as one bed was basically next to the window and on the other side of the other bed was a small space with a chair and tiny table.  There was a luggage rack in the closet and we set up that in this space to at least get the suitcases out of the way so you could walk and maneuver around the room.  Again the room had all the basic amenities but 1) it was tight and narrow and 2) could barely accommodate 4 people or generally 2 people with luggage.

The hotel did have amenities including complimentary wifi, a restaurant, and a fitness center.  The wifi was strong and you could connect as many devices as you wanted.  The fitness center was located in the basement and was a decent size; next to the fitness was also a huge bathroom area with 6 stalls which seems like a wasted space.  When we checked in, and we realized many other guests also received this as well, we were given credit at the hotel which could be used for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or cocktails at the restaurant.  Most people used it for breakfast and it was a regular restaurant menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you ordered what you wanted and you could use the credit to cover the costs.  The server at the restaurant was nice but they seemed understaffed given the amount of guests they had.  Also the food was decent and they were accommodating to various dietary restrictions but the food did not have a lot of flavor and if we did not have the credit seemed wildly expensive for what it was.

Overall, the hotel was centrally located and provided easy access to many restaurants and attractions.  The rooms were narrow and the bathroom was not well designed.  The elevators were quick and spacious and there was not a lot of rush either in the lobby or in the elevators so it did not feel overwhelming.