Whilst planning our trip to New York, we knew we had to stay in a Marriott as I good old loyal Marriott Rewards member. After much debating, we chose the Midtown East Courtyard Hotel.
Arriving by cab from the Airport, the unassuming Courtyard entrance nestles between a 24hr Duane Reade and a bank. Perfect place for a make up shopping fanatic? Yes!
Although the ground floor reception is narrow, the main through fare for all guests handles the hustle and bustle well with a very effective and speedy check in process. This was much welcomed after a long flight and even longer wait in Customs. The narrow foyer also houses a snack shop, business printing centre, concierge and left luggage as well as the lifts.
Part of the Marriott chain, the Midtown East Courtyard Hotel is a category 7 property on 53rd & 3rd.
Whisking ourselves off to the lift, we zoomed up to the 31st floor to find out room. We were very kindly given a large deluxe room with a great view of the East River, General Electric Building and the Chrysler Building which meant the mid December dusk views that more spectacular. With large windows to frame the view, the noise from the street below was barely audible.
In our Spacious 410 sq/ft suite there were 2 huge queen size beds, a sofa seating area, 37″ TV and large desk. Our room was stocked with everything we would need for a week long stay. The overall space in the room was a bonus as travelling in winter with 2 large cases and a thirst for shopping, we had room to spread out and settle in.
Thanks to the hotel manager, Richard Bishop and his fabulous staff, we started our anniversary holiday with a delicious fresh fruit platter and balloons which was a nice touch. The customer service was exemplary for the entire duration of our stay and Richard was incredibly helpful in our pre-stay correspondence.
Facilities in the hotel were very reminiscent of what you would expect in a UK hotel, high end toiletries, filter coffee machine, in room safe, iron and most importantly for us, a fridge! It came in very handy for fresh milk and soft drinks.
Down on the 12th floor the Midtown Courtyard has it’s very own Starbucks café and open plan lounge with great views of the city at any time of the day. The 12th floor lounge is a great addition to the property as it counterbalances the lack of public space for guests on the ground floor. There is also a fitness room which we didn’t check out
We didn’t dine in the on-site restaurant, Table 866, but it offers classic American cuisine.
Again, the fabulous staff offered a great list of recommended local restaurants and bars to suit our needs which is how we found Hillstone.
On the corner of 53rd & 3rd, made famous by the Ramones song of the same name, the hotel sits a top a subway line that will sort you out for most sites as well as being a very short walk from 5th Avenue, Central Park and Rockafeller Centre. Even better, the world renowned bar P.J Clarke’s is a 5 minute walk away as is our absolute favourite place in New York – Hudson Malone. It’s a must visit.
Whilst being very reasonable in terms of New York rates, the quality is incredibly high, the space is plentiful and the location is spot on. The competitive rates allowed us to stay here for 7 nights as opposed to 5 nights at properties of a similar standing.
Our top tip is ask the concierge to book your car to get back to the airport, we got this luxury monster!
