Marrakech Hotel, New York

Our trip to New York was made even better by the Marrakech hotel and will be returning every time I visit the city.

Came here for the NYC marathon, 5 nights, so wanted a budget/mid-range hotel in a relatively central location. The hotel is quite old (no lift, limited amenities in some rooms; mine had no phone or aircon). Main issue is the water pressure. My booking request to put me in a room where I can have a hot shower after the race was kindly respected; so I was on a (better) lower floor level. The toilet flush was a bit dodgy, but eventually I got the hang of making it not try to refill for ages. My windows went to the space between 2 buildings, which was a happy home for pigeons; wouldn't have wanted to open windows too much. The hotel doesn't offer breakfast; I overheard from the neighbouring rooms though that the staff is happy to get you bagel/coffee from one of the many places around. So if you don't mind all that, and you're mainly in the room to sleep, it's a great place: 10mins walk to Central Park, 15mins Metro to Times Square. On top of that, what makes the place is the staff, which I can't fault - super-friendly and always happy to help. Also, the lounge decor is beautifully 'oriental' and inviting. Last but not least, it's worth saying that the room was kept very clean - which I hugely appreciate. Overall 3-4 of 5: friendly hotel at a good price for being so central. I'm used to 4-5-star hotel facilities and modern surroundings, however if you're on a budget in an expensive place like NYC, and manage your expectations in terms of facilities, you'll have a good stay.

We are a couple in our 30s & stayed here for 4 nights in July 2015. Having read some of the other comments, we were a bit hesitant to book, but seeing as the hotel was at least 50% cheaper than other Manhattan hotels, we decided to go ahead. We are truly glad we did! We did not experience the vast majority of the criticisms others have had - our room was a reasonable size, it was secure & clean, the air conditioning worked well, the staff were friendly & knowledgable, etc. There were a few concessions - it was difficult to regulate the shower temperature, the hotel could benefit from some general maintenance, there is no elevator (but staff are ALWAYS on hand to help with luggage) & there was a guy passed out in the chair in the reception area at 4:30am the morning we were leaving (although he could have very well have been a guest). But at these prices, in a nice neighbourhood & with a subway station right across the street, we really couldn't have asked for anything more. The Marrakech Hotel is truly an inexpensive gem in costly Manhattan.

If I were rating the hotel on its staff, it would be a 5-star hotel – the staff are fantastic, friendly and helpful. There are no elevators, which was a slight pain. Common areas are a bit threadbare. Room basic but satisfactory. But the wifi is terrible with a capital T, which – as I had to work while I was there – really spoiled the experience. If you don't need wifi, though, I can recommend it.

Rundown. Horrible skippy wifi. Nice staff.