Stay. Hotel

157 West 47^th Street

Neighborhood:	Time Square West
Vibe:	Stylish
My Room/Bed/Bath:	“Double room with Queen bed”, private bathroom
WiFi:	$9.95 per 24 hour period
Price:	$101 plus tax ($119.57 total) in late January booked two weeks in advance via www.venere.com

Just steps away from Times Square, Stay is certainly a treat for those who envision this raucous patch of neon as quintessential New York. Reasonably priced, stylish and with a dash of whimsy, Stay offers an oasis in the heart of the most buzzing and twinkling part of The City.  Its got a big heart, too:  On a rainy evening, the big, bright “loaner” umbrella from the front desk was a life saver.  Other amenities and services often found at hotels way above The Stay’s price point – such as room service, overnight shoe shine, concierge, business center, laundry service, and complimentary access to NY Sports Club – makes this hotel is a perfect tourist destination, but also serviceable as a business hotel.  As with all New York hotels in this price range, Stay is best suited for those who travel light – rooms are small, but the extras make up for it.

Vibe:  A stylish oasis in the heart of Times Square.

Quiet:  Just the white noise of the city below.

Neighbourhood:    Tourist and theatre destination; Times Square and the bright lights of Broadway. 

Restaurant:  Though not sampled on this stay, the Aspen Social Club, which is part of the hotel, gets good reviews, as does the lounge/bar it turns into after hours.  Room service is also an option as are a gazillion places in Times Square and environs. 

Access to the Subway:  Access to 8 Subway lines (1, 2, 3, 7, N, R, Q and the S/42^nd Street Shuttle) at the Times Square Station, located under Times Square, where 42^nd Street, 7^th Avenue and Broadway

Guest Post, courtesy of Guest Blogger Rajene:

At the Stay.

First impressions mean a lot, so I was a little disappointed at the location.  It’s not a great block for atmosphere.  At the heart of Times Square lunacy and blending well into the background of a busy city street from the outside, the Stay. could easily be missed.  Lobby windows are sequestered behind dark glass.

Arriving just after 7 PM I found the reception area empty.  No one to greet me.  A few guests sat in the back near the business center speaking softly or quietly absorbed in their electronic toys.

Finally a young lady popped up at the window and began her rehearsed speech to check me in.  I asked for a room away from the elevator and soon was on my way to Room 316 and a night of quiet curiosity.

  

The wall-size flat screen was on, but after a few moments of channel surfing I clicked it off.  A Bose radio on the nightstand held my attention.  I love music and was happy to have such a prideful machine at my disposal for the evening.  Nicki Minaj “Super Bass” and a few rap songs later I was calmly enjoying WQXR, my old favorite classical radio station.  Superb!

The room was small and overtaken by the queen sized bed.  Comfy and cramped, New York style.  Peeking out the north-facing window to the bright city lights, I wondered if all the workers had gone home and how pretty Barclays looked in the evening.

My excursion for the evening took me along Sixth Avenue to Pazza Notte, an Italian restaurant with martini specials, noisy, upbeat crowds and great wait staff at 6^th and 56^th.  Yes, I walked in the rain from 47th to 56th street, and why?  It was fun to maneuver through traffic and tourists with my super duper, deluxe bright, bright orange Stay. umbrella.  I felt encapsulated and dry.

The view from under the big, bright umbrella courtesy of Stay.

  

Several hours later I sip warm rum and coke.  The evening night’s quiet punctuated by persistent white noise, a machine somewhere beyond my walls.  Lights out reveals a flickering smoke detector above my head that could easily double as disco ball for ants.  Otherwise agreeable, morning came on time and New York ready for the new day.

Downstairs at check-out, I had a moment to appreciate the floor-to-ceiling fish tanks in the dark lobby.  Muted motion inside a crazed city.

They, and the Stay. were okay.



The fish tank in the lobby of Stay.