The InterContinental Times Square is one of New York’s newer hotels after being completed and opened in 2010 it offers amazing views of the Midtown Skyline whilst being located in the heart of the Theatre District with easy access to Times Square and multiple transport options.
Rising 36 stories above 44th Street on the West side of Manhattan the hotel offers floor to ceiling glass windows, an elegant yet cosy lobby and boasts the Ça Va Brasserie run by renowned chef Todd English.
Our Verdict
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Inside Word
| Hotel: | InterContinental New York Times Square |
| Location: | Times Square / Theatre District |
| Type: | Hotel |
| Chain: | InterContinental Hotels & Resorts |
| Room #: | 3414 |
| View: | North over Midtown Manhattan |
| What’s Hot | |
 Luxurious bed |
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| Rain soaker shower |
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| What’s Not | |
 Old takeaway left in mini-bar |
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| Lack of assistance from doorman on arrival |
Booking & Arrival
When researching for where to stay I began by using Booking.com’s search engine to find what hotels had availability in the Theatre District. Being an early December trip I knew that I was going to face some pretty high prices around the Theatre District and Times Square, however I did manage to find some relative bargains available. At the time the InterContinental Times Square had a great rate available for a standard room for only USD349.00 per night, which I jumped at the chance.
After waiting for about 20 minutes for a cab at JFK terminal 7 after my Qantas flight from Los Angeles we made pretty good time along the Van Wyck Expressway to the Queens, Midtown Expressway and headed into the Midtown Tunnel, which is where the fun really began.
Unbeknown at that time, a large number of protesters had decended onto Manhattan to protest about the recent deaths of African Americans at the hands of local police departments, this just happened to coincide with my taxi trip to the west side of Times Square. What should have been an hours journey turned into taking 90 minutes from 3rd Avenue across town to 8th Avenue.
I eventally asked my taxi driver to drop me at 41st St on 8th Avenue and decided to walk the remaining 3 blocks and save myself some time and money.
Upon my arrival at the hotel I was disapointingly not offered any assistance with my luggage or the doors. The hotel has a revolving main door and adjaceent doors which the doormen are usually standing beside, however on this occasion they seemed much more interested in continuing their conversation than offering any type of assistance.
There were 4 people attending to a somewhat small reception area and I was processed and give my room key within about 5 minutes of arriving, I was on my way to room 3414.
The Room
There is a reason why InterContinental hotels have a reputation for being one of the premiere hotel brands in the world, and the InterContinental New York Times Square certainly lives up to the expectation. The room was immaculately presented, with the exception of one small flaw, which I’ll get into later.
Immediately as you walk into the room you are greeted with warm earthy tones and a larger than average New York hotel room. I have chosen a king room, which is perfect for a romantic getaway to the Big Apple or for the business executive who wants to be in the heart of all the New York action.
The room has a large, and very comfortable, king size bed, not too over run with pillows, and comfortable single recliner and foot stool by the window and a large work area adjacent to the TV and entertainment unit, with in room mini-bar and refreshment area.
Inside the bathroom is a continuation of the modern styling of the room, and as you expect in a top of the line hotel choc full of amenities. The shower itself was amazing, with a rain shower head and alternate “normal” shower head with a handy toiletries shelf and a lower shelf to assist with washing legs and shaving, particularly practical for female travellers. The one let down was the lack of a bath, which for a top end hotel is becoming increasingly important.
As for work and entertainment, the room boasted a large flat screen TV, and normal cable channels located just off centre to the right of the large king size bed. In terms of work space the desk is exceptionally wide with good access to power points built into the desk, however with only 2 available, business travellers and road warriors may still require an additional power board to concurrently charge all their devices. Mac users should also beware that given the location of the power points an extension cable from the power pack is required as the powerpack with direct adapter will not fit into the socket.
The only disappointment in the room when I came to inspect what was available via the mini-bar. When I opened the fridge door a package fell out and upon inspection I found it to be some left over takeaway from the previous guest, and quite obviously the mini-bar attendant failed to check the mini-bar after the previous guest had departed. Something that was advised, and apologised for, on my departure.
The Staff
Apart from the lack of interest shown from doorman upon my arrival in the early evening, my encounters with all the staff where fabulous. I ordered room service desert once I returned to my room in the evening and was advised that it could take up to 30 minutes to receive my cheesecake and drink, however was very pleasantly surprised when it arrived in less than 15 minutes. After checking out from my room early the following morning I was able to leave my luggage with the bell desk without any trouble, and upon my return with some additional shopping they directed me to a private area of the lobby where I could repack before departing.
The Amenities
During this visit I did not have a chance to visit the gymnasium of the hotel, however the hotel does offer a 24hour gymnasium and business centre free for all guests to use during their stay.
I did manage to find myself in the lower mezzanine floor of the hotel when I asked for directions to the bathrooms prior to departing the hotel and found them to be immaculately clean and well presented, even though there were no conferences currently taking place within the hotel.
Departure
After a quick repack I was ready to depart the hotel I made my way out to the driveway where the morning doorman was ever so helpful in arranging a taxi for me, and offered a private car to my transport, however as I was only heading down to SoHo I decided I would simply hop in a cab.
Final Observations
The InterContinental New York Times Square certainly lived up to its billing as a leading hotel. Whilst slightly disapointed with some minor aspects of the stay I was very happy to have chosen the hotel given its location, its comfort and in general the very high level of attentiveness I received from their staff.
