DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotels New York City - Times Square

The DoubleTree Suites rises 47 floors above Times Square. View from the
corner of 47th Street and 7th Avenue.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

This is one of a series of posts covering aspects of the DoubleTree Suites Times Square. Note: This post updates information published in a 2007 post about the hotel.

Over the past eight years I've been keeping my stays in New York City at two hotels. One is the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel where I stayed in 2011. For my 2012 visit I return to the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel New York. I've tried over a half-dozen hotels in the theatre district and although there are more reasonable rate at other hotels, I've enjoyed my stays at these properties and I book the one which has the better value.

This would be my sixth stay at the DoubleTree which is conveniently located at the corner of 47th Street and 7th Avenue right in the heart of the Times Square district. It's just a few minutes walk to about a dozen Broadway venues that I can leave the hotel fifteen minutes prior to a show's curtain time and still arrive at these theaters with minutes to spare. The Palace Theatre is located right below the hotel.

The hotel is also located across the street from the TKTS half-price ticket booth and next door to the Times Square Visitor Center and a 24-hour McDonalds.

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Looks like during my stay scaffolding will obscure the ground floor of the hotel.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Unlike other hotels that bound Times Square, the Doubletree is an all-suite hotel soaring 45 floors. Although the room size is on par with, for example, rooms at the nearby Marriott Marquis or Renaissance Times Square, the two-room set up is what makes the suite feel spacious. The living room area offers a second television, sofa bed, coffee table, desk and wet bar where below in a cabinet are stored a mini-refrigerator, microwave and safe. Free in-room coffee service is standard for all rooms. A USA Today newspaper is delivered to each room on weekdays and turndown service can be requested. To conserve energy, towels that you would like changed must be placed on the floor so housekeeping will know to replace them. There is fee for wireless internet throughout the hotel.

The sofa bed turns the living area into a second bedroom. This is why the hotel is popular with families. Book a room with two double beds and a family of six can sleep comfortably in one room. Suites with double beds also includes a vanity with two sinks in the bathroom. With the wet bar sink in the living room, getting ready in the morning is less problematic for such a large group.

I usually request for a room on a high floor mainly to avoid the noise from the street below and for a better view. I also request for a room away from the elevator for the reduced foot traffic passing my door. But one part of the room rate is affected by the floor. Those on higher floors are considered premium floors and cost more than rooms on lower floors.

The living area makes the room useful for guests to host a little get together with family or friends in the city; business travelers for informal meetings; or for any hotel guest to enjoy a quiet in-room meal. This makes one feature of the floor plan convenient: there are separate doors to enter the one bathroom, one door from the living area and another from the bedroom.

The ground floor entrance is very unassuming with a security employee posted to be sure all entering have a hotel key card (mainly in the evenings). The reception lobby is reached by taking the elevators to the third floor. At check-in expect to receive a warm and delicious Doubletree signature chocolate chip cookie.

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View of the hotel from Duffy Square where the tkts half-price ticket booth
is located. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Due to the architecture set-up of the hotel, only three rooms on each floor actually face Broadway, but all other rooms still offer views facing north or south of Times Square. The higher the floor, the more striking the view. Corner rooms offer a panoramic view of Broadway and Times Square North but feel a little tighter area wise than the hotel’s standard room layout. Also these rooms are at one end of the hallway. I've tried staying in a corner room once and noise in hallway coming from under the door was distracting.

After a hotel renovation that completely revamped the hotel's common areas, the only dining option formerly called the Center Stage Cafe is now called Ginger's, a nod to Ginger Rogers who starred on Broadway early in her career. There is a coffee kiosk in the reception lobby that is open in the morning and a bar called Ad Lib located on the same floor.

Rates at the Doubletree are on par with the brand hotels that bound Times Square. You may find rates at about $240 per night for a city view room for two during a low season but expect most times of the year to have rates hovering around $300 per night. Exepect some sticker shock when booking in a busy month like November. Try for mid-summer or January/February for more favorable prices.

Doubletree is a safe, secure and comfortable hotel with a price to match its prime location. Advance purchase rates will save you about ten dollars per night compared to the best available rate. This is substantial when one considers the hefty hotel room taxes that are added to the bill.

The DoubleTree has a sky lobby that is common at NYC hotels. The setup requires guests to take one set of elevators to the main lobby and then another set of elevators to access the guest room floors. But I have not have any major issues with waits at the elevators or having them be constantly crowded.

Check out www.doubletree.com for more informaton. The hotel is a part of the Hilton chain and members of the Hilton rewards program earns points with stays at the DoubleTree. The hotel is located at 1568 Broadway, New York, New York 10036. Tel 1-212-719-1600.

The DoubleTree as seen from mid-block 46th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)