Howard Johnson Plaza - Hotel New York New York City

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4.50

851 Eighth Avenue @ 51st Street New York City, New York, United States, 10019, 212-581-4100

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Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Stayed at the Howard Johnson Plaza - Hotel New York New York City
Waiting in New York

One day layover in NYC.

New York City, New York, United States hajjabdullah
SLC to NYC

My parents picked us up at 8:30 and dropped us off at the airport. Getting through security was a breeze and we were on our way. We saw Casey Taggart at the Cinnabon and, of course, had to buy one. The flight was basically uneventful. When we took off the pilot told us we were going to arrive in NYC 30 minutes early. When we were about 30 minutes out, he confirmed this with us and, as he promised, we landed at 4:20 instead of 4:50. However, the airport didn't know we were coming and didn't ha...

New York City, New York, United States ricflack
First full day in NYC

Today I was woken up early when Kelsie sent a text telling us she was on her way to the airport. I got up and worked a little and then got ready to leave. I woke Nikki up and asked if she was going to go to breakfast with me. She got some clothes on and we went down to grab something to eat but, because we are are the awesome parents we are, we let Regan sleep. Nikki walked me to the subway station and I got on the subway to head to JFK. When I got to the transfer stop to catch the AirTrain, ...

New York City, New York, United States ricflack
Monday in NYC

We had to be at Battery Park for our 9am Ticket time by 8:30 so we were up early. Grabbed breakfast in the hotel and then took a train to Battery Park. Just after we got off the train it started sprinkling. We went through security and boarded the boat to Liberty Island. Luckily most of the time we were under a covering so we didn't get too wet. Once we got to Liberty Island, the rain had stopped so we were able to walk around and snap a few photos before getting in line to go up to the Platf...

New York City, New York, United States ricflack
Tuesday In the Big Apple

We decided that we would sleep in today and start our touring around 9:30. Once we were all dressed and fed, we walked down the street to the Gray Line Bus Station, to pick up our tickets for the double decker bus tours. Our first bus tour (and only one today) took us uptown. We saw Central Park, Harlem and many sites in between. The highlight, was that we got to see the LDS Temple. Regan was really excited! We got off the bus right in front of the Carnegie Deli so we decided to eat there. $2...

New York City, New York, United States ricflack
Wednesday in The City that Never Sleeps

We had quite a bit to cram into today so we were up early again. Everyone got ready and we grabbed breakfast in the hotel. We then walked to Times Square to catch our bus for the Downtown Loop. It was a little foggy this morning but no rain. We got off at the Empire State Building and took the ride to the 86th floor where we were able to get great views of New York City. I still have a hard time thinking about an elevator ride costing $20 but...we are on vacation. After we got back on the gro...

New York City, New York, United States ricflack
Last Day In NYC

We decided to sleep in today since we knew the shops on 5th Avenue wouldn't be open until around 10. We had breakfast, finished packing, dropped our bags at Bell Services and arranged for a car to take us to the airport. Then it was off to shop. We made a couple of stops and then walked to Grand Central Station. It has recently gone through a renovation and it is a beautiful train station. We then tried to find an American Eagle Outfitters and an Abercrombie & Fitch for Regan but we weren...

New York City, New York, United States ricflack
Manhatten

After checking into our Hotel, we freshened up and went out to for dinner and to explore the City. Wow it's busy, snow and slush everywhere, Taxi's and NYPD cops everywhere..... it really is the city that never sleeps hahaha we just went to a local Diner for dinner.... pretty good as always way too much food. then w walked around and looked at some specialy shops like billabong and the M&M's store yummy. we are off to bed after a very long day.. ciao`

New York City, New York, United States walkerusa
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Historical Traveler Reviews of Howard Johnson Plaza - Hotel New York New York City

Bed bugs in room

from A TripAdvisor Member
My mother and her partner stayed in this hotel during their vacation.

They booked on-line from the UK, and felt that, as it was an established chain, they couldn't go far wrong. Upon arrival, the rooms were filthy and musty, with bloodstained sheets. During the second night of their stay, they awoke to discover that the bed was infested with bed bugs (apparently, the musty smell of the room and the stained sheets are characteristic of an ongoing bedbug problem). They complained and were transferred to a new room, where my mother, already in poor health, found so dirty that she could not bring herself to sleep here and sat up all night, too afraid to sleep. They cut short their vacation the next day. Complaints to the management got them nowhere - not even a letter of apology, never mind a refund. My mother will not visit NY again, due to this experience.

What a Nightmare!

from A TripAdvisor Member
Couldn't get accomodations at the Belvedere due to a convention, so we selected HOJO, due to location and web pictures. Check in staff was friendly. When we got to our dark and dingy room (with a view of graffiti on the hotel window), the heater was not working, stained bedspread on the bed, two lamps not working, bathroom not cleaned and we were swatting mosquitoes between the sheer curtains and the window - lovely! Immediately walked the few blocks to the Belvedere in the pouring rain to see if by chance anything had opened up, and we found a room there. Went back to HOJO, patiently explained the situation to the manager, who cancelled our reservation at no charge. Imagine my suprise when a month later the charge of $132 showed up on my credit card statement. I called the hotel numerous times attempting to reach the manager in an effort to clear this up (he had given me his business card), and each time he was "not available". Hmmmmmmmmmmm..........we will NEVER stay at at HOJO again, nor will our friends and family. It's a shame, there is a severe lack of pride in the maintenance of this property. The fact that we were told there would be no charge to my credit card when in fact they did charge me was an expensive lesson to me. Spend the $15 more per night and stay at the Belvedere - you can't go wrong there!!! (at this time, I'm still waiting to hear back from HOJO's corporate office......nine months later)

Noisy,Noisy Noisy!

from momofgirls
The elevator was so noisy that it kept us up all night. Then there were fights outside our room with yelling and sreaming and nobody cared.

Don't ever stay one room down from the elevator! The location is nice but I think remodeling would be the answer for this place.You will listen to every ring of the elevator if your room is near one. We didn't feel real secure there and got no sleep.

"Dirty, Dirty, and Dirty!!!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
When we got to the hotel and checked in, the room was very dirty. The bed spreads had old blood on them, and the bathroom had hairs all over the toilet and in the bath tub. It needs major restorations. I know that it is reasonable in price, but still, they should at least clean the rooms. The only positive thing is that the staff was great....I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, unless they just care about the staff.

What a pit !

from A TripAdvisor Member
We reserved 3 non smoking rooms and when we got to the HOJO we were given smoking rooms that smelled awful . One of the rooms had wet carpets, and one had no air conditioning. The bathrooms and the rooms were dirty. When we complained the first time they did nothing. Finally my husband went to the front desk and they gave us three new rooms....still two of the rooms had almost no air conditioning and they still were not the cleanest but at least the smell was gone and since we were only staying one night (and couldn't find any other accomodations) we stayed. The noise is awful, slamming doors, yelling, fighting. We had to call security in the middle of the night to make it stop. Couldn't figure out how to call from room to room with the phones and when I called the front desk they didn't know either. This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed at in NYC and would not recommend it to anyone. I thought since it was a chain hotel how bad could it be....Lesson Learned next time I will definately spend the extra $$ and stay elsewhere !

Bed Bug Infestation in Room 811!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
My daughter and 3 other roommates stayed in room 811, which was infested with bed bugs. Two of the four girls developed a severe welting rash, and a 3rd a mild rash a couple days after returning home. They knew the room had bugs because they saw them. They reported the bugs to hotel housekeeping, the hotel frontdesk, and their chaperon. Nobody did anything about this disgusting problem. The hotel mgmt denied they had any bugs and said we brought all of those bugs with us, and the NYC Health Dept. said it would be 4-6 wks before they could go out for an inspection. How many people & homes will be affected by the time something gets done?! These bugs will get inside your luggage and make a trip home with you, then they will multiply by laying eggs everyday, until you have a home infestation, which is difficult and expensive to eradicate.I think we all know that bugs can be transported from place to place, but they only become infestations by going unchecked for some time. None of the parties contacted (Howard Johnson's in NYC, Howard Johnson's Corporate Headquarters in SD, or NYC Health Dept.) seemed to take this seriously. To top this off, one of the other girls in room 811 pulled the sheets to find out where the bugs were coming from and saw a disgustingly stained mattress. It is the responsibility of the hotel mgmt to provide a clean and safe environment for their guests. This hotel obviously doesn't care about your health and welfare.

Trip from the UK

from A TripAdvisor Member
We visit New York every year and always stay at the Howard Johnson Plaza. Top quality hotel at very reasonable prices and great location.

Love The Howard Johnson Plaza

from A TripAdvisor Member
GREAT VALUE FOR THE LOCATION My husband and I always stay here because of the location,rates,close to everything in walking distance, cabs, subway. We come at least 6 times during the year and we love New York and the people. We love going to Yankee Baseball games at Yankee Stadium we always bring friends with us when we come. We are planning a trip for July 2003 with 7 friends and plan on having a great time. The staff and management always treats us great and for the rate you can't be in. The rooms are clean and for the amount of time we spend in the room for sleeping is great. Always on the move. Most hotels you pay for the name and don't get good quality. Some people who come from a small city and go to the big city don't know who to react they expect to be like at home. If you can't stand the city then don't complain and write such garabage about coming to the Big Apple. We come from a small town and we have been going back for the last 20 yrs. and love it. Can't wait to get to New York and our stay at the Howard Johnson Plaza. See you soon!

Didn't meet expectations

from Dubyalo
I stayed at the Howard Johnson Plaza on 8th Ave. between 51st & 52nd for 3 nights in Oct. 2002 and was pretty disappointed. Granted, I had scored an excellent $89 super cheap deal through the HoJo website on a "Spirit of America" campaign. Wanted a good cheap hotel in NYC and thought I had the deal of a century considering high prices in NY. I booked a full week and ended up leaving early and booking at a much nicer hotel on the Upper West Side (On the Ave) which, although I paid $30 more per night, was WELL worth the extra money and was still a great deal for NYC. Howard Johnson Plaza was a very basic, tourist-class hotel. For $89, it was a bargain but wasn't a pleasant place. Room was spacious and relatively clean in a motel sort of way, but it was also very noisy (doors slamming at all hours), way too busy, had a slightly seedy element (the first night, at least 6 police cars screeched to a halt in front and the cops all rushed in, only to escort away a man in handcuffs moments later), and the bathroom was musty and smelled unclean. I had booked a nonsmoking room and when I checked in, received a room with a strong smoky smell and no towels in the bathroom. When I complained to the front desk, they sent up a man with a can of "Lilac Spring" air freshener, who spritzed the room and assured me everything was just dandy. What a joke! I asked for, but never received, a change of rooms. It was always a long line down in the reception area and overall, the property just seems to be on the decline. The on-site restaurant, a former Beefsteak Charlie's, is closed, for who knows how long. The neighborhood is OK and convenient to Times Square, Broadway shows, and the subway, but overall, it's too busy there to be able to say it was a pleasant and enjoyable stay. Despite my fabulous internet "deal", I checked out early and was able to rebook into my original hotel, On the Ave, which turned out to be the best decision of my vacation. While I had expected basi

s still very disappointed despite some of the positive reviews I'd read about this hotel. I cannot honestly recommend it unless you're a budget-strapped student or someone who really does not care where you stay as long as it's cheap. I can't fathom anyone paying their normal rates and walking away feeling satisfied with what they got. When it comes to a vacation, one needn't spend a bundle but on the other hand, I've found it doesn't necessarily pay off to go too cheap either.

Value for your Buck!

from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I and a friend of ours stayed at the Howard Johnson Plaza in New York from July 02-05, 2002. We found the rooms to be very clean and spacious (for NYC.) We requested adjoining/non- smoking rooms but were not guaranteed either and received both. The staff is extremely nice and helpful. There is a Rite Aid just one block away and a Subway stop just across the street. There is a restaurant in the hotel but we were too busy running around NYC that we didn't get a chance to try it. It was just a few blocks from Rockefeller Center, Times Square and many other NYC attractions, anything else is just a Subway away. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a nice - decent priced hotel in NYC.

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