Flatotel NYC

[Stan4dSteph]

On my recent trip to NYC I stayed at the fabulous Flatotel, which resides on West 52nd between 6th and 7th Avenues.

We had a "Deluxe Room" when we stayed, and I got a great deal on a corporate rate ($195/night w/o tax).

The hotel is situated in a great location, within comfortable walking distance of Central Park, the theater district and Times Square. It's also close to the 1,9 and B,D,E subway lines.

MoMA, Radio City Music Hall, CBS, Rockefeller Center, NBC, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Museum of Television and Radio are all within a few blocks.

We arrived there by taxi from Grand Central Station and the bell staff helped us with our bags into the check-in desk. Check-in was quick, and the staff were helpful and friendly. The lobby is very cool, containing a bar area and lots of funky chairs.

There seems to be way more furniture in this photo than I saw; it's much less cluttered. The cow-print chairs were there though. I liked them.

The elevators are slow (only 2 for 46 floors), but there are flat-screen TVs in the vestibule to stare at while you wait.

Our room had an entry hall that lead into the sleeping area, with the bathroom off to the right of the hall. The closet you typically see as you enter a hotel was not in the entry, but was tucked to the side in the sleeping area.


As is usual in Manhattan hotel rooms, space is at a premium, but the space is well utilized in the room, allowing you to move around the bed, which I believe was a queen sized bed.

I loved the bed design, with its funky headboard and dresser/bench at the end. The mattress was very firm, but I didn't have any trouble with it. The bedding is all cotton and the pillows were synthetic fill and just the right firmness for me.

The TV is tucked in the corner on a pipe-mounted wooden shelf; the pipe extends from the floor to the ceiling. A small desk area is off to the side next to the closet along with a mini-fridge, microwave and hotpot.

The window can be partially opened if you'd like to get a whiff of that fresh Manhattan air. The AC unit kept our room at a comfortable temperature, but the control cover had a tendency to vibrate, so we had to put a book on top of it.


The bathroom was larger than I was expecting, and contained a really nice vanity with mosaic tile backsplash and travertine flooring with mosaic interspersed. There's plenty of room to spread out your stuff, and the shaving/makeup mirror comes in very handy. The shower/tub was a jacuzzi version in ours, but the jacuzzi part was disabled according to a little sign.

We didn't use the fitness center or eat at the hotel restaurant, so I can't speak to those. The concierge was very helpful in finding out the hours of the NYC World of Disney store (at 55th and 5th, just steps away). We were also able to store our bags with the bell service on the day we checked out so that we could go exploring around the city before catching our train in the evening.

Another bonus of the hotel - I have a feeling this is where NBC puts up some of their people, as I saw Rainn Wilson (currently on The Office) in the lobby working on his iBook and at the nearby Starbucks. I also went up in the elevator with several SNL crew members (wearing their SNL Crew ID badges) and another celeb who I have yet to identify, although I know I've seen him on something.

The only minuses for us were the vibrating AC unit and the DirectTV that got really flaky when it rained.

I would definitely stay here again. A swanky place for sure. The photos I took of the room are here.