The MAve NYC

Contras: The bathroom only had one bar of soap, should have for sink and for shower. They advertise bathrobes but should know if one or two people are staying and have enough robes.

Efficient!

Prós: The MAve, or the Madison Avenue hotel, is above all "Efficient." And I mean this in the best way. I stayed in the Full size room, and there is NO wasted space, but at the same time it is entirely feasible. The bathrooms are relatively spacious and clean, with new faucets and amenities. The bed was EXCELLENT, and the pillows were great. The front desk employees were VERY friendly and welcoming, even when I arrived quite late in the evening. Check in and out was SIMPLE and easy. Location is SICK beyond compare, particularly for the price.

Contras: Hot water took 5 minutes to arrive. Breakfast was kind of a joke, but it was free and I can't blame them for trying.

Perfect Midtown Digs

Prós: Our room was a nice size, had an awesomely comfortable King bed. Shower had power. Room got chilly but there was a window unit to fix that. The whole stay I did not hear one peep from any neighboring room. Street sounds of course but that is to be expected.

Contras: Breakfast is like a circling of the vultures. The table tends to run out of stuff and people wait to pounce. But the quality of the coffee and pastries is worth a small wait.

Prós: The location and price of this hotel was excellent. Staff was very friendly and remained smiling in the face of adversity. The room was small, but clean with relatively new fixtures.

Contras: The "free breakfast" is nothing more than coffee and pastry. It was good, but web sites should say "grab and go pastries and coffee." The front desk staff had to wear winter coats and use a space heater because the lobby was so cold. The hotel's internet was not working, so front desk staff had to improvise to process reservations. They did well and with good humor.