THE MANHATTAN AT TIMES SQUARE by IHG

Great location, and the room was better than expected. However, the service was mediocre. As an InterContinental Platinum member, I received no benefits, and despite having already paid through Trip.com, I was charged an additional $50 at check-in.

Do NOT book this Manhattan Times Square hotel. Let's start with the basics: dingy carpets, a shaky bed frame, tattered sheets, torn curtains that didn't even close properly, and so on and so forth. While these might just affect your mood, the real problem was the bathroom drain – it was so clogged with grime that showering was impossible. When I tried to contact the front desk, the in-room phone was broken. Going downstairs wasn't much easier, as the elevator was also out of order, meaning a long wait. To make matters worse, the night manager was both ****** and completely incompetent, as confirmed by an entire audio recording of the conversation by a Trip.com employee (but I'll spare you the details). Ultimately, the hotel did absolutely nothing. I couldn't shower, didn't sleep well, and was subjected to a ****** tirade from the hotel staff. The next morning, despite having another week's reservation, I packed my bags and moved to the Sheraton across the street. I want to thank the Trip.com staff for their efforts. After being charged for one night, all my remaining reservations at this hotel were canceled. Even though the last-minute booking at the Sheraton cost almost double, escaping that hellhole was worth every penny. I honestly didn't want to write a review; I just wanted to forget about this cursed place. But a friend convinced me that if I didn't, other fellow travelers would step into the same trap. So please, let this be a warning to everyone.

With the help of Trip.com's customer service, we finally managed to upgrade our room to one of the hotel's renovated ones. However, the carpet around the bed wasn't very clean and had a faint, unpleasant odor, like stinky feet. It would have been better if there was no carpet at all. The room was quite small, with only a single armchair. The shower water pressure wasn't great, but it was usable. The hotel's location is excellent, making it convenient to get anywhere, and there are many subway lines nearby. The downside is that the surrounding area is a bit noisy, and the hotel's soundproofing isn't very good. On the bright side, the housekeeping staff cleaned the room daily, and the service was good, as was the front desk.

The soundproofing is terrible. I could hear my neighbor's alarm clock going off repeatedly – it was ridiculous. Plus, a child was crying in the middle of the night. I barely got any sleep because of the alarms and crying all night long.