Hotel Carter - NYC - *Cue scary music* Are You Really After A Good Night's Sleep?! (Hotel Carter (New York, USA))

Member Name: malteser1987

Product:	Hotel Carter (New York, USA)
Date:	04/06/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, does kinda what it says on the tin

Disadvantages: Smells,dangerous fixtures, shoddy bathroom etc...

So you're in the incredible city of New York! You can count the amount of cash you're carrying in one hand and you're looking for a cheap and cheerful hotel to spend your night. You're on Times Square and you can barely believe your luck as the Hotel Carter comes into view. Oh what a sight! A backpackers dream! A cheap hotel in the heart of the city! All you want is somewhere to rest your head, dump your stuff and scrub the city out of your pores in a nice hot shower...but you didn't put 'survive the night' on your agenda?! Wait a minute - you chose the Hotel Carter right? Well you are brave and I admire you for that! You can dub me either brave or stupid as I've been in about 3 different rooms of this scary place and it's not for the faint-hearted or the fussy. It is however for the skint and accepting among us who would rather risk it then flounder our pennies.

The Location:

You can't knock it - it is actually ON Times Square - it's close to the subway and Port Authority where all buses leave from so transport links are excellent. You'll turn the corner and be blinded by the bright lights of the city and will really experience the fast paced, loud and risky hub of NYC- dodgying cabs and if you're fortunate like me, watching the NYPD rushing through the city and a colliding in a nine cop car collision - epic sight if you ask me. The NYPD is near the hotel too (you might actually need it with this place!!) with its pink neon signs, and the saucy naked cowboy is strumming not far from there.

The Foyer and Hallways (excluding the room)

Seems a bit random but the foyer, hallways and lifts are a worthy trip themselves. In the foyer there is a small booth where you pay for your rooms - you get swipe cards to access them (these don't always work!). There are 700 rooms in this epic tall building, and there are a fair few floors. If you manage to shotgun one of two small 'elevators' you'll trundle slowly up to your floor. There are also pay-to-use computers, many pay phones in the foyer - for those needing to look for an escape from the place/contact those worried about you and reassure them (i.e. lie) that you've found a safe and comfortable hotel. Well, it is safe with the police so near; that is if they can get to you without hitting one another. The hall ways deserve a mention merely because there is not only carpet on the floor but on the walls as well! Discoloured and musty - I feel reassured that every smell and stain is gripping to those walls and conjuring lots of horror stories for those passing through.

The rooms:

You've got to the elevator, you've got to your door and if your swipe key actually works you'll be through your door and into your room. EEK. Ok, breathe. You'll be fine. The beds are HUGE - give them their dues they do put meaty size beds - queen size, clean white sheets and they give you small white towels too. These are fairly basic, soft beds and they are just thin sheets but in the heat you'll need that. You'll also get a wonderfully loud air conditioner to freeze the one forced to sleep a foot away from it and never reach the one furthest from it! There will be about a foot around your bed before it hits the wall - they really do cram you in hence no floor space for your luggage. You might have a tele. I've never had a working one. The fixtures are hanging out of the wall so I would be careful plugging anything in!

Bathrooms-

Again these differ depending of what room you get. The first room I stayed in was particularly spectacular because in an effort to install a shower/bath combo, they sawed the bath into 1/3 of it's original size and cemented it in very badly. There are light SWITCHES - no pull string here! In the last room I had, the door was too big for the frame so it couldn't close; just sort of jar. There was damp creeping in, plaster crumbling from the ceiling and many a soap slither from days far gone. There was also a plug socket in line with the bath. Perfect for drying your hair whilst you wash it!

Storage space:

We had a cupboard in our last room with a crispy ancient fire sign on the inside of the door. With 4 of us we managed to clear some floor space. With 8 of us in the first room I stayed in we had to line the room - no room to walk - you have to stride over the beds and launch yourself at the bathroom/exit door because there was no cupboard for storage.

The staff:

We had an ancient old doorman who insisted on carrying our luggage which made us feel guilty because he was 80 if he was day! It is run by, I believe, a chinese family and I can't recall seeing a cleaner very often but then, I didn't hang around too long! They aren't too vigilant. The sign says "No guests". We managed to sneak 4 extra people in and split a 4 person room between 8. Squishy but you're never checked - there are just too many people going in and out! You can get extra cards too to make everything seem above board!

Conclusion:

It is scary - you really have to bite the bullet and weigh up what you can really afford. You are in the heart of the city and you couldn't get much closer without paying a lot more. You're looking at about $50 per person a night which equated to around £25 when I was there. Splitting this with people drops the price considerably obviously. If you willing to put up with it and put on your hard head and think "It's not much, but it'll do" then go for the Hotel Carter. But remember, the horror stories are all true. You just have to decide whether you're ok with that.

Summary: Bite the bullet and accept the problems or find somewhere else!