Hi,

We are looking at staying at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel for 6 nights whilst in NYC. Has anyone stayed there and would they recommend a park or city view room? Both look so beautiful and being first time visitors too New York we dont know which would be nicer!

Cheers,

Angie & Lee

Imo, there's nothing more magical than a park view in NYC but they're usually very expensive. You should know that the rooms at the Park Lane are very dated in decor but then you should be paying a lot less for them than similarly located hotels like the Jumeriah Essex House that are more recently renovated. Unless you stay on a higher floor, the "park view" may just be of tree tops. Have a read of reviews and click on the travelers photos here. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._New_York.html

Thankyou so much. Is this a good location to stay within NYC? We just thought it might be nice to start each morning with a stroll through the beautiful park!

There are more convenient places to stay than Park Ave South. I'd try for a park view room at the Le Meriden if it were me. It's much closer to transit and not much farther from the park. A better hotel in my opinion all around.

Both of these places look stunning. Thankyou for opening our eyes to places even more beautiful!

I live here in the city, but stayed there in March for a celebration (room was on the 43rd floor). Supposedly the rooms on the top floors have been completely renovated - this was not true. The bathroom was very old. The heating unit was loud. We were changed to an updated room, but it was on a much lower floor. The park view rooms are much cheaper than other hotels, but there were lots of issues. The bar is dark and dreary. You get what you pay for imo. I did love the location - walk to theater, LCT, the park, but there are other good locations.

There's no one best location in NYC and a lot has to do with personal taste in hotels and surroundings. When are you visiting and what sort of hotel do you like (ie modern vs traditional, big vs small etc.)?

I can't comment on the inside of the Helmsley Park Lane, but as a longtime New York resident, I think the location on Central Park South is fantastic. Nearly perfect for most tourists.

I have often thought that the absolute ideal location for the typical tourist visiting Manhattan would be Columbus Circle. There's one hotel that's right there, in the Time Warner Center: the Mandarin Oriental. The Trump International is pretty much right on Columbus Circle too, and there are a few other hotels that are very close. But the Helmsley Park Lane is just a few blocks away along the park. Le Parker Meridien and Jumeirah Essex House are also in the same area, although the former isn't right on the park, and I personally would not patronize the latter because it's owned by the government of Dubai. But all of these are in are in a fantastic area for a tourist, and are basically equivalent, location-wise.

I was just asked to scout out a hotel for friends of a friend and they wanted to be on Central Park South. I was stunned to find that the Jumeriah Essex House was much cheaper (for that one night) than the Helmsley Park Lane and overall a nicer hotel. This was not for a park view room, but still over $100 cheaper for the night, cheapest room to cheapest room. Just a heads up.

ive stayed there several times on business trips and agree it could use some updating.although i was alone and didnt really care about the room, just liked the location.Even if you dont stay there, the breakfast is classic old style NYC and worth a visit.Try to get a window table and it has great views of the park,and excellent service.It is an easy walk to Central Park,skating rink etc