I have reservations at the Hotel Pennsylvania in NYC over the Christmas holiday. I needed two room and wanted not to spend what I usually spend in the City for this trip. Is it a dump or will we be okay. My sons want to go to a Rangers game (we are all adults), and we really were just looking for a clean and safe place to stay. Have I made a mistake?

I've stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania once and my room was ok. I went to NY for 1 nite to see a show and just needed a decent and inexpensive place to sleep. It's certainly not the Ritz but my room was fairly clean and the furniture looked kind of new. I think you should request a refurbished room to be on the safe side. You can't beat the location, right accross the street from Penn Station and MSG and about a 5-10 minute walk to Times Square. For $109 a nite in NYC I wasn't expecting too much and hotel Penn served its purpose. One thing I noticed was that the flight crews of Egypt Air, Aeroflot and Gulf Air stay here.

If you want a hotel that's "clean and safe," then, yes, I'm afraid you've made a mistake. Dave Barry thinks so, too:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...ry/3375167.htm

While the Penn is not the nicest hotel in town, it is tolerable and for the price not that bad. It is in a great location for the Rangers game and certainly for shopping.

How much time do you really spend in the room anyway? Mainly to sleep, take a shower and head out to see the city right? Don't worry, it will be fine.

It isnt bad at all contrary to a lot Ive read on here....as someone said not the Ritz but our rooms are always clean and new furniture and we had a king sized bed....the price and location are great.walking distance to most everything. we will stay there again

I haven't been personally, but a woman I used to work with had reservations there a couple of years ago, walked in and walked out. She gave up the one-night cancellation or whatever the penalty was. Also, she traveled extensively and had stayed in lots of basic but clean type accomodations, but found the Hotel Pennsylvania really dreadful. Now it may have been cleaned up in the last couple of years, but if I could I would look elsewhere.
Sandy

Dave Barry's column about his terrible experience at the Penn was published last year, so that's a relatively recent experience. Why stay at such an iffy place when you can get something better for the same money thru Priceline etc?