Hotel Belleclaire

In Upper West Side near shopping, restaurants, subway a few blocks away. New York has short and long blocks. Able to get to downtown Manhattan easily. Cheapest way is learn the subway lines. Hotel staff helpful with transportation. Very nice. Would like to have had central air but the hotel is (I think) almost 100 years old and has been updated. Went to Empire State building, Statue of Liberty (lot of security), Ellis Island, Times Square (have police there, felt secure), China town, Grand Central Station, Majestic Theatre, sunset cruise, Ground Zero, Canal Street, Rockafeller Center and Central Park. Central Park is further away from the hotel than it looks on the map as it is two to three long blocks away. Remember hotel is older building. Elevator is small and hall ways are a little narrower than newer buildings. We were early for check in but they stored our bags until the room was ready. Staff friendly and courteous. I used the ironing board and my iron went out. The staff brought a new one right away. They put me in the first room they had ready and were to call me for the second but failed to do so. The two wake up calls we needed were put into their call system correctly. They have no alarm clocks in the rooms. I have a sleep number bed at home and this hotel's bed was the best I have ever slept in. I suppose the walks around New York helped. Many different shops in this area. Burger and pizza place around the corner from hotel is where I ate most of my meals. (It has more than pizza and burgers) Other places you visit will help you with the best way to get somewhere but then that helps their business. The view from my hotel window was the brick wall next door. I had room to walk around, a walk in closet and the bathroom was a fair size, the second room had a smaller closet and bathroom but again you could walk around the room. We had king size beds. The two rooms we had had the wooden floors. The lobby had wooden floors. I noticed there was someone regularly cleaning the small carpets and wiping the wooden floor. There is a certain amount of noise as the buildings are right next to each other but I was able to sleep relatively well. I have insomnia anyway and am a light sleeper.

This was a great hotel for my first trip to NYC with my best friend of 20 years from high school. It is located only 2 short blocks from the #1 Subway line. I was able to take the subway from Penn Station to the hotel, which saved money on cab fare. We also took the subway to and from all of our sightseeing excursions. Having a Metro card is a great idea. The hotel's neighborhood is great with a couple of markets, restaurants, and even a pharmacy nearby. I felt safe there. We had a superior double room and asked for a city view. We were in room 405 and had a great view of the street from both angles. There was plenty of room for both of us to move around comfortably. My only complaint with the room is that the bathroom light is behind your head so putting your makeup on in the bathroom could be challenging. But, there was a full length mirror in the bedroom near a window, so that worked well. There is construction in the lobby, but the area is very clean. Having a city view did allow for lots of street noise, but I sleep wearing my iPod so it didn't bother me. But, if you are sensitive to noise I would suggest earplugs. We weren't in the room very much with all of our sightseeing, but it was clean and comfortable. And the food at the Manhattam diner was very good and the portions are HUGE!!!

This boutique hotel is still being renovated, the entrance under construction, but our room was nicely decorated and more than adequate. The front desk service was pleasant and accommodating, and provided a quiet room upon our request. The main hardship was that one of the two lobby elevators (which are small) was out of operation, resulting in waits for the sole elevator.

Great location in a reletively quiet residential area (corner of 77th and Broadway) that can give you a real sense of what living in Manhattan would be like. Great access to the park. If your looking for a Disney Land hotel, this isn't it. This is a genuine article old New York hotel; complete with the very small, slow elevators and narrow hallways. If your expecting a five star new hotel for this price, look elsewhere. But if you want to experience the real Manhattan, try it. Unfortunately the Hotel is still (late May 2009) undergoing major renovation and this was not mentioned before our arrival. Fortunately, I had not intended to spend my time in New York in a hotel room. The hotel provided a quiet refuge to recuperate at the end of each day, far different than the mid-town / Times Square hotels would have been and this is just what I was looking for.

I love the UWS and went out on a limb and stayed here. Not advised for business travellers. Rooms are quite small, loud and light! The curtains are not adequate and sunlight shines in starting with sunrise. If your room faced Broadway, the noise is hard to handle... And the rooms facing Broadway also do not get wireless access.

This was an adequate hotel the position was great but a shared bathroom. I wouldn't stay again.

currently undergoing updates, but the hotel is still a beauty

A great New York hotel on the upper west side, The Bellclaire is the perfect location to stay. Recently updated rooms, friendly staff and clean, quiet rooms made it an enjoyable stay. Easy access to the subway and Central Park were also perks to this great location.

Hotel Belleclaire room is comfortable and in decent size. Location is great with all restaurant and fastfood, market surround. Car rental is one block away. It in uptown area. Everything is great. We are enjoy our trip. But the only thing I want to complain about this is hotel staffs. They show us around and how to get back to the hotel. But anyway, We have a great trip and will come back to New York for shopping.

The location of HBC is great with easy walking and bus access for strolling, shopping and touring. The desk staff was efficient and friendly. There is some long-term construction scaffolding on the front edifice, but no work crews were present during the 2 days I stayed (May 2008) and this was during weekdays. I noticed several airline flight crews checking in and out when I went thru the lobby so you know that HBC is consistently safe, comfortable and clean. I had a lovely spacious room at the front, but the only drawback is city traffic noise on Broadway. Fortunately I always travel with earplugs so I was able to go right back to sleep! The gift shop off the lobby is convenient for internet access and souvenirs. I would definitely stay there again.