NYC (Winter 2011): Room-Mate Grace

Shawn and I arrived in New York on Monday (February 21), and checked into Room-Mate Grace. We picked this hotel after reading tons of reviews online, because it had a consistently good rating while maintaining a relatively low price (we got it for about $150 a night on Expedia). We also liked the fact that it was a boutique hotel, 'cause it has more character than your typical Holiday Inn. Plus, the location is literally a block away from Times Square, which was a huge selling point for us.

One of my favourite things about this hotel is that each floor has a different look. We were on the 13th floor, which features a black-and-white wavy wallpaper design (the 9th floor featured a crazy red-pink-purple mod wallpaper, the 12th floor had a metallic gold wavy one). And each door has a room number printed on it in the biggest font possible, so you could be clinically blind and still find your room. Had I been high, I might have never left our floor.

We got into our room, and based on what I've seen online, this is what all their standard rooms look like. It's a very small room, but it's New York, so we came to expect it. But the small space didn't really bother us, 'cause they utilized the room fairly well. The bed (which is surrounded by seating "benches" covered in cream-coloured faux ostrich skin) was pushed all the way to the wall, leaving more space in the centre. I personally loved the mod wallpaper and the lamp above the bed, though some people may find it gaudy. And even though it didn't fit in the picture, there's a flat screen TV on the opposite wall from the lamp, so you can lie in bed and watch TV comfortably. The bed itself was phenomenal, so plush and comfy and warm. Our room also came with a seating nook by the window, a table, and a mod-looking chair. And a DVD player and iHome system! Had there been a kitchen in the room, we might never have left the hotel.

The bathroom is always the most important part of a hotel room for me. I can sleep on the damn floor, if need be, but a good bathroom is non-negotiable. And our bathroom was awesome. Clean, spacious (given the overall space of the room), simple, and modern. There's no bathtub, only a shower with a rainfall shower head, but it suited our needs just fine. And their mini toiletries come in the cutest containers I've ever seen in my life.

They also have a swimming pool beside the lobby. We didn't utilize it, but I had to take a picture because it's the coolest pool I've ever seen. There's a video of a waterfall always playing on one wall, and it's in a dark room so you can see the effect of the pool lights, which I thought was pretty epic. And on the other side, which I didn't get in the picture, are tons of cushy seating so you can just hang out and look at this awesome pool. Overall, a great hotel experience. And the staff is super nice, efficient, and accommodating. I would definitely go back to this hotel next time I'm in New York.