A Decent Midtown NYC Hotel Option: The Crowne Plaza HY36 Manhattan [Review]

Visiting New York for Delta’s big LaGuardia Terminal C and Sky Club reveals provided an opportunity to stay in a couple of different hotels. One of them was IHG’s HY36 Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

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Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan: Location, Location, Location!

The Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan is located on West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues — right in the Garment District. (The hotel’s actual address is 320 West 36th Street, New York City, 10018.)

The hotel is an easy, seven-ish minute walk from Penn Station. That’s where you can take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), which connects to the JFK AirTrain in Jamaica, Queens. (I took the train to/from JFK.)

You can catch the A, C, E, 1, 2, and 3 subways at Penn Station, too. That made getting around town pretty easy.

If you’re in town for an event at Madison Square Garden (concert, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, other sports, etc.), the venue is a short walk from the hotel.

I was in town during the NHL playoffs. Plenty of people visited the hotel bar before and after the NY Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning game one night.

Times Square is about a 10-15 minute walk.

I arrived at the area around midnight. The area felt very sketchy — and I didn’t feel comfortable wheeling my suitcases around. I didn’t go out much at night because I was busy working in my room most of the time and a thunderstorm rained on my plans another night. Here’s an interesting Reddit thread about the area. Phrases like “homeless shelters,” “methadone clinics,” and “drug deals” certainly pop out.

All that said, I felt safe during the day. If you go out at night, try to stay in a group or use Uber or Lyft to drop you off in front of the hotel. Just my two cents.

Booking My Stay

I stayed two nights at the Crowne Plaza HY36. I booked two separate reservations: the first was an anniversary night award from my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. The second night cost me 51,000 IHG Rewards One points, which seemed a little high. I can’t see this property being valued at anything more than about 40,000.

Checking in to Crowne Plaza HY36

I arrived at the Crowne Plaza HY36 just before noon. (The place was a two-minute walk from StayPineapple, where I spent the previous night.)   Luckily, there was a room ready for me.

This art installation dangles above the lobby.

A wonderful pair of front desk representatives greeted me. The very warm and smiley Jess checked me in and merged my two reservations. She explained she was new — but I honestly couldn’t tell. She personally walked me to the elevators once check-in was completed. I saw her a few times during my stay — and she was always enthusiastic and personable. It was like she owned the place and wanted everyone to feel welcome. I think she’ll be a general manager someday.

RELATED: Dear IHG and Holiday Inn: Please Read This Post About One of Your Hotel Employees

In fact, all of my interactions with Crowne Plaza HY36 staff were great. Each bellhop, housekeeper, back-office employee, etc., always greeted guests, asked how their day was going, etc.

Crowne Plaza HY36 King Room

I was impressed by my king room.

As you can see from the picture above, the bathroom is located behind the bed. I thought that was kind of a fun twist and don’t remember ever staying in a room with that layout.

The bed and pillows were comfortable. The air conditioning worked great — which was very appreciated, given the humidity outside. I didn’t sleep that well on this trip. But I don’t necessarily fault the hotel. There was construction work (what in New York City?! 😉 ) across the street. Those jackhammers added to the usual symphony of horns and sirens. Plus, the three-hour time difference between New York and my home in Los Angeles sort of whooped me on this trip. It normally isn’t an issue — but this trip was different for some reason. I’m not sure why.

Back to the tour!

The desk had decent power options for my electronic devices.

This was my view toward the southwest.

The closet features these funky (in a good way) shelves.

The bathroom and shower were good. Excellent water pressure in the shower.

I’m pretty sure this is the first human trafficking placard I’ve ever seen in a hotel bathroom.

I ate a couple of meals at Burgerology, the hotel’s bar and restaurant.

Breakfast was very good.

I treated myself and enjoyed an afternoon Old Fashioned during a writing break. The drink was fine — nothing too amazing.

I planned to go out to dinner one evening but there was a pretty heavy thunderstorm over Manhattan. Darn the luck. So, I opted for a burger, fries, and Old Fashioned at the hotel.

The burgers and fries were great. And the bartender that night (I’m sorry I forgot his name!) made better Old Fashioneds than the gentleman tending bar that afternoon.

Burgerology certainly was not immune from the staffing shortage affecting businesses around the country. They desperately needed more serving and bartending help. The staff hustled and didn’t complain, though. They did a great job.

Final Approach

I enjoyed my stay at Crowne Plaza HY36 in midtown Manhattan. I’d probably stay there again — but our IHG property of choice in midtown New York is the Kimpton Muse. The staff was great, the room adequate, and food very tasty. The neighborhood is a little interesting (not in a good way) but you should be OK if you keep your wits about you and maybe take ride share when going out at night.